Excel is a

crossover thrash Crossover thrash (often abbreviated to crossover) is a fusion genre of thrash metal and hardcore punk. The genre lies on a continuum between heavy metal and hardcore punk. Other genres on the same continuum, such as metalcore and grindcore, ma ...

band from

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, California, founded in 1983 by singer Dan Clements and guitarist

Adam Siegel Adam Siegel (born March 9, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and graphic designer (he has provided artwork and design for several releases by L.A. groups) from Venice, California, United States. KISS, B ...

. They were influenced by 1970s punk rock musicians like the Germs and Black Flag, and heavy metal bands like

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

Trouble Trouble may refer to: Film and television * ''Trouble'' (1922 film), an American silent comedy-drama film directed by Albert Austin * ''Trouble'' (1933 film), a British comedy film * ''Trouble'' (1977 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Trouble'' ...

Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...

Corrosion of Conformity Corrosion of Conformity (also known as COC) is an American heavy metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina, formed in 1982. The band has undergone multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with guitarist Woody Weatherman as the sole const ...

and

Cryptic Slaughter Cryptic Slaughter is an American crossover thrash band based in Santa Monica, California, and originally formed in 1984. Biography Cryptic Slaughter was formed in 1984 by Les Evans (age 17), Scott Peterson (age 14), and Adam Scott (age 15), wh ...

. They were also influenced by

street art Street art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms "independent art", "post-graffiti", "neo-graffiti" and guerrilla art. Street art has evolved from the early forms of defiant graff ...

, Excel is known for painting

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

on the streets of the cities where they make their tours, hence there are many different

logos ''Logos'' (, ; grc, wikt:λόγος, λόγος, lógos, lit=word, discourse, or reason) is a term used in Western philosophy, psychology and rhetoric and refers to the appeal to reason that relies on logic or reason, inductive and deductive ...

of the band. Excel came out of the West Side Los Angeles crossover thrash scene as did many others in California like No Mercy,

Beowülf Beowülf is an American crossover thrash metal band formed in Venice Beach, California, in 1981 by Michael Alvarado, Dale Henderson, Mike Jensen and Paul Yamada. The group never gained a large mainstream success, but is considered one of the f ...

Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice in Los Angeles, California by vocalist Mike Muir. Muir is the only remaining original member of the band. Along with D.R.I., Corrosion of Conformity, and Stormtr ...

and

, and sometimes with other performers on the

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

scene like Testament, Overkill and

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...

. Excel has recorded three studio albums, three

split album A split album (or split) is a music album that includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There are also singles and EPs of the same variety, which are often called "split singles" and "split EPs" respectively. Split albums differ from "var ...

s, five

demos Demos may refer to: Computing * DEMOS, a Soviet Unix-like operating system * DEMOS (ISP), the first internet service provider in the USSR * Demos Commander, an Orthodox File Manager for Unix-like systems * plural for Demo (computer programming) ...

, three

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

and two live albums; the band broke up in 1995 but in 2001 they released new versions of their first two albums: '' Split Image'' and '' The Joke's on You'', with some bonus tracks. In August 2009 they edited a special collection of eight DVDs of their tours around Europe and Los Angeles and published them on their official MySpace. As of January 2012, Excel has re-formed.

History

The band formed in 1983 under the name Chaotic Noise (created by Dan Clements and

). Then Evan Warech joined as drummer, while the bass was occupied by a lot of different musicians that year (Dan Clements said: "We had a different bassist every four months, and people just figured we were unstable"). In 1984 Rickey Pallamino took over the four strings; with the lineup finally completed, they recorded their first ''

Demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

''. In 1985 Warech and Pallamino left the band; the latter was replaced by Shaun Ross, who created the name "Excel" with his friends from the LA graffiti crew KSN (Kings Stop at Nothing), then they changed their name. Kings Stop at Nothing Graffiti

A few months later a new drummer joined Excel:

Greg Saenz Greg Saenz (a.k.a. Gregory Pecker) (born April 27, 1967) is an American drummer from Highland Park, California, currently based in Coachella Valley. He started playing for groups around North East Los Angeles in 1985, mainly influenced by drum ...

. Excel participated in the compilation ''Welcome to Venice'' (released by Suicidal Records) which includes three of their songs. In the next few months they recorded three demos:'' Sonic Decapitation'' in February 1985, '' Personal Onslaught'' June 9 and '' Refuse to Quit'' in January 1986. In 1987 they participated in the tape ''Thrasher Skate Rock 5: Born to Skate'' which included their song "''Insecurity''"; also recorded on their first studio album, '' Split Image'' (recorded by Suicidal Records and released by

Caroline Records Caroline Records is a record label originally founded in 1973. Initially founded in the United Kingdom to showcase British progressive rock groups, the label ceased releasing titles in 1976, and then re-emerged in the United States in 1986. ...

), released in July the same year. Excel had performed live in L.A. in recent years, but the June 16, 1987, they gave their first official concert in the "Fender's Grand Ballroom" of

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, and a second time March 18, 1988, to promote their new album. Later that year, they edited their first single, a cover of the song ''

Message in a bottle A message in a bottle (abbrev. MIB) is a form of communication in which a message is sealed in a container (typically a bottle) and released into a conveyance medium (typically a body of water). Messages in bottles have been used to send distres ...

'' originally released by

The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police ...

in the album '' Regatta de Blanc'' in September 1979. In early 1989, Excel recorded another single, "''Blaze some Hate''", to promote their second studio album: '' The Joke's on You'', released June 20, 1989, by

. In march the band made a show at " Chuck Landis' Country Club" in Reseda California and the "Palasades Theater" in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

(with the band B'LAST!). In November, Excel made their first tour, which was made in Netherlands in the cities of:

Sneek Sneek (; fy, Snits) is a city southwest of Leeuwarden and the seat of the former municipality of Sneek in the province of Friesland, Netherlands. As of 2011 it is the seat of the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân (Southwest Friesland). Th ...

Heemskerk Heemskerk () is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is located in the Kennemerland region. Local government As of March 2022, the municipal council of Heemskerk consists of 25 seats, which are divide ...

Eindhoven Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022,Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

Goes Goes () is a city and municipality in the southwestern Netherlands on Zuid-Beveland, in the province of Zeeland. The city of Goes has approximately 27,000 residents. History Goes was founded in the 10th century on the edge of a creek: de Korte ...

and

Den Bosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of th ...

. On their return to United States, Excel played at "The Palace" in Hollywood, California, the Star Club in

Ybor City Ybor City ( ) is a historic neighborhood just northeast of downtown Tampa, downtown Tampa, Florida, United States. It was founded in the 1880s by Vicente Martinez-Ybor and other cigar manufacturers and populated by thousands of immigrants, mainly ...

, Florida, and

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

April 29, 1990. Then

joined the ranks of

Infectious Grooves Infectious Grooves is an American funk metal supergroup led by vocalist Mike Muir and initially a side project from his group Suicidal Tendencies. The current lineup also includes guitarists Dean Pleasants and Jim Martin; bassist Robert Truji ...

to record the album '' The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move...It's the Infectious Grooves'' in 1991; he got back in 1992 to play at the "Whiskey A Go Go" in Hollywood. A few months later they recorded their fifth demo: '' Third album demos''; the songs of this demo were used later in the reissue of '' The Joke's on You''. Also in 1991, Excel piqued interest in taking legal action against

band

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

over the song "

Enter Sandman "Enter Sandman" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It is the opening track and lead single from their self-titled fifth album, released in 1991. The music was written by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Vocalist a ...

", which they claim borrows heavily from Excel's song "Tapping into the Emotional Void", originally included on '' The Joke's on You'' LP, released in 1989, two years before the release of Metallica's '' Black Album'' (it was most recently echoed by

frontman

Dave Mustaine David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter of the thrash metal band Megadeth, as well as their sole consistent member. Mustaine has releas ...

in an interview), but nothing moved forward due to improper legal counsel. In 1993, Siegel returned to

to record the album '' Sarsippius' Ark'' on February 16 of the same year; then he and

got together to form the

power trio A power trio is a rock and roll band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit (drums and cymbals), leaving out a second rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quartet ...

My Head, leaving Excel definitely. After three years of silence, with Brandon Rudley, from the San Fernando Valley metal band Immorally Demonic, on guitar and Max Asher (listed on credits as "Max") on drums, Excel returned with a new

stoner metal Stoner rock, also known as stoner metal or stoner doom, is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of doom metal with psychedelic rock and acid rock. The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by Kyuss and Sleep. ...

style to record a new

with the band Shrine. They recorded their last single to promote their third studio album: '' Seeking Refuge'', released August 29, 1995. After releasing the album Clements was unable to find a replacement for Max Asher on drums, preventing the band from playing live shows. Vic Caruso joined Excel as drummer and toured with the band in support of the album, playing at the "Board in Orange County" festival at the CSU Dominguez Hills Velodrome in Carson, CA in May 1995. Caruso can be seen playing drums in the music video for "Unenslaved". The band toured the US, headlining shows and also opening for bands such as Marilyn Manson. In 2000, Rudley died from a

brain aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a brain aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel. Aneurysms in the posterior circ ...

at the age of 25, and Excel was officially disbanded a few months later. In May 2006, singer Dan Clements joined forces with original

members Grant Estes (guitar), Amery Smith (drums) and Louiche Mayorga (bass) and the former No Mercy Kevin Guercio (

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

) to form the band Against to record two tracks for a new

called ''Welcome 2 Venice''. After the release of the album there were rumors about a possible Excel reunion, however Clements said he had no intentions of re-forming the band and did not want anyone to take Against as a return of the group. Excel announced their reunion in January 2012. Involved in the reunion include Dan Clements on vocals, Shaun Ross on bass and

on drums;

was asked to participate but he declined the offer. Alex Barreto, a long time friend of the band, replaced Siegel on guitar. On March 30, 2013, Excel played their first reunion at a private party at RVCA in Los Angeles, California. Excel is still active as of 2019, and they perform shows occasionally, mostly around the areas of Southern California. The band has also been reportedly working on new music.

Members

Current lineup * Dan Clements – lead vocals (1983–1995, 2012–present) * Alex Barreto – guitar (2012–present) * Shaun Ross – bass guitar (1985–1995, 2012–present) *

– drums (1985–1992, 2012–2014, 2016–present) Former members *

– guitar (1983–1992) * Evan Warech – drums (1983–1985) * Rickey Pallamino – bass guitar (1984–1985) * Brandon Rudley – guitar (1995) * Max Asher – drums (1995) * Michael Cosgrove – drums (2014–2016) Timeline

ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:80 top:0 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1983 till:01/03/2019 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:Guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass_guitar id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:studio value:black legend:Studio_album id:other value:gray(0.4) legend:Other_release Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1983 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1983 LineData = layer:back at:03/07/1985 color:other at:15/03/1987 color:other at:01/07/1987 color:studio at:20/06/1989 color:studio at:15/12/1989 color:other at:20/05/1990 color:other at:10/05/1995 color:other at:29/08/1995 color:studio BarData = bar:dan text:"Dan Clements" bar:adam text:"Adam Siegel" bar:bran text:"Brandon Rudley" bar:alex text:"Alex Barreto" bar:temp text:"temporary bassists" bar:rick text:"Rickey Pallamino" bar:ross text:"Shaun Ross" bar:evan text:"Evan Warech" bar:greg text:"Greg Saenz" bar:max text:"Max Asher" bar:vic text:"Vic Caruso" bar:michael text:"Michael Cosgrove" PlotData= width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:dan from:01/01/1983 till:29/08/1995 color:Vocals bar:dan from:01/01/2012 till:end color:Vocals bar:adam from:01/01/1983 till:01/01/1992 color:Guitar bar:bran from:01/01/1995 till:29/08/1995 color:Guitar bar:alex from:01/01/2012 till:end color:Guitar bar:temp from:01/01/1983 till:01/01/1984 color:Bass bar:rick from:01/01/1984 till:01/01/1985 color:Bass bar:ross from:01/01/1985 till:29/08/1995 color:Bass bar:ross from:01/01/2012 till:end color:Bass bar:evan from:01/01/1983 till:01/01/1985 color:Drums bar:greg from:01/01/1985 till:01/01/1992 color:Drums bar:greg from:01/01/2012 till:01/01/2014 color:Drums bar:greg from:01/01/2016 till:end color:Drums bar:max from:01/01/1995 till:29/08/1995 color:Drums bar:vic from:08/01/1995 till:08/01/1996 color:Drums bar:michael from:01/01/2014 till:01/01/2016 color:Drums

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

All live albums are self-produced

Split albums

DVDs

All DVDs are self-produced and were released in August 2009

Demos

All demos are self-produced

Singles

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Excel Crossover thrash groups Musical groups established in 1983 Musical groups disestablished in 1995 Thrash metal musical groups from California Musical quartets Musical groups from Los Angeles