The band name MORDRED means different things to different people. Having been in existence for close to forty years, the band has hosted nearly twenty different members and undergone a very distinct change of direction, away from the original band’s “classic” thrash-metal ethos in favor of a much more experimental musical path.
Formed during their senior year of high school in San Francisco by guitarist Alex Gerould and vocalist Steve Scates, the classic line-up of the band – including Scates, Gerould, Jim Sanguinetti on guitar, Art Liboon on bass guitar and Erik Lannon on drums – had solidified by early 1986 with a string of high-profile support slots for the likes of Anthrax, Suicidal Tendencies, Exodus and King Diamond, as well as several legendary headline performances at classic Bay Area venues such as the Mabuhay Gardens in S.F. and Ruthie’s Inn in Berkeley. As their self-produced demo gained attention from around the globe, MORDRED seemed poised for success when Scates decided to follow his “warrior spirit” and enlist in the United States Army, leaving the band challenged to replace his unique vocal style and striking stage persona.
The auditions for a new vocalist afforded the band ample time to reconsider their direction which led to significant changes; guitarist Sanguinetti was replaced by Danny White, newcomer Scott Holderby took over lead vocals and drummer Lannon was replaced by Gannon Hall. By the end of the 1980’s, the band had moved away from their signature thrash metal sound, adopting a more funk-based approach, complimented by the addition of turntablist Aaron ‘DJ Pause’ Vaughn. It is widely agreed that this would have been an appropriate time for the band to change its name as the line-up and material had changed drastically from what had previously been known as MORDRED. However, recording contracts were being drafted at the time and the decision was made to continue under that name. Alex Gerould ultimately decided to leave the band in 1988 in order to pursue a promising career in law. The six-piece band now known as MORDRED has continued to record and tour sporadically as recently as 2021.
After years away from playing guitar, Alex began to feel that the original concept of the band had never been fully realized and ideas began to circulate about ways to document some of the early as-yet-unrecorded thrash tunes. Drummer Erik Lannon enthusiastically signed on to play drums for the project and the obvious choices for bass and guitar were Art Liboon and Jim Sanguinetti respectively. The prospect of involving original singer Scates would prove to be more challenging, and he tragically lost his life after years of health issues. After considering all options, the only apparent choice was to have long-time friend of the band Chris Whitney take over on lead vocals.
Recognizing that both Jim and Art were still in a band that was operating under the name MORDRED, a new moniker was snipped from the chorus of the band’s eponymous song and the original, reformed line-up would now come to be known collectively as DEATHS DAWN. Song titles were bandied and an initial set list was agreed upon including songs such as ‘Persecution’, ‘The Black Vigil’ and ‘Burned At The Stake’. A tentative timeline for rehearsals and recording was calendared for late Fall of 2024 through Spring of 2025 leaving plenty of time for the anticipation of DEATHS DAWN to build.
