Halo of Flies was an American

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, artists indulge in extre ...

band from

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. Named after an Alice Cooper song, Halo of Flies was formed in 1986 by

Tom Hazelmyer Tom Hazelmyer (born 1965) is an American musician and printmaker. He is known as the founder and owner of the independent label Amphetamine Reptile Records as well as being the lead vocalist and songwriter for the band Halo of Flies. Biograp ...

, John Anglim and Tim Mac. Over the next five years they released a series of seven inch singles and mini LPs starting with a limited edition, hand numbered single called “Rubber Room”. These singles were released on Hazelmyer’s label

Amphetamine Reptile Records Amphetamine Reptile Records (or AmRep Industries) is a record label founded in 1986 by Tom Hazelmyer in Washington state. The label specializes in noise rock and also released '' Strap It On'', the debut album by alternative metal band Helmet w ...

and later compiled on a number of LPs, and eventually as the CD (''Music for Insect Minds'') in 1991. The band partially reformed in 2007 under the name H•O•F, and continued to release new material.

Life of band

Sales of Halo of Flies records was assisted by a manufacturing/distribution deal with the popular Minnesota label

Twin Tone Twin/Tone Records was an independent record label based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which operated from 1977 until 1994. It was the original home of influential Minnesota bands the Replacements and Soul Asylum and was instrumental in helping the T ...

records. Influenced by early punk bands

MC5 MC5, also commonly called The MC5, is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The original line-up consisted of Rob Tyner (vocals) Wayne Kramer (guitar), Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitar), Michael Davis (bass), and Dennis ...

and

The Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Da ...

, the band had a loud raw sound that was heavily guitar influenced garage rock. Halo of Flies stopped recording in the early 1990s but Hazelmyer kept Amphetamine Reptile Records in business for 20 years by releasing music by Boss Hog,

Helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...

The Melvins ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

Cows Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

God Bullies God Bullies were an American noise rock band from Kalamazoo, Michigan. They were active from 1986–1995, briefly reunited in the early 2000s and most recently in the summer of 2010 to coincide with the Amphetamine Reptile Records' 25th Anniver ...

Helios Creed Barry Johnson (born on November 3, 1953), known professionally as Helios Creed, is an American guitarist, singer and bandleader. He first came to prominence in the mid-1970s with the San Francisco band Chrome, who were considered an early infl ...

and

Unsane ''Unsane'' is a 2018 American psychological horror film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Jonathan Bernstein and James Greer. The film stars Claire Foy, Joshua Leonard, Jay Pharoah, Matt Damon, Juno Temple, Aimee Mullins, and Amy I ...

Discography

As Halo of Flies *''Rubber Room'' 7-inch, 1986 *''Snapping Black Roscoe Bottles'' 7-inch, 1986 *''Circling the Pile'' 7-inch, 1987 *''Richies Dog'' 7-inch, 1987 *''Four from the Bottom'' cassette, 1988 *''Garbage Rock!'' 12-inch, 1988 *''Garbageburn'' 12-inch, 1988 *''No Time'' 7-inch, 1988 *''Death of a Fly'' 7-inch, 1989 *''Singles Going Nowhere'' 12-inch, 1989 *''Winged'' 7-inch, 1990 *''Big Mod Hate Trip'' 7-inch, 1991 *''Mod Showdown!'' 7-inch, 1991 *''Music For Insect Minds'', 1991 (compilation of all the previously released material) As H•O•F *split 7-inch with Wild Billy Childish and the Musicians of the British Empire, 2007 *''A New Kind of Hate'' 7-inch, 2008 *''When I'm Loaded'' 7-inch (with

Lydia Lunch Lydia Lunch (born Lydia Anne Koch; June 2, 1959)Martin Charles Strong. ''The Great Indie Discography''. 2003, page 85 is an American singer, poet, writer, actress and self-empowerment speaker. Her career began during the 1970s New York City no ...

), 2008 *''F.T.W.'' EP, 2008 *''Gay Witch Abortion Sessions'' CD, 2009 *''Resurrect a Bad Idea'' LP, 2010

References

External links

City PagesMinnesota Daily2013 Audio Interview with Thomas Hazelmyer
{{Authority control American noise rock music groups Amphetamine Reptile Records artists Musical groups established in 1986 1986 establishments in Minnesota