Disciples of Power

Genre: Thrash/Death Metal
Current label: MindtGash
Years active: 1987-2003, 2012-present

Disciples of Power (often referred to simply as the initials “D.O.P.” by fans) are a thrash-influenced death metal band from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The band was formed in 1987 by Warthorn vocalist/guitarist Hart Bachmier and drummer Dean Relf. The original lineup also featured lead guitarist Maurice Williams and bassist Chris Chapman. Their complex compositions and quite technical approach to thrash metal earned them a large following of fans within Canada’s underground metal scene quite quickly. In 1989 they were signed to the Fringe Product label and released their first album, Power Trap. The video for Crisis, a bleak track about the current state of our environment, got them a lot of early exposure on Canada’s MuchMusic network and MTV.

The band has seen a few lineup changes over the years. Chapman left the band quite early on to pursue other interests and Williams moved to Vancouver to join Process. Wes Sontag, of Section VIII, joined D.O.P. as the new lead guitarist and, along with founders Bachmier and Relf; Sontag has since remained a constant member of the band. The group did not have the same luck early on with bass players, however. Colin Post, also from Section VIII, played bass on Ominous Prophecy as well as Invincible Enemy, the band’s second and third releases, he left shortly after. The task of finding a bass player, especially someone with the skill to perform their frenzied and often complex style of music, was made more difficult by problems dealing with their soon-to-be-defunct label, fringe. A few bass players came and went during the latter half of the 1990s, during which time the band only released one album: the slightly experimental sounding Mechanikill was released by Mindt Gash Records, a record label created by the band when the problems at Fringe left a sour taste in their mouths for record companies. Stability was finally restored to the line-up when bassist Andy Smith, formerly of Deceit, joined D.O.P. in 2000 in which they recorded the swan song album In Dust We Trust.

The band officially split up in November 2003 but is back with a new line up consisting of Dean Relf (Drums), Wes Sontag(Guitar), Ben Harduk (guitar), Chris Chapman(Bassist) and Shane Hawco (Vocals). 2013 marks the bands silver anniversary and their highly anticipated return to the Edmonton Metal community.

Their first performance in 10 years is at The Pawnshop Live in Edmonton, AB on Friday, April 19, 2013.