Plano, Texas is not usually considered a hotbed of high quality thrash metal, but in the mid to late 1980's it could have been considered for such a title. Rising above the din of the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex, Morbid Scream burst out of the north Dallas suburbs with a sound that mixed the heaviness of early Metallica with the grooviness of 'Reign In Blood' era Slayer. Successful local shows with the likes of Pantera, Rigor Mortis, and Sedition led to gigs across Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama. A two-song demo was released in 1987, followed by a brilliant 4 song tape in 1989. In 1990, feeling the need to stretch out musically, Morbid Scream shortened their name to The Morbid and released a 4 song demo entitled The Morbider... The Merrier. This demo would prove to be the band's best and most diverse release, featuring unorthodox (for metal at least) instruments such as marimba and congas, while still retaining all the heaviness of the original Morbid Scream sound. Unfortunately, the 1990 demo would also be the last as the band fractured and broke up shortly after its release. Samples from all three demos can be found in our Audio section. Visit the Video department for rare live footage filmed in Houston, Texas in 1989.
Fellow Plano-native Sir Proscriptor McGovern (Absu leader and Morbid Scream fan) currently has plans to release all three Morbid Scream demos on 12" vinyl in October of 2005 via his Tarot Productions record label. A CD issue has been licensed to Holycaust Records to be released in 1996. More info will be posted here as it becomes available.
Texasmetalunderground.com recently had the opportunity to interview Morbid Scream drummer Jimi Bowman and get his thoughts and recollections about the band and the classic Texas metal scene. Great insight into a great band. Read on...
Texas
Metal Underground:
By the mid-1980’s
the Dallas-area metal scene was thriving. What was the metal scene like in
Plano,
TX
during that time?
Jimi
Bowman:
It really did not
exist; most of the metal was kind glam type stuff. The punk scene there was
really big at the time.
TMU:
Jimi Bowman: 1986 is when we first got together and the band’s name at that time was Necrosis. Trent joined the band about a year later and we began as Morbid Scream. Let me also mention before Trent we went through a lot of bad singers, really bad.
TMU: Who were the original members of the band and what was the average age?
Jimi Bowman: Myself, Trent White, Todd Premus and Jason Dorf. Our average age was about 17. We pretty much had the same lineup through out.
TMU: Unlike a lot of bands Morbid Scream didn’t seem to be a revolving door of musicians, but had a pretty stable lineup. Did the band go through any lineup changes over the years?
Jimi Bowman: No we were pretty solid and we were all great friends.
TMU: Out of sheer necessity, many bands from the Metroplex area started off as cover bands. Did Morbid Scream include covers in its live repertoire or was it strictly originals?
Jimi Bowman: We did few here and there for fun, but we were all original.
TMU: Was there a principal songwriter in Morbid Scream or did the band contribute as a whole?
Jimi Bowman: We contributed as a whole, but Trent and Jason wrote all the lyrics and basic riffs. Everything else grew from there as a band.
TMU: Of all the bands from the area, Morbid Scream had a really unique sound. While other bands were interested in being the fastest or heaviest or whatever…Morbid Scream's music had a really tight yet groovy feel. Still heavy, but not sloppy. Was this a conscious decision on the band’s part or just the natural way the music came together?
Jimi Bowman: I think we all felt that the song had to be catchy and stand on it’s own. Early Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Mercyful Fate heavily influenced us. It was just kind of the way we wrote and how it came together.
TMU: Many people don ’t realize how huge the Dallas / Ft. Worth area actually is. (Over 2400 square miles) Did the sheer size and spread-out nature of the scene allow bands to develop their own unique sound and style? For example: Rotting Corpse didn’t sound like Rigor Mortis didn’t sound like Pantera didn’t sound like Arcane didn’t sound like Morbid Scream, etc….
Jimi Bowman: I also think that everyone was kind of into their own thing in terms of style, regardless of where they were.
TMU: Being smaller, the Austin and San Antonio metal scenes were fairly close knit and many of the bands actively supported each other. Was the Dallas / Ft. Worth scene like that or was it more of a competitive environment?
Jimi Bowman: The Dallas and Houston scenes were much bigger in my opinion. We could draw 200-300 people at any given show. San Antonio and Austin would be less than half that.
TMU: Every town has its share of legendary venues like the Ritz in Austin, the Cameo in San Antonio, etc… Dallas/Ft. Worth had Joe’s Garage, The Tombstone, The Radiation Dump, etc. What are some of your memories of playing these venues? Who were some of the local & touring bands Morbid Scream played gigs with?
Jimi Bowman: Hands down the two best metal venues in Texas were Joe’s Garage and The Axiom in Houston. We played with Dead Horse quite a bit there and it was unbelievable. Unlike anything I will ever experience again.
TMU: Where else did Morbid Scream play outside of the Metroplex area?
Jimi Bowman: We played all over Texas as well as Alabama and Louisiana.
TMU: Morbid Scream recorded a 2-song demo in 1987. Where was this demo recorded? How was it received locally? Did it garner any international attention?
Jimi Bowman: We recorded at Sound Logic and got a lot of airplay on Z-Rock, a Dallas radio station. We won their Shredder Of The Week a few times. That was a local competition where people would call in and vote for their favorite song out of the three played. I also submitted it to a bunch of metal mags and we started getting mail from places like Poland and Sweden, pretty crazy. I remember our first show after we cut that demo, we played at I think it was called Metal Works in Arlington. Phil from Pantera was there and really dug our stuff. He set some shows up with us opening for Pantera at Joe’s Garage. Everything started clicking after that night.
TMU: In 1988 a 4-song demo was recorded at Sound Logic Studios where a lot of killer local demos and records were recorded including Gammacide, Sedition, etc…Why did so many local metal bands use Sound Logic?
Jimi Bowman: Danny Brown was a bad-ass engineer and new how to track metal bands.
TMU: In my opinion, Morbid Scream’s 1988 demo is one of the best of the entire era. What was the local and national reaction to the 1988 demo? Did the band start to receive mail from fans across the globe like many of the other Texas bands at the time? What about local press?
Jimi Bowman: We were really happy with that one and got really good reviews from everywhere. Trent and I actually got offers from other bands after that demo. He got offered to be the singer of Rigor Mortis and I got a call from Angkor Wat, based out of Corpus Christi, TX. We both decided to stick with Morbid Scream and ride it out as things were going really well.
TMU: There were rumblings of record label interest throughout the mid 1980’s Texas metal scene. Did Morbid Scream ever see any interest from record labels? It’s been rumored that Combat Records was interested in the band at one point. If true, why didn’t that deal come about?
Jimi Bowman: If they were interested they did not do a very good job, I never received a call.
TMU: By 1990, the band had changed its name to The Morbid. What was the reason for the name change?
Jimi Bowman: We were kind of headed a different direction, a bit more progressive I think. At that time I started really getting into bands like Soundgarden and that whole sub-pop scene. The other guys were getting into different genres of music as well. We brought in Pete Young to play congas and marimba on one of the tracks and it turned out really cool.
TMU: The band released another 4-song demo called ‘The Morbider…The Merrier’ in 1990. While still super-heavy and tight, the band’s sound changed a little on this release with the incorporation of samples and acoustic passages. Was this a natural progression for the band?
Jimi Bowman: I think so. I think that is the best thing we have ever recorded. A lot of people would disagree though.
TMU: The local Houston compilation Voices Of A Red God from 1990 is a great document of that period in Texas metal history. How did you guys get involved with that release?
Jimi Bowman: Joe, the promoter of the Axiom at the time asked us to do it.
TMU: Changing musical tastes, broken friendships, general fatigue, and combinations thereof are often the triggers that cause bands to split-up. What caused the eventual demise of Morbid Scream?
Jimi Bowman: Musically I think we went different ways. We were in a band for a while called Beulah, which was more alternative rock based. We added different members along the way trying different things.
TMU: Are you still in contact with the other members? What’s everyone up to these days? Are you still involved in metal or the music scene in any capacity?
Jimi Bowman: The only member I really stay in contact with is Jason. He is currently doing animation at Disney. Todd pretty much keeps to himself and I think Trent is married. I am still into music heavily and have a studio called Restore Sound (www.restoresound.com) that I do recording and production with my partner.
TMU: As has been recounted in several interviews, fellow Plano native Sir Proscriptor McGovern of Absu has been granted all rights to the Morbid Scream catalog of music. What do you think of the Absu versions of Morbid Scream material? (I have to say their version of ‘The Coming Of War’ is amazing.)
Jimi Bowman: Those guys are good friends and I have known Mike forever. It is amazing to hear someone else’s interpretation.
TMU: McGovern has spoken of his intentions to release all the Morbid Scream demos on colored vinyl via his label Tarot Productions. Do you have any info on the status of that project?
Jimi Bowman: No, not at all.
TMU: The mid 1980’s – early 1990’s Texas metal scene is wee regarded worldwide to this day. I get email daily from people all over the world who are absolutely fanatical about this music. In your opinion, what made the Texas scene so different and unique?
Jimi Bowman: I think at that time metal was the thing. It was Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and all of those bands became huge. It was what people were into. Any types of new metal people were wanting to check out. We even had our own record store to buy metal. Remember Underground Records? That place was great.
TMU: And finally, what are your thoughts on the metal scene (or lack thereof) of today?
Jimi Bowman: To me it seems that unless you are on a major there is not one, which is sad.
TMU: Thanks for the interview, Jimi!
Morbid Scream promo photo
