Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA • 1969-1972

Active between 1969 and 1972 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Bolder Damn left a very brief but intensely vivid mark. Fronted by John Anderson’s baritone warble, the band showcased Glenn Eaton’s sharp guitar work, Ron Refett’s solid bass, and Bob Eaton’s stormy pounding on the drums. Their style was oppressive, unyielding, daubed with the grungy energy of early ’70s rock.

The band channeled their ferocity into a one-day recording session at Hyperbolic Studios in 1971, resulting in their sole album, Mourning. Pressing only 200 copies, it had become a hidden gem in the underground rock world. Tracks like the chilling “Dead Meat” showcased their unrefined juggernaut force and grimy edge, and earned them a reputation as proto-metal pioneers.

As Bolder Damn they drew attention with electrifying live shows that put them in close quarters with the likes of Blue Cheer, the Amboy Dukes, and Alice Cooper. Their shows transformed local venues into raw and defiant displays of sound and emotion. Unfortunately, their ascendance was clipped when the draft for the Vietnam War took some of the band’s main players, and the group disbanded.

Their career was short, but Mourning holds a special place in proto-metal — an unvarnished snapshot of an era when rock was loud and brute-force real.