Formed in 1994 in St. Louis, Missouri, American industrial rock band Gravity Kills started off their career with a bang with their debut single “Guilty” but ultimately failed to replicate that success in later years. Originally composed of guitarist Matt Dudenhoffer, keyboardist Douglas Firley, and drummer Kurt Kerns, the group came together in 1994 to participate in a compilation by local radio station KPNT, adding vocalist Jeff Scheel, Kern’s cousin, shortly after. “Guilty,” their debut single, received heavy airplay and became one of the most requested songs at the station, landing the band a record deal with TVT Records. Propelled by the aforementioned single, their self-titled debut album saw the light in 1996, reaching the top of Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. The album’s success led to an opening slot for the Sex Pistols’ 1996 reunion US tour and appearances on the soundtracks of feature films Mortal Kombat and Escape From L.A. A collection of remixes titled Manipulated followed in 1997 and second album Perversion arrived a year later. Though not as successful as its predecessor, the LP still managed to enter the Billboard 200 and spawned the single “Falling,” which peaked at Number 35 on the Mainstream Rock chart. Following Kerns’ departure in 1999, Gravity Kills switched labels and released Superstarved in 2002 via Sanctuary Records, reaching Number 24 on the Mainstream Rock chart with “One Thing,” the album’s lead single. Even though the band announced its breakup on their official website in 2003, they reconvened for a series of one-off shows between 2005 and 2012 before going on indefinite hiatus.
