Acid King (band)

Acid King is an American stoner metal band from San Francisco, California. It was formed in 1993 by frontwoman Lori S., drummer Joey Osbourne and bassist Peter Lucas. Acid King have since recorded four studio albums and two EPs with a series of bassists.

Acid King
Origin	San Francisco, California, U.S.
Genres	Stoner metal[1] doom metal occult rock[2]
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Small Stone, Leaf Hound, Man's Ruin, Sympathy for the Record Industry
Members	Lori S. Bryce Shelton Jason Willer
Past members	Dale Crover Peter Lucas Dan Southwick Brian Hill Guy Pinhas Joey Osbourne Mark Lamb Rafa Martinez Bil Bowman
Website	acidking.com

The band's name was inspired by the crimes of Ricky Kasso,^[3] who murdered his friend Gary Lauwers in Northport, New York on June 19, 1984. Kasso was nicknamed "Acid King" by his peers due to his chronic hallucinogenic drug use. The band's self-titled debut EP features a photograph of Kasso on its cover. The band itself has also been featured in two books – The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal and the A to Z of Doom, Gothic & Stoner Metal – both published in 2003.

Members

Current members

• Lori S. – guitar, vocals, lyrics (1993–present)
• Bryce Shelton – bass (2021-present)
• Jason Willer – drums (2021-present)

Previous members

• Peter Lucas – bass (1993–1996; appears on Acid King (EP) and Zoroaster)
• Dan Southwick – bass (1996–1998; appears on Down with the Crown)
• Brian Hill – bass (1998–1999; appears on Busse Woods)
• Guy Pinhas – bass (1999–2005; appears on Free... and Acid King III)
• Mark Lamb – bass (2007–2017; appears on Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere)
• Joey Osbourne – drums (1993–2017)
• Rafa Martinez – bass (2005–2008, 2019)
• Bil Bowman – drums (2017–2021)

Timeline

Discography

Studio releases

Year	Title	Label	Notes
1994	Acid King (EP)	Sympathy for the Record Industry	reissued on The Early Years
1995	Zoroaster	Sympathy for the Record Industry	reissued on The Early Years
1997	Down with the Crown (EP)	Man's Ruin Records	reissued as a split with Altamont
1999	Busse Woods	Man's Ruin Records Small Stone Records	reissued with bonus tracks in 2004 (Small Stone) reissued on vinyl in 2007 (Kreation) reissued on cd, cassette, and vinyl in 2019 (RidingEasy)
2001	Free...	Man's Ruin Records	released as a split with Clearlight
2005	Acid King III	Small Stone Records	reissued on vinyl in 2006 (Kreation)
2006	The Early Years	Leaf Hound Records	compilation containing remasters of Acid King and Zoroaster
2015	Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere	Svart Records
2023	Beyond Vision	Blues Funeral

Compilation appearances

• "Not Fragile" (BTO cover) on In the Groove (1999 The Music Cartel)
• "Motorhead" (Hawkwind cover) on Daze of the Underground (2003 Godreah Records)
• "The Stake" (Steve Miller Band cover) on Sucking the 70's – Back in the Saddle Again (2006 Small Stone Records)

"Not Fragile" and "Motorhead" included on re-release of Busse Woods.