Siege (band)

Siege was an American hardcore punk band from Weymouth, Massachusetts. Formed in 1981, they were active in the Boston hardcore scene from 1984 to 1985, and reunited briefly in 1991.

Siege paired extremely fast tempos with vocalist Kevin Mahoney's screeches and growls in their intense style of hardcore. Though little known during its short existence, the band posthumously became revered by punk and heavy metal fans worldwide and is now regarded as one of the pioneers of the grindcore and powerviolence subgenres. Subsequent musicians have cited the group as a major influence, including the British grindcore band Napalm Death and the American thrashcore band Dropdead, whose name was taken from the title of Siege's initial demo.

History

Formation, early years (1981–1984)

Then teenagers, the members of what would become Siege began playing together in 1981 in Weymouth. Guitarist Kurt Habelt, bassist Hank McNamee, and drummer Rob Williams rehearsed informally before completing Siege's original lineup in 1983 with the recruitment of vocalist and occasional saxophonist Kevin Mahoney from nearby Braintree.