Von was a black metal band from San Francisco, California, USA.
Von |
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Members
- Goat (initially known as Von) - Guitar, Vocals
- Snake - Drums
- Kill - Bass
Biography
Von was formed in 1989 by Goat and Snake. An unnamed bass player was in the band before leaving in 1990.[1] In early 1991 Kill joined the band and they recorded their first demo, Satanic Blood. During 1991-1992 Von played a couple of live gigs[1] and recorded another demo, Blood Angel, which was never released on its own. The band disbanded shortly after the release of Satanic Blood in 1992.
Very little is known about the individuals behind the band. Kill is known as Joe Allen of Abscess,[2] but the identities of the other three remain unknown.
Style
The band played highly simplistic black metal with short songs based on almost continuous Blast beats and repetition of only from one to three riffs, each containing only about three or four power chords.[3] The vocals were performed in a guttural growling fashion more familiar to Death Metal than Black Metal.
Von can be seen having been ahead of their time, playing minimalistic black metal on a time when the genre was virtually non-existent, especially in the thrash-oriented West Coast.[3]
Cult following
Von have gained a cult following in the Black Metal underground since their disbandment and the few recordings of Von are considered classic and pioneer black metal. Prominent bands such as Dark Funeral[4] and Krieg[5] have covered songs by Von, in 2006 four Norwegian bands (including Taake) released a tribute EP entitled A Norwegian Hail to Von,[6] and the Swedish black metal band Watain is named after a Von song,[7] to mention a few examples.
The band's name
The band's name is often falsely thought to be an acronym for Victory Orgasm Nazis. Varg Vikernes of Burzum used those words to spell the band's name during a phone interview because the interviewer apparently didn't hear the name correctly. According to the band, the name stands for "nothing but images of darkness and blood."[1]
Discography
| Title | Satanic Blood | Blood Angel | Satanic Blood Angel |
| Cover | (no cover available) | ||
| Format | Demotape, 1992 | Demotape, unreleased | Compilation, 2003 (Nuclear War Now Productions) |
| Tracklisting |
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CD1: The Satanic Blood demo and the Blood Angel demo CD2: Live at San Francisco
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| Notes | Some sources (example) report that this demo was released in 1988, but it was actually recorded in 1991[1] and released in 1992.[8] Bootleg versions on compact disc exist. |
The year of recording of this demo is unknown, although an interview refers to it as the second demo.[1] The demo was never released on its own, only as part of the Satanic Blood Angel compilation released in 2003. |
The only official Von release alongside with the Satanic Blood demo.[1][2] Single disc version also exists, released by From Beyond Productions.[9] |
References
- ^ a b c d e f The interview in the booklet of Satanic Blood Angel, available at Von's MySpace page
- ^ a b Von @ Encyclopaedia Metallum
- ^ a b Unofficial site
- ^ Album information, track 10 is a Von cover
- ^ Album information, track 18 is a Von cover
- ^ Tribute album's entry Encyclopaedia Metallum
- ^ A Watain interview
- ^ The demo's entry at Encyclopaedia Metallum
- ^ The compilation's entry at Encyclopaedia Metallum