A local band from Oxford’s past has gone international along with an old photo from this community newspaper.
A photo of the thrash metal band Death Threat from the April 5, 1989 issue of the Leader was published as part of an in-depth interview featured in the third issue of Compilation of Death, a magazine from Chile, South America.
‘The Death Threat legacy lives on,? said Mike Reseigh, a 1987 Oxford High graduate who was the band’s drummer.
‘All these years later, the music speaks for itself. It’s still good. People still enjoy it. I’ve got people from halfway across the world hitting me up and putting me in magazines. That’s pretty cool, man.?
‘It’s incredible,? said singer Aaron Warmoth, a 1989 OHS graduate who lives in Orion Township. ‘Something that’s been dead, from Oxford, for years, comes back to life to threat again.?
Compilation of Death is a fanzine, a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication put out by fans. Its purpose is to chronicle the history, process and path of death metal bands.
‘The magazine’s huge,? Reseigh said. ‘It’s got almost 400 pages in it. It’s got bands from all over the world. Famous bands and not-so-famous bands. It’s like biblically huge.?
Being featured in the magazine ‘gives legitimacy? to Death Threat and ‘puts a stamp of approval? on the group that goes way beyond the local music scene, in Warmoth’s opinion.
Death Threat played from 1989-93 and consisted of a group of young guys who were either attending or had attended OHS.
Pictured in the 1989 Leader photo are Reseigh, Warmoth, Ken Wilmoth (lead guitar), Tim Kohler (lead guitar) and Chris Grund (bass).
Although the group’s membership changed over the years, the core was always Reseigh, Warmoth and Kohler from beginning to end.
‘We were damn good,? Reseigh said. ‘We came real close to being signed (for a record deal). Creative Life Entertainment wanted to sign us.?
‘Everybody told me it was shady, so we didn’t take the deal,? he continued. ‘It was really disappointing to be that far into it, then have the whole thing come apart.?
According to Reseigh, who now lives in North Branch, Death Threat has the distinction of being Oxford’s ‘very first? thrash metal band.
Thrash metal is a combination of hard-core punk and heavy metal. Death metal is an extreme form of thrash metal.
In the 1989 Leader story, Reseigh described thrash metal as Led Zeppelin minus the blues with punk mixed in.
So how did a local band that hasn’t played together in more than 20 years get featured in a publication on another continent?
It all started in 1991. That’s when Death Threat worked with nationally-known death metal producer Scott Burns to mix a demo tape at Morrisound Recording studio in Tampa, Florida.
‘He was the guy (in the world of extreme metal music),? Reseigh said. ‘It was a real big deal for me to actually get him on the phone, let alone get him to actually do a mix for us. He was quite the big deal back then.?
Approximately 200 of these demo tapes were made.
‘One of them, through tape trading, made it all the way down to Chile, South America,? he said. ?(The people who put out Compilation of Death) heard our demo and they really liked it.?
The magazine editor contacted Reseigh through the Death Threat tribute site that he had created on Myspace.
‘He sends me this 40-question in-depth interview for this magazine,? Reseigh said. ‘It took them about three years to put this (magazine) together. I’m 45 (now). I was 42 in the interview, so it took a while.?
Kohler, who passed away in January 2012 at age 46, answered about five of the questions.
Overall, Reseigh is quite pleased there are still music fans out there who appreciate his old band’s sound.
‘It’s really cool that Death Threat has (taken on) a life of its own,? he said. ‘We’ve actually talked about maybe having a reunion with some of the old members.?
‘I am not only for (doing a reunion), I’d love it,? Warmoth said. ‘It’s been a fantasy of mine for years.?
‘This is really, truly my first band,? he added. ‘I’ve been in other bands. I’m in a band now. But this is my baby.?