BLIND ILLUSION UNLEASHES “STAGE FLIGHT: LIVE AT THE UC THEATRE” FEATURING ORIGINAL VOCALIST DAVID WHITE

PROGRESSIVE THRASH METAL PIONEERS CAPTURE HISTORIC 2025 PERFORMANCE ON NEW LIVE ALBUM OUT NOW

BERKELEY, CA — Progressive thrash metal pioneers Blind Illusion have officially unleashed their new live album, STAGE FLIGHT: Live At The UC Theatre, available now through Hectic Records / Bleeding Priest Records.

The album captures a historic 2025 performance featuring original Blind Illusion vocalist David White, recorded at the UC Theatre in Berkeley, California, during a special celebration surrounding Exodus’ 40th anniversary of Bonded by Blood.

For fans of Coroner, Watchtower, Exodus, and Heathen, STAGE FLIGHT: Live At The UC Theatre showcases Blind Illusion at full power, bringing the band’s progressive approach to thrash metal to the live stage while connecting the group’s legendary past with its continuing evolution.

Originally established in 1978, Blind Illusion has spent nearly five decades carving out its own distinctive place within the underground metal landscape. Led by mastermind Mark Biedermann on lead guitar and vocals, the band’s current lineup features Phil Cosentini on drums, Avery Thurman on bass, and Martin Lacour on lead guitar.

The new live album serves as another chapter in the remarkable history of Blind Illusion and its landmark debut, The Sane Asylum. Originally released in 1988, the album has become regarded as a classic of progressive thrash metal. The record featured Biedermann alongside guitarist Larry Lalonde, bassist Les Claypool, and drummer Mike Miner, delivering now-classic tracks including “Vengeance Is Mine,” “Death Noise,” “Kamikaze,” “Smash The Crystal,” and “Blood Shower.”

Biedermann’s musical history extends well beyond Blind Illusion. In 1987, while working with legendary producer Sandy Pearlman, he contributed rhythm guitar and guitar leads to four songs for Blue Öyster Cult’s Imaginos, working alongside musicians including Joe Satriani and Robbie Krieger of The Doors.

Blind Illusion continued to evolve throughout the following decades. The band returned in 2010 with Demon Master, shifting toward a more traditional heavy metal sound. In 2014, bassist Harald Oimoen of D.R.I. joined forces with Biedermann and helped inspire a return to the progressive thrash metal style that defined The Sane Asylum.

Further lineup changes followed, including a 2017 incarnation featuring Doug Piercy of Heathen and Anvil Chorus on lead guitar. The band released the 2018 EP and toured Europe. In 2020, legendary Death Angel drummer Andy Galeon joined Blind Illusion, contributing to the band’s Wrath of the Gods album, released in 2022, followed by additional European touring and festival appearances.

In 2024, Blind Illusion introduced its current lineup and returned to the live stage. Then, in 2025, the band reunited with original vocalist David White, performing alongside Exodus, Death Angel, and Nukem at the UC Theatre in Berkeley on Paul Baloff’s birthday as part of the celebration surrounding Exodus’ 40th anniversary of Bonded by Blood.

That performance became the foundation for STAGE FLIGHT: Live At The UC Theatre.

The story didn’t stop there.

Blind Illusion later appeared at the Frost and Fire V Festival in Ventura, California, where the band performed The Sane Asylum in its entirety for the first time in its history. The historic performance gave longtime fans the opportunity to experience the influential album performed live as a complete work.

Now, STAGE FLIGHT: Live At The UC Theatre brings another important moment in Blind Illusion’s history to life, documenting the reunion with original vocalist David White and capturing the band performing in front of a hometown crowd in Berkeley.

Nearly five decades after its formation, Blind Illusion continues to prove that its progressive vision and uncompromising approach to metal remain as powerful as ever. STAGE FLIGHT: Live At The UC Theatre celebrates the band’s history while documenting another chapter in its ongoing evolution.

STAGE FLIGHT: Live At The UC Theatre is OUT NOW.

The album is available as a 12-inch vinyl LP, pressed at 33 RPM and limited to 500 copies, through Hectic Records / Bleeding Priest Records.

RELEASE INFORMATION

Artist: Blind Illusion

Title: STAGE FLIGHT: Live At The UC Theatre

Release Type: Live Album

Genre: Progressive Thrash Metal

Release Date: October 16, 2026

Label: Hectic Records / Bleeding Priest Records

Catalog Number: Hectic 009

Format: 12″ Vinyl LP

Limited Edition: 500 copies