M.O.D. (BLITZKRIEG MAGAZINE #4, 1988)

HAVE MERCY (US/MD) ... BAND HISTORY & DISCOGRAHY

Have Mercy from Baltimore, MD, US were active between 1983-1988. They never released an album, but 4 demo tapes and 1 EP.

Have Mercy (1983-1988) History

Courtesy of Marquee Records

John Knoerlein and Mike Guilta put an ad in the Baltimore Sun in 1983 for a bass player to start Baltimore's "Ultimate Metal Band". Rob Michael answered the ad. The three teamed up, started jamming and became good friends. After a few weeks Mike left due to personal differences. John and Rob put an ad in the paper and Tom Maxwell and his friend Nick Ellingson called. The four clicked and started rehearsing and writing songs. Have Mercy was born. John Gontrum answered an ad for a singer. The band played its first show on May 4, 1983. Two shows later Gontrum quit because of musical differences. Sean Zellers was next in on vocals.

The band recorded its first demo "Pleading For Mercy" in mid 84. Sean, unhappy with the band's heavy direction quit. He lasted for three shows. Lee Dayton was next. Lee re-recorded the vocals on "Pleading For Mercy" and the demo was released. It received a lot of attention from fanzines and metal heads, but failed to get the attention of any record companies.

(1984) Pleading For Mercy [Demo Tape]

This is the bands first demo tape from 1984

In January of 1985, Have Mercy not very happy with Lee on vocals found Lonnie Fletcher singing for a cover band "Cry Baby". He came down to rehearsal and was asked to join the band. He accepted and Lee was given the ax. Lee lasted for four shows. With Lonnie in place, the band started writing for the next demo. In March of that year C k Ni Ellingson left the band due to musical differences. John Brenner (Lonnie's neighbor) was brought in on guitar. The demo "Mass Destruction" was recorded in June. The demo was a big hit in the underground world, it received a lot of attention from fans and fanzines. Metal Blade Records chose the song "The Omen" to be on their Metal Massacre 7 compilation album. The band hit the road playing any show it could get (here's what Juan Garcia, guitarist of Agent Steel replied, when I asked him, if he remembers Have Mercy: "Have Mercy was a band from Maryland and they did support us on some dates in '85 on the East Coast. Awesome people; we shared a van and headbanged to Destruction to a few shows together.... cool band Have Mercy!"). One night on this tour (with Agent Steel and Blessed Death), Lonnie took chainsaw in his hands and started to destroy the club, bwahahaha - they didn't get paid that night...

John Brenner not happy with being on the road left the band in November. Nick Ellingson rejoined the band just in time for them to sign a deal with Combat records. Combat's idea was to release the 66 Mass Destruction" demo as an EP, and see how it did before doing a full length album. The band not happy with the sound of the "Mass Destruction" demo, went back in the studio and made a new recording.

(1985) Mass Destruction [Demo Tape]
This is the bands second demo tape from 1985

"Armageddon Descends" was released as part of Combat "Bootcamp Series" in April of 1986. The EP did very well giving the band a great deal of exposure in the U.S. and Europe. John Knoerlein left the band due to personal differences in July. John Grden took over on drums in August. In December Nick Ellingson left the band for the second time due to musical differences. Dave Brenner (who had played in a local cover band Blitzkrieg together with Grden) took over on guitar.

Have Mercy went into 1987 with two new members and playing as many shows as they could get. In April guitarist Tom Maxwell got himself into some trouble and had to get out of town to hide out. While waiting for his return the band went on without him. Also in April on the way to New York the band got into a bad van accident in which Rob Michael broke his neck. The band was forced to take three months off so Rob could recover. When the band started rehearsing again Lonnie was no where to be found, so Rob took over on vocals (Lonnie showed up a month later and asked what was going on, then left for good). Have Mercy played six shows as a three piece. With Tom still hiding out, John King was brought in as a replacement. The band recorded a new demo "Demo 87" in September with Nick Ellingson at the controls. The demo failed to get Combat's interest and the band was dropped. In December with things now safe for Tom, he rejoined the band. John King played his last show on December 27.

(1986) ARMAGEDDON DESCENDS [EP]

This is the bands EP from 1986. Released on Combat Boot Camp Demo Series.
Songs 1-4 are re-recorded versions of songs from the '85 demo
"Mass Destruction". Songs 5-6 are new songs, recorded in 1985.

In 1988 with the Line up of Rob Michael (bass and vocals), Tom Maxwell (guitar), Dave Brenner (guitar), and John Grden (drums), they played a few more shows and wrote a few more songs. John Grden wanted a new singer (he thought it might add something to the band). Al Carr (an old friend of the band) was brought in on vocals. He played one show on April 3 (they didn't know it at the time, but that was the last Have Mercy show). The next week the band went into the studio and recorded the "Morbid Reality" demo with Al on vocals. After the vocal tracks were recorded the band was not happy with them, so Rob Michael went back and re-recorded the vocals. The demo was sent out to all the metal record labels, but it failed to do anything. The band lost its rehearsal room in June, with that and lack of interest in the "Morbid Reality" demo Have Mercy decided to part ways.

Right after John Knoerlein left Have Mercy, he joined thrash band called Deadly Aggressor. Later on he was also playing in this band called The Funk Junkies. Then he became a drummer for Purple Jimmy and finally for Grim 430.

After his departure from Have Mercy, Lonnie Fletcher joined this band called Enforce (where also Nick Ellingson was playing the guitar). They recorded their first demo and then appeared on "Molten Metal Monsters Vol. 1" compilation. Soon after that Lonnie left and moved to California, while the band continued and recorded yet another, their second demo with Eddie Mullier on vocals. However, they disbanded soon after...

After the end of Have Mercy Tom Maxwell went on to play in a band called Marry's Suicide and today he plays for Nothingface.

Rob Michael and John Grden later on joined Fear of God. John Grden also appeared in a band called Fog, which was actually the latest incarnation of the band once known as Fear of God. After that John joined True Unholly Death. Rob Michael on the other hand later on played in punkrock band called Jakkpot.

(1988) Morbid Reality [Demo Tape]

This is the bands last demo tape from 1988

 PATREON MEMBERS

As a support Patreon member you can download 3 demo 

tapes as lossless Flac by clicking the logo down below.

HOLY DEATH (POL)

 

DOKKEN (METAL FORCES #55, 1990)

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY (BRAIN DAMAGE #2, 1985)

STATORS (FRA) "NEVER TOO LATE" [LP] 1985

Heavy Metal from Marly-le-Roi, France. This is the bands first and only full-length from 1985.

 PATREON MEMBERS

As a support Patreon member you can download it

(and much more) as Flac by clicking the logo down below.

IT HAS ALREADY BEEN ONE YEAR SINCE HIS PASSING ...

... and I still can't believe it's real. I'm getting to that age were soon all my heroes are gone!

POSSESSED (BRAIN DAMAGE #2, 1985)

 

ASTHAROTH (POL)

 

TANKARD (METAL FORCES #55, 1990)

R.I.P. (MEX) "PLACER INSANO" [LP] 1990

Heavy/Speed Metal band from Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, State of Mexico, Mexico. This is the bands LP from 1990.

Side A
1. Placer insano 04:43
2. No es realidad 03:47
3. Aunque las estrellas caigan 03:39
4. Jinete maligno 04:29
5. La leyenda del bosque de Avalon 05:15

Side B
6. Noches de venganza 04:35
7. Vida y muerte 04:58
8. Valora tu ser 04:29
9. Sueño fugaz 04:50
10. La viuda negra 03:30

MOTÖRHEAD'S FIRST SHOW (JULY 20, 1975)

Down below you can listen to the show, unfortunately in pretty bad quality. But still a milestone!

SETLIST

I. Intro 

II. Motörhead

III. Leaving Here 

IV. Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl

V. Lost Johnny

VI. City Kids

VII. Silver Machine / Waiting For The Man

NOCTURNAL DEPRESSION (FRA)

 

AT WAR (OUTRAGED #3, 1988)

NUCLEAR DEATH (US)

 

KVELDULV (NOCTURNO CULTO) (1996)

Kveldulv (Nocturno Culto) with Satyricon live in Baroeg, Rotterdam, Netherlands on April 12, 1996. On tour with Gorgoroth and Dissection.

MERCILESS (SWE)

 

EXCALIBUR (UK) (BLITZKRIEG MAGAZINE #4, 1988)

VANADIUM "A RACE WITH THE DEVIL" [MUSIC VIDEO]

 

DAVE PRICHARD OF ARMORED SAINT'S GUITAR CLINIC (CIRCUS MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 28, 1986)

 

ARCTURUS (NOR) (1991)

Sverd, Hellhammer and Marius Void.

 

CARCASS "CHOICE CUTS" COMPILATION ALBUM AD (CLOSE-UP MAGAZINE #67, 2004)

LITA FORD

 

LED ZEPPELIN "HOUSE OF THE HOLY" ALBUM AD (CREEM MAGAZINE, JUNE 1973)

 

FORCED ENTRY (US/WA) (BLITZKRIEG MAGAZINE #4, 1988)

SATYRICON

 

MAYHEM ”INSEL DER JUGEND, BERLIN, GERMANY” (JANUARY 16, 1998)

(Updated with eyewitness)

Maniac and Blasphemer with Mayhem. Live in Insel der Jugend, Berlin, Germany (January 16, 1998) From Speedrich Cacophonia personal archive.

Eyewitness Ragnar Prielipp: It was a catastrophic show. Maniac was so drunk that he could hardly perform. At one point he fell into the drumkit, a total disaster. Some of the more hardcore fans present were pretty close to just ripping him from the stage and beating him up, which luckily didn’t happen but I heard a few people saying how he ruined a legacy. Still, we got to see Mayhem in the 90s and the gig was tiny, as was the scene in Berlin back then. No comparison to the amazing recent shows.

PETER BALTES OF ACCEPT IN PEAVEY AD (CIRCUS MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 28, 1986)

 

SCHIZO (ITA) (THRASH ATTACK #1, 1988)

KISS (CIRCUS MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 28, 1986)