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Guilty as Charged: Live!!!
Culprit is an American Heavy Metal band first formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1981
Their debut album Guilty As Charged was first released through Shrapnel Records in 1983, and later again through Hellion Records in 2000
The release of their first and only studio album thus far, Guilty As Charged, was received with much critical acclaim. Eduardo Rivadavia of All Music gave the album four and a half stars, calling it ” A lost gem of American metal from the 1980’s and well worth seeking out for fans of other bands from the period. Germany’s Rock Hard magazine put the album in the top 500 best Hard Rock and Heavy Metal albums of all time. Bassist Scott Earl left the band in 1984 and the band broke up shortly after. Each of it’s members moved on to other endeavors.
Please se History for more info.
Throughout the years the band has reformed for several reunion shows, including an appearance at Waken in 2001, headlining H.O.A Festival in 2010, Keep It True Festival and Legions of Metal in 2019. The band has undergone a few lineup changes over the years with founding bassist Scott Earl as the only constant member.
In 2019 Culprit released Guilty As Charged Live!!! and in 2021 released “First Offense” which includes the original demos and the previously unreleased Metal Heart demos.
In 2020, the band released a video for “Ready For Action” (see below) announced a new line up and that they are working on their long awaited sophomore album titled: “Laying Down The Law” with Scott Earl (bass) Gabriel Colon (vocals) Fred Aching (drums) and Patrick Abbate (guitar). Please see The Culprits for more info.
A release date will be announced soon. Please check Current News for the latest updates on everything Culprit.
As Iron Maiden was to England and Metallica was to San Francisco, Culprit was to Seattle… For a generation that grew up on Kiss, Rush, and Ted Nugent, Culprit proved that Seattle and the Northwest could rock with the best. Inspired by Culprit, thousands went on to form bands. Others who were in awe of the musicianship and popularity were inspired to try other styles of rock or metal music. In Part, you can thank CULPRIT for paving the way for the Seattle scene that exploded in the 1990’s.
The interaction and energy between Culprit and their fans is pure magic. With an army of head bangers in front of them, Culprit dominated stages in a way the Northwest had never seen before…..
Culprit delivered what people craved: intense high-energy metal in a British sounding vein, complete with cascading duo-guitar runs, split second time changes, staggeringly complex rhythms and piercing vocals that adds uniqueness to the band’s overall sound.
Enjoy the taste of energy and insanity that is Culprit!…
-Bret Hartman
