Chris Angleberger (The Obsessed): Surreal experiences

The legendary US doom band The Obsessed led by Scott “Wino” Weinrich (lead guitar, lead vocals), can look back to a long history, beginning in 1979 and a rekindling, after several split-ups, in 2016. In 2024, they have been busy, they released their second reunion-studio album Gilded Sorrow and just rounded up their “The Church Within” 30th anniversary tour. Thankfully Chris Angleberger (The Obsessed bass player since 2022) has found time to answer a few questions:

What was the first band that you were in, Chris?
I started out as a drummer but moved to guitar and bass in high school, learning AC/DC, Iron Maiden and Mötley Crüe songs mainly. Back in high school in Maryland I had two bands, Generix and Shattered Rage, just friends jamming and writing. I played guitar in several bands in Florida before joining The Obsessed, the biggest one being Tranquilizer that played around the southeast. Also had Duster, Dead Spot and Electric Shrine.

Any favorite bands?
AC/DC remains my favorite band from when I was a kid, I still listen to them often. Other favorites are Iron Maiden, Type O Negative, Corrosion of Conformity, Lynyrd Skynyrd, High On Fire, Eagles, KISS, Spirit Caravan, and Motörhead of course!

How and when did you meet Scott Weinrich to join The Obsessed?
I first met Wino at a Saint Vitus show in 2011 as a fan, I had been following Scott for about ten years at that point in all his bands and projects. I would say hi at other shows over the coming years. In 2022 I had decided I wanted to do more with my musical career so I started reaching out online to underground heavy bands to see if a guitarist or bassist was needed. The Obsessed needed a bassist and eventually Wino replied to my message and we set up a call. Two weeks later I flew up to jam with him, Brian (Costantino – drums, backing vocals) and Jason Taylor (who was in the process of joining as rhythm guitarist as well). The first jam was great and Wino decreed that this was the new Obsessed line up! A surreal experience for sure.

Tell us about The Mötley Crüe Tribute. How did this come about?
In recent years I have played in a few cover bands and tribute bands. In 2021, I was working with a few people to build a tribute band company and we needed a Mötley Crüe band so I put that together. The company didn’t pan out, but the Primäl Crüe tribute band still plays occasional shows. Mötley Crüe was a favorite when I was a kid, so it is fun to rip those Mick Mars licks that I first learned when I was teaching myself guitar.

What are you working on these days?
I just joined an AC/DC tribute band Razors Edge and will be performing as Malcolm Young in the near future while The Obsessed isn’t touring. I also plan to write a bit and jam with some local musicians here in Florida. I have some new guitar gear that is inspiring me and I still enjoy playing guitar.
We just finished the 30th anniversary tour for “The Church Within” in the US and hope to take it to Europe next year.

Tell us about being in Electric Shrine!
That was a band with my ex-wife Bhren who is an absolute phenomenal singer and lyricist. The band is inactive but I really hope she gets out and sings again. There are videos on YouTube of Electric Shrine performing. I particularly enjoyed that band as the music was ‘looser’ and I was the only guitarist so I had freedom to really dig in and play as I felt. Tranquilizer had two guitarists so it was more controlled and structured.

Did the music of The Obsessed prefigure Doom Metal?
I personally don’t think so. Wino’s music is so unique that it is difficult to classify. He actually prefers to call The Obsessed, “hope rock”. Many of his songs are what I consider doom rock, but overall it is just hard rock with some metal/doom/progressive edges to it.

Any future plans and projects?
The Obsessed is currently taking a breather as we have completed three tours on three different continents in the past 5 months. One of the guys has a medical issue that needs attention so we won’t be touring until at least spring 2025. But we have plans to return to Europe in fall 2025 to hit the festivals again, plus club runs. We are wanting to hit several places that haven’t been conquered yet, like the pacific northwest in the U.S. and Australia and Japan. We are working with some new people to hopefully make that happen for us. And Wino is always writing, so we may start a new album in the meantime. Wino is as strong as he’s ever been and I am certainly proud to be a part of his legacy, plus Brian and Jason are so talented and strong that we blow every crowd away.

Text: John Wisniewski
Photos: Chris Angleberger Website

The Obsessed Bandwebsite