PESSIMIST is by definition: "a belief in the dark side, and the tendency to take the darkest and
most negative view of the world. In particular, the doctrine or belief that the Evil in this world outweighs the
good and that all things ultimately tend towards Evil..."
The first complete PESSIMIST lineup was formed in early 1993. After recording the "Dark Reality I & II"
demos in '93/94, the lineup was solidified to include founding members Kelly McLauchlin (guitars) and Rob Kline (vocals),
along with brothers Chris Pernia (drums) and Tony Pernia (bass). This became to be known as the "original" lineup.
The band played their first few shows opening for bands such as Deicide, Incantation
and Suffocation...and later went on to record their 1995 EP "Absence of Light" and
"Let the Demons Rest" promo in 1996.
The following year PESSIMIST signed to Lost Disciple Records
and released their self-produced 1997 debut CD, "Cult of the Initiated", catapulting onto the
global Death Metal scene and receiving acclaim in dozens of zines around the globe and underground
radio airplay worldwide.
PESSIMIST became recognized for their unique brand of brutal and technical Black/Death Metal, with old-school thrash influences,
an emphasis on quality songwriting, powerful live shows and a dark, evil sound.
PESSIMIST has played many shows for their loyal masses of
bloodthirsty fans, sharing the stage with legndary bands such as
Morbid Angel, Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Immolation, Vader, Nile,
Cryptopsy, Incantation, Krisiun, Monstrosity, Gorguts, Malevolent Creation,
Dying Fetus, Angelcorpse, Testament and Napalm Death, and has appeared at nearly every major US Fest: Milwaukee Metal Fest,
Ohio Deathfest, New England Metal & Hardcore Fest, NJ Metal Meltdown and the "November to Dismember" Metalfests in TX and CA...
In 1999 PESSIMIST released their brutal follow-up "Blood for the Gods" CD,
again on Lost Disciple Records which
soared into the CMJ National Top 20 Loud Rock Charts
and received the coveted "Pick of the Issue...10 Fucking Skulls!" in SOD Magazine.
This release also secured distribution deals with Century Media, Relapse, and Necropolis, among others.
In the Summer of 1999 PESSIMIST completed their first European Tour of Czech Republic
and Germany with Fleshless and Godless Truth. That same year the band recorded for several tribute CDs:
Kreator (Full Moon Prod), Death, and Megadeth (Dwell Recs).
In 2000 PESSIMIST was honored to be chosen by Metal Blade Records
as the first finalist in the MetalSearch2000 contest on mp3.com.
This year also saw the band endure several potentially fatal but necessary
lineup changes. Original members Rob Kline, Chris Pernia and Tony Pernia went on to form Psychotogen,
and were eventually replaced by Ralph "Reaper" Runyan (bass/vox), Bill Hayden (guitars) and John Grden (drums).
By mid-2000 PESSIMIST had completely re-invented itself, in its most lethal incarnation thus far...
With the debut of the new lineup at CA's November to Dismember 2000, PESSIMIST re-signed to
Lost Disciple Records to release their 3rd CD, "Slaughtering the Faithful". Enlisting
the talents of Erik Rutan (Morbid Angel/Hate Eternal) to produce the album,
this CD is regarded as the most brutal and intense music ever recorded in the history of the band.
In January of 2003, PESSIMIST founder/guitarist Kelly McLauchlin joined forces with former Diabolic
members to form a new band, UNHOLY GHOST. The band quickly signed to Century Media/Olympic Recs, and
released a debut CD, "Torrential Reign". Despite the apparent success of this band, internal turmoil and lineup changes eventually led to its demise and in Feb. 2005,
just two years after its formation, Kelly parted ways with UNHOLY GHOST, in order to once again pursue PESSIMIST and other musical projects.
In 2005, PESSIMIST has re-united with original Drummer Chris Pernia (from the first two CDs,
"Cult of the Initiated" and "Blood For the Gods"... and is currently in the writing stages for the next release.
For more info on PESSIMIST, visit our web site at www.pessimist.com
or on MySpace at myspace.com/pessimist.
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