Justinsayne's Music Asylum

[RVDgurl]

Justin, you know I love these guys!! Absolutely, hands down the best band to come out of the Seattle music scene in the 90's. The melodies are just so dark and brooding and the harmony between Cantrell and Staley are breathtaking. I have never heard 2 voices that were meant to be more together.

Another solid choice.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

I have said for years that Alice in Chains is the greatest contribution that Grunge made to the music universe, and that Lane Staley was one of music's most tragic losses.

Lyrically, these guys are untouched in the grunge Universe. Their music was like scathing poetry. I love how Justin posts the lyrics to Man in a Box. Classic work.

Musically, they were experiemental and challenging. My all time favorite AIC song is "I Stay Away" if only for the horn sounds. They also came up with deep, riveting harmonies on songs like Nutshell, Rooster, and Grind. Down in a Hole as a condemnation of meaningless sex never became the teen promiscutiy wake up call it should have been because people got so wrapped up in the tune and sound that the meaning got a bit lost, but I still respect them for putting it out.

Every album rang out like a cry for help. AIC didn't just sing about depression in pointless circles, they took a snapshot of an issue and attacked it, either playing the 1st person role (which Lane Staley did too well) or the
3rd person role, looking either at an individual or society as a whole.

If you like Alice in Chains, check out a lesser known band called Brother Cain, whom some may recall as the artists who produced "And Fools Shine On."

 

[Bernkastel]

Alice in Chains was one of my favorite bands growing up. I was into grunge and alternative as an adolescent as I remember being drawn to bands like Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, Everclear, Incubus, and the Chili Peppers. However, Alice in Chains was a personal favorite of mine because I could always better relate to their songs through some of my own personal problems. Songs like "Angry Chair", "Would", "Man in the box", and "Sickman" were among my personal favorites favorites from this band.

Excellent, Excellent choice Justin

 

[justinsayne]

Nonpoint
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nonpoint is a four-piece nu-metal group originating from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

History

The beginnings (1997-1999)

Nonpoint was formed in January 1997. The band is lead by vocalist Elias Soriano, guitarist Andrew Goldman, bassist Kenneth "KB" Charman and drummer Rob Rivera.

The band created a name for itself in the burgeoning South Florida metal scene of the mid-late 90's. Other notable bands to emerge included Puya, Endo, Darwin's Waiting Room, Lost and The Groovenics.

Nonpoint's first album Separate Yourself was released independently in 1997. The band's first commercially released album Struggle was released on May 18, 1999 on the now defunct Jugular Records.

Statement/Development (2000-2002)

The band released their debut major label album Statement on October 10, 2000 via MCA Records. To promote the album, as well as the band on a nation-wide scale, Nonpoint toured with such heavy weight artists as Linkin Park, Staind and Sevendust, Hed Pe, Deftones, Mudvayne, Fuel, Taproot ,Drowning Pool, PRessure 4-5. Their main tour was appearing on the United States leg of the 2001 Ozzfest tour. A year after its release, the album entered the Billboard 200 charts, where it peaked at #166. The first single from the album, "What a Day", peaked at #24 on the Mainstream Rock charts.

Nonpoint's second album Development was released on June 25, 2002. The album entered the Billboard charts at #52, with the only single released from the album, "Your Signs", peaking at #36 on the Mainstream Rock charts. Nonpoint completed a successful second appearance at Ozzfest, during the Donington Park leg of the European tour.

Recoil (2003-2004)

Two years after the release of Development, Nonpoint released their third major album Recoil on August 3, 2004 via their new label Lava Records. The album entered the Billboard charts at #115. The album's first single, "The Truth", peaked at #22 on the Mainstream Rock charts. Another single "Rabia" was later released.

The Band toured with Sevendust on the first Locobazooka tour, Did dates with Filter and headline run with Skindred and Drykill Logic. they finished their cycle touring with Candiria Drykill Logic

To the Pain/Live and Kicking (2005-2006)

After departing from Lava Records, Nonpoint signed with independent label Bieler Bros. Records. The label's co-owner, Jason Bieler, produced the band's previous three albums. Nonpoint re-emerged with their fourth major album To the Pain on November 8, 2005. The album entered the Billboard charts at #147, with approximately 9,000 copies sold during its first week of release. The single, "Bullet with a Name", peaked at #22 on the Mainstream Rock charts, and the album's second single, "Alive and Kicking", peaked at #36. The song, "In the Air Tonight" (Phil Collins cover), which previously featured on their Recoil album, was the theme song for the Miami Vice movie. It made a belated appearance on the Mainstream Rock charts, peaking at #34. Beginning in late 2005, band toured extensively with Sevendust for three months, later concluding the tour in New Hampshire. Nonpoint toured on the third annual Music as a Weapon Tour with Disturbed, Stone Sour and Flyleaf.

Nonpoint released a CD/DVD combo, Live and Kicking, on November 7, 2006. The live album was recorded at the band's April 29, 2006 show in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The album sold 3,475 copies during its first week of release.

As of January 31, 2007, To the Pain has sold 118,277 copies in the United States.

Vengeance (2007)

On November 6, 2007 Nonpoint released their fifth major album, Vengeance, under Bieler Bros. Records. The album sold 6,400 copies in the first week. The first single, "March of War" was released early on the band's Myspace page, as well as a sample of the lead track "Wake up World."

They went on the first ever Great American Rampage Tour with labelmates Skindred, Ankla and Karnivool. On December 1, 2007 at a show in Florida, Elias broke his ankle during the first song. Despite this, he still sang the last four songs, finishing up their time on stage. On December 2, 2007 in Sayreville, New Jersey (Starland Ballroom) he was helped out on to the stage by band members and played most of the set with his leg propped up on a front speaker. During "Broken Bones" he pointed to his right leg and later explained what happened.

The band is currently on tour with Hell Yeah, Machine Head and bury Your Dead on the More Balls, More Volume and More Strength Tour

Members

* Elias – Vocals
* Goldman – Guitar
* Charman – Bass
* Robb – Drums

Discography

Albums

* Separate Yourself (1997)
* Struggle (May 18, 1999)
* Statement (Oct 10, 2000)
* Development (Jun 25, 2002)
* Recoil (Aug 3, 2004)
* To the Pain (Nov 8, 2005)
* Live and Kicking (Nov 7, 2006)
* Vengeance (Nov 6, 2007)

Singles

2001 "What a Day" - Statement
2001 "Endure" - Statement
2002 "Your Signs" - Development
2004 "The Truth"- Recoil
2004 "Rabia" - Recoil
2005 "Bullet With a Name" -To the Pain
2006 "Alive and Kicking" - To the Pain
2006 "In the Air Tonight" - Recoil and Miami Vice Soundtrack
2007 "March of War" - Vengeance

External links

* Nonpoint at MySpace- http://www.myspace.com/nonpoint

Videos

Nonpoint In The Air Tonight Video
[youtube]Q7kalWmfigU[/youtube]

Nonpoint-Bullet With A Name
[youtube]dOO4VZeH4-g[/youtube]

Nonpoint - Alive and Kicking Video
[youtube]CpZafqKl1g8[/youtube]

Nonpoint- Your Signs
[youtube]zxcR2oGdZqo[/youtube]

Nonpoint - The Truth
[youtube]pM2J4bd3hu0[/youtube]

Nonpoint - What a day
[youtube]l8VRi9EJB2A[/youtube]

Nonpoint - Mindtrip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y4w_kpslT0&feature=related

Nonpoint - Endure
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y56CuKGwMo&feature=related

Justin's Take

Just saw these guys for the first time, opening for Machine Head and HellYeah, and they put on a great fucking show, though a bit short, they only played for like 20-25 mins. but proved to be a great live band, I first started listening to these guys about 5 or 6 years ago I think, I picked up an Ozzfest CD and Nonpoint was one of the bands on it with "What A Day", I liked what I heard and decided to pick up some more of their stuff, and bought the first two CDs, and loved them, thought they were fucking great, I liked the fact that they had their own unique sound, I can't think of too many bands that sound like Nonpoint, Mindtrip is by far there best song IMO, but songs like Endure, The Truth, Signs, & their cover of In The Air are all excellent as well

 

[IrishCanadian25]

I just got WAY too excited.

Nonpoint is, in a word, AMAZING!

TO give you some history, I saw Nonpoint for the first time at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC opening for Sevendust and Fuel. The show was insane, nd Nonpoint would have stolen almost ANY other show.

What A Day, Your Signs, The Truth, Victim, In The Air Tonight, Hide and Seek, and of course the unbelievable track Bullet with a Name On It all adorn my iPod's most played list. Here's some history - my FIRST POST EVER on Wrestlezone was to answer the question - Which song would you want as your wrestling entrance theme? My answer - Bullet with a Name on It.

This is also the first time Justin missed a track from a new band that HAS to get mentioned. Download Nonpoint's "TRIBUTE." It is a nu-metal rap medly covering rap bands that inspired them - Beastie Boys, Method Man, DJ Kool, and an awesome hardcore rendition of Busta Rhymes' "Whoo Haa!" You won't be let down!

Justin, I have always loved this thread, but this is officially your best one yet!

 

[justinsayne]

I just got WAY too excited.

Nonpoint is, in a word, AMAZING!

TO give you some history, I saw Nonpoint for the first time at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC opening for Sevendust and Fuel. The show was insane, nd Nonpoint would have stolen almost ANY other show.

What A Day, Your Signs, The Truth, Victim, In The Air Tonight, Hide and Seek, and of course the unbelievable track Bullet with a Name On It all adorn my iPod's most played list. Here's some history - my FIRST POST EVER on Wrestlezone was to answer the question - Which song would you want as your wrestling entrance theme? My answer - Bullet with a Name on It.

Finally I get a post, LOL, I was starting to think that no one else liked these guys, Ha Ha!!!, anyway I agree Nonpoint is an amazing live band, I was a little disappointed that they only got to play for 20-25 mins. I was hoping they get a lot more time, especially since the first band didn't make, I'll say this about Nonpoints live shows, where I live, when you go to shows, the first band almost always gets next to no reaction, if any at all, from the crowd, Nonpoint came out and every motherfucker in that building was moving, every single person, from the front all the way to the back, that almost never happens, Elias knows how to get a reaction from the crowd, and I hope that someday I get to see them again, and hopefully this time they'll get a longer set so I can hear more of a favorite songs by them, namely "Mindtrip"

This is also the first time Justin missed a track from a new band that HAS to get mentioned. Download Nonpoint's "TRIBUTE." It is a nu-metal rap medly covering rap bands that inspired them - Beastie Boys, Method Man, DJ Kool, and an awesome hardcore rendition of Busta Rhymes' "Whoo Haa!" You won't be let down!

Well, I just went to youtube & DM to see if they had it up on there anywhere and couldn't find it, if they did I would have posted it, but I will be checking it out, probably when I get the CD

Justin, I have always loved this thread, but this is officially your best one yet!

Thank you, I love this thread too, LOL, I was origianlly gonna post a different band, but their was so much info on them that I couldn't get it to all fit in one post (apparently we have a 40,000 character limit on WZ, who knew *shugs shoulders*), so now I have to go and figure out how I'm gonna make that work since I don't want to sacrifice any of the info...probably gonna have to do to "Justin's Take" on it, and include videos on both posts, hopefully I can get that band up next week

 

[justinsayne]

Jimmy Eat World
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jimmy Eat World is an American alternative rock band from Mesa, Arizona, formed in 1993.

History

Formation and origin of name

Jimmy Eat World was formed in Mesa, Arizona in 1993. Singer/guitarist Jim Adkins and drummer Zach Lind, who had been friends since kindergarten, joined with guitarist Tom Linton and bass player Mitch Porter to try their hand at music. In its early years, the band emulated the style of its punk-rock influences, with Linton serving as the band's primary singer. Within the span of a couple of years, the band recorded and released three singles and a full-length on local label Wooden Blue Records.

The band's name came from a crayon drawing made after an incident between Linton's younger brothers, Jim and Ed. After getting roughed up by Jim, Ed retreated to his bedroom. There, Ed drew a picture of Jim shoving the Earth into his mouth, with the picture bearing the caption "Jimmy eat world".

Static Prevails

Eventually, spurred by bands such as Fugazi and Sunny Day Real Estate, the band began to experiment with a sub-genre of the hardcore punk scene called "emocore". As they began writing songs and touring in the indie scene, the band was surprised to find like-minded bands such as Christie Front Drive, Sense Field, and Seven Storey Mountain working on similar sounds.

As the band continued touring, it began to attract modest attention in the indie underground. In 1995, the band caught the ears of a talent scout at Capitol Records and was surprised to find itself being offered a deal shortly thereafter. Just prior to signing with Capitol, bass player Mitch Porter parted ways with the band and was replaced by Linton's friend Rick Burch. After a brief scouting for producers, the band joined up with Drive Like Jehu drummer Mark Trombino to record its major-label debut, Static Prevails.

In the ensuing years, the band was allowed to release singles on independent labels, including split 7-inch's with Christie Front Drive, Jejune, Sense Field, and Mineral. Where most major-label bands were ostracized from the underground as "sell-outs," Jimmy Eat World found itself in a unique position as a major label band embraced by the indie community.

Clarity

In 1998, the band entered the studio (again with Mark Trombino) to record its follow-up, titled Clarity. The band delivered the completed album to the label mid-way through the year, but found itself out of favor with the new label heads at Capitol, who shelved the album to focus on more popular acts. As a way to help promote what had been recorded, the band negotiated with Capitol to release a self-titled EP on indie-label Fueled by Ramen (run by labelmates Less Than Jake) containing two songs from Clarity and three b-sides. The band sent the EP to several key alternative stations, including Los Angeles' KROQ, in the hopes that they might give the songs some airplay. To its surprise, several of the stations added lead single "Lucky Denver Mint" to regular rotation. Recalled Lind in 2001, "It's sad to say, but when 'Lucky Denver Mint' got played on KROQ, it was probably the first time a lot of people at Capitol had heard us." Capitol reacted to the response at radio by scheduling the full album for release in February 1999.

On the subsequent tour for Clarity, the band was surprised to find itself playing to larger and larger crowds. The band found itself receiving much more attention from its label, who released a video for "Lucky Denver Mint" and featured the song on the label's soundtrack to the movie Never Been Kissed. However, the label's enthusiasm was short-lived. Plans to release "Blister" as a single were axed, and the band was dropped by the label by the end of the year. As Lind related in 2002, "I think that it was a case of us not being ready to be on a major label and them not being ready to promote us. Capitol was just sort of the wrong place at the wrong time."

Despite their lack of a label, the band decided that they wanted to push into Europe. The band purchased copies of Clarity at-cost from Capitol and shipped them to stores in Europe. Upon arriving in Germany for a short European tour, the band were surprised to find a packed house waiting for them, despite not having a European label. Having already cut ties with their management, the band used the experience as motivation to start working for themselves to build an audience.

Bleed American

The band decided to record its next album without the help of a label, supporting itself with touring and by compiling its previously-released singles onto a single CD, titled simply Singles, released on indie label Big Wheel Recreation. The band also took on day jobs, saving as much as they could to spend on the sessions. The band worked for a third time with Trombino, who agreed to defer his expense until after the album's release in order to keep costs down.

The finished album was titled Bleed American. Joining with Gersh's new management company, GAS Entertainment, the band scouted for a new label. The result was a short bidding war, with interest coming from several major labels, including, ironically, Capitol Records. The band eventually signed with DreamWorks. The completed album was released in July 2001 with the title track (titled "Salt Sweat Sugar" in the UK) as the lead single. (Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the band decided to re-issue the album as Jimmy Eat World out of concern that the title Bleed American might be misinterpreted.)

The album's second single, "The Middle", became the band's biggest single to date, reaching #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The video for the song received significant airplay on MTV, including on Total Request Live.

Futures

After lengthy touring in support of Bleed American, the band regrouped to work on the follow-up in early 2004. Once again, the band joined up with Trombino, but the collaboration was short-lived. As the sessions began, the band began to believe that they didn't have enough material for a cohesive album. The band's desire to spend more time writing songs conflicted with Trombino's availability, as he already had other projects on his schedule.[12]

Instead, the band brought in producer Gil Norton, well-known for his work with the Pixies and the Foo Fighters. As Lind explained in 2007, "After we left the studio with Trombino, we came up with "Polaris", "Work", "Pain", [and] "23" – the songs that really gave Futures its heartbeat." Futures was released in October 2004, with "Pain" serving as the lead single. (By this time, Dreamworks had been acquired by Interscope Records.)

Subsequent months saw the release of "Work" and the title-track as singles. Having already toured the U.S. alone and with Taking Back Sunday, the band signed on to tour in the summer and fall of 2005 with Green Day. In September 2005, the band released the Stay on My Side Tonight EP, containing reworked versions of demos recorded with producer Mark Trombino that were not used for the album.

Chase This Light

After its tour, Jimmy Eat World headed home to Tempe and started working on material for a sixth album. The band decided to self-produce the album, enlisting Chris Testa (Dixie Chicks) and John Fields (Switchfoot, Mandy Moore) as co-producers, and Butch Vig (Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins) as executive producer. As Burch explained to the St. Petersburg Times, "[Vig's] role wasn't in the studio everyday. We would send Butch samples of what we were doing every couple of days." Chase This Light was released in October 2007, with "Big Casino" as the lead single.

Band members

Current line-up

* Jim Adkins - lead vocals, guitar
* Tom Linton - guitar, vocals
* Rick Burch - bass
* Zach Lind - drums

Past members

* Mitch Porter

Discography

* 1994 - Jimmy Eat World
* 1996 - Static Prevails
* 1999 - Clarity
* 2001 - Bleed American (retitled Jimmy Eat World after the September 11, 2001 attacks)
* 2004 - Futures
* 2007 - Chase This Light

External links

* Official web site- http://www.jimmyeatworld.com/
* Jimmy Eat World on MySpace- http://www.myspace.com/jimmyeatworld

Videos

Jimmy Eat World "Pain"
[youtube]Z1Eh5Ww01cg[/youtube]

Jimmy Eat World - The Middle
[youtube]ZD8Dnd40EF8[/youtube]

Jimmy Eat World "Sweetness"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU3KBI5qyEY

Jimmy Eat World - Always Be
[youtube]wYYgRgrRgMw[/youtube]

Jimmy Eat World - Big Casino
[youtube]AViBFyyBSG0[/youtube]

Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American / Salt Sweat Sugar
[youtube]Yud6TmNJWhY[/youtube]

Jimmy Eat World- Work
[youtube]5olLPmjVV24[/youtube]

Justin's Take

Yes beleive it or not Justin listens to something other than metal, and Jimmy Eat World is one of those bands non-metal bands, for some reason I have always liked this band, I think it has something to do with the clarity and cleanness of their sound, if that makes any sense, that and they just have great songs, Bleed America, and Futures are both great CDs they're both light and fresh and just great to listen to when driving for long periods of time (like the 400 mile trip from South Dakota to Wisconsin), bottom line it's good shit, and I'm currently enjoying their newest album, Chasing The Light, before though if you like any of their more mainstream stuff then you should go and pick up Clarity, it too is a great album and unfortunately gets overlooked, which is too bad cause it has some pretty great stuff on there

 

[Freedom 35]

holy shit Justin I love you for posting the video for Work by Jimmy Eat World because that video is filmed at my school, I remember when they filmed it I was in eighth grade so I missed out on it but I still think its cool because its all at my school and the kid Paul in this video is literally my next door neighbor, or at least was until he went to college and Ive met probably everyon in that video. great choice on the band too Ive always enjoyed listening to their music and really agree with you that what makes their music enjoyable is the clean sound and are defenitely a band I could listen to for hours, great choice of band and great video posted along with it

 

[justinsayne]

Sevendust
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sevendust is an American alternative metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. They formed in late 1994 under the name "Crawlspace" but later were forced to change their name to Sevendust when a group from the West Coast claimed rights to Crawlspace. They were originally signed to TVT Records, but then released their fifth album with Winedark Records (through Universal Music) in the US, and Roadrunner Records overseas. Currently, they are signed to Asylum Records.


History

Sevendust (1997-1998 Era)

Sevendust released their first self-titled album on April 15, 1997, known for its heavy riffs, angry vocals and thrash-like drumming, as the songs "Black" and "Bitch". "Black" was the opening song for nearly every Sevendust concert until 2004. The debut album also contains the song "My Ruin" from the Mortal Kombat soundtrack album entitled More Kombat released by TVT Records. After they appeared at Ozzfest 1998 and Dynamo Open Air the same year, their self-titled album went gold.

Home (1999-2000 Era)

Two years later, in 1999, they released their second album, Home, which had also gone gold and become known for the songs "Denial", and "Waffle" for which they have shot music videos. Skin from Skunk Anansie and Chino Moreno from Deftones appeared as guest vocalists on two songs, "Licking Cream" and "Bender". Also featured on "Bender" was additional guitar work by Troy McLa****n of doubleDrive. They got a chance to play on the Late Night with Conan O'Brien show by playing Waffle. They appeared in Woodstock 1999 and have toured with many bands such as KoЯn, Staind, Reveille, Godsmack, Mudvayne, Powerman 5000, Creed, Kid Rock, Machine Head, Limp Bizkit and Metallica. In 1999, they gained European exposure by opening for Skunk Anansie at various shows in Germany. They also joined Slipknot, Coal Chamber and other bands on a tour called "Tattoo The Earth Tour" in June of 2000 .

Animosity (2001-2002 Era)

They then headed into the studio to record their third album, Animosity, which was released on November 13, 2001. This album went gold and gained the band commercial success. They managed to obtain a spot on Late Night with David Letterman where they played an Acoustic Version of Angel's Son featuring Paul Shaffer on Keyboards. In the same year they are also seen in the Chris Rock movie Down to Earth as a partial clip of "Waffle" is played. Sevendust went on hiatus in 2002 due to the death of Lajon's brother.

Seasons (2003-2004 Era)

In 2003, Sevendust returned with their fourth album, Seasons, with the hit songs "Enemy", "Broken Down", "Face to Face" and "Separate". The song "Enemy" was used as the official theme song for WWE Unforgiven 2003. In 2004, for the first time in the band's career, they released a live album on a CD/DVD double disk package titled Southside Double-Wide: Acoustic Live. Both the CD and the DVD include a tribute cover of "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails. In 2004, it was announced Clint Lowery had left the band due to musical differences, to be replaced by Sonny Mayo (from Snot and Amen). Clint is now working with a new band called Dark New Day which also features his brother, Corey Lowery. At roughly the same time, Sevendust and TVT Records parted ways.

Next (2005-2006 Era)

On October 11, 2005, Sevendust released their fifth studio album, Next, on their second label, Winedark Records, distributed by Universal Music. In the process, Sevendust also created their own record label, 7Bros Records. The first radio single off Next was the track "Ugly", released to radio August 9, 2005 followed by a music video. The track "Pieces" appeared on the soundtrack for the film Saw II. Next debuted at #20 in the US, selling around 37,000 copies in its first week, relatively unheard of for a band of Sevendust's hard rock genre. Not much longer after the release of Next, Sevendust's former label TVT Records released a greatest hits package for Sevendust, titled Best of (Chapter One 1997-2004), the label's final Sevendust release.

Alpha (2007 Era)

Sevendust released their sixth full-length studio album, entitled Alpha, on March 6, 2007. The album debuted at #14 in the US, the band's highest chart position yet, selling over 42,000 copies of the album in it's first week. The band also headlined a 57-date tour from February 8, 2007 to April 28, 2007.Boston heavy metal band Diecast, supergroup Invitro, and Christian rock band Red accompanied Sevendust on that tour. Retrospective 2, a CD/DVD combo including three previously un-released studio tracks, live concert footage never before seen, as well as the new music videos for the songs "Beg To Differ", "Ugly", "Pieces", and "Driven", will be released on December 11, 2007. Their songs "Feed" and "Driven" were used in the soundtrack to WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008.

Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow (2008 Era)

It has been announced that Sevendust will return to the studio at the end of November to finish up their 7th studio album, titled Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow. The record was originally slated for a release of March 4, 2008. However, it will now be out on April 1st. It has since been confirmed that Chris Daughtry and Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy will make appearances on the upcoming album. They will do a tour of Australia in March to open up for Ozzy Osbourne. On February 26, 2008 it was announced that due to a conflict in schedule that Sevendust would not be participating in the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival.

Members

* Lajon Witherspoon – Vocals
* John Connolly – Guitar, Vocals
* Sonny Mayo – Guitar (2005–Present)
* Vinnie Hornsby – Bass
* Morgan Rose – Drums, Vocals

Former

* Clint Lowery – Guitar, Vocals (1994–2004)

Discography


* 1997: Sevendust
* 1999: Home
* 2001: Animosity
* 2003: Seasons
* 2004: Southside Double-Wide: Acoustic Live
* 2005: Best of (Chapter One 1997-2004)
* 2005: Next
* 2007: Alpha
* 2007: Retrospective 2
* 2008: Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow

Extra Tracks

* "Breathe": From the "Strangeland" soundtrack (1998).
* "Fall": From the "Scream 3" soundtrack (2000).
* "What U See is What U Get (featuring Xzibit)": From the "Loud Rocks" album (2000).
* "Going Back to Cali": From the "Take A Bite Outta Rhyme" album (2000).
* "I Am (I'm Me)": From the "Twisted Forever" album (2001).
* "Corrected": From the "The Scorpion King" soundtrack (2001).
* "Break the Walls Down": From the "WWE Forceable Entry" album (2002).
* "Leech": From the "Freddy vs Jason" soundtrack (2003).
* "Inner City Blues": DVD bonus track from the "Seasons" album (2003) and from the "Best Of (Chapter One 1997-2004)" album (2005).
* "School's Out": From the "Best Of (Chapter One 1997-2004)" album (2005).
* "Rain": From the "Seasons" album outside of the US (2003) and the "Best Of (Chapter One 1997-2004)" album (2005).
* "Number One (The Ballad)": From the "Seasons" album outside of the US (2003).
* "Coward": From the "Seasons" album outside of the US (2003) and the "Best Of (Chapter One 1997-2004)" album (2005).
* "Hurt": From the "Southside Double-Wide: Acoustic Live " album (2004).
* "Abuse Me": From the "Alpha" album outside of the US (2007).
* "The Rim": From the "Alpha" album in Target stores and outside the US(2007) and the "Retrospective 2" CD/DVD package (2007).
* "Losing You": From the "Retrospective 2" CD/DVD package (2007).
* "Sleeper": From the "Retrospective 2" CD/DVD package (2007).

Videos

* "Home" (1999): "Denial", "Waffle" and "Licking Cream"
* "Animosity" (2001): "Praise", "Live Again", and "Angel's Son"
* "Seasons" (2003): "Enemy" and "Broken Down"
* "Next" (2005): "Ugly" and "Pieces"
* "Alpha" (2007): "Driven" and "Beg to Differ"



External links

* Official Sevendust website- http://www.sevendust.info/
* Official Sevendust MySpace- http://www.myspace.com/sevendust
* Field of Solitude: A Sevendust Fan Community- http://www.fieldofsolitude.com/main.php

Videos

Sevendust - Prodigal Son
[youtube]jp2ap32tirU[/youtube]

Sevendust-Praise
[youtube]IXnQZUOlYws[/youtube]

Sevendust - Enemy
[youtube]uygz-deonGM[/youtube]

sevendust waffle
[youtube]Ey046roWN6M[/youtube]

Sevendust Angel's Son
[youtube]w7KliFJQaM4[/youtube]

SEVENDUST - LICKING CREAM
[youtube]dpWXWoO9wWI[/youtube]

Sevendust - Live Again
[youtube]RRBEFHJySvI[/youtube]

Sevendust - The Rim
[youtube]qaP0_Zi5njs[/youtube]

Sevendust - Pieces
[youtube]AxG6mSwFJnQ[/youtube]

Sevendust - Bender (feat. Chino of Deftones)
[youtube]eFaXaJHGpFY[/youtube]

Sevendust - Denial
[youtube]oJGc8W38IUU[/youtube]

Sevendust - Driven
[youtube]oH1KF8iE4pk[/youtube]

Sevendust - Sleeper(BRAND NEW SONG)
[youtube]oGNgjRlkWjQ[/youtube]

Justin's Take

Sevendust is a band I've seen a couple times, and each time has put on a great show, they are also a band that always seems to come out with new, great songs with each album they put out, i have yet to be disappointed by these guys, whether I'm looking for a fast, heavy song or something a little more mellow, like Angel Son, I know I can alway just throw in a Sevendust CD and get it, I know that when I buy anything by them I will not be disappointed, They have a new album coming out on April 1st, and I for one am looking forward to it, not only cause it means new great songs from a great band, but also cause it means that they'll be hitting the road again this summer for a big tour, hopefully that tour makes a nice little stop near me, so I can enjoy yet another great Sevendust show

 

[justinsayne]

Ok, now I refuse to believe that there isn't one single Sevendust fan on this site besides me, common people lets get some posts going here, Sevendust is a great band, so someone please make a danm post already

They got a new album coming out in just a little over a week or so, and two of the new songs are posted in my Sevendust post for you all to enjoy, let me know what you think about them personally I think they are both pretty good, especially Prodigal Son, I can't seem to get enough of this song right now, it's just a great fucking song

 

[rKo0019]

Wow I wish I had known earlier that Sevendust was coming out with a new album...sweet! My favorite album from them has to be "Alpha", it is just filled with kick-ass songs, with rhythm and Lajon's awesome voice. He can growl and scream and sing with the best of them...

I got to see them live in 2005, on a show with 10 Years, Drowning Pool, themselves, Mudvayne, and Korn. Kickass show overall and Sevendust didn't disappoint. I highly recommend them live, as well as any of their albums...I don't think they have ever put out a bad CD.

 

[Bernkastel]

Out of the bands you offered, Tool. I am a big Tool fan, I have listened to their stuff since I was in middle school. I haven't heard of Atreyu, and I don't care for the Foo Fighters that much. Killswitch Engage has some good stuff, and even though I wouldn't mind seeing them put into the asylum, I would much rather see you do a page on Tool.

 

[justinsayne]

Foo Fighters
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed by musician Dave Grohl in 1995. The group is named after the World War II term "foo fighter", used to refer to mysterious aerial phenomena.

The band has earned a worldwide following, and have scored a number of hit songs, including "This Is a Call", "Everlong", "Learn to Fly", "All My Life", "Times Like These", "Best of You", "DOA", "The Pretender", and "Long Road to Ruin." Three of their albums have won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album. On top of their six studio albums, they have also contributed to several movie soundtracks, including the song "The One" on the 2002 Orange County soundtrack.

History

Formation and debut album

Dave Grohl spent three-and-a-half years as the drummer for Nirvana. Unknown to most of Nirvana's fan-base, Grohl gradually wrote a stockpile of songs that he largely held back from the band for fear of ruining their chemistry. (Grohl has noted in several interviews that he was well aware of the infamous drummer joke: "Q: What did the drummer say just before he got fired? A: Hey, guys, let's try one of my songs!") Instead, Grohl occasionally booked studio time to record demos, and even issued a cassette of some of those songs called Pocketwatch under the pseudonym "Late!" in 1992.

Grohl entered Robert Lang's Studio in Seattle with friend/producer Barrett Jones. With the exception of a guitar part on "X-Static" by Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs, Grohl played every instrument and sang every vocal on the tracks. Lured to Capitol Records by former Nirvana A&R (and then-Capitol president) Gary Gersh, Grohl had the demo recordings professionally mixed, with the results eventually becoming the Foo Fighters' self-titled debut album.

Grohl did not want the Foo Fighters to be a one-man studio project, so he worked to form a band to support the album. Initially, former bandmate Krist Novoselic was a main candidate for the band, but both became concerned that it might portray Foo Fighters as a reincarnation of Nirvana. Having heard through the grapevine about the disbanding of Seattle-based emocore band Sunny Day Real Estate, Grohl drafted SDRE's bass player, Nate Mendel, and drummer, William Goldsmith. Pat Smear, who was an "unofficial member" of Nirvana after the release of In Utero, was added as a second guitarist, completing the band. The Foo Fighters undertook their first major tour in the spring of 1995, opening for Mike Watt.

The band's first single "This Is a Call" was released in June 1995, and the group's self-titled debut album was released the next month. "I'll Stick Around", "For All The Cows" and "Big Me" were released as subsequent singles. The band spent the months following the album's release on tour, including their first appearance at the Reading Festival in England in August. A later UK tour included a pair of nights at Brixton Academy, which were taped and compiled for an MTV special.

The Colour and the Shape

After touring through the spring of 1996, the now full-band Foo Fighters entered a Seattle studio with producer Gil Norton to record the band's second album. With the sessions nearly complete, Grohl took the rough mixes with him on a trip home to Virginia. While there, Grohl realized that he wasn't happy with how the mixes were turning out and began demoing newer songs by himself at a studio in Washington, DC. The band, minus Goldsmith, regrouped in Los Angeles and almost completely re-recorded the album with Grohl on drums. Goldsmith decided to leave the band soon thereafter. The album, The Colour and the Shape, was released on May 20, 1997.

In need of a drummer, Grohl contacted Alanis Morissette's touring drummer Taylor Hawkins to see if he could recommend anybody. Grohl was surprised when Hawkins volunteered himself. Hawkins made his Foo debut in time for the album's release. The album spawned the singles "Monkey Wrench", "My Hero", and "Everlong".

In September of 1997, in front of a crowded street outside the MTV Video Music Awards, Pat Smear simultaneously announced his departure from the band and introduced his replacement, Grohl's former Scream bandmate Franz Stahl. Prior to the recording of the band's third album, Stahl departed the band, citing creative differences.

There Is Nothing Left to Lose

The three-piece subsequently retreated to Grohl's home state of Virginia, and spent the next several months working on the band's third album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose. The album spawned several singles, including "Learn to Fly", the band's first single to reach the US Hot 100.

Before the release of the album, Capitol president Gary Gersh was forced out of the label. Given Grohl's history with Gersh, the Foo Fighters' contract had included a "key man clause" that allowed them to leave the label upon Gersh's departure. They subsequently left Capitol and signed to RCA, who later acquired the rights to the band's Capitol albums. (Gersh eventually joined forces with former Nirvana manager John Silva to form GAS Entertainment, a company that manages the Foo Fighters and other artists such as Jimmy Eat World, Beck, and the Beastie Boys.)

After recording was completed, the band auditioned a number of potential guitarists, and eventually settled on Chris Shiflett, who previously performed with No Use for a Name and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Shiflett initially joined the band as touring guitarist, but achieved full-time status prior to the recording of the group's fourth album.

In February 2000, American late-night talk show host David Letterman invited the Foo Fighters to perform on his first show after undergoing heart bypass surgery. Letterman introduced them by proclaiming, "My favorite band, playing my favorite song," leading into a performance of "Everlong".

That same year, the Foo Fighters established a relationship with rock band Queen, of whom the band (particularly Grohl and Hawkins) are fans. Guitarist Brian May added a guitar track to the Foo Fighters' second cover of Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar", which appeared on the soundtrack to the movie Mission Impossible 2. When Queen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2001, Grohl and Hawkins were invited to perform with the band on "Tie Your Mother Down", with Grohl filling in on vocals for the late Freddie Mercury. In 2002, guitarist May contributed guitar work to "Tired of You" and an outtake called "Knucklehead". The bands have performed together on several occasions since, including VH1 Rock Honors and the Foo Fighters' headlining concert in Hyde Park.

Alive & Well

In 2000, the band generated controversy through their public support of Alive & Well, an organization that denies the link between HIV and AIDS, questions the validity of HIV tests, and advises against taking medication to counter the disease. Foo Fighter bassist Nate Mendel learned of Alive & Well through What If Everything You Thought You Knew about AIDS Was Wrong?, a self-published book written by Christine Maggiore, the organization's founder. Mendel passed the book around to the rest of the band, who supported his advocacy.

In January 2000, the band played a benefit concert for the organization, which Mendel helped to organize. The band also contributed songs to The Other Side of AIDS, a controversial documentary film by Maggiore's husband Robin Scovill, which questions whether HIV is the cause of AIDS. The band's position caused alarm in the medical community, as Alive & Well's advice ran contrary to established medical wisdom about HIV and AIDS. In a 2000 interview, Mendel spoke of using the Foo Fighters' popularity to help spread the group's message and of holding more benefits for the organization. However, no further benefits have taken place, and the band has since removed the organization from its list of supported causes.

One by One

Near the end of 2001, the band reconvened to record their fourth album. After spending four months in a Los Angeles studio completing the album, Grohl spent some time helping Queens of the Stone Age complete their 2002 album Songs for the Deaf. Once the Queens of the Stone Age album was finished, Grohl, inspired by the sessions, decided to reconvene the Foo Fighters to rework a few songs on their album. Instead, they re-recorded nearly all of the album (save "Tired of You") in a ten-day stretch at Grohl's studio in Virginia. The final album was released in October of 2002 under the title One by One. (Hawkins jokingly refers to the first version of the album as the "Million Dollar Demos".) Singles from the album included "All My Life", "Times Like These", "Low", and "Have It All".

For most of its history, the band chose to stay away from the political realm. However, in 2004, upon learning that George W. Bush's presidential campaign was using "Times Like These" at rallies, Grohl decided to lend his public support to John Kerry's campaign. Grohl attended several Kerry rallies and occasionally performed solo acoustic sets. The entire band eventually joined Grohl for a performance in Arizona coinciding with one of the presidential debates.

In Your Honor

The band's next studio album was a double CD, In Your Honor, released on June 14, 2005. To record the album, the band shifted to Los Angeles and built a recording studio, dubbed Studio 606 West. Grohl said that the two-disc release – one full of rock songs, the other featuring acoustic tracks – was a perfect memorial for the band's 10th anniversary. Grohl hinted about the release in an interview with NME magazine: "It's really amazing. The good thing about doing it is that you split it up so that there's no middle ground. So the rock stuff is the most rocking stuff we've ever worked on, ever." The album's singles included "Best of You", "DOA", "Resolve", "No Way Back", and "Miracle".

Of note on the acoustic part of the set is a song called "Friend of a Friend", which has a long history. Grohl wrote the song in 1990, basing it on his initial impressions of Cobain and Novoselic after joining Nirvana. He recorded the song in 1990, and included it on an informal collection of songs (called Pocketwatch) released on cassette in 1992 under the pseudonym "Late!". The version on In Your Honor is very similar to the original recording (albeit more polished), with Grohl simply accompanying himself on an acoustic guitar.

During promotion of In Your Honor, Grohl had the chance to feed his fascination with UFOs when the Foo Fighters performed a show in a hangar at the Roswell Industrial Air Center in Roswell, New Mexico. The Roswell Industrial Air Center is the site of the former Roswell Army Air Field where the fragments of the supposed alien crash landing in 1947 were stored. (Grohl named his label Roswell Records for the incident.) Grohl commented after the show that he wished he had had a chance to examine what was being stored inside the hangar.

On June 17, 2006, the Foo Fighters performed their largest non-festival headlining concert to date at London's Hyde Park. The band was supported by Juliette and the Licks, Angels & Airwaves, Queens of the Stone Age, and Motörhead. Motörhead's Lemmy joined the band on stage to sing "Shake Your Blood" from Dave Grohl's Probot album. Also, as a surprise performance, Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen jammed with the Foo Fighters, playing part of "We Will Rock You" as a lead into "Tie Your Mother Down".

Skin and Bones

In further support of In Your Honor, the band decided to organize a short acoustic tour for the summer of 2006. The tour included former member Pat Smear, who rejoined the band as an extra guitarist, Petra Haden on violin and backup vocals, Drew Hester on percussion, and Rami Jaffee of The Wallflowers on keyboards/piano. While much of the setlist focused on In Your Honor's acoustic half, the band also used the opportunity to play lesser-known songs such as "Ain't It The Life", "Floaty", and "See You". The band also performed "Marigold", a Pocketwatch-era song that was best-known as a Nirvana B-side.

In November 2006, the band released their first ever live CD, Skin and Bones, featuring fifteen performances captured over a three-night stand in Los Angeles. An accompanying DVD was released on November 28, 2006, and featured tracks not available on the CD.

Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace

For the followup to In Your Honor, the band decided to call in The Colour and the Shape producer Gil Norton. In an interview with XFM, Grohl noted that the band was eager to expand on their signature sound: "So the album that we're making sounds like a Foo Fighters album, but it's definitely moving in a few different directions. It's cool man, I love it." The new album, titled Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, was released September 25, 2007. The album's first single, "The Pretender", was issued to radio in early August. The second single, "Long Road to Ruin", was released on December 3, 2007, supported by a music video directed by longtime collaborator Jesse Peretz.

Not long after completing the recording sessions for the album, the band participated in Live Earth at Wembley Stadium in London, England, performing the penultimate set of the night. Later that summer, the band headlined V Festival 2007, including a surprise acoustic set on the Channel 4 stage under the name 606.

On February 10, 2008, the band performed "The Pretender" at the Grammy Awards, with John Paul Jones conducting the accompanying orchestra.

On March 22, 2008, during a concert at the Air Canada Centre, Geddy Lee, and Alex Lifeson of Rush joined drummer Taylor Hawkins to play Rush's song YYZ.

Discography

* Foo Fighters (1995)
* The Colour and the Shape (1997)
* There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999)
* One by One (2002)
* In Your Honor (2005)
* Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007)

Band members

Current members

* Dave Grohl - vocals, guitar, drums, piano
* Taylor Hawkins - drums, percussion, vocals, piano, guitar (1997-present)
* Nate Mendel - bass guitar (1995-present)
* Chris Shiflett - guitar, vocals (1999-present)

Former members

* William Goldsmith - drums, percussion (1995-1997)
* Pat Smear - guitar, vocals (1995-1997)
* Franz Stahl - guitar, vocals (1997-1999)

Touring members

* Pat Smear - guitar (2006-present)
* Drew Hester - percussion (2006-present)
* Rami Jaffee - keyboards, piano, accordion (2006-present)
* Jessy Greene - cello, violin, backing vocals (2007-present)

Former touring members

* Petra Haden - violin, backing vocals (2006-2007)

Awards

Won

* MTV Music Video Awards - 1995 - Best Group Video - "Big Me"
* Grammy - 2001 - Best Rock Album - There Is Nothing Left to Lose
* Grammy - 2001 - Best Short Form Music Video - "Learn to Fly"
* Grammy - 2003 - Best Hard Rock Performance - "All My Life"
* Grammy - 2004 - Best Rock Album - One By One
* Grammy - 2008 - Best Rock Album - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
* Grammy - 2008 - Best Hard Rock Performance - "The Pretender"
* BRIT Awards - 2008 - International Group
* BRIT Awards - 2008 - International Album - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace

Nominated

* Grammy - 1996 - Best Alternative Music Album - Foo Fighters
* MTV Music Video Awards - 1996 - Video of the Year - "Big Me"
* MTV Music Video Awards - 1996 - Best Alternative Video - "Big Me"
* MTV Music Video Awards - 1996 - Breakthrough Video - "Big Me"
* MTV Music Video Awards - 1996 - Best Direction in a Video - "Big Me"
* MTV Music Video Awards - 1997 - Best Rock Video - "Monkey Wrench"
* MTV Music Video Awards - 1997 - MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video - "Monkey Wrench"
* Grammy - 1998 - Best Rock Album - The Colour and the Shape
* Grammy - 1998 - Best Hard Rock Performance = "Monkey Wrench"
* MTV Music Video Awards - 1998 - Best Rock Video - "Everlong"
* MTV Music Video Awards - 1998 - Best Special Effects in a Video - "Everlong"
* MTV Music Video Awards - 1998 - Best Art Direction in a Video - "Everlong"
* MTV Music Video Awards - 2000 - Best Group Video - "Learn to Fly"
* MTV Music Video Awards - 2000 - Best Direction in a Video - "Learn to Fly"
* Grammy - 2001 - Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group - "Learn to Fly"
* Grammy - 2003 - Best Rock Song - "All My Life"
* MTV Music Video Awards - 2005 - Best Rock Song - "Best of You"
* MTV Music Video Awards - 2005 - Best Editing in a Video - "Best of You"
* Grammy - 2006 - Best Rock Album - In Your Honor
* Grammy - 2006 - Best Surround Sound Album - In Your Honor
* Grammy - 2006 - Best Rock Song - "Best of You"
* Grammy - 2006 - Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal - "Best of You"
* Grammy - 2006 - Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals - "Virginia Moon"
* Grammy - 2008 - Album of the Year - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
* Grammy - 2008 - Record of the Year - "The Pretender"
* Grammy - 2008 - Best Rock Song - "The Pretender"
* NME Awards - 2008 - Best International Band

External links

* Foo Fighters' official web site- http://www.foofighters.com/
* Foo Fighters at MySpace- http://www.myspace.com/foofighters

Videos

Foo Fighters - The Pretender
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKhnmUdmz74

Foo Fighters-Everlong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H0BMfqFP9c

Foo Fighters-Learn To Fly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BieVgyrfglQ

Foo Fighters-Best Of You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DKXGpMGY_o

Foo Fighters-All My Life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXlF6waTUKE

Foo Fighters-Monkey Wrench
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ck2ygpSUg8

Foo Fighters-Times Like These
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG294M_kYWM

Foo Fighters-Big Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhfWzCPRPtg

Foo Fighters-My Hero
[youtube]KVKDQgT_b-Y[/youtube]

Foo Fighters - Breakout
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCxS0XE56nM

Foo Fighters-No Way Back
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CCH73sG63A

Foo Fighters-Walking After You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW2XcQird20

Foo Fighters-Next Year
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5YqI6n4Cnw

Foo Fighters-Resolve
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5ncCA20pjY

Justin's Take

There aren't too many bands out there that can please the fans of so many different sub-genres of rock that the Foo Fighters can, and I think the main reason for them being able to do that has to do with the fact that they are able to play both mellower songs and faster songs with more energy that appeal to just about everyone. I have been a fan of there's for awhile, and they are one of the bands on my list of bands to see, I can't remember them ever releaseing a bad album, and songs like Everlong, Best Of You, Resolve, Long Road to Ruin, Let it Die, and their Cover of Darling Nikki never get old. Foo Fighters look like they are going to be one of those bands that will be able to stand the test of time, which I think makes many of there fans very happy

 

[justinsayne]

Killswitch Engage
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Killswitch Engage (often abbreviated as KsE) is a metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts. They are well known for being leaders in the New Wave of American Heavy Metal, along with Lamb of God and God Forbid. Formed following the disbandment of the bands Overcast and Aftershock, Killswitch Engage's lineup consists of vocalist Howard Jones, bassist Mike D'Antonio, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, and drummer Justin Foley. Signed to Roadrunner Records, Killswitch Engage has released four studio albums and one DVD.

Killswitch Engage rose to fame with its 2004 release The End of Heartache, which peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200, and was certified gold in December 2007 for over 500,000 shipments in the United States. The title track, "The End of Heartache", was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2005, and a live DVD titled (Set This) World Ablaze was released in 2005. Killswitch Engage has attended Reading and Leeds Festivals, Ozzfest, Download Festival and the Warped Tour, and is scheduled to continue touring until May 2008.


History

Early days

Following the break-up of his band, Overcast in 1998, bassist Mike D'Antonio jammed with Aftershock drummer Adam Dutkiewicz. As both bands had disbanded, Dutkiewicz recruited guitarist Joel Stroetzel from Aftershock, and Jesse Leach of Nothing Stays Gold as vocalist. Former Overcast vocalist Brian Fair was considered for the role, but he was unable to join due to obligations with his band Shadows Fall. D'Antonio said the band was initially going to be for fun and a "thing to do on the side".

The band's name originated from the break-up of Overcast and Aftershock, using aspects that pushed and elevated the band and putting the combination into a new category. D'Antonio commented "basically shutting everything down that we once knew and starting over. Killswitch, which is like turning everything off. Like if someone’s hand gets caught in something in a metal working shop the foreman will press one button that will turn off the machines. A Killswitch. Then the engage is just turning it back on or something like that".

Signed to a label, self-titled and Alive or Just Breathing

While touring with Steve Young and Shadows Fall, and opening for In Flames, Killswitch Engage was noticed by record label Ferret Music and signed the band to its label. The band released its self-titled debut album, and although initially the album was not a financial success and didn't enter any charts, it garnered the interest of Ferret Music founder Carl Severson. Severson, who worked at Roadrunner Records at the time, handed Killswitch Engage to several Roadrunner representatives. An A&R of the company, Mike Gitter, contacted D'Antonio and attended several of the band's shows, and his interest led him to offer the band a recording contract with Roadrunner. Declining offers from several smaller labels, the band accepted the Roadrunner deal as they thought the company had the resources to promote and distribute Killswitch Engage releases.

Killswitch Engage began writing new material for their second album in November 2001. With a larger recording budget, the band entered Zing Studios in Westfield, Massachusetts in November, and was able to spend more time "getting things right". Mixed in January at Backstage Studios by producer Andy Sneap, the album was titled Alive or Just Breathing for lyrics in the song "Just Barely Breathing". A music video for the single "My Last Serenade" increased the band's exposure, and the album peaked at number 37 on the Top Heatseekers chart. After the album's release, which was written and recorded for two guitarists, the band decided to expand and become a fivesome when Dutkiewicz moved to guitar, and former Aftershock drummer Tom Gomes joined as drummer. Kevin Boyce of CMJ New Music Report described the record as "more addictive than crack cocaine that's been smothered in caffeine and nicotine and drenched with chocolate",[8] and Jason D. Taylor of All Music Guide said the release is "a pure metal album that seemingly has ignored any fashionable trend and instead relies solely on skill and expertise to sculpt some of meatiest heavy metal since the glory days of Metallica and Slayer".

New lead singer and drummer

After Leach got married on April 20, 2002 and began touring again he started to become depressed. This started to affect his screaming as he would put too much emotion into the screaming and not enough technique. At his worst Leach would do a show then head back to the bus and go to sleep. Leach left the band a few days before the band was meant to play a show and sent the band members an e-mail telling them he had quit. D'Antonio thought that "after three years of hanging out with the dude, and considering him a brother, to just get an email was a little bit harsh."

The band immediately started to search for a replacement vocalist and found Howard Jones of Blood Has Been Shed. Jones disliked the band's sound when he first heard it. He commented "I was like, ‘Meh.’ I come from hardcore and dirtier metal, and Killswitch sounded so clean. But the more I listened to it, I realized there’s some really good songs here". After hearing about Leach's vocal problems, Jones contacted the band and was accepted as the replacement. Without listening to the entire self-titled album or Alive or Just Breathing, Jones had to memorize seven songs for his debut at the 2002 Hellfest.

The new lineup played on the Road Rage tour in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands in 2002 with 36 Crazyfists and Five Pointe O. Touring continued through the New Year's Day, and in 2003 the first song to feature Jones, "When Darkness Falls", appeared on the soundtrack of the 2003 horror film Freddy vs. Jason. Following the 2003 Ozzfest, drummer Gomes left the band because he wished to spend more time with his wife, to pursue his band Something of a Silhouette, and because he was tired of touring. He was replaced by Justin Foley of Blood Has Been Shed and Red Tide, and Foley's first tour with the band was the MTV2 Headbangers Ball in 2003.

The End of Heartache

The End of Heartache was released on May 11, 2004, and peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200 with 38,000 sales in its first week, and it also peaked at number 39 on the Australian album chart following an Australian tour with Anthrax. The album went on to sell more than 500,000 copies in the U.S and was certified gold on December 7, 2007. The album received mostly positive reviews, with Jon Caramanica of Rolling Stone calling the album a "stunning collection, retaining much of their signature musical brutality". Ed Rivaria of All Music Guide commented "riff upon riff are piled sky-high into each number that follows, it's the unpredictable rhythmic shifts used to build and then relieve internal pressure that fuel the Killswitch Engage power source".

In late 2004, the band supported Slayer on its U.S. Jagermusic dates, and headlined shows with From Autumn to Ashes, Eighteen Visions, and 36 Crazyfists. "The End of Heartache" became the main single for the movie Resident Evil: Apocalypse, and in 2005 the song was nominated in the Best Metal Performance category for the 47th annual Grammy Awards. The award was given to Motörhead for "Whiplash". In late 2004, The End of Heartache was re-released as a special edition album, with a second disc featuring various live performances, a Japanese bonus track, and a re-recorded version of "Irreversal". During the summer of 2005, the band returned for Ozzfest, and on November 1, 2005, Alive or Just Breathing was re-released as part of Roadrunner Records' 25th anniversary. On November 22, 2005, the live DVD (Set This) World Ablaze was released, which contained a live concert at the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts, an hour-long documentary, and all the band's music videos. The DVD went gold in the U.S. on April 8, 2006 for 50,000 sales.

As Daylight Dies

Killswitch Engage played the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2006, having already played Australian dates without Dutkiewicz, who was suffering from back problems and needed corrective surgery. On May 23, 2006, the song "This Fire Burns" was released on the WWE Wreckless Intent album. The track was intended to be the new theme song for WWE superstar Randy Orton; however, it was scrapped and later became the theme song for the WWE Judgment Day 2006 pay-per-view. "This Fire Burns" is currently used as the entrance theme for ECW wrestler CM Punk.

Recorded in three months, As Daylight Dies was released on November 21, 2006 and peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart with 60,000 sales in its first week. It also entered the Australia album chart at number 29. Mixed by Dutkiewicz, the album received mostly positive reviews—Thom Jurek of All Music Guide called it "a Top Five metal candidate for 2006 for sure". Decibel Magazine contributor Nick Terry said "To call As Daylight Dies addictive would be an understatement. That it outdoes its already impressive enough predecessor could almost go without saying". Cosmo Lee of Stylus Magazine commented "the album is astonishingly badly sequenced", even though it contributed to the album being "less emotionally heavy-handed, and a lot more fun". As of November 27, 2007, As Daylight Dies has sold more than 300,000 units in the United States.

The album's first single, "My Curse", peaked at number 21 on the Hot Mainstream Rock chart, and was available as a bonus song in the popular game Guitar Hero III. "The Arms of Sorrow" peaked at number 31 on the same chart. The band's cover of Dio's "Holy Diver", originally recorded for a Kerrang! compilation album titled High Voltage, peaked at number 12 on the Mainstream Rock charts. Early in 2007, the band had to cancel three of its European tour dates with The Haunted due to Dutkiewicz's back problems. He required emergency back surgery and was replaced on the tour by ex-Soilwork guitarist Peter Wichers.

Further tours

Killswitch Engage headlined the No Fear Tour in early 2007 with Dragonforce, Chimaira, and He Is Legend. Due to Dutkiewicz's back problems, he was replaced by the Damageplan and The Mercy Clinic frontman Patrick Lachman, who was formerly the guitarist for Diesel Machine and Halford. Dutkiewicz recovered and was able to finish No Fear tour, and the band began filming its video for As Daylight Dies's second single, "The Arms of Sorrow".

Killswitch Engage played the 2007 Download Festival with Iron Maiden, Linkin Park, Slayer, and Marilyn Manson. The band also toured at Bamboozle 2007 and the Warped Tour. On August 6, 2007, Dutkiewicz was forced to leave the Warped Tour so he could fully recover from his back surgery and continue daily physical therapy. He was replaced by Killswitch's guitar technician Josh Mihlek for select songs, until his return on August 14, 2007. Killswitch Engage spent November 28 through December 17, 2007 on a U.S. tour with co-headlining band Lamb of God, and supporting acts DevilDriver and Soilwork.

Killswitch Engage is scheduled to partake in the Soundwave Festival in Australia during February and March 2008. Other bands attending include The Offspring, Incubus, As I Lay Dying, Alexisonfire, Haste The Day, Saosin, and Carpathian. The band will tour until May 2008, and may discuss writing a new record, which would be released in 2009.

Band members

Current members

* Howard Jones - Vocals (2002 - present)
* Adam Dutkiewicz - Lead Guitar/Vocals (2002 - present) Drums (1999 - 2001)
* Joel Stroetzel - Rythym Guitar (2002 - present)
* Mike D'Antonio - Bass (2002 - present)
* Justin Foley - Drums (2003 - present)

Former members

* Jesse Leach – vocals (1999–2002)
* Tom Gomes – drums (2002–2003)

Discography

* 2000: Killswitch Engage
* 2002: Alive or Just Breathing
* 2004: The End of Heartache
* 2006: As Daylight Dies


External links

* Official Site- http://www.killswitchengage.com/
* Killswitch Engage at MySpace- http://www.myspace.com/killswitchengage

Videos

Killswitch Engage - My Curse
[youtube]-Jq_Jf6BfNs[/youtube]

Killswitch Engage - The End of Heartache
[youtube]I0APr2Zo4oE[/youtube]

Killswitch Engage - Holy Diver
[youtube]PqTy2-a8pUo[/youtube]

Killswitch Engage - The Arms of Sorrow
[youtube]36-wQVgIISo[/youtube]

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE - My Last Serenade
[youtube]TF2nSN5TEjU[/youtube]

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE - Rose Of Sharyn
[youtube]J9xfJLgXfb8[/youtube]

Killswitch Engage - When Darkness Falls (live)
[youtube]AlfCaJR_0gk[/youtube]

Justin's Take

Killswitch Engage was a band I just had to put in here this week after seeing the support they got in the "Who Do You Want In The Music Asylum" thread, they were just one vote shy of tieing Foo Fighters which would have lead to the tie breaker that KSE would have won, simply cause their supportes were more willing to post why they wanted them in here, as a reward for that here they are, KSE was also a band I've thought of putting in here several different times but then opted for another band, but here they finally are

KSE is one of the best metal bands out there right now from every aspect, the two more important being they put together great albums, and great live shows (from what I've heard), and just look like they are genuinely having fun doing it, this is a band that is just going to get bigger and better, as long as they continue with doing what they have been doing, I look forward to seeing this band live someday, I know I enjoyed watching their live show on their Worlds Ablaze DVD, which is a must own if you're a KSE fan, probably one the best put together DVDs I've seen in a long time, hell while you're at it you mine as well go and pick up End of Heartache if you don't have it already, IMO one of the best CDs to be put out in recent metal history

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Wow, Justin, a little campaigning for the tournament?

Anyway, this band is fantastic.. I have been endlessly impressed with them since I first learned about them (from the Freddy vs Jason soundtrack with "When Darkness Falls), and they are on constant rotation on my Ipod, especially in the gym.

End of Heartache is a look at the new evolution of Heavy Metal Power Ballads. I am not a big fan of a lot of hardcore screaming in many songs, including some of KsE's where it just gets used too much (my major complaint with Trivium) but in End of Heartache, they use it sparingly, and in such a way that you feel te pain the person feels going through what he's been though. It isn't whiny, and it isn't too angry - I think it taps into some of the emotions that many of us have felt in our lives.

I enjoy their cover of Holy Diver, but I am a huge Dio fan, and KsE's version doesn't measure up. Why? See above - they scream at the wrong times. They already acheived a harder version of the song before the chorus "Between the Velvet Lines...there's a truth that's hard as steel...the vision never dies...life's a never ending wheel." Part of what made Dio's version so compelling was the passion with which he belted out gorgeous, powerful notes for that part of the song. KsE just screams it - and it ruins a huge part of the song for me. It's a matter of preference, sure, but the singed from KsE has such a great voice, I felt that screaming that chorus was giving up.

I expect HUGE things from Killswitch for the years to come, and I am happy that Justin has them here. Just as I am sure he will be campaigning hard for them in their match in the tournament.

 

[justinsayne]

Sublime (band)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sublime was an American ska-punk band that originated in Long Beach, California. Sublime consisted of three members: Bradley Nowell (vocals and guitar), Bud Gaugh (drums), and Eric Wilson (bass guitar). Former members include Joe Gomez (drums) and Michael Happoldt for a very short time (guitar). The band achieved major mainstream success with their self-titled third album; however, Nowell died of a heroin overdose in his hotel room on the west side of San Francisco shortly before it was released, resulting in the band's split in 1996. Worldwide, Sublime has sold 17 million albums, including about 10 million in the U.S. alone.

Career

Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson were childhood friends, having grown up in the same Long Beach neighborhood; in fact, Eric's father, Billy Wilson, taught Gaugh how to read music and play the drums. Bud and Eric, together with future Sublime manager Michael Happoldt, formed a three-piece punk band called The Juice Bros. during their high school years. It was also during this time that Eric and Bud first met Brad Nowell - they both jammed with him on several occasions, albeit separately, while he attended high school in Long Beach. Brad left to begin college at UC Santa Cruz in 1986, but during a break from school in 1988, the trio (Bud, Brad, and Eric) got together and Sublime was formed. Brad transfered to Long Beach State, but dropped out regardless in 1989 to focus solely on the band.

The band played its first gig on the Fourth of July in 1988 in a small club in Long Beach, California, reportedly (and somewhat famously amongst the cult following the band has since garnered) starting the 'Peninsula Riot' which led to seven arrests. For the next several years, the group focused primarily on playing at parties and clubs throughout Southern California, although they were able to record a few songs and put forth a number of short demos, the best known being Jah Won't Pay The Bills containing several songs which would appear on later releases.

Eventually, Sublime gained a large following within California; after concentrating on playing live shows, the band released its debut album 40 Oz. to Freedom in 1992 under lead singer Brad Nowell's record label Skunk Records. The record established Sublime's unique blend of reggae, punk, ska, and hip hop, and helped to further strengthen the group's growing SoCal following. Initially being sold exclusively at live Sublime shows, the album became widely known in the greater Los Angeles area after rock radio station KROQ began playing the song "Date Rape" from the album. The radio exposure led to Sublime being signed to MCA in 1994 to release Robbin' the Hood, which was regarded as having a more experimental type of sound deviating from the style of Sublime's debut album.

The band toured extensively throughout 1994 and '95, their popularity increasing gradually beyond the West Coast as "Date Rape" began earning radio play. While their live shows were often a ferociously powerful and gloriously imperfect mash-up of thrash punk, dub, improvised dancehall lyricism and psychedelic rock, the band (Brad in particular) were well-known for being "hit or miss" live. Many videos, publicly available online, of Sublime playing live show Brad's tendency to play heavily intoxicated, sometimes not even able to play the guitar. In 1995, the band co-headlined the inaugural nation-wide Vans Warped Tour. Sublime was easily one of the most popular acts on the tour, but their chaotic, self-sabotaging behavior and unabashed drug use and drunkenness led to tension between the band and the tour management. During the tour, drummer Gaugh was arrested several times for possession of marijuana, and the band's famed practice of bringing their dogs with them everywhere (even on stage) led to concert-goers being bit. Sublime was actually kicked off the tour for some time before crowd demand forced the Warped Tour decision-makers to reconsider and bring Sublime back. After the Warped Tour, and the subsequent Three Ring Circus Tour (famous in Sublime folklore), the band was pressured to begin producing new studio material as a proper follow-up to the suddenly-prosperous 40 Oz. to Freedom. In February of 1996, the band began recording the material which would comprise their major label debut album.

Lead singer Bradley Nowell died of heroin overdose on May 25, 1996 in a hotel room, just two months before the release of their self-titled third record, which became a hugely successful release from the single "What I Got", which was featured on the soundtrack for ESPN's X Games. The self-titled album earned the band worldwide fame, and has since gone five-times platinum. Several singles, aside from the #1 Modern Rock Chart hit "What I Got", received heavy airplay, including "Santeria", "Doin' Time", "Wrong Way", and "April 29, 1992 (Miami)".

A number of posthumous releases followed, among them Second-Hand Smoke in 1997, and Stand by Your Van and Sublime Acoustic: Bradley Nowell & Friends in 1998. By the release of their Greatest Hits compilation in 1999, it had been noted that the band had released as many albums after Bradley Nowell's death as they had when Nowell was still alive. A box set of demos, rarities, and live recording, called Everything Under the Sun, was released on November 14, 2006. Following Sublime's demise, its surviving members, Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh, began a new band under the name "Long Beach Dub Allstars" that included many frequent contributors to Sublime, including Michael "Miguel" Happoldt, Todd Foreman, and "Field" Marshall Goodman and disbanded in 2002, when Gaugh left for the rock supergroup Eyes Adrift with Krist Novoselic of Nirvana and Curt Kirkwood of Meat Puppets. Bud was also in the band Volcano with Curt and Miguel (Michael Happoldt).

Musical Style

Sublime utilized a genre-blending style which incorporated elements of dub, reggae, ska, punk rock, dancehall, hip hop, psychedelic rock, and acoustic rock. The band is most usually classified as ska-punk, although likely their most prevalent influence, dub reggae, is not attributed in such a classification.

Sublime's music was highlighted by smooth bass-driven grooves, pounding reggae rhythms, elaborately-cadenced rhyme schemes, and the ability to seamlessly transition between paces and styles throughout a given song (sometimes alternating between furious thrash punk, ska, and slow reggae within the same song). Sublime's musical versatility and willingness to experiment with their sound allowed for a wide range of appeal. Their music often contains psychedelic, harmonic minor-based, or blues-oriented guitar solos, rhythmically-improvised bass solos or dub-lines, turntable scratching, and rolling drum transitions.

Sublime's most appealing attribute, however, was the vocal and lyrical abilities of Bradley Nowell. He proved himself not only as a deeply soulful singer, but also as a talented rapper, dancehall improvisationalist, and scat singer. His lyrics have been praised as humorous and emotionally deep by some, and criticized as immature by others, but it is undeniable that his crooning voice, cadenced rhyme schemes and dancehall-tinged rapping ability were among the biggest draws for the band.

From the band's MySpace:

Rolling Stone writer David Wild has this to say about the band: "The singular sound of Sublime, alternately polished and rough and ready, finds stoner rock, rap, punk, and hip-hop funk blended with doses of ska, rock steady, dancehall, and every other pungent flavor of reggae. The result was a beautiful, warts-and-all brand of poetry - a powerful new blend of street sounds and party music. In Nowell, Sublime had as astounding singer and lyricist who created his own edgy but expressive underground vernacular. And in Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh, Sublime was fortunate to have an agile, rock-solid rhythm section that could cover the entire musical waterfront. They were musical counterparts that created their own signature rhythmic foundation, creating the ultimate canvas for Nowell to embellish."


Legacy

Even over a decade after Nowell's death and the band's break-up, Sublime remains immensely popular throughout the United States, especially in its state of origin, California. The renowned Los Angeles alternative rock radio station, KROQ, listed Sublime at #3 during its Memorial Weekend "Top 106.7 biggest KROQ bands of all time" list in 2007, behind only the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nirvana. With over 17 million units sold worldwide, Sublime is unquestionably one of the most successful ska-punk acts of all time. Also, although many reggae purists refuse to accept Sublime as an integral part of reggae history, Sublime has undoubtedly played a large part in the re-emergence of reggae in mainstream music, as they were perhaps the most widespread and prolific reggae-incorporating act since Bob Marley.

They are considered as a preeminent "party band"; their music is extremely popular at high school and college parties throughout the United States, due to their often narcotic-related subject matter and their dance-worthy, jumpy or grooving feel to their songs.

Discography

Albums
Released Album Notes
1992 40 Oz. to Freedom Certified 2x Platinum by RIAA; peaked at #15 at Top Heatseekers in 1995 and #140 in Billboard 200 in 1996
1994 Robbin' the Hood Certified Gold by RIAA
1996 Sublime Certified 5x Multi Platinum by RIAA; peaked at #13 on Billboard 200


Singles
Year Title
1995 "Date Rape" 40 oz. to Freedom
1996 "What I Got" Sublime
1997 "Santeria" Sublime
1997 "Wrong Way" Sublime
1997 "Doin' Time" Sublime

Videos

Sublime - Santeria
[youtube]HrLJ6Saq7u4[/youtube]

Sublime-Wrong way
[youtube]pqCOXH-nMM8[/youtube]

sublime - date rape
[youtube]LB6CUVnN-U4[/youtube]

Sublime - Doin' Time
[youtube]Sd39XDZOjhw[/youtube]

Sublime - What i got
[youtube]q9MX8rMZ97I[/youtube]

Justin's Take

Sublime is a great band, one of the few bands that can fuse so many different styles of music together and make it sound good, they're one of those bands that knows how to tell a story with their music and do so very well, take Date Rape, and Wrong Way are both excellent examples of this, and both songs are catchy as hell, though they also seem to have a wide variety of different types of songs, all in which sound great, there is no doubt they have made and impact that few other bands can claim it's just too bad Brad had to OD, and the band broke up, and we will no longer hear anything new from these guys

 

[justinsayne]

In Flames
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In Flames is a melodic death metal, or Gothenburg metal, band from Gothenburg, Sweden founded in 1990. Along with Dark Tranquillity and At the Gates, they pioneered what is now known as melodic death metal. They have released nine albums since 1994.


Background

1990–1996

In Flames was founded in 1990 as a side project of Jesper Strömblad who was at the time in a death metal band called Ceremonial Oath. Jesper formed In Flames with the purpose of writing songs with a more melodic musical direction, something which he was not allowed to do in Ceremonial Oath. In 1993, Jesper decided to quit Ceremonial Oath due to musical differences and began focusing more on In Flames. That same year, Jesper (guitar, drums, keyboards) recruited Glenn Ljungström (guitar), and Johan Larsson (bass) to form the first official In Flames line-up.

The trio recorded a three song demo and sent it to Wrong Again Records. In order to increase their chances of being offered a record deal, the trio lied to the owner of the record label by telling him that they already had 13 songs done. The owner of Wrong Again Records, seeing promise in the band, offered In Flames a record deal over the phone.

During 1993, In Flames wrote, recorded, and self-produced their debut studio album, Lunar Strain, in Studio Fredman. Since In Flames did not have a vocalist yet, Jesper asked Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity to provide session vocals. In 1994, Lunar Strain was released.

During 1994, In Flames recorded and self-produced their first EP, Subterranean, in Studio Fredman. In Flames still did not have a vocalist yet, so session vocals were provided this time by Henke Forss. In 1995, Subterranean was released. Subterranean allowed In Flames to break out of the underground scene and led them to acquire a record deal with Nuclear Blast.

In 1996, In Flames finally got tired of using session musicians to record an album or to do live shows, so the trio asked Björn Gelotte to join the band as the full-time drummer, and 6 months later asked Anders Fridén to join the band as the full-time vocalist. That same year, the new line up recorded the band's second studio album, The Jester Race. This album was recorded once again in Studio Fredman, but unlike previous albums, it was co-produced by the studio's owner, Fredrik Nordström. In 1996, The Jester Race was released. Afterwards, In Flames toured with bands such as Samael, Grip Inc., and Kreator.

1997–2001

In 1997, In Flames recorded and released their third studio album, ****acle. This album was recorded once again in Studio Fredman and co-produced by Fredrik Nordström. After the album was recorded, Glenn Ljungström and Johan Larsson unexpectedly announced that they were leaving In Flames. Niklas Engelin (guitar) and Peter Iwers (bass) were recruited to fill in the vacant spots during a tour with Dimmu Borgir. After the tour both Niklas Engelin and Peter Iwers were asked to join the band permanently, and they did. With the new line-up, In Flames then proceeded with a European tour and played their first two shows in Japan. However, by the end of that tour in 1998, Niklas Engelin quit In Flames.

In 1998, to fill the vacant guitarist spot, the band decided to switch Björn Gelotte from his position as drummer to guitarist, and they recruited Daniel Svensson to take over as drummer. That same year, the new line-up recorded the band's fourth studio album, Colony. This album was recorded once again in Studio Fredman and co-produced by Fredrik Nordström. In 1999, Colony was released. Afterwards, In Flames toured Europe, Japan, and played their first show in the United States during the Milwaukee Metal Fest.

In 2000, In Flames recorded and released their fifth studio album, Clayman. This album was recorded once again in Studio Fredman and co-produced by Fredrik Nordström. Afterwards, In Flames did some tours with bands such as Dream Theater, Slipknot, and Testament. In August 2001, In Flames released The Tokyo Showdown, a live album recorded during the Japanese tour in November 2000.

2002–present

In 2002, In Flames recorded and released their sixth studio album, Reroute to Remain. Unlike all previous albums, Reroute to Remain was not recorded in Studio Fredman or produced by Fredrik Nordström. The album was recorded in Dug-Out studio and produced by Daniel Bergstrand. That year the band toured with bands such as Slayer, Soulfly, and Mudvayne.

In 2003, In Flames recorded their seventh studio album, Soundtrack to Your Escape. The majority of the album was recorded in a house that the band rented in Denmark, only the drums were recorded in Dug-Out studio. This album was once again produced by Daniel Bergstrand. In 2004, Soundtrack to Your Escape was released. The ensuing world tour saw the band make their first trip to Australia, where they played to mostly sold out crowds. Afterwards, In Flames toured with bands such as Judas Priest, Mötley Crüe, and Motörhead. In Flames also played on the main stage during Ozzfest 2005.

In 2005, In Flames recorded and self-produced their eighth studio album, Come Clarity, in Dug-Out studio. That same year, In Flames released Used and Abused: In Live We Trust, a box set consisting of material filmed and recorded throughout various live performances during 2004. Also in 2005, In Flames decided to sign with an additional record label so future releases could have better distribution in North America. In 2006, Come Clarity was released in North America through Ferret Music and elsewhere through Nuclear Blast. That same year, In Flames toured with Sepultura, toured on The Unholy Alliance tour, was one of the headliners on the Sounds of The Underground tour, and played on the main stage at Download Festival.

In Flames finished recording their ninth studio album in October 2007 in their own studio, IF Studios, located in Gothenburg, Sweden; originally Studio Fredman. Alongside the recording sessions, the band released studio diaries documenting the recording process.

It has been announced that In Flames will be featured on the Gigantour 3 North American tour with Megadeth, Children of Bodom, Job for a Cowboy, and High on Fire.

On April 4th, 2008, In Flames released their 9th studio album, A Sense of Purpose. The first single from the new album is titled "The Mirror's Truth" which was released in Europe on March 7, 2008.

On January 23rd the band confirmed that they had recorded a video for the upcoming single release of The Mirrors Truth, and posted photos from the video on their official Myspace profile.

In Flames will be performing at Metaltown Festival Graspop Metal Meeting, Nova Rock Festival, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, Gigantour and Download Festival in June 2008.

Melodic death metal

Background

In Flames, along with Dark Tranquillity and At the Gates, pioneered what is now known as melodic death metal. The founding members of all three bands all lived in Gothenburg, Sweden and they were all friends who shared the same musical interests. Eventually, that group of friends branched off into three bands with the same musical direction, In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, and At the Gates.

Jesper Strömblad formed In Flames to write music that combined the guitar style of Iron Maiden with the brutality of death metal, something which Jesper stated he had never heard any band do. In writing songs, Jesper also decided to make use of keyboards, something which is uncommon in death metal. Ever since In Flames' debut studio album, Lunar Strain, the band has made use of keyboards, but has refused to this day to recruit a full-time keyboardist.

Musical style

In Flames' musical style is characterized by the constant use of harmonized lead guitar melodies. In early albums such as The Jester Race, In Flames would many times employ two harmonized lead guitars playing over a rhythm guitar. However, since the band only has two guitar players, they found it hard to reproduce those songs during live performances and ever since Reroute to Remain they have focused on writing songs with the intention of playing them live.

In Flames' vocal style is characterized by the use of growled vocals complemented at times by clean vocals. In more recent albums such as Come Clarity, the band makes more prominent use of clean vocals, especially during choruses. In Flames' lyrics have also varied during their career. In early albums such as The Jester Race and ****acle, In Flames' lyrics focused on astrology, mankind, and other global themes. In later albums such as Soundtrack to Your Escape and Come Clarity, In Flames' lyrics focus more on personal issues, thoughts, and other introspective themes. In Flames have, since the release of Reroute to Remain, started to incorporate many influences from modern metal genres - the later albums have had alternative metal, nu metal and some metalcore influences on them.

Influence

In Flames, being one of the pioneers of a new music genre, have influenced many bands and most notably they were a direct influence on the new wave of metalcore. Many metalcore bands such as Darkest Hour, As I Lay Dying, and Still Remains name In Flames as one of their biggest influences. In Flames is also a direct influence on many of the melodic death metal bands that have followed. Melodic death metal bands such as Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum,Blood Stain Child, and Now Until the Hour name In Flames as one of their biggest influences as well.

Miscellaneous

Awards

In Flames has been awarded three Grammis awards (the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards) to date. In 2005, In Flames won their first Grammis award in the category of Best Hard Rock/Metal Album for Soundtrack to Your Escape. In 2006, In Flames won the Swedish Export Award, their second Grammis award. In Flames was the first metal band to ever win that award and the Swedish economy minister at the time, Thomas Östros, was quoted as saying "Thanks to In Flames, Sweden now have a metal band in the absolute world elite." In 2007, In Flames once again won the category of Best Hard Rock/Metal Album for Come Clarity.

Jester Head

When In Flames was recording their second studio album, The Jester Race, Anders Fridén and Niklas Sundin came up with an idea to create a symbol/mascot for In Flames. The result was the Jester Head. This symbol made its first appearance in the cover artwork of The Jester Race and ever since, the Jester has been featured in various forms somewhere on every studio album that In Flames has released, either as a song title or on the album artwork. The Jester Head is also featured in many of In Flames' merchandise and has been featured in banners as part of In Flames' live set. In anticipation of their ninth studio album, A Sense Of Purpose, an official In Flames fansiteis being launched, featuring the Jester Head as the site's symbol (and domain name).

Members

Current members

Anders Fridén- vocals
Jesper Strömblad- guitar
Björn Gelotte- guitar
Peter Iwers- bass guitar
Daniel Svensson- drums

Former members

Glenn Ljungström- guitar 1993–1997 Quit to support family.
Johan Larsson bass guitar 1993–1997 Unknown
Niklas Engelin guitar 1997–1998 Quit to focus on Gardenian. He now plays guitar for the band Engel.


Discography

Studio albums

* Lunar Strain (1994)
* The Jester Race (1996)
* ****acle (1997)
* Colony (1999)
* Clayman (2000)
* Reroute to Remain (2002)
* Soundtrack to Your Escape (2004)
* Come Clarity (2006)
* A Sense of Purpose (2008)

External links

* Official website- http://www.inflames.com/
* In Flames at MySpace- http://www.myspace.com/inflames

Videos

IN FLAMES - Come Clarity
[youtube]EJojO8gNunI[/youtube]

IN FLAMES - CRAWL THROUGH KNIVES
[youtube]8OubCWNgzgM[/youtube]

In Flames- Take this life
[youtube]3Ul-hqg_iPo[/youtube]

In Flames - Trigger
[youtube]RwbyMKIdTMo[/youtube]

In Flames - The Quiet Place
[youtube]NJGvq_Ap4lY[/youtube]

In Flames- Pinball Map
[youtube]kUpTf7tWabU[/youtube]

In Flames - Cloud Connected
[youtube]Zu3DvBaDAY8[/youtube]

In flames- ordinary story
[youtube]CgipbAdOZkI[/youtube]

In Flames - The Mirror's Truth
[youtube]bcc3p2giBsI[/youtube]

In Flames - Dead End
[youtube]FFUDyrPhyMQ[/youtube]

In Flames - My Sweet Shadow
[youtube]V_bSG6H_DyA[/youtube]

In Flames - Only For The Weak
[youtube]FW6WY-YB7wY[/youtube]

IN FLAMES - REFLECT THE STORM
[youtube]uz1XU5qpjuk[/youtube]

Justin's Take

In Flames is a band I first heard of a couple years back on either a soundtrack or Headbangers Ball CD, I can't remember which, but I remember hearing a few songs of there's on different compilations I had and liking what I heard so I went out and picked up Reroute To Remain while I was out getting so other stuff, and then never really listened to it much and it got lost in the mass disorganization that is my CD collection, until recently, when I was going through my CDs looking for new stuff to throw on my iPod, so I could listen to it at work, I figured what the hell, put it on there and fell in love with all the songs, last weekend I went out and picked up there newest one, A Sense Of Purpose, and really like that one too, though feel it is a bit more directed for mainstream success, but either way it's still pretty good, and I plan on picking up more stuff by these guys, and have heard that their older stuff is even better than the stuff they've put out the last couple years

 

[MattMoses]

Justin, I think this is the first band in your thread that we both agree on. Coincidentally, I'm actually listening to The Jester Race right now, which just happens to be one of the greatest Metal albums I've ever come across.

I'm personally not too keen on their debut, Lunar Strain. Stanne is a decent vocalist, but I prefer Anders overall (not including the later In Flames stuff).

Everything from The Jester Race up until Clayman are awesome albums, packed full of the most memorable melodies, acoustic sections and vocal lines. I'm not really a fan of their stuff after that. They went poppier and Anders sounded like he wanted to be the next Jonathan Davis. They have some decent songs here and there, but it's not really worth wading through the rubbish their later albums are plagued with.

Overall, they're my favourite Melo DM band, simply because of The Jester Race. "December Flower" has possibly one of the greatest guitar solo's of all time.

 

[justinsayne]

Holy Crap, I just shocked that I got a post for this band, I figured nobody even looked at this thread anymore, and then shocked again that MattMoses is the one that responded, and it isn't to proclaim how shit the band is

Like I said I just started recently to really listen to this band, so your post is helpful in my deciding which of their albums to get next, and judgeing from what you're saying Jester Race should be that album, I'll be picking it up real soon

as far as the Jonathan Davis comment, I thought the same thing the first time I heard them, the vocals reminded me of him, and Korn is really the first band I ever really liked from the beginning, so that's probably what initially got my attention, though when I put it on my iPod and was listening to it, it was the music that really go my attention

 

[IrishCanadian25]

I became familiar with In Flames the same way I became familiar with most of Justin's bands - the Freddy vs Jason Soundtrack, which featured Trigger. I was instantly hooked by the heavy cutting guitar and the ability of the band to do the whole "screaming death metal" thing but ALSO be melodic and harmonize. Trigger became a regular in my iPod's rotation, especially at the gym.

As I learned more about them, I became more enthralled by "Cloud Connected" and eventually "My Sweet Shadow." Very consistent songs. Then, I listened to "Only For the Weak" and started being turned off my the band because of the repetitiveness of much of the music. I didn't feel the vocals ever really changed, nor did the band challenge itself in terms of ryhthm or meter. I still like them, I jst got bored.

All in all, this is a fair band. I don't see them EVER having the levels of success as Avenged Sevenfold or Killswitch Engage, but they had a good run in mainstream hardcore, and with SO MANY undergorund hardcore metal bands saturating the scene, that is an accomplishment in itself.

 

[MattMoses]

I was instantly hooked by the heavy cutting guitar and the ability of the band to do the whole "screaming death metal" thing but ALSO be melodic and harmonize.

It's generally regarded as "Melodic Death Metal". The genre came to fruition when Carcass, originally a Grindcore band, drastically changed their style to that of more conventional song structures and more melodies scattered throughout their songs. Their album Heartwork is widely considered the first Melodic Death Metal album, but most people see At The Gates (a fantastic band, I'd highly recommend their album Slaughter of the Soul) and In Flames (The Jester Race era) as the pioneers of the genre.

As I learned more about them, I became more enthralled by "Cloud Connected" and eventually "My Sweet Shadow." Very consistent songs. Then, I listened to "Only For the Weak" and started being turned off my the band because of the repetitiveness of much of the music. I didn't feel the vocals ever really changed, nor did the band challenge itself in terms of ryhthm or meter. I still like them, I jst got bored.

Well, from the songs you've mentioned here, it seems like you may have only listened to their later stuff (please correct me if I'm wrong), which I couldn't agree more about the repetitiveness about their music. Personally, I see later In Flames as a band who progressed from their roots (generally not a bad thing, but I'd say it is in this case), successfully founded a formula, and have been playing the same garbage since.

As I mentioned in a earlier post, The Jester Race is by far, in my eyes, the greatest achievement in the Melodic Death Metal genre. Unlike later In Flames, the album contains growls throughout (aside from the instrumentals, which are beautiful) and much more emphasis on faster-paced melodies and thrashing complex rhythms and some of the most intricate, well-written solo's I have ever come across.

Excuse my rambling, but if you haven't heard The Jester Race, I'd highly recommend giving it a few listens (If you have any trouble finding it, just shoot me a PM).