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Truce - Rigor Mortis
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TRUCE was starting to make some noise locally which caught the attention of Tony Orlando and Milestone Media. They were looking to take the band to Japan where the thrash metal style was very popular. The band was asked to come up with part of the initial funds and the Japan tour would get underway. TRUCE created a band fund to support their upcoming tour. The band caught Jeff stealing from the band fund and he was immediately kicked out of the band. This caused the band to miss out on the Japanese tour. TRUCE picked up vocalist Tom Yates after seeing him perform with his band HARDWARE. They were impressed by his aggressive vocals and big stage presence. A short time later Brian departed the band and they searched for a new drummer. TRUCE added their next drummer, Marty Deland (ROCKDOLLS), after his glam metal band VICE split up. Though Marty had been known for playing glam metal, he was a huge fan of traditional metal and thrash metal. This iteration of the band did not last long. Marty was accustomed to playing for an audience full of attractive females, which he was not getting while playing thrash metal. Marty left the band to head out to the famous L.A. Sunset Strip where he joined the glam metal band ROCKDOLLS. TRUCE also lost their next drummer John Herron (BONE, THE JACK, BLUE D’VILLE), who only stayed in the band for a month.
TRUCE was practicing in a band space next to LONDON GREY that featured drummer Bryant Watson (HEX, REIGN DIVINE, RAZEWAY, HARD KNOX, WOLFGANG, 8 TRACK MIND, DAM THE ROOSTER, 7 EXITS). TRUCE had Bryant come over and jam with them a few times and convinced him to pull double-duty and drum for them as well. This lasted about six months when both bands got kicked out of the rented band space for throwing a party and breaking fire code. At that point Bryant stuck with his original band LONDON GREY. Brian Bonham reentered the band on drums, but the ambitious touring plan forced Brian to exit again because he had a great paying job and was not able to tour. TRUCE brought in Sean Young on vocals while Tom moved to drums. It was at this time that the band entered Ken’s World’s Best recording studio and recorded the EP “Nictophobic” released on cassette. Truce was on the hunt for a new rehearsal place when Brent reached out to his friend Brad Collins from the iconic music and skat shop “Raunch Records.” Brad hooked the band up next door at “Positively Fourth Street.” This proved to be a great space for the band as they sold a lot of cassettes through Raunch Records. It was around this same time when the club “Studio 505” was bought out and changed the name to “Speedway Café” and began to book national thrash metal acts such as VIOLANCE, DEFIANCE, VOI VOD, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, KREATOR, CORONER, LAAZ ROCKIT, M.O.D., OVERKILL, among others. TRUCE got to open all these top thrash metal shows, which helped launch TRUCE as one of the top thrash metal acts in Utah. As the band was gaining momentum, Tom garnered new financial opportunities and departed the band. TRUCE was practicing next to the bands SLAUGHTERCHRIST and BAPPHOMET who both shared drummer Paul Gilbert (DEATH CRY). Paul began to jam with TRUCE and things began to gel. Paul loved seeing all the killer bands that TRUCE was opening for and saw the potential this band had. Paul quit his other two bands and became a sole member of TRUCE. With the updated lineup, the band entered Ken’s World’s Best studio and recorded their self-titled album. The new cassette was selling very well, while the band was playing out as much as possible, opening for such acts as SANCTUARY, NUCLEAR ASSAULT, and EXODUS. A short time later, the band entered Ken’s World’s Best studio to record their next EP, “Systematic Slaves,” which the band originally pressed the cassettes to one thousand copies. Those copies sold out quickly and gave Brent the money to press two thousand more cassettes. Brent decided to try and make copies in his basement and pocket all the cash. This new venture did not end well and the money was long gone by the time the band found out about this rouge operation. The band was deflated and several of the band members were beginning new families of their own and TRUCE decided to call it quits. At the end of 2005, Sean was throwing around the idea of doing a reunion show. Steve, Tracey, and Sean got together and the chemistry was still there. The guys brought in drummer Dallin Singleton to take over behind the kit. Tracey decided to move from guitar to bass as they brought in Jim Miller on guitar. The reunion show went over so well that many of the local clubs were requesting TRUCE to come play their venue. The band began to play out as often as they could as the crowds continued to grow. Jim departed from the band and was replaced by Shane McCormick (THE BOOK, VICIOUS SOULS). Shortly after Shane joined, the band had another lineup change when Dallin exited the band. TRUCE brought in Travis Jiron (WICKED INNOCENCE, OUTSIDE INFINITY). Travis had many work obligations, so when he missed a show, Shane’s old bandmate Paul Griffin (THE BOOK) covered. After a while, the scheduling conflicts became too much and Travis decided to depart the band. This made for an easy transition for Paul to become the full-time drummer. TRUCE opened for DRI and Sean was screwing around during the set and not helping the image of the band. Shane confronted Sean about his antics as well as his refusal to load gear and his overall attitude. The night ended with anger and discontent between the band and Sean. The next morning Sean went to Shane’s house and when Shane opened the door, Sean sucker-punched Shane in the face. Shane fought back to protect himself and his family who were all home at the time. Shane beat Sean up pretty good and taught him a lesson for coming to his house and trying to fight him. Sean was kicked out of the band and Tracey and Steve traded off on vocals while they were on the hunt for a new vocalist. Shane said that his old band VICIOUS SOULS had once tried out a vocalist who would be a great fit for TRUCE. The band reached out to Thor Eldredge, whose aggressive vocals were perfect for the band. TRUCE began to playout often and their fanbase resurged. With the new hype around the band, they decided to record a new album. Steve wrote half the songs during the President Bush administration and the second half during the Obama administration. TRUCE titled the album “Salespitch for the Masses.” The CD sold very well due to the ability to advertise on the internet. The album cover was very controversial, which had the likeness of President Obama with a pentagram carved in his hand. The cover brought a lot of attention to the album with both conservatives and liberals critiquing the cover. The album was about not listening to sales pitches and thinking for yourself. Several years and many shows later, in 2018, TRUCE went back into the studio and recorded the EP “Pride vs Justice.” This EP was very well received among the TRUCE fans. And it was at this same time that two TRUCE fans named Josh and Jake Dowdle started a hard rock and heavy metal label called “Metallic Blue Records.” The label launched in 2018 first focusing on the melodic hard rock bands from the 80s, but with the intention of moving into heavier bands and these twin brothers had their eye on releasing the early TRUCE cassettes on one CD. TRUCE and Metallic Blue Records quickly bonded and their vision become one. Keep an eye out for more to come from Salt Lake thrash metal juggernauts TRUCE! 
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