Citadel was formed in 1985 by friends Jason Carr and Bob Hughes. It quickly went through a few line-up changes before it settled into the foursome that would now be known as Citadel. The band immediately began playing clubs in Philly & Jersey and developed a loyal following of fans who loved late 80’s & early 90’s thrash metal. The band was strong and thriving in the club scene for seven years or as we would like to say “many a drunken moon “.

With the local success and loyal fan base they decided to take Citadel to the next level. They made a demo to begin shopping for a record deal... And then the “battle” began.

The cohesive atmosphere that surrounded the band in the previous seven years started to fracture. Maybe it was the stress that came from three of the band members living in the same house together (girlfriends included)... Maybe it was the fact that bass player, Chris Elliott, left the band due to the increasing stress and an invitation to play in another band... For whatever reason, the damage had been done.

The three remaining band members hung on a bit longer, even replaced their former bass player but then it all kind of just slowly fizzled out. Over the next fifteen years the ex-band mates went their separate ways, going on with their lives, getting jobs, getting married & some having babies. Sometimes in touch with each other & sometimes not speaking for years. However, that stronghold that was formed many years ago in the schoolyards of Philly was living up to its name. Unbeknownst to any of them they were all, at some point, through those years, thinking about each other.

Just prior to Memorial Day 2010 Chris Elliott called Jason Carr to discuss the ownership of the band’s name. The amicable atmosphere of the phone call prompted Elliott to invite Carr to attend a Memorial Day block party at his house. For some reason, maybe even fate, Bob Hughes’ drums were at Elliott’s home. It seemed only natural to Carr to invite Hughes to attend the party also. What happened next reads like a scene from a feel good movie but the truth is SO much cooler than fiction.

Maybe it was the consumption of spirits at the party, maybe it was the feeling that comes when old friends reunite, and maybe we will never know why - But the next thing the ex-band mates knew they had hauled all their equipment out into the street in front of the house and as they say, “were jamming together, just playing anything and everything” – And the impromptu “street concert” was gathering an audience – People were spilling out of their own parties to watch the show - And something clicked for all of them – It wasn’t planned or even thought out “it was an organic thing” says Elliott - And in that moment they knew they wanted to be a band again – With a quick phone call by a mutual friend to Singer, Will Schull it was a done deal.

So on July 1st 2011, at the Whiskey Tango in Philly Citadel took the stage. The band members are older and wiser. and fans wondering if what they are about to experience is the same Citadel that used to “rock out” to back in their early days...

As fans watched the guys up on the stage, they could not help but to think that the years have served them well. They certainly “rock” just as hard as they did back in the day and seeing them do what they do best I can’t help but feel that the 2010 resurrection of Citadel is somehow superior to the Citadel of old. Like a fine wine or a barrel aged whiskey some things get better with age. The band Citadel is certainly proof of that.

Back on the music scene in the Phily tri-state area... tearing up venue after venue from 2011 to fall of 1014 when Lead Singer Willy Shull left the band for personal reasons.

The band auditioned a few singers before deciding that Damian Gioia was the best man for the job.


Source : https://www.reverbnation.com/citadel86