Xzanthus

Bay Area thrash unit XZANTHUS formed during the late-'80s in the San Jose, CA region—eventually settling on a lineup of Steev Esquivel (vocals), Henry Moreno (drums), Pat Nelson (bass), and guitarists Eric Beard and Michael Terry. Early talks with Roadrunner Records fell apart when Esquivel opted to relocate to Oakland and join fellow heavy-hitters Defiance. His replacement, Dave Vest, was then eventually supplanted by David Sandoval, the group's third and final frontman.

Right off the bat, the band developed a hard-charging, no nonsense brand of thrash metal that countered its gnashing aggression with an undercurrent of traditional heavy metal structure and melodicism. The first two sessions with Esquivel tended toward a rawer, down-and-dirty attack; whereas later outings with Vest and Sandoval developed tighter musicianship and slightly more dramatic singing styles.

XZANTHUS tracked a whopping four demos between 1988 and 1991; performing countless shows alongside area friends Forbidden, Epidemic, Wrekking Machine, Fatality, and Marquis de Sade; not to mention other established greats such as Vio-lence, Sacred Reich, D.R.I., and Body Count. Despite this exposure as well as an obvious progression in the quality of their recorded output, the group ultimately fizzled away without securing the opportunity for a proper LP—their material largely lost to time as a somewhat mysterious unsung gem of the Bay Area thrash scene. Much of the information regarding XZANTHUS online is incomplete or inaccurate, and even the band members have trouble piecing together the timeline almost 35 years later.

That's why Divebomb Records is thrilled to present World of Misery: The Demo Anthology, a 15-song, 62-minute complete discography of XZANTHUS. Sourced from the original analog multi-track reels as often as possible, the transfers have been mixed and mastered by Jamie King Audio in order to preserve these rather elusive examples of this corner of classic Bay Area thrash. The CD will be packaged alongside a 16-page booklet including original artwork, photos, lyrics, and an interview with guitarist Eric Beard. For the fans, by the fans!