In 1983, Wolfe formed the band Rottweiller along with vocalist Paul Crisman, guitarist Michael Winston, and drummer Doug Marrapodi. Although this band eventually released two studio albums, they only released one song with Wolfe and Winston: the original version of the song "Intense As Hell", which appeared on the compilation album Northwest Metalfest. A couple months after the release of that album, Wolfe and Winston formed Mistrust along with vocalist Kevin Wells (who was later replaced by Culprit vocalist Jeff L'Heureux), guitarist Owen Wright, and drummer Chris Gohde. This band released one album in 1986, Spin the World, and toured with such acts as Alice Cooper, Stryper, and Loudness.