Origin: Federal Way, Washington, USA  
Genres: Thrash Metal, Crossover
DISBANDED
Last update/review: November 24, 2016

NME

Truly a cult underground band with a checkered past, NME formed in the early eighties and released their seminal album, Unholy Death, in 1985. Shortly afterward, their career was cut short when guitarist Kurt Struebing went to jail for 8 years for the murder of his adoptive mother. Upon his release in 1994 the band resumed and recorded sporadically over the years, most recently in 2002 with Vermination, but with the untimely passing of Struebing in early 2005, the band is now done.

Unholy Death is really little more than an early Venom clone, right down to the rambling bass lines, tinny guitars, simplistic drumming, and Cronos-ish vocals. So, few marks for originality and fewer still for musicianship, but for raw appeal it actually does deliver, and it remains a cult favorite to this day as well as an undeniable future influence on the black metal scene. On the other hand, Machine Of War '95 (originally meant to be an anniversary re-recording of their 1985 demo, but it turned out quite different than that) is more a straight metal/punk album, again quite a bit on the raw side but clearly more mature than Unholy Death, with some inventive covers in the form of "Electric Funeral" and "Let There Be Rock".

Last Lineup

Kurt Struebing

guitars/vocals RIP: March 9, 2005, killed in a car accident

Scott Tinsley

bass

Steve Meier

drums

Former Members/Guests

Brian Llapitan

vocals



Discography


Unholy Death  
1985 LSR
  1. Of Hell/Thunder Breaks Peace
  2. Louder than Hell
  3. Black Knight
  4. Evil Dead
  5. Speed Kilz
  6. Stormwarning/Blood & Souls
  7. Decadent Mayhem/Unspeakable
  8. Brick Wall
  9. Warrior
  10. Lethal Dose
  11. Acid Reign
  • Brian Llapitan
  • Kurt Struebing
  • Scott Tinsley
  • Steve Meier



Machine Of War '95  
1995 self-released
  1. Lethal Dose
  2. Torture Me Slow, Brother (The Return of the Unspeakable)
  3. Acid Reign
  4. Dead Years: The Politics of Paranoia
  5. The Floor of the Sky
  6. Worm
  7. Children of the Grave
  8. Electric Funeral
  9. South of Heaven intro
  10. Torture ...
  11. Chains of Command
  12. IH(F)NI
  13. Evil Dead
  14. Let There Be Rock
  • Kurt Struebing
  • Scott Tinsley
  • Steve Meier



Vermination  
2002 self-released
  1. Comorbidity
  2. Retribute (Crime TV)
  3. Brick Wall
  4. Dead & Buried
  5. (Songs of the) Master Race, Pt. 1
  6. Seeds
  7. Gumn
  8. Floater
  • Kurt Struebing
  • Scott Tinsley
  • Steve Meier




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