Oliver Magnum

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ounded in October 1983 Oliver Magnum was started by bassist Dan Kurtz and drummer Curt Daughterty. After finding Monte Humphrey (guitars) they started to play gigs as an instrumental trio. In 1984, Mark Mueller (vocals) left a startup band to complete the lineup.

How their demo, 01986 (1986) came about is a matter of speculation but legend has it that it was inspired by their success at a Battle of the Bands in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

About a year later, Oliver Magnum presented the song Metal Cruelty, meant for inclusion on a sampler that never was released.

Late 1988 saw the band's first line-up change. Mueller had ideas of playing music other than metal and so left, leaving room for James Randel. With this line-up the band entered the studio to record their debut full release in the form of a self-titled, an album originally to be named after the earlier orphaned track, Metal Cruelty. However, the album remained unreleased so that orphaned demo recording was released instead by itself in an effort to raise label interest. The scheme worked for the band soon signed a deal with 'New Renaissance Records' in 1989, which agreed to issue the act's unreleased (and now self-titled) full-length that same year and included a licensing agreement through 'SPV Steamhammer' for European markets. However success was elusive, and the band were soon dropped. After several more demo attempts, as well as two splits in the form of Walk Through Infinity / Necessary Evil (1993) and Wrath of Deathrash (1993) with Foul Play and Excidium, Judgement Day, Deceiver respectively before the act split in 1997.