Mordred

The Profile

Mordred are an American band from the San Francisco Bay Area known for pioneering a fusion of thrash metal with funk and rap elements. They released albums on Noise Records, including Fool’s Game (1989), In This Life (1991), Vision (EP, 1992) and The Next Room (1994), and later returned with new material in the 2020s.

Reviewed works: Fool’s Game (1989), In This Life (1991), Vision (1992), The Next Room (1994). Members cited include vocalists Scott Holderby and Paul Kimball, DJ Aaron “Pause” Vaughn, bassist Art Liboon, and guitarist James Sanguinetti. Producer Michael Rosen is referenced on multiple releases. Style blends Bay Area thrash with funk and rap elements. Label association: Noise Records.

San Francisco Bay Area outfit blending thrash, funk and rap; reviewed across Fool’s Game (1989), In This Life (1991), Vision (1992) and The Next Room (1994). Reviews praise experimentation, tight riffs, DJ Aaron “Pause” Vaughn’s scratches, and lyrics tackling daily life and media. Lineup shifts (Scott Holderby to Paul Kimball) and Michael Rosen’s production are recurring themes. Overall tone: appreciative, highlighting an underrated, distinctive band.

Notable Quotes

❝ There are remarkable and underrated albums, but there are also bands like Mordred, virtually unknown to the general public, marked by misfortune, misunderstood as riff-producing machines, without a precise identity yet recognizable like an old friend we haven't seen in years, whom we respect: at one time in our life they were close to us and we are forever grateful.

❝ …Bullshit, lies, it’s what you saw/Censorship on the screen/This is your window to the world/You work - you spend/This trend will never end/Why not open your eyes?/The truth - hides/No doubt the news is false/Why not open your mind?…

❝ The small crumbs of melody combined with the desire to 'move on' that we feel in the branches of the guitars, in Holderby's pleading voice, and in Art Liboon's bass lines, are the true essence of the record,