Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community -- a lot more than just musicians, but of course they're in there too. See the entire Rocks Off 100 at this link.
Who? Deathrazor had a rocky road to getting their particular brand of thrash-metal off the ground. They started playing around town in 2009 under the names Violent Resistance and Immortal Assassin, playing some originals, but mostly covers. It was the band's first gig after yet another re-structure when singer and guitarist Johnny Arce asked his cousin Eloy Contreras, who was attending the show as a fan, if he would mind coming up and singing some Metallica covers since he knew the words. He mostly certainly did not, and the newly christened Deathrazor was born.
Contreras always loved to sing whether it was out with friends, alone in his room, the shower, really just anywhere and everywhere. He developed a love of metal at an early age, with particular focus on the three Ms: Metallica, Maiden, and Megadeth. He'd half formed a band here and there, but joining the ranks of Deathrazor on a moment's notice was the first real band experience he had.
Currently the band just has a few home recordings lying around, but those show Contreras' potential well. He has a brutal, fast-paced delivery that may lack in elegance but makes up for it in a kind of sincere, spoken rage that feels like the narration of a particularly gruesome police report over the thunder of his mates.
It's unapologetic, and definitely appropriately named.
Home Base: Contreras prefers to retreat to the solitude of his room to craft lyrics, then bring them out at band rehearsal at drummer Jorge Bocanegra's garage. His favorite place to play is Warehouse Live because of the grandness of the stage.
Good War Story: "It would have to be a house show we had a few years back. It was freezing outside," he says. "I had a sore throat, stuffy nose, but we played well over an hour."
Music Scene Pet Peeve: "It could improve," says Contreras frankly. "Our metal scene definitely needs to grow. As of lately it's kind of been on the uprise."
Best Show Ever: "It would have to be a recent show we had with Havok," he says. "It was our biggest show to date, and the crowd was amazing."
First Song You Ever Fell in Love With: Iron Maiden, "The Trooper."
Five Desert Island Discs:
- Anthrax, Spreading the Disease
- Megadeth, Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?
- Iron Maiden, The Number of the Beast
- Iron Maiden, Somewhere In Time
- Def Leppard, Pyromania
Jef has a new story, a tale of headless strippers and The Rolling Stones, available now in Broken Mirrors, Fractured Minds. You can also connect with him on Facebook.
See who else has joined the Rocks Off 100 this year on the next page.
THE ROCKS OFF 100 2013 ALUMNI
The Rocks Off 100: Robert McCarthy, Guitarist From Beyond
The Rocks Off 100: Justice Tirapelli-Jamail, The Manichean's "Quiet One"
Charlie Horshack, LP4's Guitar Warrior
Kathryn Hallberg, Little Girl Gone
Tessa Kole, PuraPharm's Voice and Vice
Richard Griesser, Vintage Camera Hound With Enviable Archive
Downfall 2012, Sci-Fi Metal Storytellers
Kevin Choate, Drum Like You're Screaming
DJ Rockwell, Booth Pimp and Party-Rocker
Ash Kay, the Freakouts' Punk Vocal Head-Butt
The Rocks Off 100: Pat Kelly, The Godfather of the Suffers
Michelle Miears of BLSHS, Siren In the Machine
DJ Remix, Genre-Hopping Mix Maniac
Kahna, Brutal Nation's Metal Booking Queen
DJ Ill Set, Enemy of Wack Tracks
Shane Tuttle, Updog Owner and Album-Cover Designer
Electric Attitude, Renegades of Funk
Sama'an Ashrawi, Trill Gladiator
Recon Naissance, A Rap While Matt's Guitar Gently Weeps
DJ Klinch Asks, "Can You Dig It?"
Jose "Chapy" Luna, Percussionist Con Corazón
Love Dominique, Wicked Heart R&B Chanteuse
Chris Gerhardt, Mastermind of Giant Battle Monster
The Jobe Wilson Band, the Boys From Chambers County
Kimberly M'Carver, Missouri City's Nightingale
DJ Panchitron, Stirring the Cumbia/Moombahton Melting Pot
D.R.I's Kurt Brecht, Thrash Zone Supervisor
Sloan Robley, The Last Houstonian Banshee
Jack Saunders, Dealer of Grit & Jangle
Richard Ramirez, Noise God and Black Leather Jesus
Mike Meegz, Scoremore's Houston Lieutenant
Jacqui Sutton, Houston's "Jazzgrass Lady"
Robin Kirby, Silk and Sandpaper Songwriter
Billy Dorsey, Grammy-Winning MARATHON Runner
David DeLaGarza, Don of Tejano Stars La Mafia
Jason Puffer, Your Psychedelic Sex Panther
Tobin Harvell, Fitzgerald's Unflappable Floor Manager
Walter Suhr, the Straw That Stirs Mango Punch!
Tony Garza, La Orquesta Salmerum Founder
OG Ron C, Chopstar King of the Purple Dome
Football, etc., Giving Emo Back Its Good Name
Angela Jae, Renaissance Artist
Shellee Coley, Voice of the Northern Woods
Blaggards, Houston's St. Paddy's Day House Band
DJ Meshak, Hongree Records' Sound Selecter
K-Rino, South Park Coalition's Southside Maven
DJ Candlestick, One Niceguy and a Very Busy DJ
Danielle Renee, Only Beast's Destroyer of Walls
Felipe Galvan of Los Skarnales
Kristine Mills, Houston's Brassiest Voice
Brian Davis, Punk Drummer, Horror Composer
Elroy Boogie, Top-Notch Turntablist
Alyssa Rubich, Angel of Instability
Alphonso "Fonz" Lovelace, Righteous Drummer
Frank Zweback, Funkmaster General
OG Bobby Trill, Bombon Beatmaker
Beau Beasley, Organist for the End of Time
Dwight Taylor Lee, the Wandering Bufalero
Coline Creuzot, Soulful Pop/R&B Singer
Cristina Acuna, Cactus Music's Twitter Fingers
Clint Broussard, Blues In Hi-Fi Man Now Back On FM
Nortnii Rose, Houston Ska's Greatest Hope
Ramblin' Chase Hamblin, the Man Who Will Be Paid
Chris Alonzo, Bringing Night Flight to Facebook
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