Forced Entry was an American thrash metal band, formed in 1984 in Seattle, Washington under the name Critical Condition. The band released two studio albums, one EP and three demos before breaking up in 1995, and briefly reunited in 2002. Forced Entry never achieved mainstream success, but they are often regarded as pioneers of the Seattle thrash metal scene, along with Metal Church, Panic, Bitter End, Coven, R.I.P. and Sanctuary.
Biography
The band was formed in 1984 by vocalist/bassist Tony Benjamins, guitarist Brad Hull and drummer Colin Mattson under the name Critical Condition. It was a cover band that played songs from Kiss, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and AC/DC. Critical Condition changed their name to Forced Entry in 1986, and the following year released two demos, All Fucked Up and Thrashing Helpless Down. The latter won them the 1987 Northwest Music Award for "Best Metal Band". The band released a third demo, Hate Fills Your Eyes, in 1988, which led to the band's first record label contract. They were signed to Combat Records, and in January 1989 recorded their debut album, Uncertain Future, which was released that June. The album was well-received by music critics. In support of the release, Forced Entry embarked on two major tours; along with Atrophy, they were the opening act for Coroner on their No More Color tour, and supported Sacred Reich and Obituary on the American Way tour. They began recording their second and final album, As Above, So Below, in December 1990 at Normandy Sound in Warren, Rhode Island. The album was released in June 1991. Although the album achieved neither the underground success nor the critical acclaim of Uncertain Future, it received some positive reviews, and the videos for "Macrocosm, Microcosm" and "Never a Know, But the No" were in heavy rotation on MTV's Headbangers Ball; the latter features cameos by the members of Alice in Chains. Forced Entry was soon dropped from Relativity, and as a result, the band did not tour in support of As Above, So Below. The band continued to play shows and attempted, unsuccessfully, to sign with another label. In 1995 they released a four song EP, The Shore, and played a final show in Seattle in August. They reunited for one performance at the Abrasive Rock Festival in 2002. Hull continued to be active in the music industry, joining local bands such as L.S. Diablo, Sac Lunch and Thug, and joined the reunited Sanctuary in 2011, appearing on their third albumThe Year the Sun Died. He formed L.S. Diablo with guitarists Riley Hull and Aaron Goff and drummer Paul Marshall in 2009, playing bass on their self-produced six-song album. Benjamins and Mattson jammed in local band called DUMT, but are currently both retired from the music industry. In 1993 Hull and Benjamins appeared in an episode of "The Lame List", a recurring segment of the local Seattle television comedyAlmost Live!. Century Media reissued Uncertain Future in 1999 with The Shore as bonus tracks. Lost and Found Records reissued As Above, So Below in 2009.
