Bruce Corbitt (1962-2019)
Bruce Corbitt (1962-2019)
Bruce Kendall Corbitt was an American heavy metal vocalist
from Dallas, Texas, best known for alternately fronting the bands Rigor Mortis
and Warbeast. His aggressive vocals were first showcased on Rigor Mortis’
self-titled debut, which was released by Capitol Records in 1988. The album is
regarded as a landmark of speed metal, and the band is one of the first of its
type to have a major label release.
Achievements:
Rigor Mortis:
After signing with Capitol Records, Rigor Mortis went on to
tour North America and continued to terrorize the Dallas/Fort Worth metal
underground. Violence and chaos followed the band wherever they performed,
often involving room-clearing brawls. This culminated in Corbitt surviving
being stabbed repeatedly at one of the band's concerts in 1987, mere days after
their contract with the label had been finalized.
After departing Rigor Mortis in 1989, Corbitt remained
mostly off the stage while still continuing to support other metal acts from
the region. Rigor Mortis subsequently broke up in 1991, only to reform in 2005,
again with Corbitt at the helm. They made several high-profile appearances,
including Ozzfest in 2008 and their first international performance in Germany
at The Keep It True Festival the following year.
The band recorded their final album (their second with
Corbitt), called Slaves to the Grave, which was self-released by the band on
their own Rigor Mortis Records imprint in 2014. This album unwittingly became a
posthumous release for guitarist Mike Scaccia, who collapsed on stage and died
of a heart attack in Fort Worth, Texas, while performing with the band on
December 22, 2012, which also happened to be Corbitt's 50th birthday.
Warbeast:
After successfully returning to the stage with Rigor Mortis,
Corbitt joined forces with former members of thrash institution Gammacide to
create Texas Metal Alliance in 2006, which was rechristened as Warbeast in
2009. The band subsequently saw four releases on Philip Anselmo’s Housecore
Records, including their debut album, Krush the Enemy, Destroy, and Enter the
Arena. Warbeast has made multiple national touring appearances in support of
notable acts including GWAR and Down.
Wizards of Gore:
In 2014, the surviving members of the original Rigor Mortis
lineup, which included Corbitt, along with bassist Casey Orr and drummer Harden
Harrison, renamed themselves The Wizards of Gore and performed the Rigor Mortis
material in tribute to Mike Scaccia. They made sporadic appearances in Texas,
including the 2014 edition of the Housecore Horror Festival.[9]
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