PUNCTURE began in 1992 when guitarist/songwriter Rick Perry began putting together a series of songs on his 4-track. At the time, Rick was a member of Gammacide, an ecology-minded thrash metal band who released two demos and one full length LP Victims of Science(1989) on Wild Rags Records(WRRO16). At the time, Rick was listening to a lot of Skinny Puppy, Ministry, Front Line Assembly, Public Enemy, and other bands with an electronic rhythm section. These home recordings reflected Rick's desire to fuse heavy guitars with techno/industrial drum beats. Eventually, six songs were completed and he decided to release the demo under the moniker "Killing Systems." Then, after having covers printed, he changed his mind and made up some new covers with the name PUNCTURE. The songs on the first demo are "Miscalculation,""Youth Gone Mild,""Breeding Contempt,""Scum of the Earth,""American Dream," and "Bonus Beat(ing)s." Since Rick already had plenty of contacts throughout the underground with Gammacide, he had no problem getting the PUNCTURE name out of the underground fanzine and radio shows.
PUNCTURE!
After receiving positive feedback, Rick began to put together a live band so that PUNCTURE could begin traumatizing live audiences. The initial PUNCTURE line-up was Rick on guitar and vocals, John Perez on guitar, and Larry Moses on bass. All the drum tracks and samples were pumped through the PA from a conventional cassette deck. John Perez is best know to underground music fans as guitarist / founder of the gothic doom metal band Solitude Aetumus, who have two albums out on Roadracer (Into the Depths of Sorrow and Beyond the Crimson Horizon) and one on Pavement(In My Darkest Hour). Moses is a long time contributor to the Dallas / FT. Worth hardcore punk scene, having founded two bands, Why Am I? and Days of Decision, who both released various demos and 7" singles. The initial PUNCTURE gig took place on Saturday Sept 26, 1992 at Fort Worth heavy metal club Joe's Garage. The response from the local fans was very favorable, due in large part to the atmosphere generated by tons of fog, strobe lights and an array of video monitors displaying an assortment of animal experiments, autopsies, and S&M bondage(which all went over especially well with the large number of death metallers in attendance). The second gig took place at the same club a month later, and gained PUNCTURE a bit of notoriety in the local papers when the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission confiscated PUNCTURE's video in the middle of the performance. Seems they were on a routine check, making sure no minors were drinking, when they noticed the video monitors on stage displaying a man getting his penis nailed to a step ladder. The Club was subsequently closed for the weekend, rather than pay a $2000 fine.

At this time, Rick was writing new material and discovering the limitations of the equipment he was working with. In order for PUNCTURE to progress he would have to work with someone with better sampling and sequencing equipment than he possessed. He met Per Nilsson through a mutual friend and they quickly completed two unfinished songs, "Processor", and "Graft". Per was previously a member of Dallas techno / industrial band Post-Mortem Statement, who released six demos, Post-Mortem Statement, Demo Tape, Assassin, Tracks, Configuration, and Live in Arlington, as well as appearing on the
compilation album Cybertronik World Media I. Per made his live debut with PUNCTURE in December of 1992, handling sequencer and sampling duties, and eliminating the rather archaic method of playing the drum tracks on cassette tape. The band also began to expand its live following by playing several opening slots, notably Obituary and Fear Factory, and Blohole(featuring ex-members of Dallas speed metallers Rigor Mortis).

The PUNCTURE demo tape had found its way into the hands of several interested labels, and Rick began to receive inquiries. Eventually a deal was struck up with a small independent label called Vertebrae in September of 1993. That winter Rick and Per entered Sound Logic Studios in Dallas to record Puncture with house engineer Tim Grugle producing. The finished disc included the following tracks: "Miscalculation,""Nailed to a Cross,""Youth Gone Mild,""Gag Rule,""Processor,""Mission,""Graft,""American Dream,""Breeding Contempt,"and "Abort." The CD cover artwork by local artist Breck Outland featured the hand of Christ "punctured" to the cross with some mechanized looking ruins in the background. Breck also contributed some computer animation sequences which were incorporated into PUNCTURE's live show video backdrops.

In the spring of 1994, with the 'Puncture' disc in the can awaiting release, John Perez announced that he could no longer help out on live performances due to his obligations with Solitude Aetumus. He parted on good terms and was quickly replaced by Mike T, who was armed with a monster guitar sound and some depraved German pornography. Mike's previous bands include Intense Regret, Apathy, Sideways and Our Tragic Hours, who, ironically enough were somewhat influenced by PUNCTURE themselves. Mike's entry into the band also heralded a change in the live show, making it somewhat more "aggressive and in your face" as opposed to the old line-up's more "brooding and monolithic" approach.

Despite some qualms about the production, Rick & Per were quite pleased with the Puncturedebut CD. However, just before it was to be released Vertebrae Records lost their distribution deal, which left them unable to give PUNCTURE the push they needed. The finished product was licensed to Century Media Records who released the disc in July of 1994. In Europe the disc surfaced on Bulletproof Records(distributed by Intercord). The band was disappointed that the label did such a poor job of reproducing the cover artwork. The inner sleeve lyrics were also clumsily misspelled. Although, distribution for the CD was good, Century Media was never fully committed to PUNCTURE.

Following the release of the CD, PUNCTURE played a small Texas tour with Louisiana psycho-thrashers Acid Bath(CD When the Kite String Popson Rotten Records), followed by more scattered dates in Oklahoma and Louisiana. They also opened for Skrew, Evil Mothers, Dead Horse, Auschwitz 46 and other bands of the Texas underground.

Disappointed with Century Media's commitment to the band, PUNCTURE set about to find a new record label, where the staff would be more energized and into the band. They began recording some of their new material at their home studio. These new songs were more of a group effort than the songs on the CD, which were primarily written by Rick.In the new tracks Per's ebm, techno, and industrial influences were much more apparent, and Mike contributed guitar riffs, additional programming and background vocals, as well as engineering the recording. When they had four songs, they decided that was enough to show any prospective labels what they could do. The finished demo was entitled Dutch Fist and contained these songs: "Dutch Fist,""Suck City,""Kill-o-gram," and "Constrict Command.""Constrict Command" was co-written by Pat Bohn, a good friend of the band who currently plays guitar for Fort Worth's I, THE JURY.

At this stage, bassist Moses left the band because of musical differences and pressing commitments to school. He was replaced with Jim Melancon, who was so insistent that the gig be his that no one else was even considered. Jim was fresh out of his project Dysfunction, who were also somewhat PUNCTURE-inspired. As it turns out, he was an ideal candidate for the position, bringing a very prolific and similar writing style to the band, and a fondness for the same style of pornographic decadence as the rest of PUNCTURE. Jim's photo appears on the cover of Dutch Fist.

Soon after Jim joined the band were approached by Houston based independent label MIA Records. PUNCTURE were impressed by the level of interest that MIA expressed, and general gung-ho attitude of label bosses Martti Paine and Sean Barusch. They signed a deal and soon were recording tracks for their second CD. This disc, entitled Immune represents a great progression for the band, both in sound and song writing. The songs on the Immune disc are: "Suck City,""Kill-o-gram,""669,""Immune,""Complete and Total,""Constrict Command,""Dutch Fist,""A New Hole,""Pipe fitter,""Bottom Feeder,""LD\50," and "Bonus Beat(ing)s." Immune was released in the summer of 96, and followed by a short Texas tour with Cubanate and Acumen. These shows were followed by more shows in Texas, including an outdoor festival in Houston opening for Dio and Motorhead. This show in particular indicated that a live drummer was needed for PUNCTURE to really come across as a powerful live act. What worked before in small smoky clubs didn't necessarily work in a large rock concert, so once again PUNCTURE began revamping their live presentation.

In March of 97, after two months of auditions, PUNCTURE added Waco drummer Brad Womack to their lineup, who could not only duplicate the programmed drums from the CDs, but add his own "extra flavor" as well. Around this same time bassist Jim Melancon was replaced by Mark Powell. Mark's particular brand of lunacy was a much better fit for PUNCTURE than Jim, whose initial enthusiasm became more and more lethargic as time went on.

The revamped PUNCTURE line-up played a series of warm up shows in Dallas, before heading out on their most extensive road trip yet: a seven week tour of the U.S. with GWAR and Electric Hellfire Club. Playing before packed theaters and larger clubs everywhere, this tour gave PUNCTURE invaluable exposure, as well as cementing the new line-up into a tight, lethal unit.


Now back from their tour, PUNCTURE is presently working on new material for their third CD, to be released fall 1999. Tentative title: "Extra-Super Crush Machine."