---
title: "Heathen"
type: "MusicGroup"
url: "https://themetalnet.com/band/heathen"
genre: "Thrash Metal"
country: "United States"
formed: 1984
---

# Heathen

**Heathen** is a thrash metal band, from United States, active 1984 to present.

Heathen is an American thrash metal band originating from the San Francisco Bay Area, active from 1984 to 1993 and again from 2001 onwards. Despite never achieving commercial success, the band is often credited – alongside Exodus, Testament, Forbidden, Death Angel and Vio-lence – as one of the leaders of the Bay Area thrash metal scene of the mid-to-late 1980s. To date, Heathen has released four studio albums: Breaking the Silence (1987), Victims of Deception (1991), The Evolution of Chaos (2009) and Empire of the Blind (2020). As of guitarist Lee Altus' split with Heathen in 2026, there are no original members left in the current lineup of the band although he and frontman David White are the only ones to appear on every album.

Biography source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathen_(band)

## Facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Name | Heathen |
| Genre | Thrash Metal |
| Parent genre | Thrash Metal |
| Origin | United States |
| Formed | 1984 |
| Releases in catalog | 4 |

## Genres

[Thrash Metal](https://themetalnet.com/genre/thrash-metal) · [Speed Metal](https://themetalnet.com/genre/speed-metal) · [Heavy Metal](https://themetalnet.com/genre/heavy-metal)

## Line-up

| Musician | Instruments | Years | Status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [David White-Godfrey](https://themetalnet.com/musician/david-white-godfrey) |  |  | Current |
| [Ira Black](https://themetalnet.com/musician/ira-black) |  |  | Current |
| [Jason Mirza](https://themetalnet.com/musician/jason-mirza) |  |  | Current |
| [Jon Torres](https://themetalnet.com/musician/jon-torres) |  |  | Current |
| [Lee Altus](https://themetalnet.com/musician/lee-altus) |  | 1984 to present | Current |
| [Kragen Lum](https://themetalnet.com/musician/kragen-lum) | Guitar | 2007 to present | Current |
| [Dave White](https://themetalnet.com/musician/dave-white) | Lead vocals | 1985 to present | Current |
| [Darren Minter](https://themetalnet.com/musician/darren-minter) | Membranophone | 1988 to 2013 | Former |
| [Jason VieBrooks](https://themetalnet.com/musician/jason-viebrooks) | Electric bass guitar | 1991 to 2019 | Former |
| [Eric Wong](https://themetalnet.com/musician/eric-wong) | Bass | 1986 to 1986 | Former |
| [Thaen Rasmussen](https://themetalnet.com/musician/thaen-rasmussen) | Electric guitar |  | Former |

## Discography

| Year | Release | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1987 | [Breaking the Silence](https://themetalnet.com/album/2b878c8e-37b4-39fe-8300-0e5318b6e6c0) | Album |
| 1991 | [Victims of Deception](https://themetalnet.com/album/6cad8d45-891e-3c96-b45c-dd51fc9d76b4) | Album |
| 2009 | [The Evolution of Chaos](https://themetalnet.com/album/89c32c95-9b87-4dbd-b29f-c92296ca2418) | Album |
| 2020 | [Empire of the Blind](https://themetalnet.com/album/41f08369-80bd-4f1c-924d-da0298adfaeb) | Album |

## Related bands

- [Overkill](https://themetalnet.com/band/overkill) (listened together)
- [Annihilator](https://themetalnet.com/band/annihilator) (listened together)
- [Sodom](https://themetalnet.com/band/sodom) (listened together)
- [Death Angel](https://themetalnet.com/band/death-angel) (listened together)
- [Nuclear Assault](https://themetalnet.com/band/nuclear-assault) (listened together)
- [Onslaught](https://themetalnet.com/band/onslaught) (listened together)
- [Forbidden](https://themetalnet.com/band/forbidden) (listened together)
- [Flotsam and Jetsam](https://themetalnet.com/band/flotsam-and-jetsam) (listened together)
- [Destruction](https://themetalnet.com/band/destruction) (listened together)
- [Sacred Reich](https://themetalnet.com/band/sacred-reich) (listened together)
- [Death](https://themetalnet.com/band/death) (listened together)
- [Tankard](https://themetalnet.com/band/tankard) (listened together)

## Official and external links

- facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathen.official
- spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3VD3oXiELCSHXzR4XXnlaF
- deezer: https://www.deezer.com/artist/56362
- bandcamp: https://heathenthrash.bandcamp.com/
- instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Heathenthrash/
- x: https://twitter.com/heathenmetal
- apple music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/59865029
- metal archives: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Heathen/378
- youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9FGcZCwjeHrSpqOAWZ0dHg

---

Source: [TheMetalNet https://themetalnet.com/band/heathen](https://themetalnet.com/band/heathen). Catalog data from MusicBrainz and Metal Archives. Full site index: https://themetalnet.com/llms.txt