The group was formed in 1976 by teenage friends Barry Stern

The group was formed in 1976 by teenage friends Barry Stern (drums/vocals), Kevin Michael Rasofsky, aka Kevin Michael, (guitar/vocals), and Calvin “Willis” Humphrey (bass), soon to be joined by second guitarist Ken Black. Initially playing covers, the band soon ventured into writing their own material and released a single in 1980. Although undeniably a metal band, Zoetrope was also active in Chicago’s hardcore punk scene, sharing bills with locals hardcore bands and hanging out at O’Banions, a Chicago punk bar (Ken Black and Barry Stern also produced the self-titled LP by Chicago-based hardcore band Life Sentence in 1986). Following the release of a couple of demo tapes, the group was signed to Combat Records and issued their first LP, Amnesty , in 1985. In 1987, the band traveled to Los Angeles to record their follow up, A Life of Crime , with producer Randy Burns . During the recording sessions, Ken Black left the band and returned to Chicago to sort out substance abuse issues. He was replaced by Louis Svitek . Although Svitek appears on the album’s cover, Kevin Michael later confirmed that Ken Black had finished his guitar parts before leaving Los Angeles. During the tour supporting A Life of Crime , Svitek was recruited for M.O.D. by Billy Milano . After the tour, Barry Stern left to join fellow Chicagoans Trouble . Kevin Michael eventually returned with a new line up for 1993’s Mind Over Splatter but the band folded for good soon after.