There's a reason Dave Grohl invited Wino on board his all-star PROBOT project alongside metal icons Lemmy, King Diamond and Max Cavalera. It's the same reason Wino was recruited to play guitar beside Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Rob Halford on a piledriving update of BLACK SABBATH's "The Wizard." And when MASTODON took Wino's current band, THE HIDDEN HAND, on tour in 2005, you can be sure the rationale was no different. It's because, in the words of FUGAZI's Ian McKaye, "Wino's a legend." And the legend began with THE OBSESSED.

The setting was a pre-enlightened D.C. rock underground, where biker metalheads and scrappy punks collided over both hair lengths and music. THE OBSESSED entered this scene with SABBATH-centric riffs and snarling intensity, and on this band, the bikers and punks agreed. Fiery performances and a clutch of demos built them an ecstatic following, but led to an unexpected hiatus when Wino departed for a crucial stint fronting THE OBSESSED's L.A. counterparts, SAINT VITUS. Finally, when demand for a full-blown OBSESSED reformation would bear no further delays, Wino gathered a new rhythm section and set Europe ablaze with a series of tours to promote the release of their self-titled debut on German label Hellhound. With the lineup of Wino, drummer Greg Rogers and future KYUSS bassist Scott Reeder in place, THE OBSESSED were thrown burning hot into the studio to record their milestone album, Lunar Womb.

Many consider Lunar Womb the pinnacle of THE OBSESSED's career, a pure document of their raw, emotional power. Recorded just as their uncompromising rise approached its zenith, the album was a pivotal point in OBSESSED history, earning the band a major label deal with Columbia Records.

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