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May 22nd, 2008
2008: BEDEMON...IT'S ALIVE!!! IT'S ALIVE, WE TELL YOU...

...or, at least, it's undead. Is that the same as alive? It's tough keeping track of that whole 'zombie/re-animation/resurrection' thing...

So, here's the deal: work has continued to progress on the 2002 sessions, despite the inexcusable lack of News updates here in about a year-and-a-half (although if you check in to the Forum, you'll find your specific questions usually commented on fairly quickly which should let you know we're still stirring up the cauldron o' doom). We are also going to post a detailed account of what transpired during 2007 and the first half of 2008. There is a LOT of news; getting it organized and coherent is the task at claw.

So thanks for checking back. Trust us, we're undying for you to finally hear the material. The few lucky people given a sneak peek-before being dragged from the room, beaten sensibly and then very slowly dismembered a limb at a time-said they absolutely loved the new stuff. Later, these same people said, "Argggggh! No! No! Please...don't...why?!! Oh god, please, not my arms...," and then the rest is unintelligible due to the combined volume of the buzz-saw and random shrieking and screams.

So, stay de-tuned (although, ironically, BEDEMON recorded in proper tuning)...


Geof, Mike, Craig and the ever-present spirit of Randy
divider
May 31st, 2006
Vincent McAllister May 8, 1955 - May 26, 2006
Legendary PENTAGRAM guitarist dead at age 51
  It is with great sadness that we have to report the passing of Vincent McAllister, original PENTAGRAM member and guitarist with the classic 70s line-up. While not a member of BEDEMON, the lines between the two bands are forever intertwined and with the unfortunate demise of the ramshead.org PENTAGRAM site, this seems the best location to post this publicly where fans will see it. A simple forum posting on Hellride or Stonerrock seemed inappropriate and inadequate.

Vincent was diagnosed with cancer in his neck in the summer of 2004. He underwent chemotherapy and lost his trademark blond locks, but it seemed to clear it up and he embarked on a road trip taking him through Colorado-where he played a number of local solo gigs-and eventually wound up in Canada, where
he'd planned to reside. Passionately political, he'd gotten fed up with the political climate in the United States. Unfortunately, shortly after arriving, the cancer came back and so he returned to the bay area to resume treatment.
 
During this time, Vincent worked on material on his home studio equipment, composing both instrumental fusion-styled tracks and vocal songs. It had also been decided that at the end of June when the lease was up at the place he was staying, he would move down here with me for the time being and we would work on new music together, with the eventual plan to have PENTAGRAM bassist Greg Mayne fly out for a week to record with us. Sadly, this will never happen.

As the months passed, the chemo was having less and less effect, and eventually cancer cells had shown up in his head as well. Fiercely private and not wanting to burden his friends with pessimistic news, it is difficult to know what the doctors may honestly have told him in regards to his outlook. Apparently the cells spread to his brain and he'd started brain radiation treatment in spring 2006, which, like the chemo, left him both nauseous and and so weak he couldn't play guitar at times. Still, in a now-treasured last phone conversation I had with him around May 11th-a mere two weeks before his passing-he said he was feeling stronger and getting his appetite back, and that he was, "really looking forward to working on music," when he got here, even stating he'd help clear out the garage so we could turn it into a 		 
Vincent at the warehouse, early '70's
studio. He sounded alert, energetic and upbeat, and I had every reason to believe things were looking up.

On Friday, May 26th, one of his roommates returned home and found him dead.
 
Three-fifths of an early PENTAGRAM reunion: John Jennings, Geof O'Keefe and Vincent backstage at a Mary Chapin Carpenter concert, June 21, 2004.
 

Vincent was one of the original members of PENTAGRAM, playing bass alongside vocalist Bobby Liebling, drummer Steve Martin and myself on guitar. We subsequently added guitarist John Jennings to beef up the sound, but Martin's jazz-influenced drumming style wasn't right for heavy rock and so I returned to the drums. After one single practice with this Mk. III version of the band which was amazing (and sadly unrecorded), Jennings decided he didn't want to play heavy rock and quit, leaving us with an empty guitar slot. After a few weeks with Bobby playing guitar so we could get through the songs, Vincent suggested he try playing guitar. Bobby and I sort of chuckled to ourselves but figured we had nothing to lose.

That moment changed all of our lives forever. He blew our fucking socks off.

It was as though Blue Cheer's Leigh Stephens had strolled into practice. We could not believe what we were hearing. How had this lanky, soft-spoken, pretty-boy bassist been this guitar-monster-in-hiding?!!
 

Vincent was a phenomenal guitarist, and it is sadly and truly astonishing that his incredible talent wasn't recognized by more in the music industry. Some of his projects over the past few decades weren't-in my opinion-necessarily the best showcases for his abilities, going off into various musical styles but never in the PENTAGRAM hard-rock vein that would have best-suited him to get the attention he so deserved and where the 'guitar-hero' fans would have been blown away. I had hoped to steer him back in that direction with the material we would have been working on this summer. Fans can at least enjoy his playing on the First Daze Here and First Daze Here Too PENTAGRAM releases, compiling studio and rehearsal material from the 70s.

No, Vincent wasn't a member of BEDEMON but BEDEMON-founder Randy Palmer played with him in PENTAGRAM for a time, and Randy idolized Vincent as he did Tony Iommi, Lou Dambra and Leigh Stephens. And now, within four years, they're both gone, Randy at 49 and Vincent at 51. Randy wouldn't mind the BEDEMON site being used to honor Vincent as it honored Randy after his passing. But...words can never describe the sadness, the anger and frustration of this site turning into a memorial for fallen friends and former musical partners, gone way before their time and with so much potential not yet realized.

Vincent McAllister had just turned 51 on May 8th. He was unmarried and had no children or siblings.

Geof O'Keefe 5/30/2006.

  
Vincent sans locks, August 2005
 
 
Happier times: PENTAGRAM at the warehouse, early 70s
  
February 2nd, 2006
WHAT'S IN STORE FOR BEDEMON...AND WHAT'S NOT IN BEDEMON'S STORE

After a considerable amount of looking at the factors, twisted mishapen hand-wringing, and general verbal intercourse, we have decided we will not be carrying the BEDEMON CD and regular black vinyl LP for sale. There are a number of factors, among them the difficulty of the financial and logistical aspects (buying and selling) when you have three individuals involved located in different locations and who contributed in varying degrees-or not at all-to the album. It also is rather silly to set up PayPal to sell a few items. The final reason was that quite a few dealers are already carrying it (and their links have been posted in the forum), priced cheaper than we were going to sell it at, and they take PayPal or credit cards. They have complete catalogs of hundreds of items and are already set up to do mail-order.

For those of you who may have been holding out to buy directly from us, thank-you. Seriously. Believe us when we say with no exaggeration that we have gone back-and-forth about this over the past few weeks, but when we looked at the pros and cons, it is much simpler-and more convenient for you, given the payment options-to support the band by purchasing the CD and/or LP from one of the fine dealers.

Here are some links to U.S.-based websites who are carrying the CD (and in some cases the black vinyl LP as well). We will not recommend one over the other and having not ordered from them, can't vouch for their reliability or speed in processing orders, but all listed have been around awhile serving the heavy metal/doom community. The prices on the CD and LP vary from dealer to dealer, as do the shipping costs, shipping methods and types of payment accepted, and you may have to register to place an order. All of them carry other titles by other artists and you may see something else you want as well.

(note: As of this writing, some of the dealers appear to be sold out-which is really unbelievable!-but should hopefully be re-stocked soon...)

BRAINTICKET: http://www.brainticket.com

STONERROCK.COM: http://www.stonerrock.com

HELLRIDE: http://www.hellridemusic.com

ROCKADROME: http://www.rockadromestore.com

EVILLEGEND: http://www.evillegendrecords.com

RELAPSE: http://shop.relapse.com

Relapse is also currently taking pre-orders on the upcoming PENTAGRAM First Daze Here Too release due out 3/7/06. The 2-CD, twenty-two track collection features studio demos and rehearsal recordings from the legendary warehouse practice location, and of note to BEDEMON fans is the inclusion of three studio tracks with Randy Palmer ("Wheel of Fortune," "When the Screams Come" and "Under My Thumb").

We are still planning to carry t-shirts since we will be the only authorized place to get legit merchandise from, and we will be offering a special item in a few days.

Beyond that, Geof and Craig have been getting together on a regular basis to work on the upcoming recording of the vocals for the 2002 reunion sessions which should be taking place within the next few months.

Thanks to all who have posted comments on the various forums. It's taken a while-a LONG while-but everything is finally on track. Randy would be blown away.
January 24th, 2006
BEDEMON BOOKLET BLUNDER STUNS NATION; DOOM FANS WEEP, WHILE CONGRESS PLANS NO INVESTIGATION, STATING "BEDE-WHO?"

Despite our very best efforts to proof and monitor the production of the BEDEMON Child of Darkness: From the Original Master Tapes release, it was the bloodshot-but-sharp eyes of Mike who noted that some of the lyrics were out of order. Geof moseyed slovenly into action, and a team of forensic scientists, armed with laser pointers and inexplicably, a weed whacker, carefully reviewed the booklet. The results were conclusive: the booklet was assembled incorrectly.

Wiping away tears, Geof explains: "It's tragic. We tried so hard to make this release perfect for Randy, and yet...and yet...I'm sorry. Give me a minute, will you?"

After ordering a pizza and watching some porn, he regained his composure and continued: "The good news is that it's not a printing error; it's a problem that occurred in the assembling of the booklet at the factory in Italy. And the better news is, it's really easily fixable. The center-spread page of the booklet, where the staples are located, was simply put in backwards. If you just bend up the four staple points, lift off the center page and replace it the other way around and bend the staples back into place, it's fixed. When corrected, the center two pages will have the lyrics for "Into the Grave" on the top left side, and the page on the right will have Mike's photo. We don't know how it happened; Black Widow sent me a complete layout which was in the correct order, but somehow at the printer's that one sheet got reversed."

Geof stood up and walked slowly towards the window and peered out at the grey, overcast sky.

"It's frustrating...you just don't know...", his voice cracking. "It's this damn curse...".

And as if on cue, as he spoke the words and looked out over the moors, a flash of lighting illuminated his ashen, tear-streaked face and the howl of a wolf was heard in the distance.

"It's the curse of BEDEMON..."
December 27th, 2005 - The Child Is Reborn!
The words we've been dying to say: the CD and LP are now both available! The LP actually came out in mid-November, and we were notified Saturday 12/17 that the CDs had arrived from the factory. While Black Widow does not have an actual U.S. release or distributor, there are numerous metal websites that should be stocking it, and you can always order it directly from BW's site. We will also be carrying the CD and both the black and red vinyl LPs here on the site very shortly.

We'd like to take a moment here to state that Black Widow did an AMAZING job with this release, giving us as much space as inhumanly possible and producing a beautiful package with both the CD and LP. The photo reproduction, the quality of the paper, the art on the disc, everything. It blows away about 95% of the major label big artist releases. When's the last time you saw a CD with a 24-page booklet or an LP with not only an inner sleeve packed with info, but an additional 4-page full-size insert with additional text and photos as well? Randy would be blown away.

We are also exploring the possibility and feasibility of carrying t-shirts and posters and will let you know about that as well.

Finally, we hope to begin work on the 2002 sessions in the early part of the New Year.

Support BEDEMON and honor Randy by buying the CD and LP. A lot of time and work went into making this a reality.

Happy holidaze!

Geof, Mike, & Craig
November 25th, 2005 - New Bedemon Board
Due to our great disdain for banner ads and pop-up windows, we have decided to upgrade our discussion forum. Our new forum will offer visitors a more robust and interactive experience. The old board can still be viewed by clicking here, but we encourage all new postings to be submitted to our new forum.
November 22nd, 2005 - Black Widow Update
According to an e-mail from Black Widow, the CD is being released 11/25 the LP edition a few days earlier on the 22nd. Mind you, these are the dates they expect to have them back from the pressing plants there in Italy. As to how long it will then take for these to reach importers, dealers, distributors etc. is unknown. Updates as we get 'em!
November 4th, 2005 - Waiting On the Widow
Yes, Summer '05 came and went and still no BEDEMON CD. Italy's Black Widow had all the material by October 2004; it was eight months-May 2005-before they sent the graphic/text layout proofs back to us to be checked for errors and any changes to be made. These were ironed out in mid-July, and since then, it's been basically waiting for them to press the CDs, LPs, and artwork. Supposedly they will have at least the LPs next week, and the CDs are at the pressing plant. So, that really is the latest on that. It's been out of our claws for over a year now.

Next on the list: finishing up the 2002 reunion sessions. This is really exciting as no one's heard any of this material and it will be worth the wait.
June 11th, 2005 - New Bedemon Website
Yes folks, we felt that with all of the recent activity in the Bedemon camp, a new look was in order for the website. Let us know what you think of the makeover in our forum.
June 5th, 2005 - Dooms-Day Is Just Around the Bend...
Anyone visiting this site in the past year-and-a-half and seeing the same ancient home page dated August 2003 could be forgiven for reasonably assuming we'd abandoned the BEDEMON projects we spoke so excitedly of. However, this is not the case, and anyone going beyond the home page and to the Message Board would see continuing details of the reasons for the delays.

For those who have not dug that deep: Randy died in August 2002. Within a month after returning from Randy's funeral, Geof's elderly dad George's health began to worsen to the point where he actually collapsed in Geof's arms and had to be rushed to the hospital with nearly no pulse, and shortly thereafter had a pacemaker installed. This sudden turn of events necessitated having to coordinate moving his dad from his Orange County home up to where Geof lives 300 miles to the north. In addition to this, his father began showing signs of increasing dementia. With no siblings or spouse, it fell on his shoulders to deal with all this, and at the same time, deal with the overwhelming loss of Randy, aside from trying to deal with day-to-day activities.

During this period, work was slowly proceeding here and there, but it was difficult to devote any serious block of time to work on band projects. George had been placed in an assisted-living facility and relied on Geof as his sole companion, and the increasing dementia was taking its toll on Geof, who has suffered from depression for over two decades. If you've never been in a situation where your own father doesn't know who you are when you're sitting talking to him, you have no idea the amount of anger, stress and sadness this causes, and support groups became a weekly necessity. Finishing up the BEDMON liner notes was not in the picture at this stage.

After contracting pneumonia and then breaking his hip in a fall which required surgery, George passed away in April 2004. This brought up a whole new set of logistical-and emotional-issues that had to be dealt with.

  Finally, and possibly to avoid dealing with the pain, Geof dove into the BEDEMON material and finished it in the summer of 2004. It was sent to Black Widow in Italy back in mid-September, but as they already had releases they were working on, it had to be pushed back to this year.

We are pleased as cyanide-spiked punch to announce that just this past week, Black Widow sent us the proofs of all the artwork and text layouts for both the CD and vinyl LP, and they look great! A few minor adjustments are needed but it won't be long now. As soon as Black Widow gives us a firm date, it will be announced here.

Beyond that, Mike has completed fixing up some bass work on the 2002 sessions and sent the tapes to Geof, where recording will soon commence on
some additional guitar parts to Geof's two songs and all of Craig's vocals.

Before he can get to that, Geof is working on the PENTAGRAM First Daze Here Too liner notes and credits for Relapse. Randy appears on two tracks. This release also should be out later this year. Beyond that, he has been talking to both Vincent McAllister and Greg Mayne about recording some new material with Craig on vocals, from older PENTAGRAM songs of his that never got recorded right up to newly-written (but not used) songs for the BEDEMON 2002 sessions. Logistics are the main problem, with Greg located on the east coast while Vincent and Geof are in California.

Mike, inspired by the honesty and integrity of today's political leaders has regressed (or is it degenerated?) back into his protest song writing days of the late 60's and early 70's with a new project called MATARA. Check it out at www.matara.us. He is also starting his own music publishing business and independent label in the hopes of getting some real music out in this era of aural desolation. Additionally, he has also been upgrading his home studio, playing with local musicians in Arizona and travelling back to Washington (state) to take part in a reunion with some former bandmates located there.

So...BEDEMON does indeed live on, despite it travelling at the speed of Lon Chaney Jr. as a mummy (joke for Randy). Good things take time; bad things take a car with a disconnected passenger-side door handle, a shovel, duct tape and an isolated location, but...we digress. Stick around and thank-you for your patients. The doctors of doom will see you soon...

The Surviving Members of BEDEMON
August 8, 2003
It is hard to fathom that it was one year ago on this day that Randy lost his valiant battle with the severe injuries suffered in the July 31, 2002 auto accident.

While the familiar saying states that, "Time heals all wounds," some wounds in fact never heal completely and his loss is one such emotional injury. To differing degrees among us, not a day goes by that there isn't a smile or a tear or a feeling of emptiness when a memory of Randy pops into our heads-hearing a song he'd like, seeing a movie he was a fan of, visiting a
restaurant he liked to dine at-his presence is everywhere. Quit haunting us, Palm! That absolutely is a joke he would've made right at that point, possibly adding a reference to a specific ghost scene in a horror film he loved.

While there have been many tears shed, there has also been laughter in the past year, because Randy loved to laugh and had a very dark-yet-silly sense of humor. It's unfortunate fans only familiar with the disturbing imagery of his music didn't know this side of him.

This wave of mixed emotions is coupled with the intense frustration that goes with knowing he won't get to see the BEDEMON projects released and that his death at age 49 was such a premature waste of someone so artistically talented who was finally getting his life in order.

And so, on this darkest of anniversaries, we rise up and unveil the "New, Improved!" website-courtesy of new vocalist and webmaster, Craig Junghandel-and are excited by the news that Italian metal label Black Widow will be releasing Child of Darkness: From the Original Master Tapes. We are also re-energized to the commitment to finish the incredible new material we recorded in the spring of 2002, just three short months before his death.

We re-dedicate this site to our brother and friend gone too soon, Randy Palmer.

Geof O'Keefe
Mike Matthews
Taryn Dodd
April 30, 2003
It was exactly one year ago to the day-April 30th, 2002-that Randy, Mike and Geof recorded the final song for what will be the "new" BEDEMON album, a composition of Geof's called "Hopeless." Little did we know that this would also be the final song we would ever play together.

Despite the lack of News updates-and we thank you for your patience and understanding-there have been things going on in regards to both reissuing the old 70s recordings and working on the 2002 sessions. First off, we can now announce that the 70s material will be coming out on Italy's Black Widow label. Black Widow is a highly-regarded doom metal label and is coincidentally also the label for the current version of PENTAGRAM. We are hopeful to have this out by the end of 2003 and are currently organizing the photos and text to go into the booklet. The material has been cleaned up and mastered as best as could be from the actual master reel-to-reel tapes and problems present on the bootlegs floating around such as out-of-synch vocals and songs at the wrong speed have been corrected (along with a few wrong notes). While obviously nowhere near a proper studio recording, we feel it will present this material in the best version possible. Black Widow is anxious to work with us on this to put out a release Randy would be proud of.

The new material continues to progress as well. Mike is working on some bass parts and the vocalist is rehearsing the songs to get fully familiar with them before we go into the studio to lay down the tracks in a few months. Realistically this won't come out until 2004-and we don't have a label for this yet-but we will probably post a few sneak previews once the recording is finished.

Randy's absence is felt virtually every day and the fact that he won't get to actually see an official BEDEMON release is tragic, but the best thing we can do is to honor his memory and make him proud. Thanks to everyone for their continued interest in BEDEMON and keep checking back for updates.

Geof O'Keefe
Mike Matthews
10/03/2002
We would like to express our deep thanks to the many people worldwide who have written to us, both on this site's message board and to us directly by e-mail, expressing their sorrow over Randy's tragic passing. Randy would be blown away-as we are-to find out so many people cared about him and his music and are saddened by his death. We are currently in discussions with a number of labels in regards to finally getting the 70s material officially released, and once we have concrete info, it will be here on the News page. Once this is resolved, we will begin the task of finishing up the incredible new material we recorded this past April. We have a vocalist, and it's only a matter of finding the time within our various schedules to complete the recordings. We appreciate your patience and hope you understand the emotional roller coaster we have been on in the past few months.
08/09/2002
We are saddened to have to report the death of Randy Palmer. Randy was an innocent victim, a passenger in a car that was struck by someone running a red light on Wednesday 7/31 in Virginia. He was in critical condition for the following week but never improved and he died late Thursday afternoon August 8th, 2002.

Randy has been a great friend of ours for over three decades and this loss is devastating. Randy had just moved back to Virginia the week prior to be with the love of his life, Taryn. The things he wanted so badly were finally happening and this is just so sad. Our thoughts go out to Taryn who spent the last week with him in the hospital. Her loss is tragic and agonizing on so many levels.

One thing we can promise you is that we WILL finish the new album we recorded in April. The world will hear the incredible songs Randy had come up with over the past year for our reunion project. We are so grateful that we were actually able to finally reunite after all these years and get this accomplished.

We will the keep this site up in Randy's memory although we may change some things around.

We loved Randy so much, and will miss him beyond anything these words can convey.

Geof O'Keefe
Mike Matthews
07/11/2002
Randy has decided to add some extra lead guitar overdubs to the new Bedemon tunes. "Originally I announced I was going to let Mike and Geof do most of the lead solos," recalls Palmer, "but after talking to fans I decided to go ahead and put my own solos in the tunes that I wrote." None of us expects this to delay completion of the Bedemon 2k2 project, since Randy will overdub his solos at the same time we add the new singer's vocals to the songs.
06/19/2002
We are excited to tell you that we are currently in the process of auditioning a trio of singers for the vacant Bedemon vocal slot. As promised, we are *not* considering "death metal" vocals for the new Bedemon album; Bedemon's vocal legacy will not be corrupted by an entirely new or different vocal vision. In other words, you can expect to hear vocals that equal or surpass those of original Bedemon singer Bobby Liebling.

We're also excited to let you know that demos of the recently completed remastering of the "classic" Bedemon album, "Child of Darkness," are now on their way to interested record labels and we hope to be able to announce an official release date for this disk in the very near future.

Thanks for your continued support and patience!
05/01/2002 - RETURN OF THE BIG BAD BEDEMON
It finally happened! Randy, Geof, and Mike got together at The Bunker in Calif. (Geof's recording studio), rubbed the magick lamp, and out popped ten (count 'em) brand new renditions of doom metal mayhem! The Bede-Men warmed up with a 2K2 version of old Bedemon classic "Skinned", which turned out so good, we decided to keep the new version to put on the upcoming CD as a bonus track.
Randy's brand new Gibson Tony Iommi Signature SG sounded *so* good it sounded like the Metal Master himself had wandered into the studio! (Well...it would have if Randy played like Tony...!) Geof pounded the Bede-Jesus out of his drum kit, cracking one cymbal during the sessions, which lasted 7 full days, with 2 days devoted to overdubs. Mike was playing a Fender bass and he was able to dial in some of the coolest bass-crunch tones we've heard outside of early Savatage and Geezer Butler's basement...
Randy had penned a number of new Bede-tunes (we'll have to let the fans decide if they're bona fide Bede-classicks, but we wouldn't mind taking bets that you will think at least a couple are hellbeaters that put Bedemon '72 to shame), including "Lord of Desolation," Kill You Now," "Creeping Unknown," "D.E.D. (Dying Every Day)," and "Godless," while Geof offered "Hopeless" and "Saviour." Bede-fans who dug Mike's song "Last Call" on the "Child of Darkness" sessions from the early '70s are really going to soil their shorts when they hear his new one, "The Plague," which is definitely in the "Last Call" mold.
And speaking of "Child of Darkness," what's really cool is that on the 3rd day of the 2002 sessions, the band composed a brand new sequel to that Bedemon signature tune. The ungodly "Son of Darkness" uses the main riff from "CoD" as a jumping off point and slams into an all-new number structured around the "CoD" theme and using the original as an antecedent, it recalls the classic '72 tune while offering an entirely new vision. The three of us wrote "Son of Darkness" together and it literally came together in 10 minutes! (Well, the music did; the lyrics took longer.) It's the first song Bedemon has written as a "band"!
After we finished laying down the basic tracks, we found that we had nearly an hour's worth of material. The tape clocks in at slightly over the 58-minute mark: that's more than 56 minutes of brand-new Bedemon blasts! (Turning back the clock, the newly-recorded "Skinned 2002" comes in at just 1:58, about the same length as the 1975 original. We didn't update the song in any way, although of course it has new solos, 4 by Randy and 2 by Mike.
One thing that is significantly different from the old Bedemon is that on the new tunes, Randy deferred most of the guitar solos to fellow Bede-men Geof and Mike, preferring to play mainly just rhythm guitars. Although he played a few short licks in "Skinned 2002" and a kind of "lead theme" in the latter third of "D.E.D.," Randy thinks it's better for the modern Bedemon to let others who are more adept at lead guitar handle most of the solo chores. "I really like writing and playing just the songs themselves," Randy explains. "I don't really get my rocks off soloing, and I'd rather let Geof & Mike do most of the leads since they are more fluent than I am in that department."
Geof and Mike didn't mind; they are both multi-instrument talents. While Geof plays drums in Bedemon, he did play a solo here & there on the original Bedemon tapes recorded in the 1970s, and Mike, Big Bad Bedemon Bassist, played lead in his own composition, "Last Call," as well as in one of the last songs Bedemon recorded in 1978, "Nighttime Killer." Both he and Geof have gotten much better over the years, so some of the solos on the new Bedemon recordings are incredibly electrifying.
Our job now is to prepare a final mix-down of the songs, prior to recording vocals. Bedemon is not yet ready to announce exactly who will sing the blasphemous lyrics of new songs like "Godless" and "Saviour," but we are looking at several individuals who have previously expressed interest in devoting their singing skills to the present project. One thing Randy promises Bede-fans is that the band will not stray from the formula that worked so well in the past. "There will be no death vocals in Bedemon. Expect someone who sounds like our original singer." When a final decision is made in the vocal department, we'll announce it right here at Bedemon.com.
Finally, we'd like to mention that our previous project, the remastering of the "Child of Darkness" sessions, is very nearly complete. There are a few record companies interested in the tapes, and a special "retro-release" is imminent--either through a legitimate metal label, or via self-release, if necessary. Of course, when negotiations are complete, you'll learn all about it here first.
Thanks to all the great & gloomy Bedemon fans out there who've been so patient with us over the past year. You'll see and hear new Bedemon material before this year is out, we promise!

Randy - Geof - Mike
04/23/2002 - BEDOOMSDAY ARRIVES!!!
Public baffled as to best course of action: "Do we flee our homes in terror
or wait patiently for a CD?"

The day has arrived. Wednesday April 24th, Randy Palmer and Mike Matthews will journey westward to the twenty-acre hilltop retreat of Geof O'Keefe in California. Their mission: to create molten lava for the soulless, to exhume the corpse of 70s-flavored doom metal and bring life to the lifeless. And of course, play some music.

Yes, almost a full year after this website's debut, BEDEMON reunites to record their first real album. All three members have written material over the past year for this project and possible songs include "D.E.D. (Dying Every Day)," "Creeping Unknown," "Hopeless" and "The Plague." There are at least nine numbers in the works, three of them in the ten-minute range. This stuff is SO much heavier than the old BEDEMON material and it will be properly recorded on multitrack.

Actual quotes from individuals who've heard some of the demos:

"More doomy than Pentagram..."

"In a word: gloomy..."

"That's really disturbing..."

"After hearing this song, if I didn't know you, I'd never let you in my house again..."

These things of course take time, and it's expected this album will require two or three separate sessions throughout 2002, but this initial week will see how things gel after almost twenty-five years since these three played together (Randy and Geof recorded some demos in the mid 80s after Mike had moved from the D.C. area).

In other news, the remastering of the original 70s BEDEMON material is essentially complete, with only some final remixing left to do after this week of new sessions. The band will send out a sampler to various labels to spark interest.

Check back over the next few weeks for exclusive pics and details about how the sessions turned out.

'Til Next Doom...

Randy - Mike - Geof
3/7/2002
"Hi, Gores and Ghouls! I want to say how touched I am by all the well-wishes the 3 of us (me, Mike & Geof) have gotten from so many of you out there! We read the comments you leave on the "Doom Visitors" page and I can't believe how many of you really liked that old stuff from the '70s...especially considering how you've only heard the really crappy-sounding recordings (the only ones that got out on the tape-traders/bootleggers market). I want to assure you that we are working hard on getting the remastered versions of the old stuff finished up. I've listened to most of it and it destroys the "old" versions, because the remastering has really brought out the power of that old doom sound! But beyond that, it's getting close to the time we are getting together to rehearse & record the NEW Bedemon stuff! In only a matter of weeks we'll have all-new material to share with our doom-pals all over the world! I hope we'll be able to post some mp3 samples on our website, even if they are short. (The reason we don't put up the whole song is that we don't want the unscrupulous bootleggers to get hold of this material and release it, because we want it polished and perfected so the fans can get the best possible sounding recordings.) I know you've been more than patient with us, it's taken us a long time to get it all together, but at last it's closing in on DoomsDay! Also, I'm excited to tell you that the new Bedemon songs will be played with my new Tony Iommi signature SG! I've always wanted one and now that I have one I'll have an even better doom-tone! (Doom-Tony?) Okay, that's all for now. Watch for an official announcement shortly about availability of the remastered originals -- Child of Darkness, Serpent Venom, One-Way Road, Last Call, Frozen Fear, Touch the Sky, Time Bomb, Skinned, et al.!!

Randy

01/05/02 - HAPPY DOOM YEAR!
2002 is the year of BEDEMON!

Things are coming together in the haunted BEDEMON camp. We've heard some of the vintage BEDEMON material that's being remastered and cleaned up, and we couldn't believe our pointed little ears! It will be worth the wait.

On the new recording front, the first part of April is the date when the three BEDEMONS will gather 'round the cauldron and cook up some new doom. The Be-demos are scaring us, they are so good! Among the titles being painfully whipped and bludgeoned into shape: Creeping Unknown...Godless...Exterminator...Dying Every Day...Hopeless...Infected...Savior...and others too frightening to reveal, lest your ears begin bleeding uncontrollably in anticipation.

NEW ARTICLE!!! The excellent Hungarian Psychedelic Fanzine has just unleashed an incredible 194-page issue (#9/10) and included within is a massive 16-page article on BEDEMON and PENTAGRAM, featuring lengthy interviews with Randy, Mike and Geof by Perry Grayson. While some of the material appeared in Grayson's Metal Maniacs piece a few months back, this is a far more extensive offering with some cool photos. For info on how to obtain a copy: http://www.psychedelicfanzine.de
NEW PENTAGRAM CD!!!
Due February 19th on the excellent Relapse label is First Daze Here (The Vintage Collection). This is the first major label, authorized collection of the early PENTAGRAM material. BEDEMON founder Randy Palmer is featured on two tracks ("Livin' In a Ram's Head" and "Earth Flight") and a masterful performance of his song, co-written with Bobby Liebling "Starlady" is included as well. Geof O'Keefe wrote some lengthy liner notes describing the early days and times of the band. This should be available in most shops.

2002? Seems like Doom-Thousand-Doom!
 

Keep checking in...

The mangled bodies of BEDEMON: Randy - Mike - Geof

11/13/01 - BEDEMON BEDELAYED!!!

NATION REELS IN SHOCK!

"How much disappointment can the people withstand?"

An already-fatigued populace took yet another hit as Bedemon announced that their much-anticipated reunion recording session would have to be postponed until early 2002. According to spokesdemon B. Hazelbubb, plans were firmly in place for the sessions to take place in California from Oct. 27th through Nov. 3rd. "We had everything set up," according to the red-leather clad, tiny-horned befangled representative. "We had cauldrons rented, the band members were booked into a beautiful two-room mausoleum (complete with kitchenette), we even hired a virgin, no easy task in California, just in case they decided to sacrifice one on Halloween. But, it was all for naught."

The problem? Legendary Bedemon founder Randy Palmer was unable to free himself from the chains of his postal employment. Not figuratively; Palmer is actually chained to his desk to prevent escape during working hours. "And there's that whole full-moon thing...", adds Palmer with a tinkle in his yellowed, bloodshot eye.

Immediately upon hearing the news, celebrities rushed to offer their services, suggesting a benefit concert. "What good would that do?!!" asked a bewildered Palmer. "Other bands play because we can't? What a bunch or morons!"

On reflection, Palmer later added: "We think it's important that the metal fans out there know we haven't slowed down working toward our new goals. The delay in getting our 2002 material together has nothing whatsoever to do with the band as a musical entity. But, since our work schedules have become a momentary roadblock in our pursuit of metallic musical mayhem, we've decided to concentrate our efforts on speeding up the remastering of the original so-called "Child of Darkness" tapes in order to get them ready sooner than later.

"For the past few months we have been working with a professional recording engineer, who generously agreed to give up his personal time to help in the remastering of the original Bedemon tapes from 1970-78. This is the material you may have already heard in atrocious bootleg form on certain CDs, vinyl, or cassette. We urge you not to buy these products and we hope you don't share them with your metal pals because, frankly, the original "basement tapes" sound significantly better! Our engineer who is working on remastering these tapes has already proved to us how meticulous fine-tuning can eliminate unwanted tape hiss, out-of-synch phasing effects, etc., and at the same time boost the instrumentation to levels that really bring out the heaviness of the material. We have shared a small preview of the remastered material with you via the "mp3" files on this website, so you know how much better the old material is going to sound when our engineer is finished with the tapes. We hope you will be patient a while longer and wait for this material to be offered in a legitimate, band-endorsed form, either via this website or via the metal specialty record company we have been talking to over the past few months. Stay tuned for further developments!"

BEDEMON IN PRINT!!!
We that be Bedemon were very pleased with the coverage that "Metal Maniacs" magazine afforded us, although to sell the story, author Perry Grayson was forced to submit it as a "Pentagram" piece. In fact, as many of you are already aware, the connections between Pentagram and Bedemon are so entwined, that we really can't complain. After all, coverage is coverage! (For the uninitiated, ignorant or memory-challenged, Randy Palmer was a member of Pentagram during two separate periods and Geof O'Keefe co-founded Pentagram in 1971 with vocalist Bobby Liebling, who sang on the 70s Bedemon recordings.) A second Bedemon/Pentagram article appeared in the D.C.-based music newspaper Snap Pop!, also written by Grayson. You may know that Perry was one of the driving forces behind Destiny's End, which has released two terrific metal albums featuring the voice of legendary Texan metallers, Helstar. Perry left Destiny's End after the 2nd release and created Artisan, which we believe will rapidly reach the same heights as early Fates Warning and current progressive/metal faves The Quiet Room. Check out Perry's band at www.artisanmetal.com. The interviews Perry did with Bedemonites Randy, Geof, and Mike are also destined to find their way into several other specialist metal fanzines and/or websites before long. We'll announce the titles of these publications and sites, their country of origin and addresses as we learn of them ourselves.

NEW BEDEMON MATERIAL!!!
The three of us (Randy, Geof, Mike) have been working on all-new material for the projected Bedemon 2K2 album, and we expect to have enough material for 2 albums by the time we finish rehearsing! Just imagine: a Bedemon Bedouble CD! But, we may just whittle it down to one CD jam-packed full o' riffs of doom. No ballads, no rap, no techno-drum tracks, no speed metal...just neck-twisting, skull-drilling, lava-heavy riffs.

The "Bedemon 2K2" album will include the single 1986 composition, "Night of the Demon" (inspired by Randy's all-time favorite horror film, "Curse of the Demon"), plus our latest tunes, among them "Godless," "Infected," "Creeping Unknown" (another movie reference, for all you Hammer film fans), "D.E.D." (Dying Every Day), "Exterminator," "Days of Isolation" and others currently being written and demoed . If there's any room to squeeze in another, we hope to do the only existing Palmer-Liebling co-write, "Starlady," which appeared once on a previous Pentagram compilation album. (It should come as little surprise that the Bedemon version of "Starlady" would be significantly heavier than the earlier one!)

BEDEMON LOOKS TO THE FUTURE!!!
We haven't really thought about anything beyond the Bedemon 2K2 album project; but honestly, if these two albums are received as warmly as we hope, there's no reason why Bedemon can't continue onward into 2003, 2004, etc....at least until one of us drops dead!

BEDEMON ON B. LIEBLING:
We've received a number of messages from fans asking about Bobby and his involvement in Bedemon's new projects. While he was an undeniable part of the original Bedemon recordings, we are not working with him at this time. He has his claws full with Pentagram, whose new album, "Sub-Basement," is due imminently. Obviously, Bobby must continue to devote most of his time to Pentagram. We've already had several queries from singers interested in Bedemon 2K2, and although we are not at a point where we are thinking about auditioning anyone, when the time comes, we'll make the right move. Come back and visit us again often!

Happy Thanksgrieving From the Gobblers of Gore!!!

Randy - Geof - Mike
8/15/01 - NEWS FLASH!!!

Not one but TWO articles are currently out now, detailing the histories of both PENTAGRAM and offshoot BEDEMON. Both pieces were written by longtime fan (and former Destiny's End guitarist) Perry Grayson and have substantially different quotes and info from each other (so you'll just have to get both!).

The November issue of Metal Maniacs (on sale now) features a whopping SIX DOOM-DRENCHED PAGES along with numerous photos and candid comments about the rise and fall of the original PENTAGRAM, the revived later versions and of course, the subject of this site, BEDEMON. You can find Metal Maniacs at any well-stocked newsstand and chain CD/book place like Tower Records, Borders Books and so on. Even some grocery and drug store magazine racks have it. It's also available in Europe. If you can't find it, try their website:http://www.metalmaniacs.com

  

Also available is the July/August issue of the free music newspaper Snap Pop! which is distributed mainly in the D.C. area but also in other cities on the east coast. Excellent 1-&- 1/4 page article and a full page of photos. Go to their website at: http://www.snappopmag.com and click on "ads" for a list of where you can pick it up. You can also order copies for $3 from them at:
Snap Pop!
World Headquarters
P.O. 2812
Sterling, VA 20167-2812

Fans outside of the U.S. write to them for prices - attention: Gina

Thanks from Randy, Mike and Geof to Perry Grayson for an excellent job in
presenting the most accurate telling of the early PENTAGRAM/BEDEMON era.

8/5/01 - ...Crawling Towards DOOMSday
Thanks for all of the kind words, cards, gifts and female fan fotos that have been pouring into the Bedemon offices. Rest assured, the Brotherhood of Bedemon read each and every one. We're foaming at the mouth over some of the projects we have in the works. The previously-announced Time Bomb EP will now be part of a full-length CD. Watch this space, or one nearby, for details as they ooze forth.

The most exciting news is the recording of an all-new Bedemon album, which
is looking like it'll happen towards the end of October at Garageland Studios in California. All three members are working on demos of brand new material written especially for this exciting project and discussions are also underway about possibly re-recording a few older classics from both the Bedemon and Pentagram vaults. This will blow away anything Bedemon recorded in the past, simply because this will actually be the first professionally-recorded multi-track recording we've done. We know what the fans want, and we will deliver the goods! Bedemon? BeDOOMon!!!

Rest in pieces...

BEDEMON: Randy/Mike/Geof

7/01/2001 - Macabre Message from the Church of the Bedemon
TIME-BOMB SESSIONS EP NEARS COMPLETION
You can access samples of the newly-remixed versions of "Time Bomb" and "Nighttime Killer" right here at Bedemon.com, but wait till you hear the real thing! The songs sound awesome. Geof has finished remixing the master tapes for those two songs and is currently working on the 3rd song that will appear on the CD "EP" (Extended Play) Single. Until recently, the song was just referred to as "Geof's Song" (it appeared on those "bootleg" Bedemon CDs, mislabeled as "God's Song" and "Goof Song"), but the official title is "Eviscerated." The lyrics were written and are sung by a musician friend of Geof's. The vocalist on this one tune will NOT be our replacement for Bobby Liebling, by the way, so don't start any false rumors, please! We expect to have the tape with the final mix-down in our hands very soon, and when we do, you'll read about it here first. Once we are satisfied that the recording quality meets our standard, we will release the EP ourselves, and you will be able to order it through the Bedemon website. Watch this space!

FIRST OFFICIAL ALBUM IN PRE-PRODUCTION
The 3 of us--Randy, Mike, and Geof--have been working on new material for a planned album that we hope to see released later this year or early in 2002. This album will also feature some of the older Bedemon tunes which will be recorded on state-of-the-art equipment for the first time. Just think--no more poorly-recorded basement tapes, tape hiss, phasing problems, or lousy mixes! We will definitely re-do "Child of Darkness" and "Touch the Sky," and depending on available CD space, perhaps one or two more. (You can help us decide which songs to re-record by participating in the poll on this website.) As the song list takes on more solidity, we'll keep you posted on what's happening with the album.

BEDEMON & PENTAGAM ARTICLES SCHEDULED FOR METAL 'ZINES
Perry Grayson conducted interviews with Mike, Geof, and Randy for a fistful of articles that will soon be appearing in metal magazines all over the world. Here in the U.S., "Metal Maniacs" will be printing a "Rewind" column focusing on Bedemon. As soon as we know which issues of which magazines will be carrying these stories, we'll publicize them right here.