Last Remains

LAST REMAINS took shape around 1989/1990 after guitarist Adam Tranquilli parted ways with New Jersey thrashers Blood Feast, joining forces with former Killigy drummer Adam Kieffer, Bob McLynn on bass, and initial vocalist Rich Caputo. The group set out to develop a heavy-yet-melodic sound that would remain powerful without venturing toward the "balls-out speed thrashing" Tranquilli had explored with Blood Feast.

In 1991, the quartet's debut two-song demo was recorded at Waterfront Studio with Doug Conroy (who had handled some of the Blood Feast recordings, Jersey Dogs, etc.), after which Caputo was replaced with a mysterious new singer referred to as simply O.T. This lineup tracked 1992's six-song Grasp for Existence demo at Studio E in Garfield, NJ with David Derr, becoming a bit more diverse and technical, unconcerned with any particular boundaries.

O.T. seemingly vanished prior to another six-song demo, ...And Then There Were Three, once more laid down with David Derr at Studio E in 1993. Now operating as a trio with Tranquilli and McLynn splitting lead vocal duties, this material represented a significant shift toward a more aggressive, groove-tinged brand of thrash, though not without the atypical twists and turns of LAST REMAINS' prior compositions.

Shortly after its release, the band was quickly signed to Pavement Music, decided upon a name change to Headlock, and ultimately issued a lone full-length, It Found Me, the following year. This iteration would continue into the mid-'90s, at which point Tranquilli left, Headlock morphed into a project called Triggerfish, and then—with only McLynn remaining—The Step Kings. Thus, not entirely lost to time, LAST REMAINS/Headlock was able to leave a proper mark on the scene, both through their recordings and having been able to perform live alongside a range of acts from Hades, Kreator, and Overkill to Madball, M.O.D., and Prong.

Now, over three decades later, Divebomb Records is excited to resurrect the complete recorded history of LAST REMAINS—including two of the rarest bonus tracks—in the form of the 17-song Grasp for Existence: The Demo Anthology CD. Newly remastered by Jamie King Audio, the collection will be housed with a 20-page booklet jammed-tight with lyrics, photos, flyers, and a retrospective interview with Adam Tranquilli. For the fans, by the fans!