Culprit (band)

Culprit
(l to r) John DeVol, Jeff L'Heureux, Bud Burrill, Kjartan Kristoffersen, and Scott Earl(front)
Background information
Origin	Seattle, Washington, USA
Genres	Heavy metal
Years active	1982–1985, 2010-present
Labels	Shrapnel Records, Hellion Records
Associated acts	TKO Mistrust
Website	culpritonline.com
Members	Saul Ashley John DeVol Scott Earl Tim Kleiman Steve Nations
Past members	Bud Burrill Kjartan Kristoffersen Scott Bringedahl Jeff L'Heureux

Culprit is a heavy metal band first formed in Seattle, Washington in 1981 by vocalist Jeff L'Heureux, guitarists John DeVol and Kjartan Kristoffersen, bassist Scott Earl, and drummer Bud Burrill.^[1] Their debut album Guilty as Charged was first released through Shrapnel Records in 1983 and later again through Hellion Records in 2000.^[1][2] The band broke up in 1985 and each of its members moved on to other endeavors.^[1]

In 2010, Scott Earl announced that he and John DeVol were reuniting the band with a new lineup. Since then, they have announced plans to release a long-awaited second studio album as well as a live rendition of their debut album simply titled Guilty as Charged...Live.

History

Formation (1981-1982)

Culprit was the result of a merger between two Seattle area bands named Orpheus and Amethyst in 1981.^[1] Guitarist John DeVol, bassist Scott Earl, and drummer Bud Burrill played in Orpheus while vocalist Jeff L’Heureux and guitarist Kjartan Kristoffersen were in Amethyst. These five musicians first came together when their respective bands played at a mutual gig according to their MySpace page. They later got together with plans on forming a new band, which they ultimately named Culprit.

Guilty as Charged (1982-1985)

This new band got their first taste of success in 1982 when their debut song “Players” was selected on Shrapnel Records’ U.S. Metal, Vol. 2 compilation.^[1] Shortly afterward, Culprit signed a proper recording contract with Shrapnel and began work on their debut album. In 1983, Culprit released their first and only album thus far Guilty as Charged to much critical acclaim. Eduardo Rivadavia of Allmusic gave the album four and a half stars, calling it “a lost gem of American metal from the 1980s, and well worth seeking out for fans of other bands from the period.” ^[2] Scott Earl left the band in 1984 and was replaced by bassist Scott Bringedahl. The band broke up in late 1985 due to a lack of management and no major record deal according to their MySpace page.

Post-break-up and reunion (1986-present)

Following the break-up, L’Heureux became lead vocalist for the band Mistrust^[1][3] while Kristoffersen and Earl joined the band TKO, appearing on their third album Below the Belt.^[1][4]

In 2000, Guilty as Charged was re-released on CD for the first time through Hellion Records. The original lineup has reunited on various occasions for one-off shows, most recently in 2001.^[1] In 2005, they released a compilation album of rarities titled Innocent ‘Til Proven Guilty.^[5]

In 2010, Scott Earl announced plans to reunite the band on their official website:

Members

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Other appearances

References

External links

• Culprit on Myspace