Cyst

Formed in 1995 by vocalist Dan Ortega, guitarist Mike Maxson, and bassist Dean Piekara, Cyst first existed under the name Stalkbreed. The band was formed out of a mutual love for metal, particularly the classic thrash metal bands of the early to late 1980's. Amidst several lineup changes in the positions of second guitarist and drummer, Stalkbreed managed to record a demo CD, titled "Become Wrath", in 1998, and then proceeded to release the CD independently in 1999.

Though well received in South Florida, Stalkbreed's home territory, the demo did not quite live up to the ultimate vision the band had been looking towards. By the summer of 2000, the band had grown considerably, and they adopted the name Cyst. The name change arrived with an overhaul of the band's music, with more emphasis placed on speed and raw aggression, as well as the crucial addition of current members Victor Bonilla (drums) and Kyle Bennett (guitar). Only now was Cyst to become the ultimate vision of the founding members: a band remaining true to their roots in thrash metal, and injected with the over-the-top aggression found in the more extreme underground metal acts of the 1990's. Cyst went on to record a full length album in late 2000. With the help of Jeremy Staska of Studio 13 (Malevolent Creation, Poison The Well, etc), the band had finally found a recorded sound which satisfied them. Three of the nine tracks went on to become the first Cyst demo, affectionately reffered to by fans as the "Wrath" demo. The "Wrath" demo drew to Cyst an overflow of local acclaim, and the band managed to land spots on shows with bands such as The Haunted, Witchery, Deicide, Six Feet Under, Amon Amarth, Mortician, and Slayer. During, this time, Victor left the band to pursue other interests. It was during their performance with Slayer in 2002 that Keith from Hook n Mouth Records first caught a glimpse of Cyst. He took immediate interest in the band, and a deal was penned. The 9 songs recorded for the full length album were remixed in remastered, and several small, yet significant, changes were made to the original recording. In November of 2002, Cyst finally accomplished their first major goal since forming the group: the release of their first full-length, which came to be titled "Concussion Symphony". Since it's release, the album has received an avalanche of astonished praise for it's unforgiving revival of the once thought dead genre of thrash metal. In 2003, Victor returned to Cyst briefly, and the band has now finished recording the highly anticipated follow-up to "Concussion Symphony", the crushing debut which has earned them the respect and attention of underground metal fans worldwide. This new sophomore effort, "Despisers Of This Mortal Coil", awaits release later this year, and is set to break even more necks than its predecessor. Cyst's current lineup has been solidified with the addition of new permanent drummer, Phil Pinto, and new bassist, Marcel Salas