Helstar

Helstar began its quest in 1982. The line up consisted of James Rivera (A.K.A Bill Lionel) (vocals), Larry Barragan (guitar), Tom Rogers (guitar), Hector Pavon (drums) and Paul Medina (bass). By 1984 the band had signed with Combat Records and recorded its first album entitled "Burning Star". The average age of the band at that time was 19! After gaining much critical acclaim, the band began to splinter because of their management situation. It was at this time that James and Larry decided to part ways with the rest of the band and guide Helstar in a new direction.

Helstar recorded "Remnants of War" in 1985 with a new and powerful line up. Jerry Abarca, Rob Treviño, and drummer Rene Luna joined the band and released "Remnants" in 1986 for Combat records. Once again the band received much praise from around the world. Helstar embarked on its first US tour and opened up for such heavy hitters as Anthrax, Megadeth, TT Quick, and King Diamond to name a few. Once again though, line up changes reared its ugly head and Rob and Rene chose to leave the band. This happened at a critical time as the band had decided to move to LA in pursuit of a new record deal.