Origin:	Tampa, Florida, USA
Genres:	Thrash Metal

Page online:	April 10, 2008
Last update/review:	September 1, 2011

Denial Fiend

Denial Fiend marks the return of vocalist Kam Lee, well known for his one-time main band Massacre as well as his early work in the seminal death metal band Death. Along for the ride here is another Death/Massacre man in bassist Terry Butler, as well as another Floridian metal veteran in former Nasty Savage drummer Curtis Beeson, the quartet rounded out with guitarist Sam Williams. Their full-length debut, They Rise, is loosely a death metal album, but not so much in the traditional or Floridian sense. Instead, this is part death, part thrash, and part death 'n roll, with lyrics almost exclusively in the horror vein (as many have pointed out, this is either a tribute to, or an influence from, Misfits). Lee's vocals are forceful, not really the stereotypical death growls but a lower-pitched roar, powerful and more intelligible than many death vocalists. The songs do get samey from time to time, and when all is said and done this isn't a perfect or essential album, but it's certainly not bad, and the horror aspect distances it from the pack a bit. Lee and Beeson announced their amicable departure from the group in January 2009, with a new lineup set to release a new album in 2011.