Pentagram is an American doom metal band from Alexandria, Virginia. They are noted as one of the pioneers of heavy metal, particularly of the aforementioned subgenre doom metal. As such, they are considered one of the "big four" of doom metal alongside Candlemass, Saint Vitus, and Trouble. The band's sound has drawn comparisons to Black Sabbath. Pentagram frontman Bobby Liebling has expressed distaste for the "doom metal" terminology, instead preferring Pentagram to be referred to as a "heavy hard rock" band.
While active in the underground music scene of the 1970s, Pentagram produced several demos and rehearsal tapes. However, their first full-length album, Relentless, was not released until 1985; it featured a new lineup, with the only original member being vocalist Bobby Liebling. The band has since released eight more studio albums. The current lineup of Pentagram consists of Liebling, Tony Reed (guitar), Scooter Haslip (bass), and Henry Vasquez (drums).
Lead vocalist Bobby Liebling has been referred to as "very much the US version of Ozzy Osbourne, but without the money or sustained success." Kiss reportedly attempted to purchase the rights for two songs from the band at some point in the 1970s.
Contents
History
1970s
In 1971, Bobby Liebling and Geof O'Keefe left their previous groups (Shades of Darkness and Space Meat, respectively) to form a new band that reflected their interest in the emerging genres of metal and heavy rock. Liebling suggested naming the group "Pentagram" to reflect the gloomy subject matter of their material. Although the band changed its name several times between 1972 and 1974 ("Macabre" in 1972, "Virgin Death" in 1973, and "Wicked Angel" in 1974 were all considered during this period), they eventually (and permanently) returned to Pentagram. Contrary to popular belief, Liebling gave Space Meat the name "Stone Bunny" when he briefly joined the band.
During their five-year career, they were represented by seven different managers, including Gordon Fletcher, a Washington, D.C. rock journalist, Steve Lorber, Phillip Knudsen, Skip Groff, Bob Fowler, Tim Kidwell, and Tom McGuire.
The initial Pentagram lineup consisted of Liebling on vocals, O'Keefe on guitar, Vincent McAllister on bass, and Steve Martin on drums. Early practices included the long-time standard "Livin' in a Ram's Head" and other enduring Pentagram classics.
After a month of rehearsals, Space Meat alumnus John Jennings joined to create Pentagram's dual-guitar "Mark II" lineup, but he was soon asked to leave the group and his position was filled by guitarist O'Keefe. After this lineup's first rehearsal, Jennings called O'Keefe to tell him that he was leaving the group, citing a lack of interest in heavy music as his reason for departure. McAllister would become Pentagram's guitarist for the next five years. McAllister would leave for California in 1980 to attend classes at the Guitar Institute of Technology, and Jennings would subsequently collaborate with Mary Chapin Carpenter during the 1980s and into the 1990s as her primary guitarist.
On Christmas Day 1971, this Pentagram lineup began rehearsing, with Liebling on vocals, McAllister on guitar, Greg Mayne (formerly of Space Meat) on bass, and O'Keefe on drums. In mid-1974, rhythm guitarist Randy Palmer joined the "Ram Family", as the group was known, but left in January 1975 due to drug problems, and the group once again continued on as a quartet.
On April 29, 1975, Fletcher persuaded Sandy Pearlman and Murray Krugman (producer and manager of Blue Öyster Cult) to see them rehearse. The two arranged a demo session at Columbia Studios in New York City that September. Liebling and Krugman had conflicting opinions on a point of production. On December 16, 1975, Liebling and his girlfriend were arrested. The decision was made that the rest of the band would quit the group because Liebling owned the rights for the name "Pentagram", and they could not continue under that name without him. The remaining members unsuccessfully auditioned singers during much of 1976 before recruiting Marty Iverson as a second guitarist in the summer of 1976. After beginning a recording session at Underground Sound in Largo, Maryland, the band split from Liebling again, leaving the sessions unfinished.
1980s and 1990s
In 1980, bassist Lee Abney and guitarist Victor Griffin formed a Knoxville, Tennessee, (later based in Northern Virginia) doom metal band named Death Row. Shortly thereafter, drummer Joe Hasselvander joined, and the group recruited Liebling on vocals. Former member Swaney soon replaced Abney on bass and the band re-assumed the name 'Pentagram'. Following two demos in 1982 and 1983, Hasselvander left the band in 1984 and Stuart Rose was chosen as his replacement. The 1982 demo, All Your Sins, was then remixed and partially re-recorded in 1984 for release in 1985 as the band's eponymous debut album.
In 1985, the band released their first studio album, featuring "Death Row" material and the lineup of Liebling on vocals, Griffin on guitar, Swaney on bass, and Rose on drums. Initially self-titled, the album was often referred to as Relentless due to it being renamed when it was reissued by Peaceville Records in 1993. The record's obscure lyrical themes helped Pentagram's reputation as a classic doom metal style band. After recording their second album, Day of Reckoning, the band folded. In 1989, 1970s-era members Mayne and Palmer rejoined Liebling with the addition of Ted Feldman on guitar and John Cook on drums. The band was working on recording a third LP, but shortly after their first performance in Maryland, they split up in 1990.
The previous "classic" lineup of Liebling, Griffin, Swaney, and Hasselvander reformed in 1993, and Peaceville Records reissued the first two albums. During this same time, Peace Records released the semi-legitimate 1972–1979. In 1994, they released their third full-length album, Be Forewarned. Griffin and Hasselvander briefly joined UK doom band Cathedral as live musicians in 1994. Bassist Greg Turley and drummer Gary Isom occasionally performed live with the band, filling in for Swaney and Hasselvander.
Pentagram split up again, and in 1996, a new lineup was forged, consisting of Liebling on vocals, Hasselvander on drums, and new members Greg Reeder on guitar and Ned Meloni on bass. This lineup recorded a demo, Change of Heart. Shortly afterward, Pentagram re-emerged as a studio duo, with Liebling retaining vocal duties and Hasselvander taking care of all instrumentation. In 1998, Downtime Records released a number of early recordings on a compilation album titled Human Hurricane; and 1972–1979 (Vol. 2), a bootleg follow-up to 1972–1979, was released in 1999 by Peace Records.
After 2000
Shortly after Sub-Basement, Hasselvander split with Liebling, who soon recruited guitarist Kelly Carmichael, bassist Adam Heinzmann, and drummer Mike Smail, all members of the doom metal band Internal Void. This totally new lineup recorded Show 'Em How in 2004, an album that featured seven rerecorded 1970s-era Pentagram songs along with three new originals. In 2006, Relapse released a second compilation of unreleased 1970s material, First Daze Here Too. After Show 'Em How, Liebling collapsed in the intro of a show in Washington, D.C., Black Cat, forcing the band to recruit Hasselvander and others from the audience to perform in his stead.
In July 2000, former members Griffin and Abney formed Place of Skulls, following their departure from Pentagram. Place of Skulls briefly featured doom metal legend Scott "Wino" Weinrich on their 2003 With Vision album, though he later left to concentrate on the Hidden Hand. Abney left in 2002 but returned in 2007.
Palmer died in 2002 from injuries suffered in a car crash while McAllister died in May 2006 from cancer.
Hank Williams III included renditions of the classic versions of Pentagram's "Be Forewarned" and "Forever My Queen" in his live set. During his performance at the Black Cat club in 2006, Liebling joined Williams onstage and performed the songs himself. On September 15, 2006, Liebling joined Witchcraft onstage at a show at The Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington D.C., to sing Pentagram covers "When the Screams Come" and "Yes I Do".
Hasselvander's solo project, the Hounds of Hasselvander, released an album in 2007. For live performances, Hasselvander recruited Kayt Vigil on bass and former Pentagram drummer and Maryland doom mainstay Isom on drums. Hasselvander also contributed to Blue Cheer's 2007 album, What Doesn't Kill You. On August 23, 2008, a new Pentagram lineup was announced by Liebling, which featured guitarist Russ Strahan, former live drummer Gary Isom, and bassist Mark Ammen, who came in after a short period with Kayt Vigil.
In 2009, the band played two shows in New York City and Baltimore. The New York show was filmed for the documentary Last Days Here. The band later embarked on a seven-date mini-tour, which included two sold-out shows in Chicago plus dates in Seattle, Portland, Austin, San Francisco, and West Hollywood. On March 14, 2010, Strahan abruptly left the band one day before a spring tour was to begin. Liebling contacted Johnny "Wretched" Koutsioukis of Wretched fame to replace Strahan on lead guitar. He left after those gigs. For Pentagram's May 2010 tour dates (which concluded with Maryland Deathfest), Griffin once again joined Liebling, Turley, and Isom on what was intended to be solely for the tour. But he instead remained with the band for nearly three more years.
Band members
Current members
Bobby Liebling – vocals (1971–1977, 1978–1979, 1983–2005, 2008–2017, 2019–present)
Tony Reed – guitar (2024–present)
Scooter Haslip – bass (2024–present)
Henry Vasquez – drums (2024–present)
Former members
Note: Several of the personnel listed were not permanent members of the band, with some having only played on a demo as session musicians, or having played either few or no live shows.
Discography
Studio albums
Pentagram (1985, Pentagram Records), reissued as Relentless (1993, Peaceville Records)
Day of Reckoning (1987, Napalm Records)
Be Forewarned (1994, Peaceville Records)
Review Your Choices (1999, Black Widow Records)
Sub-Basement (2001, Black Widow Records)
Show 'Em How (2004, Black Widow Records)
Last Rites (2011, Metal Blade Records)
Curious Volume (2015, Peaceville Records)
Lightning in a Bottle (2025, Heavy Psych Sounds)
Singles and EPs
"Be Forewarned" / "Lazy Lady" 7" as Macabre (1972, Intermedia Productions)
"Hurricane" / "Earth Flight" 7" (1973, Boffo Socko)
"Under My Thumb" / "When the Screams Come" 7" (1974, Gemini)
"Just a Teaser" / "Just a Teaser" 7" (1976, Megatron records)
"Livin' in a Ram's Head" / "When the Screams Come" 7" (1979, High Voltage Records)
"Relentless" / "Day of Reckoning" 7" (1993, Peaceville Records)
"Change of Heart" 12" EP (2012, Iron Pegasus Records)
"Bang It Out (1971 Rehearsal)" flexi (2015, Decibel Flexi Series)
"The Singles" 7" (2023, Creep Purple Records)
Live albums
A Keg Full of Dynamite (2003, Black Widow Records)
Live Rites (2011, Svart Records)
Compilation albums
1972–1979 (1993, Peace Records)
Relentless/Day of Reckoning (1993, Peaceville Records)
Human Hurricane (1998, Downtime Recordings)
1972–1979 (Vol. 2) (1999, Peace Records)
First Daze Here (The Vintage Collection) (2001, Relapse Records)
Turn to Stone (2002, Peaceville Records)
First Daze Here Too (2006, Relapse Records)
If the Winds Would Change (2011, High Roller Records)
Compilation appearances
"Doctor Please" and "Feather from Your Tree" (Blue Cheer covers) on Blue Explosion: A Tribute to Blue Cheer (1999, Black Widow Records)
"Dancing Madly Backwards (On a Sea of Air)" (Captain Beyond cover) on Thousand Days of Yesterdays: A Tribute to Captain Beyond (1999, Record Heaven Music)
"Flaming" (Pink Floyd cover) on Like Black Holes in the Sky: A Tribute to Syd Barrett (2008, Dwell Records)
"Little Games" (The Yardbirds cover) on Heavy Nuggets III (15 Gems from the Hard Rock Underground) (2014, Respect Music)
"Tomorrow's Dream" (Black Sabbath cover) on Sweet Leaf: A Stoner Rock Salute to Black Sabbath (2015, Deadline Music)
DVDs
When the Screams Come (2011, Metal Blade Records)
Last Days Here (2011, MPI Media Group)
All Your Sins (Video Vault) (2015, Peaceville Records)
Bedemon
Bedemon was an offshoot of Pentagram, beginning circa 1973. The name was chosen as a portmanteau of two earlier suggested names, Demon and Behemoth. Prior to joining Pentagram, Randy Palmer and his friend Mike Matthews along with Bobby Liebling and Geof O'Keefe (then current members of Pentagram) got together to record some of Palmer's compositions. The first session resulted in three songs: "Child of Darkness", "Serpent Venom", and "Frozen Fear". After a short time, the group recorded additional tracks. When Palmer officially joined Pentagram, he brought two tracks with him: "Starlady" and "Touch the Sky". After Palmer's departure from Pentagram, Bedemon reformed in 1979 to record three more songs: "Time Bomb", "Nighttime Killer", and an unnamed composition by O'Keefe. A slightly different lineup (featuring former Pentagram member Greg Mayne on bass) recorded "Night of the Demon" along with some older songs in 1986.
On May 14, 2015, Bedemon announced their first live performance would take place on May 15 at the Psycho California Festival in Santa Ana, California, with a band lineup of O'Keefe on guitar, fellow ex-Pentagram member Greg Mayne on bass, drummer Frank Hayes, and Saint Vitus frontman Scott Weinrich on vocals.