Vermin was founded in 1983 by original members John Cochran, guitar, Dean Coffey, bass, Craig Hall, drums, Greg Cekalovich, guitar, and Vince Solami, vocals. This lineup played at Southern California's most legendary clubs, including The Troubadour, Madame Wongs, The Waters, Cathay de Grand, and Radio City. They also played the inaugural Metal Monday at the Troubadour with another bunch of aspiring young upstarts called Slayer. That gig was like a nuclear explosion - the Thrash scene in SoCal was running full throttle! Vermin also had the honor of being thanked in the liner notes of Slayer's "Haunting the Chapel" EP, as both bands often gigged and partied relentlessly together.
Craig Hall left the band and was replaced by Mike Chacon, one of the local scene's most explosive double-bass drummers. Vince Solami was released from vocal duties, to be replaced by none other than John Cyriis, formerly of Abbattoir, and later to lead the progressive speed metal outfit Agent Steel. This powerhouse lineup with Chacon on drums and Cyriis on vocals continued to headline gigs in both SoCal and San Francisco. A four track demo was recorded in 1984, with interest from Metal Blade and Roadrunner records. Unfortunately, with personality conflicts causing tension within the band, Cyriis left, followed by Cochran. A new vocalist, Mike Torres joined, and the band soldiered on for a few more months fulfilling prior gig commitments in both SoCal and San Francisco.
Wanting to take his musical vision in a new, more hardcore direction, Greg Cekalovich, along with Mike Chacon, created L.S.N., which stands for Loud Senseless Noise. George Robb was recruited for bass duties, along with Tony Vargas on vocals. Later, Angelo Espino joined as a second bass player (that's right, mofo's, 2 bass players!). L.S.N. headlined shows at all the major clubs in SoCal, and recorded a four track demo. One song, Deadly Kiss, was submitted to Metal Blade records for inclusion on the Metal Massacre 8 album.
A few years have passed by since the glory days of West Coast Thrash.... and now the core players from both Vermin and L.S.N. have re-connected and are ready to create music again. Plans for a studio release in 2007 are in the works - we'll keep you posted. In the meantime, keep it real - keep it metal - thrash forever!
