Official MySpace Page for Pandemonium

Pandemonium

was a popular hard rock/metal band on the L.A. music scene during the 1980's that had the distinction of being the first band from Alaska to ever get a recording contract Formed in 1978 in Fairbanks, Alaska by brothers David Resch/Lead guitar, Chris Resch/Lead Vocals and occasional guitar, and Eric Resch/ Bass and vocals, they got their start playing a mix of cover tunes by groups such as Black Sabbath, Rush, Budgie, Thin Lizzy etc, at backyard keggers, festivals and various bars. After rising to the top of the local scene and starting to write their own songs, the band decided to load the guitars and Marshall’s into a van and strike out for Los Angeles.

Arriving in LA in late 1980 with original drummer Kevin Fitzgerald, Pandemonium hit the local club circuit hard, along the way playing shows with Ratt, Wasp, Great White, Malice, Metallica and many other groups that would find success in the 80's LA metal explosion. After a couple of years the band had risen to weekend headlining status at famous clubs such as the Troubadour, the Whiskey and the Roxy and had a large and dedicated following. After appearing on the first Metal Massacre album with Ratt, Bitch, Steeler and Metallica, Pandemonium signed a 3-album deal with Metal Blade records.

1983 and 1984 were great years for the band, seeing the release of their well-reviewed first album "Heavy Metal Soldiers", increasing press coverage, an ever expanding fan base and the arrival of new drummer Glen Holland. During this time Pandemonium shared stages with a veritable “who's who” of the international metal/hard rock scene, including bands such as Quiet Riot, Black and Blue, Rough Cutt, White Sister, Girlschool, Wasp and Ratt. It all culminated in the summer of 1984 with a sold out show in Anchorage Alaska in front of 10,000 fellow Alaskans opening for the Scorpions on the Blackout tour!

After playing to packed houses all over southern California for a year (including a show at the outdoor Starlight Amphitheatre w/Rough Cutt, Malice, White Sister, and Hellion) Pandemonium entered the studio to begin their second album in early 1985. Upon the completion of 2 tracks, Glenn Holland left the band to join Wasp. (Glenn went on to front Noize Toyz and Engines of Aggression)   Following an exhaustive search, Minnesota native Dave Basch was selected to fill the drum throne and the band went on to finish “ Hole In The Sky”.   Named after a song by the Resch brothers all time favorite band, Black Sabbath, the second album was a conscious attempt to capture their increasingly heavy live sound.   Working with Metal Blade staff producer/engineer Bill Metoyer, the new record displayed a confident Sabbath style wall of guitars, while retaining the melodic hooks that would be a cornerstone of the Pandemonium style until the end, best exemplified by the epic closing track “ Imprisoned by the Snow/After the Freeze”. A sobering tale of the end of the Earth, plunged into a nuclear winter, the crushingly heavy song came to a haunting end with a classical style piano epilogue composed and performed on the spot at 2:00 am by Chris.

“Hole In The Sky” went on to receive glowing reviews and airplay all over the world and firmly established Pandemonium as headliners (and a sought afteropening act) in the largest clubs up and down the west coast. Highlights of this era included a blistering show with Lizzy Borden in Santa Rosa, headlining gigs in San Francisco, Las Vegas, and San Diego, and packed houses at the Country Club; a large 1,200 seat venue out in the San Fernando Valley, where some of Pandemonium’s opening acts included Poison and Warrant. An interesting sidelight was the brief addition of Pandemonium guitar tech Billy D’Vette on second guitar, who would go on to find some success with his band “Pairadice” during the late 1980’s.      

Although the band was becoming more and more successful, personal problems were starting to take their toll. After a short marriage, Chris found himself facing the immense pressure of young single parenthood. David and Eric also went through nasty breakups, and there was the frustration of little support from the label, lack of professional management, and the stress of having to maintain day jobs and a career in the cutthroat music business of 1980’s LA. Like many musicians of the era, the hard partying, pressure cooker environment started to get the best of them, and things started to go bad for a while, leading to the departure of close friend and drummer, Dave Basch.   

Despite the setback, the Resch brothers were writing some of their heaviest, best material yet, and their musicianship was improving rapidly as well. Deciding not to go down without a fight, the band recruited their fourth drummer (insert Spinal Tap jokes here, please) Dave Graybill and got on with the business of recording their third album.   Amazingly, considering all that was going on in their lives, this album would prove to be their ultimate achievement. “ The Kill” was an album loaded with powerful, heavy songs and intelligent, thoughtful lyrics. It also contained crushing covers of   “Radar Love” and Black Sabbath’s “Snowblind”, two songs that had been used as encores in the live set for years. Receiving great reviews in the rock press, “The Kill” gave the band a new lease on life, and judging by the fan mail and the messages sent to this myspace page, has gone on to achieve the status of a somewhat undiscovered metal cult classic. From the complex bass lines of Eric, the powerhouse drumming of Dave Graybill, to the thundering, blistering guitars of David Resch and the majestic layers of vocals by Chris (and Eric!), this is an album that needs to be available to the fans of classic metal/hard rock again, and with the upcoming re-issues, soon will be.

Released in the summer of 1988,   “The Kill” inspired the band to get back out there and show off their new songs and new heavier image. Adding fellow Alaskan Chris Latham on second guitar, Pandemonium would play some great shows over the next year, sharing stages with the likes of Icon, Savatage, and Kings X. Although playing to large enthusiastic crowds and at their peak as musicians, change was in the air by 1989. The entire LA scene had started to become a parody of itself, with the hair, the makeup, the power ballads, the drugs etc. There were now so many bands desperate for a gig that clubs started a pay to play policy and you could just tell that change was on the horizon.   With the sudden departure of Dave Graybill, the Resch brothers took a serious look at their lives and decided it had been a good run, but it was time to call it a day.   The 13-year odyssey of the band of 3 brothers from a small town in Alaska, who achieved their dream of a record deal and shared the stage with some of the biggest bands of all time, had sadly come to an end. But oh, what a time was had by all…

~ EPILOGUE ~

Missing the mountains, trees and seasons of their native Alaska, David and Eric (along with mom and dad, Dave and Dorothy Resch and sister Dadie, all of whom had been a large and invaluable part of the Pandemonium story) moved to Seattle in early 1990. After a year or so, parents and sister moved back to the large beautiful 300-acre homestead on the Tanana River outside of Fairbanks. Chris stayed behind in LA with new wife Kacy and daughter Brittany. David and Eric played in a couple of successful cover bands for most of the 90’s, performing all over Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. After getting divorced Chris moved back to Fairbanks with Brittany (and his son Colt during summers).   He worked in the construction trades (painting/drywall) and rediscovered the joys of living in the country and riding dirt bikes, snow machines, quads, kayaking, etc. He also became an avid golfer!   After their band broke up in 1997, Eric worked as a bartender for years and now plays guitar and sings in a classic rock band, Timeline, and runs his own karaoke system in a suburb of Seattle, where he lives happily with his partner Lisa and many cats. David married his wife Stacey in 1999 and manages a large used guitar shop north of Seattle. He and Stacey bought a beautiful house up in the hills 30 miles north of Seattle, where they share the view with their golden retriever and Border collie.   David is not currently in a band, but sits in with Eric’s band occasionally, and is in the process of trying to put together a project with a progressive hard rock feel (Porcupine Tree, Deep Purple, Dio era Sabbath, Uriah Heep etc.)

Sadly, tragedy has fallen on us twice in the last 5 years. On a beautiful crisp, sunny day, September 11th, 2002 our father, Dave Resch was driving his tractor on the homestead in Fairbanks, plowing the roads and getting ready for a long Alaskan winter, when he suffered a heart attack and died in the driveway between his house and Chris’. Although very sad, we took comfort in the fact that he was doing something he loved and passed away at his favorite place in the entire world. Without the love and support that we received from our parents (and sister Dadie) none of what we accomplished would have been possible. He was a wonderful father, husband and friend and is deeply missed.

Five years later, on August 24th 2007, Chris passed away from a heart attack or stroke in the middle of the night. I went to Alaska every summer to visit Mom, Dadie, and Chris and had just been up there two weeks before he died. Chris and I (along with his 10 year old son Colt) went kayaking, golfing, hiking and had many a late night talk. We were planning on recording 3 or 4 new songs for the re-releases of our albums and he seemed very enthusiastic and happy with life. I arranged for us to do an hour-long interview/special on the history of the band at the local hard rock radio station and we had a blast doing it. His face lit up as we talked about the good old days with program director Mike “The Madman”, who was a longtime fan of Pandemonium. Later that evening as we listened to our voices and music beaming out over the airwaves of Fairbanks on a stunningly gorgeous Alaskan summer night, life seemed good, and I thought I would have years to make more memories with my brother, and best friend.

We had a memorial service for him a few days after his death and were amazed at the turnout and the outpouring of love and affection from family, old friends and fans in our beloved hometown. My wife Stacey put together the slide show tribute to Chris that you can view on this site, set to one of Chris’ favorite songs (“The Last Rose of Summer” by Judas Priest) and there was not a dry eye in the house. Everybody loved Chris and that big smile of his!

As I write this, late at night, the memories come flooding back. Chris and I in my Dodge Charger, stoned, looking down on our little town on a cold Alaska January night, listening to Sabbath, tripping on the northern lights and dreaming of moving to LA and making it big someday. And years later, looking over at both my wonderful brothers as we rocked a packed house on some of the most famous stages in the world, it seemed we were living our dreams. Chris with his lion’s mane of blond hair, powerful voice and amazing stage presence – it was electrifying. In our prime, Pandemonium was a very good, powerful band, and we were very proud of the music we left behind. I don’t think there is a day that goes by that Eric and I don’t think about Chris, and his loss has left a huge hole in our hearts. We miss you and love you brother.

This site, and our music, is dedicated to all our wonderful fans, friends, ex band members, road crews, lovers, wives, family etc., and anyone who helped us on this long strange journey. Also, to our sister Dadie, our mother Dorothy, with much love, and especially to the memory of our beloved father, Dave and our dear wonderful brother Chris. Someday, somehow, maybe we’ll see you again.

                                                                                         - David Resch, February 2008

STAY TUNED TO THIS PAGE FOR MORE PICTURES, VIDEO, SONGS, AND INFORMATION ON THE RE-RELEASE OF THE PANDEMONIUM ALBUMS ON CD. FEEL FREE TO LEAVE COMMENTS OR MEMORIES OF PANDEMONIUM ON THIS PAGE. WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!