Psychobilly? Hard Rock? Punk? The sound of Viva Hate could be described as all (or none) of the above. Drawing on influences such as American country music, 70s arena rock, early-80s skate punk and death rock, modern psychobilly, and more, Viva Hate has come to rise above the trends of cookie-cutter pop and retro rehash. By distilling the ingredients of their influences, rather than watering them down, Viva Hate are prepared to carve out their own niche in the ever-growing musical underground.

Viva Hate was formed late in the summer of 2004, shortly after Geoff Kresge had left his previous band, Tiger Army, with the intent to play aggressive music that would incorporate the upright bass playing as a key element of the sound. Kresge approached longtime friend and razor-throated vocalist, Matt "Wedge" Wedgley (formerly of The Force) to retain his services as the lead vocalist for the new band. The two had talked about, and made several attempts at forming a band together for years, but the timing was never right. The closest they had come to realizing their vision up until that point was a song the two had written together for Wedgley's band while Kresge was still a member of AFI.

Kresge had earlier produced a record for 12 Step Rebels, for his own label, Dead Body Records. The band had fallen apart shortly after the release of the album and Kresge soon after enlisted Mad Dog Chad as Viva Hate's drummer, based not only on his drumming style, but his ambition as well. Upon landing in his new position in Viva Hate, Mad Dog Chad immediately rallied Kresge and Wedgley's enthusiasm like a drill sergeant, hell-bent on getting the band off the ground. Within the next weeks, the final position in the lineup was filled. Eric Razo's playing and stage presence had already caught Kresge's attention, even in the earliest stages of Viva Hate's career. Kresge had seen Razo's own LA-area band, The Henchmen, on a few occasions and was convinced that Eric's playing was just what Viva Hate needed to round out the lineup.

After recording a demo comprised of rough versions of the first batch of songs Kresge and Wedgley put together (samples of which can be heard here on the VIVA HATE MySpace page), the band began playing shows in the Southern California area and did a short California tour. In a short span of time as a functioning band, Viva Hate have already managed to amass a following for themselves that doesn't adhere to any pre-defined subcultural group.

In February 2007, VIVA HATE announced the addition of new drummer, GREG UTTER (SWINGIN' UTTERS, THE LOWDOWNS, etc.). The debut performance of the new lineup will be March 1, 2007 in Davis, California at Freeborn Hall, with AFI.Greg joined the band after Mad Dog Chad parted ways with VIVA HATE to focus his attention on a new addition to his family and his band ENDS!NTRAGEDY. The band continue to peform live and work on new material and hope to record again soon.