Voice of Doom

Voice of Doom is an American Hardcore/Horror Punk band originally from Hackensack, New Jersey

1983: As punk wound down and 'new wave' gathered momentum,
The innovators of these newly disparate disciplines had either self-destructed, began to hone their sound for more commercial appeal, or were content to just tread water for rent money and drugs. In the midst of this, "The Systum" formed with the intent of mixing the mental gymnastics of The Doors with the sound of the punk innovators. As expected (at least in retrospect), this achieved artistic but not a commercial success.

1986: John Steele, wanting to showcase his songwriting, guitar, and vocal abilities, started writing songs geared towards his disdain for politics while incorporating dark fantasy concepts. The Systum's founding members, John Steele (Electric Frankenstein, Genöcide) and Frankie Fender, now formed Voice of Doom, an experiment in a punk/metal hybrid form, influenced by early metal masters Black Sabbath, as well as Motörhead, and the punk-inspired Misfits and Black Flag. Steele moved from drums to vox/guitar, while Ricky Blades and Samhain's London May were soon brought on for the bass and drum slots. After playing shows, which included the legendary CBGB, they recorded the now highly sought-after “Faith is Torn” 7” EP in the extremely limited blue vinyl pressing. Steele and company then recorded another four-song EP, which was never officially released. (Only a single 12” acetate exists; its whereabouts are currently unknown.) Voice of Doom would disband in 1988.

1988-1990: The Steele/Fender duo perform and record as the hard rock outfit 'Nasty Ammunition' with 'Brain Injured Children' guitarist Heim on lead vocals.

2014: Somewhere in NJ, on the 25th anniversary of their demise, VOD reunites to record five new songs, this time citing their early punk influences as their sole inspiration. They combine the release with a remastered version of their 1987 “Faith is Torn” EP and title the whole thing, 'VOD III.' The new lineup featured original bassist Ricky Blades, who also laid tracks on VOD’s “Faith Is Torn,” as well as drummer Karl C. Scott and former Nasty Ammunition/Holeshot bandmate Evil Heim for lead vox. Shortly after recording, the original bassist decides obscurity is a better-suited activity for him, and the new drummer drives to his death in Northern California.

2015: They didn't have to look far for replacements though. Steele and Fender turned to fellow 65's bandmates Joe Pugsley and Ryan Struck to take over bass and drum duties, respectively. According to Steele, the band is "tighter, louder, and a little further from retirement age.". Fender was quoted as saying, "Karl would have wanted it this way. He was selfless like that.". The revamped VOD would play their first show in over 25 years at The Clash Bar in Clifton, N.J.

2016: Voice of Doom continued their assault on the horror punk genre, releasing two EP's, 'Scared to Death' and 'Screams in Space', which have become instant cult classics among new and old fans of the band.

2017: Because of Voice of Doom's growing popularity in Europe, the band set out on a short tour of German punk clubs, to which its soundboard recordings were released this Halloween.

2018: Again on Halloween, VOD releases a putrid, green, 7” vinyl record, 'Toxic Swamp,' which has been widely considered their best, commercially digestible, effort yet.

2019: Voice of Doom releases a limited edition 7" white lathe cut disc, 'Cousin of Death', as a tease to their next full-length LP, entitled ‘Saint Blaise’, due out April 20th, 2020.

2020: Voice of Doom releases their highly anticipated 'Saint Blaise' LP. Ironically, the band wrapped up recording on February 3rd, which is the traditional celebration day of the patron saint of the throat, Saint Blaise. The band, in its inception, back in 1986, cited influences as “equal parts Black Flag and Black Sabbath.” This monster has the influences of both, tossing in a little Slayer for fun. Sonically, it’s without a doubt the band’s “heaviest” sounding release (thanks mainly to legendary British producer Robin Black). Lyrical themes range from theological obscurity to cultish horror (a staple of most Voice of Doom recordings). “It’s about as close as you can get to side 2 of Paranoid and side 2 of My War at the same time,” according to engineer Kevin Lacatena. Bob McCreary of bloodmakesnoise.net exclaimed, “Hearing this actually scared me!” And now, after two years in the making, The Mighty VOD, in their sixth year back from the dead, present... 'Saint Blaise'.

2021: Voice of Doom releases the single “Night Tide” on sinister purple 7" wax with an accompanying lyric video, influenced by the 1961 Curtis Harrington film by the same name.

2022: "The Blood of One," an EP produced by Mike Butcher, is released on the Ides of March, featuring esoteric Occult themes along with a killer version of Kiss's 'Almost Human'.

2023: Voice of Doom collaborates with Robby Bloodshed on two Misfits classics along with two covers of each other's songs! Limited to 100 copies on radioactive green wax, released on 6/6 through the horror punk themed label 'We Are Horror Records' out of the UK.

2024: Sadly, VOD saw the demise of co-founder, guitarist Frankie Fender. Shortly before Frankie's death, he suggested the title "Into the Further" for the next record because it sounded cool. So in honor of Frank, the remaining members and new guitarist/friend of the band, Robby Bloodshed, produce their most critically acclaimed and diverse effort to date with the LP "Into The Further."