Saint Vitus (band)

**Saint Vitus** is an American doom metal band. Many consider Saint Vitus to be an influential doom metal band which helped start the genre in the late 1970s and early 1980s, along with their contemporaries Pentagram, Witchfinder General, Trouble and Candlemass.

## History

Saint Vitus formed in Los Angeles, California in 1978. Their original lineup was Scott Reagers (vocals), Dave Chandler (guitarist), Mark Adams (drums) and Armando Acosta (drums). Saint Vitus was known as Tyrant until 1980, when they changed their name to their current name Saint Vitus, which was inspired by the song "St. Vitus' Dance" by Black Sabbath, a band they have cited as one of their major influences.

Around 1983, Greg Ginn of Black Flag signed Saint Vitus to his label SST Records and the band managed to record their first album, which is self-titled. It came out in 1984, and later that year, the embarked on their first-ever tour with Black Flag, another band that Saint Vitus is influenced by and would latercover their song "Thirsty and Miserable" for their 1987 EP with the same title. Their second album _Hallow's Victim_ and _The Walking Dead_ EP were both released in 1985.

Saint Vitus experienced their first lineup change when Scott "Wino" Weinrich replaced Reagers on vocals in 1986. They would achieve moderate success with the next three albums, including _Born Too Late_, which has been cited as their best-selling release, but they were never able to become a popular band. Weinrich eventually left the band in 1991 to focus on the reunion of The Obsessed, which was his band before he joined Saint Vitus. He was replaced by Chritus Linderson, who sang on _C.O.D._ (1992), the sixth Saint Vitus studio album, before he left the band.

In 1994, Saint Vitus reunited with their original singer Scott Reagers. With him, the band recorded their seventh studio album _Die Healing_ (1995) and then broke up in 1996. The band reunited twice, in 2003 and 2008, with the _Born Too Late_ lineup. After 31 years in the band, Acosta left Saint Vitus in 2009 and was replaced by Henry Vasquez. This new incarnation recently completed a new album, entitled _Lillie: F-65_, which was released on April 27, 2012.

## Discography

Saint Vitus' full-length studio albums include:

- _Saint Vitus_ (1984)
- _Hallow's Victim_ (1985)
- _Born Too Late_ (1986)
- _Mournful Cries_ (1988)
- _V_ (1990)
- _C.O.D._ (1992)
- _Die Healing_ (1995)
- _Lillie: F-65_ (2012)
- _Saint Vitus_ (2019)

Their other recordings include _The Walking Dead_ and _Thirsty and Miserable_ EPs (released in 1985 and 1987 respectively), the live album _Live_ (1990) and the compilation album _Heavier Than Thou_ (1991).

## Infobox (musical artist)

- **name**: Saint Vitus
- **img**: Saint Vitus.jpg
- **img capt**: Saint Vitus' lead singer Scott "Wino" Weinrich performing in Kansas, 2011
- **img size**: 250
- **landscape**: yes
- **background**: group_or_band
- **origin**: Los Angeles, California, United States
- **genre**: Heavy metal music, Heavy metal
Hard rock
Doom metal
- **years active**: 1978–1996
2003
2008–present
- **label**: SST Records
Nuclear Blast
Roadrunner Records
Southern Lord Records
Hellhound Records
Season of Mist
- **associated acts**: Spirit Caravan
The Obsessed
The Hidden Hand
Place of Skulls
Count Raven
Debris, Inc.
- **current members**: Mark Adams
Dave Chandler
Scott Weinrich
Henry Vasquez
- **past members**: Scott Reagers
Armando Acosta
Chritus Linderson