Vital Remains

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Tony Lazaro

Vital Remains is a blackened death metal band from Providence, Rhode Island. The band formed during 1989, influenced by the likes of Venom, Celtic Frost, Bathory, Mercyful Fate, Sodom, and Destruction. Originally comprised of members guitarists Paul Flynn and Tony Lazaro, vocalist Jeff Gruslin, bassist Tom Supkow, and drummer Chris Dupont, the group has been through several line-up changes (as well as record labels) over the years, but it has not gotten in their way of issuing albums on a regular basis. A pair of demos (1989's Reduced to Ashes and 1990's Excruciating Pain) led to a contract with French label Thrash Records, who in turn issued The Black Mass in 1991.

A pair of releases followed for the Peaceville label, 1992's Let Us Pray and 1995's Into Cold Darkness, before jumping ship to another French heavy metal label, Osmose Records, for 1997's Forever Underground and 2000's Dawn of the Apocalypse . Since Dawn of the Apocalypse, vocals were taken over by Glen Benton (frontman of well known death metal band Deicide), in 2001, though the lyrics are written by the rest of the band. Dechristianize was released in 2003 to much critical acclaim.