Formation (1981–1985) and Guilty as Charged Culprit was the result of a merger between two Seattle area bands named Orpheus and Amethyst in 1981. Eduardo Rivadavia of
AllMusic gave the album four and a half stars, calling it "a lost gem of American metal from the 1980s, and well worth seeking out for fans of other bands from the period." Scott Earl left the band in 1984 and the band broke up soon after.
Post-break-up and reunion (1986–present) Following the break-up, L'Heureux became lead vocalist for the band
Mistrust while Kristoffersen and Earl joined the band
TKO, appearing on their third album
Below the Belt, then relocated to
Hollywood,
California and formed The Bang Gang, which released
Love Sells... in 1990 on Sinclair/MCA Records. In 2000,
Guilty as Charged was re-released on
CD for the first time through Hellion Records. The original lineup has reunited on various occasions for one-off shows, most recently in 2001. In 2005, they released a compilation album of rarities titled ''Innocent 'Til Proven Guilty''. Throughout the 2010s, the band has reformed for several reunion shows and undergone many lineup changes with founding bassist Scott Earl as the only constant member. In 2019, they released
Guilty as Charged Live under the lineup of Earl, vocalist Mino Mereu, guitarist Patrick Abbate, and drummer Saul Ashley. As of 2021, the band have announced through their
Facebook page that they are working on their long-awaited sophomore album tentatively titled ''Layin' Down the Law''. == Members ==