Malhavoc is a Canadian heavy metal band, formed in 1983 in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

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. The band's only constant member is singer and multi-instrumentalist James Cavalluzzo. Starting out as an

extreme metal Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...

act, the band soon employed elements from

industrial music Industrial music is a genre of music that draws on harsh, mechanical, transgressive or provocative sounds and themes. AllMusic defines industrial music as the "most abrasive and aggressive fusion of rock and electronic music" that was "initiall ...

, becoming one of the earlier acts of

industrial metal Industrial metal is the fusion of heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Prominent industrial metal acts include Ministry, Nine In ...

genre. The band is also known for its stage antics, which incorporated

sadomasochism Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refer ...

nudity Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to ...

, role-playing violence and

self-harm Self-harm is intentional behavior that is considered harmful to oneself. This is most commonly regarded as direct injury of one's own skin tissues usually without a suicidal intention. Other terms such as cutting, self-injury and self-mutilatio ...

History

Malhavoc was formed in 1983 by James Cavalluzzo. The band has recorded multiple demos during the '80s, ''The Destruction Starts'' (1983), ''The Destruction Continues'' (1984), ''Age of the Dark Renaissance'' (1986) and ''Shrine'' (1988), last of which introduced industrial,

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...

and ambient elements to the band's sound. The band's debut album, ''The Release'', was issued in 1990; its line-up included guitarists Dave Kiner and Rob Wright, and bassist Steve Jelliman alongside Cavalluzzo. 1991's ''Punishments'' EP saw the inclusion of programmer Steve Crowhurst, as well as contributions from

Dave Ogilvie Dave "Rave" Ogilvie is a Canadian record producer, mixer, songwriter and musician. The former member of bands Skinny Puppy and Jakalope started his recording career in Vancouver working as an engineer at Mushroom Studios. He has been described by ...

Skinny Puppy Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial music group formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group is among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key (Kevin Crompton ...

. The band's second album, ''Premeditated Murder'', was released in the following year; featuring elements from

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

and

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, . ...

, the record met with a sampling controversy after the band

sampled Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...

Sympathy for the Devil "Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones and the opening track from the band's 1968 album ''Beggars Banquet''. The song is a product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership. It is consi ...

" by

The Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its cov ...

without clearance. Its follow-up, ''Get Down'' (1994), saw the introduction of live drummer John Carss; the record strayed away from the band's heavy metal roots while featuring heavier elements from

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

, ambient and industrial. The record was nominated for a

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

for Best Hard Rock Album in 1995. Increasing disagreements during the release of ''Get Down'' led to line-up changes within the band. The band's forthcoming release, ''Lazarus Complex: A Tale of Two Zombies'', was subsequently delayed as a result of the complications between the band and the record label; it was eventually issued in 2000. It was produced by

. Following its release, Cavalluzzo sporadically resurrected Malhavoc as a personal project. In 2004, Malhavoc released a cover EP, ''Human Fly''. In 2007, Cavalluzzo assembled a live band for touring.

Band members

;Current members *James Cavalluzzo (Jimi LaMort) — vocals, guitar, bass, programming *Bryan Somerville — guitar *Tim Hagberg — drums ;Past members *Justin Pearen — bass *Dave C. Bass — bass *Justin Small — bass *Steve Jelliman — bass, guitar, programming *John Carss — drums *Steve Crowhurst — drums, keyboards, programming *Chris Scahill — guitar *Dave Kiner — guitar *Rob Wright — guitar *Nigel — guitar *Jeremy Inkel — keyboards *Ric H. — vocals

Discography

;Studio albums *''The Release'' (1990) *''Premeditated Murder'' (1992) *''Get Down'' (1994) *''The Lazarus Complex: A Tale of Two Zombies'' (2000) ;Demo albums *''Destruction Starts'' (1983) *''The Destruction Continues'' (1984) *''Age of the Dark Renaissance'' (1986) *''Shrine'' (1988) ;EPs *''Punishments'' (1991) *''Human Fly'' (2004)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Musical groups established in 1983 Canadian industrial music groups Canadian heavy metal musical groups Canadian thrash metal musical groups Musical groups from Toronto Obscenity controversies in music Musical trios Industrial rock musical groups 1983 establishments in Ontario