Our Story
For the last ten years, Thanatotic Desire has been a hungry act in metal music. Formed in 2007, re-imagined in 2011, gained strength in 2012, the quartet from New Jersey is on a mission to be heard. Having appeared on the “Summer Slaughter Festival” (2011), “Mayhem Festival” (2012), touring the northeast US and to California with international shows in Canada and Mexico (2013), and Japan on the True Trash Festival in 2016. A band that is as fun to watch as they are to listen to, their classic thrash riffs tie together well written melodic harmonies to grooves that make your neck break! Lyrical content covers topics ranging from death and internal struggles (as the name “Thanatotic” would suggest) to social unrest, personal experiences and of course how to rock and rage! Expect their 4th release "With Murder in Mind" out on Dock Watch Hollow Entertainment this summer of 2017.
When formed in 2007, the lineup consisted of 3 out of the 4 current members. The original lineup consisted of Will Winton on Vocals and Bass, Dave Frech on Drums, Rich Guadagno on rhythm guitar, and Ben Moore on Lead guitar. A rough demo that was untitled but referred to as the “DDD EP” was then released and distributed for free.
This lineup was augmented with a 5th member being added in mid-2009 when vocalist Tom Gilmartin joined. Tom and Will shared a band together prior to TD called “Slaughter for Sanity” so the two had an immediate chemistry and were able to share the vocal duties 60/40. This 5 member lineup lasted a short while however when they parted with guitarist Rich Guadagno in late 2009.
With the bands structure changed, the group set forth to record a self-funded, self-released debut album titled “Deathwish” which was released just before the guys gained their replacement guitarist in 2010. After playing out live as a single guitar 4 piece (Winton, Frech, Moore, Gilmartin) and several auditions, they filled the rhythm guitar duties with punk guitarist Anthony Capozzi. (Public Disturbance). Another lineup change was coming as Gilmartin took his leave to focus on family in 2011.
Going back to the original formation having Capozzi replace Guadagno, and Gilmartin stepping down, Thanatotic Desire found themselves in the lineup that would work best to continue their career. After winning 1st place in a Sumerian Records Battle of the Bands the group performed at the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Fest. They then recorded 5 song EP “Silence to Violence” which along with relentless regional live performances, gained the attention of NYC clubs and Sirius XM Liquid Metal. Their single “Final Breath” can be heard on many stations across the country as well as Spotify and iTunes playlists by similar artists.
TD spent 2012-2014 supporting their new sound by purchasing a tour van with band funds and set off to the west coast with 80’s thrash legends Whiplash. Having some tour experience taught the artists the ways of the road and what touring artists have to go through on extended periods of time, thus giving a new outlook on their approach to touring and releasing their music. In 2015 TD hopes to gain management to help attain their vision as well as label support in order to utilize a larger window of resources and opportunities.
The winner of this year’s Headbang For The Highway Battle Of The Bands last month was an amazing North Jersey band called Thanatotic Desire. What did they win? A spot on the New Jersey stop of this year’s Mayhem Festival this Friday (7/27) at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden. When I heard how many bands they beat out to win the battle, I had to give them a listen on their ReverbNation page—an...d they ripped my face off! A well-deserved win, I must say. Their songs “….And So We Listen,” “Metal Never Sleeps,” and “Knights Of Nocturne” were mere ear candy and full-blown technical metal at its finest!
Thanatotic Desire has actually been around since 2007 and they’ve made quite a name for themselves on the NJ metal scene. Speaking of names, where does the name come from? Well, apparently, the word thanatotic comes from the Greek word “thanatos,” which is the primal urge for death, decay and destruction. The band’s name comes from the desire for the three “D”s. Thanatotic Desire honed in on their skill from 2007 until now performing at just about every club Jersey has to offer opening for national acts like God Forbid, 40 Below Summer, The Black Dahlia Murder, GWAR, Whitechapel, and Darkest Hour. These big shows led to the attention of WSOU’s Street Patrol, garnering the band much of their well-deserved airplay. This airplay would lead to a gig on the Slave To The Metal Festival. The band’s current lineup consists of four members: singer/bassist Will Winton, lead guitarist Ben Moore, rhythm guitarist Anthony “Mace” Capozzi, and drummer Dave Frech. Winton wasn’t always the band’s lead singer, though. In early 2012, Thanatotic Desire parted ways with singer Tom Gilmartin, who left the band to take care of his family.
The quartet debuted their self-released CD, Deathwish, in 2011 on iTunes, amazon.com and Spotify, with hard copies of the CD being sold at their shows or on their online store, thanatoticdesire.bigcartel.com. You know that you want to get to the Mayhem Festival early this Friday, so do yourself a favor and get there early enough to get your fill of Thanatotic Desire. You can also check them out on thanatoticdesire.com. Expect a brain melting when you hear this stuff
—by Tim Louie, The Aquarian Weekly July 25, 2012