Band: Death Rites
From: Los Angeles, California
Their formation story:
"Death Rites started in February of 2022, with members Johnny (guitar) and Marvin (drums). After the COVID-19 pandemic re-opening, we talked about the idea of creating a new project along the lines of our favorite crust, metallic punk, and metal bands. After a few late nights, we created the first 5 tracks for Death Rites.
"We demoed these songs and decided to bring other members in to practice them as a full band. Sean (bass), Steven (guitar), and Branden (vocals) rounded out the lineup and we initially named the band 'Deathless.' After a few practices, the members lost touch due to other band and work commitments; the project was inactive for over a year. Marvin was flying back to Los Angeles after playing a festival and came across a voice memo recording while on the plane under the name 'DEATHLESS - MARV’S RIFF / SACRILEGE RIFF.'
"Marvin found himself enjoying the riff that he and Johnny had worked on, despite not remembering what they had written it for. After thinking long and hard, Marvin remembered it was for the 'Deathless' project that had been abandoned over a year ago. After resharing these recordings with Johnny, Marvin decided to reactivate the project and go full speed ahead. Back with a vengeance and a hunger to finish and perfect this project, Marvin brought back Steven, Branden, and new bass player Alex.
"With the band fully formed, the guys threw around a few different band names and came up with the name Death Rites. After months of writing and rehearsing, Death Rites released their 3-song demo in February of 2024 and played their very first show with Poison Ruin. Since then, Death Rites has continued to write and play gigs in and around Los Angeles.
"After a full year of writing and practicing, Death Rites entered the studio and cranked out 11 songs in 4 days with Andrew Oswald at Paradise Recording Studio. 11 songs of charged metal punk, the Death Rites LP is self-released by the band with exclusive distribution by Going Underground Records in Bakersfield followed by a tour of the US West Coast in May."
Their sound in their own words:
"A mix of metal, punk, and crust. Lots of metal riffing combined with thunderous drums and cavernous vocals."
Latest release info:
"Death Rites LP. 11 song LP, self-released by the band and distributed by Going Underground Records."
Future plans:
"A tour of the US West Coast in May 2025 with lots more touring to come. We are constantly working on new music and are working on future releases."
What other bands from their region should we check out?
"City Kings, Cristo, Dust Collector, Ultras, Kevlar Upper, Seudo Youth, Pyrrhic, Gunn, The Dark, Prison Postumo, Hot Load."
The Death Rites LP will be out on May 9th via Going Underground (pre-order).
Death Rites on social media: Instagram
Tagged: death rites
