Billing themselves as the tri-state kings of crossover, New Jersey natives The Donner Party have gained a notorious reputation worldwide for brazenly celebrating the rowdy and riotous days of the 1980's crossover scene; that glorious era when hair swinging thrash metal was arduously fused with hardcore punk by groundbreaking acts like D.R.I., S.O.D., and Suicidal Tendencies. Since its inception in 2009, the band has been hard at work brazenly serving up their own high speed, circle pit inciting rendition of those halcyon days for a whole new generation of hungry metal maniacs to devour. The band was initially formed in the toxic wastelands of Bloomfield by singer / guitarist Ross Snyder, drummer Matt Yar, bassist Mike DiPisa and original guitarist Stephen Rasczyk. They promptly gained a name in the thrash metal community with the release of their D.I.Y. debut EP "The Spawning", a 15 minute / 7 song sonic blast of lightning fast riffs and head bashing breakdowns that was glowingly embraced by both critics and fans alike. With their early lyrical content being divided between socially aware, politically charged musings and gore-drenched, horror movie worship, they initially drew comparisons to some of the more politically minded bands of the past such as Sacred Reich, Nuclear Assault, & Cryptic Slaughter.


After the departure of Rasczyk in 2012, Snyder, Yar, & DiPisa soldiered on as a tightly wound three-piece act and returned to the studio to work on their follow up LP. They delivered the self-released “Chain Reaction” LP in March of 2013 on both a CD and a limited-edition cassette containing 3 bonus tracks. The band continued its trademark crossover sound but with a focus on slightly longer and more intricate arrangements on some tracks; a sound influenced by Snyder’s interest in more traditional thrash outfits like Vio-Lence, Grinder, & Evil Dead. They scored a minor college radio hit with the song “Liven Rising” which was spun in regular rotation on several local stations and became one of the Top 5 most requested songs of 2015 (by an unsigned act) on 89.5 FM WSOU, New Jersey’s preeminent heavy metal radio station. They soon found a kindred spirit (and a new lease on life) with the addition of second guitarist Matt Troost (ex-Mortician & Mons Pubis) and they quickly resumed their chaotic live assault on East Coast clubs once again as a well-oiled, punishing four-piece unit.



In 2017 the band finally released their long-awaited follow up to “Chain Reaction” with the “Pizza Patrol” LP. Released on the RaptorKill Records imprint, “Pizza Patrol”captures the bands return to more traditional, hardcore inspired crossover as well as a new, more sarcastic and fun approach to the lyrical content. In addition to expressing their ongoing affection for pizza and splatter films, the band fully embraced their love for New York hardcore both tonally and by inviting legendary Leeway front man Eddie Sutton to collaborate on the track “Danger In Blue”. Over the span of their nearly decade long run as a supporting act, The Donner Party has had the pleasure of sharing the stage with many of their early musical influences including D.R.I., Leeway, Blood Feast, Cro-Mags, Murphy’s Law, Anvil, Raven, Urban Waste, Attacker, & The Casualties plus a smattering of today’s premiere thrash and metal acts such as Hatchet, Lich King, Bat, & Night Demon. The band is currently back in the lab writing material for a brand-new album tentatively scheduled for some time in 2019. Between their busy slate of live club appearances and some planned split and compilation CD contributions, The Donner Party (if they haven't already) is bound to bring it’s pizza fueled, crossover attack to your radar in the imminent future.