The Obsessed are a doom metal band from Maryland led by Scott “Wino” Weinrich. Wino also fronts Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan, Place of Skulls and The Hidden Hand.

History

The band forms in Potomac, Maryland in the late 1970s and later moves into a band house in Rockville, where some of its heaviest and most creative material is written. Original guitarist John Reese leaves before that move, and the group continues as a trio until the mid-1980s, when Vance Bockis and Norman Lawson join.

During this period the band releases the Sodden Jackyl EP and has “Concrete Cancer” included on Metal Blade’s Metal Massacre VI compilation. The Obsessed break up in the late 1980s, after which Wino moves to California to join Saint Vitus. While with Saint Vitus, he records three albums, an EP and a live album.

Hellhound Records later releases The Obsessed, an album of archived recordings, and this leads Wino to leave Saint Vitus and reform The Obsessed. The reformed band signs to Hellhound and releases two more albums. Despite a series of line-up changes, Columbia Records picks up the third album, The Church Within.

After the band’s split, Wino forms Spirit Caravan. Bass player Guy Pinhas and drummer Greg Rodgers go on to form Goatsnake. The Obsessed announce a third reunion in March 2016 and release Sacred in 2017.

Releases

The band’s studio albums are The Obsessed (1990), Lunar Womb (1991), The Church Within (1994) and Sacred (2017). Other releases include the Sodden Jackyl 7-inch, the Streetside and To Protect and To Serve singles, Altamont Nation, Instrumental, another Sodden Jackyl issue with different mixes, a split 7-inch with Mystick Krewe of Clearlight featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd covers, and the compilations and live releases History of The Obsessed, Live at the Wax Museum, Incarnate, a reissue of The Obsessed with live 1984 material, History of The Obsessed Volume II and a reissue of Lunar Womb.

Style and context

The Obsessed are associated with doom metal, traditional doom metal, stoner rock, stoner metal and heavy metal. Their recorded history is closely tied to Hellhound Records, Columbia Records, Invictus Records, Doom Records, Southern Lord Records, Tolotta Records and MeteorCity Records.