26 Facts About Joe Hasselvander

Joe Hasselvander was born on December 30,1956 and is an American musician.

Joe Hasselvander was the drummer of the British heavy metal band Raven from 1987 until 2017 and was a member of the influential American doom metal band Pentagram.

Joe Hasselvander is self-taught, playing the violin and later the drums.

Joe Hasselvander regularly played the military club circuit in and around the Washington, DC area until 1973, when he was asked to join The Platters after playing a show with them in Waldorf, Maryland.

In 1976, Joe Hasselvander was asked to play in Mountain with Leslie West in a small club in Alexandria, Virginia.

In 1979, Pentagram opened for Judas Priest on the Hell Bent for Leather tour and later that year Joe Hasselvander formed Overlord with members of Pentagram and Link Wray's The Pack.

In 1981, Joe Hasselvander joined forces with The Boyz to release the album Bustin' Out, followed by a Falls Church, Virginia show with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow.

Joe Hasselvander formed Death Row with axeman Victor Griffin in 1982 and recruited Bobby Liebling and bassist Martin Swaney to write and record Pentagram's first LP on New York label Dutch East Records.

Joe Hasselvander moved to New York and recorded the albums Devil Childe and Phantom Lord with former Virgin Steele guitarist Jack Starr.

On Lady-Killer, Joe Hasselvander performed rhythm guitar, bass, drums and vocals, while Jack Starr played the guitar solos.

In September 1987, Joe Hasselvander made a cameo appearance on Pentagram's second album, Day of Reckoning, filling in on the song "Burning Saviour".

Joe Hasselvander joined Raven in late 1987 and recorded the album Nothing Exceeds Like Excess for Combat Records.

Joe Hasselvander followed up by touring with Raven supporting Testament in the United States and Kreator in Europe in 1989.

In 1993, Joe Hasselvander was asked to play on a reunion album for Pentagram called Be Forewarned for London-based Peaceville Records, after re-recording the drums for Day of Reckoning to be released on CD.

Joe Hasselvander returned to record Raven's 7th album, Glow, on the Japanese label Zero Corporation; the album was released in 1995.

Joe Hasselvander traveled to Los Angeles to take part in the Foundations Forum with Raven.

In 1996, Joe Hasselvander recorded Everything Louder with Raven at Pete Evick's studio.

Joe Hasselvander re-signed with Black Widow to record the Pentagram album Sub-Basement, which was released to rave reviews in 2001.

Joe Hasselvander played many one-off shows with Raven in 2003 with Mark Gallagher sporting a leg cast from an injury sustained in a near death work accident in 2002.

In 2003, Joe Hasselvander went to Florida with Jack Starr to record the album Under a Savage Sky under the banner of Jack Starr's Guardians of the Flame, featuring the vocals of Schmolik Avigal.

In 2004, Joe Hasselvander was asked to play two concerts in New Hampshire with his childhood idols, Blue Cheer.

Joe Hasselvander soon released his third solo album, The Hounds of Joe Hasselvander, on German heavy metal label Rock Saviour Records, this time performing everything on the album.

Joe Hasselvander played out with a working version of his solo band, The Hounds of Joe Hasselvander, on a tour of the East Coast of the US.

Joe Hasselvander worked on a brand new line up for the Hounds of Hasselvander to tour Europe and Canada in the early spring of 2009.

In 2008, Joe Hasselvander concentrated on upcoming Raven shows in California with friends Hirax, in New York at the legendary club L'amour, and again back to England in September for a Raven mini-tour.

For composition and other recordings, Joe Hasselvander uses a Gibson SG guitar and a Gibson EB-3 bass.