ABOUT

BELTFED WEAPON
Lineup for Tortured Within and Rise from eternal darkness singles
Frank Hetzel (guitar, songwriter)
Stu Block (vocals)
Kragen Lum (lead guitar)
Mike LePond (bass )
Bryan Newberry (drums)

Lineup:  for darkened demise EP
Frank Hetzel (guitar, songwriter)
Jeff Loomis (lead guitar)
Kragen Lum (lead guitar)
Tim Aymar (vocals)  R.I.P.
Steve Tucker (vocals)
J.D. DeServio (bass)
Jason Viebrooks (bass)
Dagna Silesia (bass)
Bryan Newberry (drums)

Founded in 1999 by guitarist and songwriter Frank Hetzel, Beltfed Weapon has become known for their distinctive blend of thrash, death, and technical metal in the Seattle metal scene. Following several lineup changes, Hetzel took control of the band’s future by collaborating with highly respected musicians in the metal world.

Their 2015 EP, Raining Plague, was well-received by critics. Metal Gods TV rated it 8/10, praising the “fast-paced riffs” and “shredding guitars”, while Ever Metal gave it 9/10, noting its successful blend of aggression and melody. The EP featured contributions from major figures in the metal scene, such as Jeff Loomis (Arch Enemy, ex-Nevermore) on lead guitar, and Steve DiGiorgio (Testament, Death) on bass. Loomis’s intricate solos were a key element, establishing a strong working relationship with Hetzel.

After the success of Raining Plague, Hetzel continued working with top-tier musicians, including Steve Tucker (Morbid Angel), who lent his powerful growls to tracks on the Darkened Demise EP. Tucker’s performance added intensity and helped shape the band’s heavier sound direction.

In September 2024, Beltfed Weapon released their latest single, “Tortured Within”, featuring Stu Block (Into Eternity, ex-Iced Earth) on vocals, Kragen Lum (Heathen, Exodus) on lead guitar, Mike LePond (Symphony X) on bass, and Bryan Newbury (Into Eternity) on drums. This new track continues the band’s tradition of collaborating with notable musicians, building on the intensity and precision that have become the band’s trademarks.

“Tortured Within” focuses on internal battles, including addiction and the struggle to break free from destructive cycles, according to Hetzel. The single has received praise for its technical musicianship and powerful thematic content, with Hetzel expressing satisfaction with the contributions from Block and LePond, both of whom noted the unique challenge and reward of working with Hetzel’s aggressive riffs.

With each new release, including “Tortured Within”, Frank Hetzel remains dedicated to evolving Beltfed Weapon’s sound. His ongoing collaborations with respected figures in metal have cemented the band’s place as a powerful force in the genre.

Band Quotes

“It was fun working with Frank on this tune. He’s a very talented musician and an awesome guy!”

Stu Block

 

“Frank has some seriously vicious riffs with an almost machine-like precision. His music is very different from Symphony X, and it was a challenge at first. But the more I practiced, the more I appreciated his metal artistry.”

Mike Lepond

 

When the world went nuts in 2019, I moved to the country and started farming to focus on sustainability.

My guitar player Tim Roth from Into Eternity messaged me and said “Hey Newbs, my good buddy Frank Hetzel is looking for a drummer for his Death/Thrash band and I thought you would be a good fit.” I said “Ok sick I’ll check it out!”

I met with Frank online and we clicked instantly, super easy going guy with a plethora of INSANE riffs! As soon as I heard the music I was hooked.

 

Shortly after that I had my Engineer JB at Divergent Sounds Studios come to my farm and record me in my basement.

3 hours later, we finished tracking drums for the brand new BELTFED WEAPON album!

I am super stoked on these tracks and so thankful to be on a record with Frank, Jeff Loomis and JD DeServio to name a few! Get ready to have your ears blown away! WATCH IT GO!

 

-NEWBS

After knowing Frank for many years, we finally sat down and wrote a song together and I’m stoked that it’s making it onto the new Beltfed Weapon EP. “Head first into hell” was lots of fun and pretty easy to put together. I admire Frank’s ability to assemble all the people, music and visual concept to drive his idea forward. The result is powerful and bone crushing metal and I’m honored to be a part of it.

Dagna Silesia

 

My buddy Andy Beech put Frank in touch with me! The tune is ripping! It’s my first thrash bass track I ever recorded and I dig it!! 🤘🏼

JD Deservio

Frank Hetzel has put together an incredible lineup of musicians for the latest Beltfed Weapon EP Darkened Demise. When I heard the killer music and saw the list of talent involved in the project it was a no brainer for me to participate. Who wouldn’t want to do trade-off solos with Jeff Loomis on a couple of songs, right?! Metal fans should definitely check this out when it’s available!

Kragen Lum

“Being involved with Beltfed Weapon has been a killer time with killer friends. The songs are heavy and still maintain a hook as well. I’m super proud of what we’ve done and I for one am looking forward to bringing the stuff to the live stage in the future”

Jason Viebrooks

Years ago I was searching on YouTube for projects Ronny Munroe former metal church vocalist was involved with then, and I found Beltfed Weapon’s P.O.W. and I was impressed. So I checked out more of their stuff. Somewhere along the line Guitarist Frank Hetzel friended me on Facebook and he contacted me about writing lyrics and singing on some of his stuff. I just loved the riffs he came up with. so it didn’t take long to get him my tracks. He didn’t mention it at first, but I secretly hoped it was for Beltfed Weapon, and my wish came true. I hope to do much more with Frank and the gang in the future.

Tim Aymar

I first met Frank Hetzel in the early 2000’s through some mutual friends. I learned he was a Nevermore fan and also a guitarist, so we hit it off right away. I consider Frank to be one of my closest friends and someone I can always trust and count on. He’s a great dude and I’m very happy to have played some solos on his new EP. The longer solo in accept your insanity was something I obviously spent a lot of time on as it needed some kind of storyline to it. I quickly found myself working away at it on a cold rainy day in Seattle, which is always the most perfect vibe and time to write anything dark in our ever changing weather conditions. I think the final takes turned out killer and adds a cool flow to the song.

Frank has come a long way with his writing and I’m super proud of him with all his efforts and great work ethic. For fans of Thrash and just good metal in general, I highly recommend giving this a spin. In the words of the late Chuck Schuldiner, “Keep the metal flowing” Frank, and I’m proud to call you a friend.

 

Jeff Loomis

My good friend jason viebrooks mentioned to me about this project he has been involved with beltfed weapon and asked me if I would be interested in doing vocals on a couple songs after hearing the material and talking to frank i though it sounded really good and I liked the idea of doing some vocals on this thrash’s project once the songs came together not only do they sound good it was a lot of fun doing something a bit different

Steve Tucker

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