Once Dead is an American Christian thrash metal band that was formed in 2004 as a reunion of Vengeance Rising, however the vocalist Roger Martinez was not part of the reunion, and because of this the band decided to change their name to Once Dead[1].
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The band was with all original members of Vengeance Rising, except the vocalist Roger Martinez. Then, the vocalist Scott Waters from Ultimatum joined the band. They recorded a DVD, that was the reunion show, and after this the band decided to stay together and write a new material.
In 2005, the band was working in a new album and performing shows around the United States. In the Summer of 2005, the longtime drummer Glen Mancaruso left the band, and was substituted by Jim Chaffin, that played in the crossover thrash band The Crucified and the hardcore band Fasedown. The band continued to tour and play shows, including a trip to the Elements of Rock Festival, in Europe. But before this trip, bassist Roger Dale left the band, and was replaced by Angelo Espino, that played in the thrash metal bands Hirax and Reverend. The band also have an addition in their line-up, when the guitarist Glenn Rogers, that played in Hirax and the thrash metal bands Deliverance and Vengeance Rising, joined the band. In 2006, vocalist Scott Waters was forced to leave the band before recording the band's new studio album. Devin Shaeffer from Fasedown joined the band and substituted Scott in the vocals. The band then recorded their first studio album under the Once Dead moniker.
In 2008, the debut album, titled Visions Of Hell, was released by Open Grave Records. Reviews were mixed as many fans had pre-ordered the album expecting to hear Scott Waters singing in his aggressive thrash style. Instead Devin's vocals were of the metalcore variety. Also, in the middle of the recording, Larry Farkas quit the band, taking his songs with him. The band then had to record some new songs. In the end, the production suffered. The album was sent out for duplicating by Open Grave Records without proper mastering.