Kill Devil Hill (band)

For similar terms, see Kill Devil Hill.

Kill Devil Hill is an American heavy metal supergroup, founded in 2011 by drummer Vinny Appice (formerly Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell and Dio), bassist Rex Brown (Pantera and formerly Down), guitarist Mark Zavon (formerly 40 Cycle Hum), and lead vocalist Dewey Bragg.^[2] The band is named after the town of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, a location renowned from pirating days.^[3]

Kill Devil Hill
Kill Devil Hill in 2012. L–R: Vinny Appice, Dewey Bragg, and Mark Zavon
Background information
Origin	Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, U.S.
Genres	Heavy metal[1] hard rock[1] post-grunge[1]
Years active	2011–present
Labels	SPV
Members	Dewey Bragg Mark Zavon Johnny Kelly Matt Snell
Past members	Rex Brown Vinny Appice Nico D'Arnese
Website	killdevilhillmusic.com

The band's sound has been described as "heavy and modern without succumbing to typical contemporary hardcore trappings – indecipherable vocals or overused blast beats."^[3]

History

Kill Devil Hill released their self-titled debut album in May 2012. They toured the US with rock band Adrenaline Mob.^[4]

On March 10, 2014, it was announced that Vinny Appice had left the band in order to commit to other things and projects, and that former Type O Negative drummer Johnny Kelly was his replacement.^[5] Appice later stated his leaving the band was due to the lack of punctuality of his other bandmates.^[6][7]

The band performed on Motörhead's Boat Cruise in September 2014 and after touring, the band started to write another album with their new member Johnny Kelly.^[8] They decided to record at Stagg Street Studios in California with help from engineer Josh Newell (Linkin Park, In This Moment).^[8]

On February 24, 2023, the band announced they had signed with Legend Recordings and would be releasing a new album the same year. They also released a new single titled "Blood in the Water" from their upcoming third album.^[9] On August 24, the band announced their third album, Seas of Oblivion, would be released on September 20.^[10]

Band members

Current

• Dewey Bragg – vocals (2011–present)
• Mark Zavon – guitars (2011–present)
• Johnny Kelly – drums (2014–present)
• Matt Snell – bass (2021–present)

Former

• Rex Brown – bass (2011–2019)
• Vinny Appice – drums (2011–2014)
• Nico D'Arnese – bass (2019–2021)

Discography

• Kill Devil Hill (2012)
• Revolution Rise (2013)
• Seas of Oblivion (2023)

Trivia

• In July 2015, Texas Hippie Coalition bassist John Exall started a new musical ensemble called Smoke Hollow along with three musicians: Ashes from Static-X, Dewey Bragg from Kill Devil Hill, and Ralf Mueggler from Crowned by Fire.^[11]
• Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, the town the band is named after, is best known as the site of the Wright brothers's first failed attempt at flying, resulting in the destruction of their catapulted projectile.