Biography :
WOLF was formed in 1995 and to this day, the band has had
only one goal: to make kick-ass, honest, grab-you-in-the-nuts heavy metal! After releasing their debut album, “Wolf” back in 2000, the band toured relentlessly and destroyed the major festivals, gaining them more and more followers and success. In 2002, the album “Black Wings” saw the light of day and songs like “Venom” and “Genocide” quickly became live favourites, and still are to this day. After touring with the likes of Saxon, Nocturnal Rites, Edguy and many more, WOLF set out to write and record the album that would set them apart from others in their genre by developing their own sound even further towards metallic excellence. The album, “Evil Star”, was released in 2004 and with the help of the title track, along with the video for “Wolf’s Blood,” the band grabbed the attention of metal media and die-hard heavy metal fans around the world. WOLF became a rising star purely by their tenacity and love for their music. Not to mention the brilliance of their musical talent. The success of "Evil Star" brought the band to the USA for the second time in their career.
In 2005, WOLF’s success gained the interest of Century Media Records who released the 2006 album “The Black Flame”. In support of this new effort, WOLF hit the road with the likes of The Haunted, Trivium and Municipal Waste among others, as well as conquered such festivals as Sweden Rock Festival (which was recorded and aired by Swedish national radio), Bang Your Head, Bloodstock UK, Headbanger’s Open Air and more. The video for the track “I Will Kill Again” achieved regular rotation on many TV stations; at least after director Owe Lingvall had created a censored version because the original had way too much blood! Songs like “The Bite”, “Steel-Winged Savage Reaper” and “At the Graveyard” also received heavy rotation on radio shows such as Bruce Dickinson's Friday Rock Show, Total Rock Radio UK, P3 Rock Sweden, numerous US shows and many more.
Line-up changes caused a slight set back for the band in late 2007, but after recruiting Anders “Tornado” Modd on bass and Richard “Raptor” Holmgren on drums alongside members Johannes “Axe” Axeman on guitar and backing vocals & Niklas “Viper” StÃ¥lvind on guitar and lead vocals, the band’s desire for pure metal exploded with refuelled energy and they started writing new songs and playing live again. “The energy we get from playing live is indescribable. We give 666% every time and we leave nothing to wish for. We hate watching bands that stand still and have no connection to the audience” says the band. Now, WOLF is ready to make metal history once again by recording the new album “Ravenous” with highly acclaimed producer Roy Z. Roy is known for his work with Judas Priest, Bruce Dickinson, Helloween, Halford, Malmsteen and many more. The band immediately knew that he was the man for the job. “The recording was a delight as we knew Roy is a fan of WOLF and also such a kick ass producer/musician that he managed to bring out the be(a)st in us”, comments the band. Having Hank Shermann (Force of Evil, Mercyful Fate) and Marc Boals (ex-Malmsteen) make guest appearances on the album really adds to the flavour of what is a delicious buffet filled with true heavy metal carnage. Add to that, the skills of long-time WOLF cover artist Thomas Holm, and you’ll have an album that will surely feed your appetite for real metal. Don’t you feel RAVENOUS?!
Band Members :
* Niklas 'Viper' Stalvind - Vocals, Guitar
* Johannes 'Axe' Axeman - Backing Vocals, Guitar
* Anders 'Tornado' Modd - Bass
* Richard 'Raptor' Holmgren - Drums
Discography :
Studio Albums :
* Wolf - Wolf (April, 2000)
* Wolf - Black Wings (January, 2002)
* Wolf - Evil Star (February, 2004)
* Wolf - The Black Flame (September, 2006)
* Wolf - Ravenous (February, 2009)
Other Releases :
* Wolf - Demo I [Demo] (1995)
* Wolf - Demo II [Demo] (1996)
* Wolf - In The Shadow Of Steel [Single] (1999)
* Wolf - The Howling Scares Me To Death [Single] (1999)
* Wolf - Moonlight [EP] (2001)
* Wolf - Nightstalker [Single] (2002)
* Wolf - Wolf's Blood [Single] (2004)
Monday, November 29, 2010
Wolf
Friday, November 19, 2010
Shadows Fall
Biography :
Shadows Fall is an American heavy metal band from Springfield,
Massachusetts, formed in 1995. They are one of the few contemporary metal bands who take their lyrical influence from Eastern philosophy. Although the band has experienced several line-up changes, for most of its recording career Shadows Fall has been composed of Brian Fair (vocals), Jonathan Donais (lead guitar), Matt Bachand (guitar), Paul Romanko (bass), and Jason Bittner (drums).
Shadows Fall have released six studio albums, two compilation albums, and two DVDs. The band's first album featured Philip Labonte on vocals, although he was soon replaced by Fair. Shadows Fall's first two studio albums featured David Germain playing drums, but in 2002 Bittner joined the band full time. In February 2008, the band was a Grammy Award nominee in the category Best Metal Performance for the song "Redemption" off the album Threads of Life.
History :
Formation, Somber Eyes to the Sky, and Of One Blood (1995–2000)
Shadows Fall formed in 1995 by guitarists Jonathan Donais and Matt Bachand with the help of Adam Dutkiewicz. Donais and Bachand recruited vocalist Philip Labonte, and bassist Paul Romanko to complete Shadows Fall's original line-up. The band released their debut EP, To Ashes, with Dutkiewicz playing as a session drummer. After the release of the demo Dutkiewicz left to form Killswitch Engage. David Germain joined the band as drummer, to fill the empty position. Shadows Fall toured the New England area opening for artists such as Fear Factory and Cannibal Corpse. The newly formed band recorded its first studio album Somber Eyes to the Sky, in November 30, 1997 through Bachand's recording label, Lifeless Records. The band's name, according to Bachand, comes from the title of a comic book published in the early 1990s.
In 1998, Labonte was asked to leave the band due to personal and artistic differences. He later formed the band All That Remains. The band looked for a replacement vocalist and found Brian Fair at an Overcast concert. After a US Summer tour with Shai Hulud, Overcast disbanded and the band asked Fair if he would like to join Shadows Fall. While on tour Shadows Fall was signed to Century Media Records. The band recorded its second studio album Of One Blood with Fair on vocals in 2000, the release included re-recorded songs from Somber Eyes to the Sky. In 2001, David Germain decided to leave the band due to alcoholism, and was replaced by former Stigmata drummer Jason Bittner.
The Art of Balance (2001–2003)
Due to repeated comparisons with Gothenburg melodic death metal bands, Shadows Fall decided to change its style to find its own sound. Inspired by more thrash, hard rock and power ballad influences, the band recorded its third studio album, titled The Art of Balance. Released on September 17, 2002, the album peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Top Independent albums chart. Shadows Fall released three music videos to promote the album; "Thoughts Without Words", "Destroyer of Senses", and "The Idiot Box". The Art of Balance featured a cover of the Pink Floyd song "Welcome to the Machine". Steve Huey of Allmusic stated the album is "a modern heavy metal album that is both brutal and highly musical, traditional yet forward-thinking", but criticized the placement of "Welcome to the Machine", stating the song "is stylishly well-executed, but seems a tad out of place nonetheless." Shadows Fall supported The Art of Balance by touring on Ozzfest in 2003.
The War Within (2004–2006)
Shadows Fall released its fourth studio album The War Within on September 21, 2004. It was the first release to enter the Billboard 200 for the band at number 20, and peaked at number one on the Top Independent albums chart. In promotion for the album, Shadows Fall released four music videos over the course of one year; "The Power of I and I", "What Drives the Weak", "Inspiration on Demand", and "Enlightened By the Cold". The song "What Drives the Weak" received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Metal Performance in 2006, however the award went to Slipknot for the song "Before I Forget". "The Light That Blinds" was featured in the video game Guitar Hero II. Wade Kergan of Allmusic praised the album stating the band has "grown beyond the confines of the metal-loving hardcore crowd anyway, with more in common now with the classic thrash of Metallica than the metal-tinged hardcore of Coalesce". As of 2008, the album has sold almost 300,000 copies in the United States.
Shadows Fall released its first DVD The Art of Touring in November 2005. The DVD included a live concert, backstage footage, and six music videos. The band released its final CD on Century Media Records, titled Fallout from the War on June 13, 2006. Released as a compilation album, it debuted at number 83 on the Billboard 200. Fallout from the War included tracks recorded for The War Within that did not make it on to the album, b-sides, re-recordings, and cover songs. David Jeffries of Allmusic claimed the album is "a great informal introduction to the ferocious and melodic witches' brew Shadows Fall always seems to nail."
Threads of Life (2007–2008)
Shadows Fall signed a deal with Atlantic Records to distribute the band's albums in the United States, and a deal with Roadrunner Records for international distribution. The band released its fifth studio album Threads of Life on April 3, 2007. "Redemption", the first single from the CD was released on February 20, 2007 through iTunes with an accompanying music video. "Redemption" received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Metal performance; the award ceremony as held on February 10, 2008. Slayer's "Eyes of the Insane" won the award. Thom Jurek of Allmusic stated Shadows Fall has "lost none of the fire, attack or attitude" on Threads of Life. Jurek also said the album featured "killer guitar breaks, big fat chugging riffs, power-slam skin work, cattle prod bass, and cool little hooks and melodic touches on top of those bludgeoning riffs make Threads of Life a major label debut of merit, and a metal record worthy of celebrating." Keith Bergman of Blabbermouth.net stated "Threads of Life is slick as hell."
Shadows Fall toured in support of Threads of Life, including making appearances at the Jägermeister tour with Stone Sour and Lacuna Coil, the Operation Annihilation tour with Static-X, 3 Inches of Blood, and Divine Heresy, and the Black Crusade tour with Trivium, Machine Head, Dragonforce, and Arch Enemy. The band was a part of the Soundwave tour in Australia and in Asia in February 2008, along with Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, and Bleeding Through.
Retribution (2009 onward)
Shadows Fall released their sixth album, Retribution, on September 15, 2009, through the band's own label, Everblack Industries, which was created in conjunction with Warner Music Group's ILG, Ferret Music and ChannelZERO Entertainment. It is being released in the UK via Spinefarm Records. The album was produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris. Drummer Jason Bittner recently stated about the band's new material, "The songs are a little more on the darker, angry side... lots of heaviness, lots of crazy guitar, and LOTS of room for me to have some fun. There is no doubt in my mind that this will be the best performance of my career, so far, and I owe that to my guys for bringing me incredible riffs to write killer drum parts to." As of the fall of 2009 the band was appearing on the 'Shock & Raw' tour of North America with 2Cents, Otep & Five Finger Death Punch. After a South American tour, Shadows Fall will be playing on the Jagermeister Stage in the 2010 Rockstar Mayhem Festival in July and August 2010. The band is also scheduled to support Lamb of God on their Australian tour in December Shadows Fall is pleased to announce their first and only New York City performance this year, taking place at Santos Party House on December 18th, 2010.
Shadows Fall released a live CD/DVD, Madness in Manila: Shadows Fall Live in The Philippines 2009, on October 26, 2010.
It has been hinted in an interview that Shadows Fall may head into the studio to record a new album sometime early 2011
Band Members :
Current Members :
* Brian Fair - Lead Vocals (2000–present)
* Jonathan Donais - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals (1995–present)
* Matt Bachand - Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals (1995–present)
* Paul Romanko - Bass Guitar (1995–present)
* Jason Bittner - Drums, Percussion (2002–present)
Former Members :
* Philip Labonte - Vocals (1995–1999)
* David Germain - Drums (1995–2001)
Session Members :
* Adam Dutkiewicz - Drums (1996)
* Derek Kerswill - Drums (2001–2002)
Discography :
Studio Albums :
* Shadows Fall - Somber Eyes to the Sky
* Shadows Fall - Of One Blood
* Shadows Fall - The Art of Balance
* Shadows Fall - The War Within
* Shadows Fall - Threads of Life
* Shadows Fall - Retribution
Read More...!!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The Haunted
Biography :
The Haunted is a Swedish heavy metal band, formed in 1996
in Gothenburg, Sweden. The original members were Patrik Jensen (also member of Witchery) (guitar), Jonas Björler (bass), Adrian Erlandsson (drums), Anders Björler (guitar), and Peter Dolving (vocals). Both of the Björler brothers and Erlandsson were members of seminal melodic death metal band At the Gates, a pioneering force in the Swedish death metal scene. All members (past and present) are from Gothenburg, Sweden, with the exception of Patrik Jensen, who is from Linköping, Sweden, Per Möller Jensen, who is from Denmark, and Marco Aro, who is from Finland.
History :
The Haunted (1996–2000)
The band released their first album, while signed to Earache Records, the selftitled debut The Haunted, in 1998. Before this, they had also made their demo, called Demo '97, in 1997. The album resulted in The Haunted being praised as Newcomer of the Year by several magazines, and the album being called Album of the Year by Terrorizer Magazine. The Haunted made a respectable live reputation staging the Swedish metal scene, as well the international scene, touring the UK with Napalm Death.
After the release of this album, Peter Dolving and Adrian Erlandsson both left the band in 1999, the latter joining Cradle of Filth.
The Haunted Made Me Do It (2000 – 2003)
Marco Aro was recruited as a new vocalist and Per Möller Jensen as drummer. Their second album, The Haunted Made Me Do It, released in 2000, was more melodic and resembled the Gothenburg style (with bands such as At The Gates, etc.) more than old-school thrash metal that was used on The Haunted. It is originally called "Made Me Do It", but it is meant for the band name to be included in the title. The Haunted Made Me Do It topped CMJ Loud Rock Radio Chart in four weeks, and won a Swedish Grammy for Best Hard Rock Album. The album was followed by European tours with Entombed and Nile, The Crown in UK, and In Flames in Japan. The Haunted played on festivals such as 2000 Decibel, Hultsfred (both in Sweden), Graspop (Belgium), and Wacken Open Air (Germany). The band subsequently released their first live album - Live Rounds In Tokyo.
In August 2001, guitarist/songwriter Anders Björler left the band and he was temporarily replaced by Marcus Sunesson of The Crown for The Haunted's headlining tour; in less than a year Björler returned to the band. This meant that he could appear on the third studio album.
One Kill Wonder (2003 – 2004)
The next album was released in February 2003 and was titled One Kill Wonder. The Haunted broke their own record being listed at number one on CMJ Loud Rock Radio Chart in five weeks. Alternative Press hailed The Haunted as one of metal's 25 most important bands. The album resulted in The Haunted dominating album charts all over the world, and their first tours to Australia and South Africa, another tour to Japan, and a second Grammy. After another tour to Scandinavia, North America, United Kingdom and Europe in the fall of 2003, the sudden departure of Marco Aro came as a shock. Though, this opened a new chance of building up a reunion with former vocalist Peter Dolving.
The song D.O.A., from this album, became available for download in March 2008 for the video game Rock Band, on the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Marketplace, and the PlayStation 3's PlayStation Network. Another song from the same album, Shadow World, was announced as a future download.
Revolver (2004–2006)
Their first album with Peter Dolving back at the helm (and signed by a new deal with Century Media), was entitled Revolver. The new album was released in October 2004 and named as it was to convey the evolution of the band and the music it plays as a whole. Revolver was met with a fair amount of fan support and critical acclaim, and the band toured the world extensively in support of it, including a second stage spot at Ozzfest 2005. On February 2 of 2005, Marco Aro played his last show in Stockholm, Sweden but as a guest singer. In 2006, the band performed on the Extreme The Dojo vol.15 tour in Japan with Exodus and Nile, while Edge of Spirit opened for them.
The Dead Eye (2006–2007)
The Haunted's fifth studio album, The Dead Eye, was released on October 30, 2006 in Europe and so far has been a huge success, showing a more sinister side to Dolving's vocals and a more technical, haunting musical display. It was released in the USA on October 31, 2006. They later toured Europe and toured with Dark Tranquillity, Into Eternity, and Scar Symmetry for the North America Metal For The Masses tour. They recently toured Europe for the Cursed Earth tour with bands like Wolf, Municipal Waste, and Lyzanxia and took a break to later return to play in tours and some shows in Russia.
Versus (2008–present)
Their sixth studio album, Versus, was released on September 17, 2008, in Sweden, September 19-24 in the rest of Europe, and October 14 in the USA. They are supporting Slayer on their August 2010 tour. Dolving has recently confirmed the writing of new material as well as a DVD release set for June 8 in North America. The band is set to record the new album on October 18.
In 2010, the band was confirmed as being part of the soundtrack for Namco Bandai Games' 2010 remake of Splatterhouse.
Band Members :
Current Members :
* Peter Dolving - Lead Vocals (1996–1998, 2003–present)
* Anders Björler - Lead Guitars (1996–2001, 2002–present)
* Patrik Jensen - Rhythm Guitars (1996–present)
* Jonas Björler - Bass (1996–present)
* Per Möller Jensen - Drums, Percussion (1999–present)
Former Members :
* Adrian Erlandsson - Drums (1996–1999)
* John Zwetsloot - Guitar (1996)
* Marco Aro - Lead Vocals (1999–2003, and February 2, 2005)
* Mike Wead - Live Guitar (2001)
* Marcus Sunesson - Session Guitars (2001–2002)
Discography :
Studio Albums :
* The Haunted - The Haunted (1998)
* The Haunted - Made Me Do It (2000)
* The Haunted - One Kill Wonder (2003)
* The Haunted - Revolver (2004)
* The Haunted - The Dead Eye (2006)
* The Haunted - Versus (2008)
Read More...!!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Devil Driver
Biography :
DevilDriver has always been a band on a three-pronged
mission: Work hard, rock harder, and kick as many asses as possible in the process.
Since first forming in 2003, the Santa Barbara metal quintet has stuck resolutely to this mission, even though it's often meant traveling a rougher, less glamorous road than most musicians would prefer to endure. Rather than cashing in on the popularity of his previous successes, frontman Dez Fafara insisted from the get-go that DevilDriver should not only forge their own unique sound, but should also start at the proverbial bottom of the bill and work their way up through endless touring, earning the music world's respect one fan at a time.
"I get that hard-working attitude from my father," says Dez. "I believe in gnawing at the bit, you know? It's taken its toll on us, sure - but hard work, road work and belief in ourselves is what we're based on."
Pray For Villains, DevilDriver's gut-punching new album, is clearly the culmination of that endless hard work and unconquerable self-belief. Having honed their powerful sound over the course of three previous albums - 2003's self-titled debut, 2005's The Fury of Our Maker's Hand and 2007's The Last Kind Words - and countless live dates (including their legendary Download appearance in 2007, where the band's ferocious performance triggered what many believe to be the largest circle pit in history), the band is now operating at a higher level than ever before.
"For us, it's been a constant growth, musically," Dez explains. "Not only in terms of finding out how to write together, but in figuring out what a good DevilDriver song is. Every single record has been a progression, and we approached everything the same way as we've always done, but it clicked really hard on this record. This is the defining sound of what we are, and where we're going to go in the future."
Produced by former Machine Head/Soulfly guitarist Logan Mader (who has previously manned the controls for the Cavalera Conspiracy, Divine Heresy and Five Finger Death Punch), Pray For Villains finds DevilDriver rocking as brutally as ever, with the rhythm section of drummer John Boecklin and bassist Jon Miller pummeling the listener into submission while the guitar tag-team of Jeff Kendrick and Mike Spreitzer lets fly with one nasty riff and incendiary solo after another, and Dez truly howls like a man possessed. The album is both more technical and more straightforward than anything DevilDriver has done in the past, but there's also an additional emphasis on groove, dynamics and song-craft.
"We decided not to go even more brutal, more heavy, more screamy, more fast than last time, because we've already proved we can do that," says Dez. "There's a lot more groove going on, a lot more dynamics. The guitar work is amazing -some of the solos absolutely blow me away - and the drumming is un-fucking-real. There's gonna be kids in their basements trying to learn this shit forever. Yet we also said, ‘Let's not only bring groove into this, but let's bring hooks, and let's write better songs.' We didn't dial it down at all, but we wanted to add some substance to it, as well."
Lyrically and thematically, the album's rampaging title track pretty much sums up where Dez is coming from on Pray For Villains. Inspired by his love of Western films, the song is about "how you put all your eggs in one basket, and you bet on the hero - but it's actually the bad-ass villain who comes in and saves the day," he explains. "I love Westerns, especially the ones with Clint Eastwood; I like the anti-heroes, rather than the John Wayne kind of guys. I was thinking that in those films, just like in real life, it usually takes a fucking bad-ass to come in and do the job - and that's usually not the guy in white with the shiny gun. A lot of these songs, including ‘Resurrection Blvd.,' ‘In The Cards' and ‘Forgiveness Is A Six-Gun,' are definitely influenced by that."
Themes of self-reliance, hard work and positive energy also run through tracks like "I See Belief," "Pure Sincerity" and "Back With A Vengeance," all of which reflect both the scars and the hard-won accomplishments of DevilDriver's first half-decade. "I'm not a nihilistic dude," Dez explains. "The line,‘I see belief when no one else does' - a lot of people are so negative about things, saying, ‘Oh, that will never work,' or 'We'll never get that tour,' or ‘We'll never get to that place' but I'm just not that guy. Call it stupidity or blind luck," he laughs, "but I've got a feel for what's going to happen with this band. I believe in the motivation and upward mobility of this band, as well as the movement and the bond that we're creating between our fans and us. I want to bring that positivity through the power of metal and say to people, ‘Hey, keep your head up/Get your head out of the sand'- take a breath of fresh air, try to be positive about life, and move through it with strength, power and belief in yourself."
Of "Pure Sincerity," Dez reveals, "That's for when people ask, ‘What's DevilDriver about?' Well, listen to ‘Pure Sincerity': ‘Give ‘em what they want/Give ‘em what they need/Pure Sincerity'. That's all it's ever been, from the time we started making music - giving them what we feel is our music, and not trying to follow any kind of trend."
"Back With a Vengeance" is a howl of triumph, a musical victory lap for a band that many critics discounted or disregarded, at least until DevilDriver's ever-increasing fanbase and reputation for consistently punishing live shows became simply too much to ignore. "That song's about looking yourself in the mirror and going, ‘Yep, that's right, we're kicking ass like I always knew we would be,'" Dez explains. "Don't ever count any motherfucker out in life. It may have taken a record or three to get it through everybody's heads, but now it's obvious. And on ‘Back With A Vengeance,' I'm actually giving myself a minute to step back and look at DevilDriver and go, ‘Holy shit, we all built this thing together - and it's a monstrous machine!'"
To no one's surprise, DevilDriver will be taking that monstrous machine on the road for the rest of 2009, and probably beyond. (The band's innate affinity for touring is reflected on the new tracks "I've Been Sober" and "Another Night In London.") "We need to travel," says Dez. "So we're booked through Christmas ‘09; we're going all over the world, and we're not coming home. Our schedule is so rigorous, it's unreal - sometimes even I don't know why I put myself through it - but I love the road. I love my family, but I can't sit home for more than two weeks," he laughs. "I think time for me at home is wasted right now. I'm still young enough to go out and do my thing."
"You have to love what you do," Dez concludes. "We love to play together as a band, we love to be onstage, and we love to deliver our music to people live. We've always said that's been part of the mission - and if you're gonna talk it, you've gotta walk it."
Band Members :
Current Members :
* Dez Fafara - Vocals
* Mike Spreitzer - Guitar
* Jeff Kendrick - Guitar
* Jon Miller - Bass Guitar
* John Boecklin - Drums
Former Members :
* Evan Pitts - Guitar
Discography :
Studio Albums :
* Devil Driver - DevilDriver (2003)
* Devil Driver - The Fury of Our Maker's Hand (2005)
* Devil Driver - The Last Kind Words (2007)
* Devil Driver - Pray for Villains (2009)
EPs :
* Devil Driver - Head on to Heartache (2008)
Music Videos :
* "I Could Care Less"
* "Nothing’s Wrong"
* "Hold Back the Day"
* "End of the Line"
* "Not All Who Wander Are Lost"
* "Clouds Over California"
* "Pray for Villains"
* "Fate Stepped In"
* "Another Night in London"
* "Resurrection Blvd."
Read More...!!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Samael
Biography :
Samael is a heavy metal band formed in 1987 in Sion, Switzerland.
Biography
Although much of their music from the mid-1990s onwards has incorporated electronic sounds which would best define their genre as industrial metal, they are an early 2nd Wave black metal band and an innovator for post-black metal styles.
Samael released several demos, including an extremely rare demo titled Medieval Prophecy[1]. Their first demos presented a slow, doomy style of thrash metal with raw vocals, similar to that of Celtic Frost. Some of the songs would be included on Worship Him (1991) and Blood Ritual (1992). [2]
Around the time of Ceremony of Opposites (1994), the band started using industrial-styled song techniques, employed by the use of keyboards and (minimalist) acoustic percussion. By this time, they had also left French record label Osmose Productions and signed with Century Media Records.
Their album Passage (1996) saw them gather a larger audience, with the music video for the song "Jupiterian Vibe" getting airplay on MTV's Headbanger's Ball.
After the release of Eternal (1999), Samael would not renew their contract with Century Media. In 2004, Reign of Light was released through independent label Galactical Records.
In 2006, the electronica project Era One (featuring Vorph and Xy)was released on Century Media Records. It includes a bonus disc, "Lesson in Magic #1," which is entirely instrumental and done solely by keyboardist Xy. The album itself was recorded in 2001, and the bonus disc a year later. Both were rearranged and remixed in 2005.
In June 2007 they released the album Solar Soul, which summed up and combined many of the styles of their previous albums since Passage. [3] On March 6, 2009, Samael released Above, a full-length album described as a tribute to Samael's roots.
In June 2010 Samael began recording demos for the next album.
Band Members :
* Michael "Vorph" Locher - Vocals, Guitar
* Alexandre "Xy" Locher - Live and Programmed Drums, Keyboards, Samples
* Christophe "Mas" Mermod - Bass (ex-Alastis)
* Makro - Guitar
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Lamb Of God
Biography :
Lamb of God is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia, formed in 1994. Lamb of God
consists of vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell, and drummer Chris Adler and is a member of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal.[1][2] [3]
Since its formation, Lamb of God has released six studio albums, one live album, and three DVDs. The band's cumulative sales equal almost two million in the United States. In 2007 the band received a Grammy nomination for their 2006 album Sacrament. Lamb of God has toured with the Ozzfest twice and appeared on Slayer's The Unholy Alliance Tour in 2006. They have also played at many other major festivals around the world including Download Festival and Sonisphere Festival in the UK, Soundwave Festival and Gigantour. Recently, (as in 2008-2009) they have toured with Metallica (World Magnetic Tour). And will be on the main stage of Rockstar Mayhem Festival in 2010
Formation and Burn the Priest (1994–1999)
In 1990, guitarist Mark Morton, drummer Chris Adler and bassist John Campbell started a band named Burn the Priest. The band members knew each other from the college they were all attending, Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond, Virginia.[4] Morton left the band soon after its inception to receive his master's degree. Adler and Campbell replaced Morton with Abe Spear. For the next five years, the band practiced in Richmond and around Virginia. In 1995, the band released its self-titled first demo. After the demo, Burn the Priest recorded two split albums with Agents of Satan and ZED respectively.[5] After the band's first three demos, Burn the Priest added vocalist Randall Blythe to its line up.[5]
In 1997, Morton returned to the band. Two years later, the band released its first full-length self-titled album, Burn the Priest, through Legion Records. Mikey Bronsnan of Legion Records saved up $2,500 for the recording and then broke them in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania through DIY shows.[6] The album was produced by Today Is the Day guitarist and vocalist Steve Austin. Spear left the band, leaving an open position for a guitarist. Chris Adler's brother, Willie Adler, became the band's second guitarist a year later, and a deal with Prosthetic Records was signed.[5] After being banned from playing in certain places (some venue owners believing the band possessed an "evil" name),[7] Burn the Priest changed their name to Lamb of God.
New American Gospel and As the Palaces Burn (2000–2003)
With a new name and label, the band released its second album, New American Gospel, in September 2000.[8] Patrick Kennedy of Allmusic compared the band to Pantera stating, "The essential signatures of post-Pantera metal are in abundance on Lamb of God's inaugural album. New American Gospel provides a mighty oak upon which gritty American metal's faith is maintained, effectively bridging the '90s' insistence upon drill-sergeant technicality and the old school's determined focus on riff construction."[8] Chris Adler commented: "This is a classic record. We had all the elements come together to make one of the heaviest, yet contagious records of our career. It was difficult to contain us—we didn't even understand at the time what we had created."[9]
Lamb of God toured for two years before releasing its third studio album, As the Palaces Burn, on May 6, 2003. Kirk Miller of Rolling Stone gave the album three out of five stars, writing that "unlike many of their overreaching, Slipknot-influenced contemporaries, Lamb of God deliver a meticulously crafted metal assault."[10] The album was voted the number one album of 2003 by both Revolver Magazine and Metal Hammer. The band toured on the first Headbangers Ball tour, where they recorded a DVD including live performances and a documentary, titled Terror and Hubris. The DVD was a success, debuting at number 31 on the Billboard Top Music Videos chart.[11][12]
Ashes of the Wake (2004–2005)
Lamb of God released Ashes of the Wake in August 2004, which debuted at number 27 on the Billboard 200, and sold over 35,000 copies in its first week.[13][14] The album was distributed through the band's new record label, Epic Records. Johnny Loftus of Allmusic praised the album, saying "With the genre getting clogged by PVC goofs and Alice in Chains impersonators, Lamb of God balances the equation of power, rage, tradition, and craft. It kills the filler."[15] The title track of the album featured Testament and ex–Megadeth guitarists Alex Skolnick and Chris Poland, respectively.[15]
The band supported Ashes of the Wake with extensive touring, including a second stage slot on Ozzfest in 2004,[16] and the 2005 Sounds of the Underground tour.[17] The band was awarded 2nd Best Album of the Year by Revolver Magazine behind Mastodon's Leviathan, and was awarded Best Music Video for "Now You've Got Something to Die For" (2005).[18] While on tour, the band recorded a performance and released it with the name of Killadelphia. The release was made available as a DVD and a CD.[19] The DVD was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2007.[20]
In 2006, the first single from the album, "Laid to Rest", was featured as a playable track in Guitar Hero II[1] and rereleased for Guitar Hero: Smash Hits, and was later used as downloadable content for Rock Band[2]
Sacrament (2005–2007)
In August 2006 Lamb of God released its fifth studio album, Sacrament. The album debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 and sold nearly 65,000 copies in its first week of sales, nearly doubling the first week sales of Ashes of the Wake.[13] The album received generally positive reviews, with Cosmo Lee of Stylus Magazine stating, "Sacrament has the band's most memorable songs to date. Musically, there's no fat. The band plays with laser precision and songs move smoothly through riffs and transitions."[21] Ed Thompson of IGN referred to Sacrament "one of the best metal albums of 2006",[22] and Jon Pareles of Blender called it a "speed rush all the way through".[23]
The band appeared on major tours to support the album, including The Unholy Alliance with Slayer, Mastodon, Children of Bodom, and Thine Eyes Bleed,[24] Gigantour, supporting Megadeth;[25] main stage at Ozzfest;[16] an appearance at the Download Festival, and an exclusive co-headlining tour with Killswitch Engage, Soilwork, and Devil Driver where Killswitch Engage and Lamb of God shared headlining spots alternately each show.[26] Lamb of God was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 2007 Grammy Awards for "Redneck", but lost out to Slayer's "Eyes of the Insane".[27]
In December 2007, the band re-released the album as Sacrament: Deluxe Producer Edition. The release contained all of the original songs from Sacrament on the first disc, and the second disc was a CD-ROM featuring all of the vocal, bass, guitar, and drum tracks in 192kbit/s MP3 format, enabling the buyer to produce their own interpretation of the songs. Blythe stated, "you sometimes have to do something special to get kids to even buy an album these days rather than download it."[28] The band is taking a break to write new material throughout 2008 and prepare a new record for release, slated for 2009. The band is negotiating for a new record label to distribute records outside the United States. Chris Adler stated Epic Records in the United States "couldn't be more perfect", but wants a different label for international releases.[29] The band later inked a deal with Roadrunner on 1 May 2008 for distribution outside the United States.
Walk with Me in Hell and Wrath (2008 onward)
On May 3, Lamb of God announced via MySpace their new DVD, Walk with Me in Hell, would be released on July 1, 2008. The DVD is a double-disc and has nearly five hours of footage, containing the feature documentary Walk with Me in Hell and multiple live performance extras from the Sacrament World Tour. At the end of the Walk with Me in Hell documentary the members stated that they are excited more than ever to write new material.
In August, 2008, it was announced that the band had commenced work on the follow-up to Sacrament, and that its release was scheduled for February, 2009. Josh Wilbur was also named as the producer for the record.[30] They will also be touring with Metallica as a direct support act starting in December 2008.[31]
The recording process of the new record was made available to view online live through the band's website, with two webcams installed in the studio (specifically in the drum room and mixing room).[32]
Their latest album is named Wrath [33] and was released on February 23, 2009 internationally via Roadrunner Records and on February 24, 2009 in America via Epic Records. The album is dedicated to Mikey Bronsnan, who helped them get started in Philadelphia, PA. In November 2008, Bronsnan was killed by a drunk driver. According to drummer Chris Adler, "Without Mikey, we'd very well might not be a band today."[34] Drummer Chris Adler was quoted saying "This album is going to surprise a lot of people. Typically bands that get to where we are in our career begin to slack off, smell the roses and regurgitate. We chose a different path. No one wants to hear another band member hyping a new record. ‘Wrath’ needs no hype. We have topped ourselves and on February 24 you will feel it." With that said, "Wrath" debuted on the Billboard 200 at number two, selling over 68,000 copies in its first week.[35]
In support of Wrath, the band in spring of 2009 embarked on the first leg of their world tour, No Fear Energy Tour headlined by themselves with main support from Children of Bodom and As I Lay Dying, and rotating opening slots with God Forbid and Municipal Waste.[36] The tour was a massive success for the band with rave reviews and large turnouts at each show. The band played in Europe in the summer to perform with Metallica on the World Magnetic Tour along with Mastodon, while also playing headlining shows of their own and performing at major European festivals. For the final six dates of the tour, Unearth's Buz McGrath filled in for Mark Morton, as he left early to be with his wife and his first child.
Lamb of God has been announced to also serve as Metallica's direct support for the North American leg of their 2009 world tour, as well as finishing the year off by headlining shows in Australia and New Zealand with Shadows Fall and DevilDriver.
Commenting on the dispute over lineup slots at the UK Sonisphere Festival where Limp Bizkit were booked into the slot previously given to Machine Head, Willie Adler said of Limp Bizkit "I wouldn’t wanna open up for Limp Bizkit! They’ve been out of the scene for so long, I mean, who cares? Who cares about Limp Bizkit? [...] Fuck those dudes! Fuck that band, and fuck all the people who work for that fuckin’ band!" [37]
Lamb of God has also been nominated for a Grammy in 2010 for the Best Metal Performance category, with "Set to Fail" but lost out to Judas Priest.
Musical style
Lamb of God was originally an instrumental band called Burn the Priest, and included vocals after Randy Blythe joined. Since the success of the release of 2004's Ashes of the Wake[38][39] the band has been considered a leader of the "New Wave of American Heavy Metal".[1]
Burn the Priest and early Lamb of God has been defined as a thrash metal, death metal and hardcore punk[39] or grindcore[40] hybrid with a strong element of power groove, which often connects Lamb of God with the influential metal band Pantera. Another connection between Pantera and Lamb of God is the fact that both were and are highly influential metal bands from the Southern United States, Texas and Virginia, respectively. Along with Mastodon, from Georgia, Lamb of God could currently be helping to strengthen a young tradition of great southern metal that was first pioneered by Pantera.[8][15][39][41][42][43] Burn the Priest and early Lamb of God include growling death metal vocals.[39] The style has been considered to vary between several different genres, including hardcore punk, thrash metal, and even possessing sludge metal influences.
New American Gospel continues in a similar style as Burn the Priest, with drum-heavy production of alternate picking and double-kick drumming.[8] Here, the band has been considered by Allmusic to be effectively bridging the 1990s' tendency towards technicality and early metal's focus on riff construction and plays a brand of heavy metal described as not unlike Meshuggah without some of their mathematical components.[8][41]
2003's As the Palaces Burn saw the band's compositions focusing more on what some have called "memorable" riffs.[42] On 2004's Ashes of the Wake, they continued the progression of As the Palaces Burn with more frequent guitar solos.[15]
Sacrament, released in 2006, was described by critics as more technical, especially considering the vocal performance. Again, the band experimented with more melody and guitar solos; however, the band has also been often reproached by the critics for the similarity of the songs within their albums.[43][44] This album is the primary representative of a growing development in the direction of the epic. Specifically 'Sacrament' and 'As the Palaces Burn' share many elements that could be considered musically 'darker' than opposing releases (extensive use of minor classical scales, for example).
Due to the variety of influences, stylistic elements and changes throughout the band's career the press has chosen several genres and terms to describe Lamb of God's music. Lamb of God has been labeled as a Groove Metal band. Campbell, on the Walk With Me in Hell DVD, says that Lamb of God is "a punk band that plays heavy metal", while Chris Adler refers to Sacrament as a speed metal album.
Band Members:
Randy Blythe – lead vocals (1995 onward)
Mark Morton – lead guitar (1990, 1997 onward)
Willie Adler – rhythm guitar (1998 onward)
John Campbell – bass (1990 onward)
Chris Adler – drums (1990 onward)
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