Justinsayne's Music Asylum

[justinsayne]

This thread is basically a metal/rock band of the week thread (mostly metal), something the music forum really needs IMO, I stole the basic Idea from Shadow and his Wrestler Of The Week thread, this is a good thread to get to know new bands you may never have heard of, and pay tribute to some of the more influential bands in metal history, moving on now to the first band

Lacuna Coil
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lacuna Coil is a metal band from Milan, Italy formed in 1994. Formerly known as Sleep of Right and Ethereal, the band was inspired by gothic imagery and gothic metal music, and the members have been known, musically, for composing midtempo songs consisting of guitar lines overlaid with prominent keyboard work, and contrasting dual female/male vocal harmonies to help create a melodic detached sound.

Much of the band's recent material, however, sees a more down-tuned style, featuring a more distinct bass line and a higher mixing of the guitars within the songs. According to the band, they are and have been influenced by Paradise Lost, Tiamat, Anathema, Septic Flesh, Black Sabbath, Type O Negative, Imago Mortis, Depeche Mode, In Flames and Amorphis amongst others. They have played among the world's biggest heavy metal festivals on the main stage including Ozzfest, Bloodstock Open Air, Wacken Open Air, and are scheduled to play with Megadeth on their Gigantour tour this November. The band's 2006 release, Karmacode peaked at number 28 on the Billboard 200.

Biography

Andrea and Marco formed Sleep of Right, but soon changed their name to Ethereal, and signed to Century Media at the end of 1997.Finding that the name Ethereal was already taken, they changed their name to Lacuna Coil, which means empty spiral.

The band consisted at that point of co-vocalists Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro with bassist/keyboardist Marco Coti Zelati. The band recorded a self-titled EP released in 1998, and went on tour supporting label-mates Moonspell. The band was accompanied for this tour by guitarist Cristiano Migliore and drummer Cristiano Mozzati.

Following a second European tour, the band recorded their debut full-length album, In a Reverie, and added second guitarist Marco Biazzi. The band supported the album with another European tour, co-headlining with Skyclad.

Following another EP in the form of "Half-Life" in 2000, and album entitled "Unleashed Memories" in 2001, the band released Comalies in 2002, an album which received acclaim and rave reviews from certain corners of the metal world. Over a year later, the first single from this album, Heaven's a Lie, began to receive radio and media attention and pulled the band into the mainstream. The second single, Swamped, was played in heavy rotation, and was used in the video game "Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines", both in one of the game's fictitious clubs and along with the game's endgame credits. Music videos were filmed for both songs and broadcast on MTV2's Headbanger's Ball.


By 2004, Comalies had become the best-selling CD in Century Media's history. The band appeared at Ozzfest in between headlining club tours in America and Europe.

In an effort to best take advantage of Lacuna Coil's ascendant popularity, the band and label postponed the release of their highly-anticipated follow up to Comalies, Karmacode, to early 2006. According to the band's website, this made it possible for more time to be spent on production while also avoiding the crowded summer 2005 release schedule for metal albums. On December 23, 2005 the band announced via their official web site that all recording, mixing, and mastering had been finished and that Karmacode is complete. It was then announced that Karmacode would be released in USA on April 4, 2006. One of its tracks, "Our Truth", is the first single (and video) and is featured as well on the soundtrack of the movie Underworld: Evolution in stores on January 10, 2006. The video has had rotation on MTV.

During their 2005 European Tour, Lacuna Coil performed two new songs (working titles "A2" and "Antonio") at selected concerts. "Our Truth" is one of these songs, tentatively referred to at the time as "Antonio", while the song "A2" has been renamed to "Fragile", and is the opening track on Karmacode.

Karmacode debuted at #28 on the Billboard Charts. It received critical acclaim from music critics and magazines. Corresponding with the release of the new album, Lacuna Coil went on tour with Rob Zombie throughout North America in early 2006 also making an appearance at Ozzfest 2006 on the main stage. The band also played at the 2006 Download Festival, a three-day festival in England's Donington Park which was headlined by Metallica, Tool, and Guns N' Roses. They are also scheduled to play one night in the UK at Sheffield Corporation on October 17th. This December, Lacuna Coil will be teaming up with In Flames for a US Tour, though they are currently on board the Blackest of the Black 2006 tour with headlining act Danzig, and bands like Asesino, Belphegor, and The Haunted

In March 2007, Lacuna Coil joined Stone Sour and Shadows Fall on the Jägermeister Music Tour. In May, they toured the US with Within Temptation and The Gathering on the The Hottest Chicks in Metal Tour 2007.

Departing from the original tour dates, Lacuna Coil made a stop in Raleigh, North Carolina in early April to play with area bands Wounded Soul and Blatant Disarray, and with Shadows Fall. They again departed from the tour schedule in Albuquerque, New Mexico in late April and played at the Sunshine Theater with Stolen Babies, Beneath the Sky and Shadows Fall.

In October of 2007 Lacuna Coil will play for the first time in their career in Japan during the Loudpark Festival 07 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama City.

In November they joined with Megadeth, Devildriver, Static-X and Bring Me The Horizon for the Australian Gigantour.

Their song "Closer" is featured as a bonus song in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

Lacuna Coil are currently working on their follow-up to Karmacode.

Members

* Cristina Scabbia - Female vocals (Contralto) (guest in Rezophonic, guest in Megadeth, guest in Apocalyptica)
* Andrea Ferro - Male vocals (Tenor)
* Cristiano "Pizza" Migliore - Guitar
* Marco "Maus" Biazzi - Guitar (guest in Rezophonic)
* Marco Coti Zelati - Bass guitar and keyboards
* Cristiano "Criz" Mozzati - Drums and percussion

Former members

* Raffaele Zagaria - Guitar (Cayne)
* Claudio Leo - Guitar (Cayne)
* Leonardo Forti - Drums and percussion

Live players

* Steve Minelli - Guitar (March/April 1998) (ex-Node, ex-Death SS)
* Alice Chiarelli - Keyboards (March/April 1998) (Alice in Darkland)

Discography

Main article: Lacuna Coil discography

Albums and EPs

1996 Ethereal (demo)
1998 Lacuna Coil (EP)
1999 In a Reverie
2000 Halflife (EP)
2001 Unleashed Memories
2002 Comalies
2006 Karmacode

Singles

2002 "Heaven's a Lie"
2004 "Swamped"
2006 "Our Truth"
"Enjoy the Silence"
"Closer"
2007 "Within Me"


External links

* Official website- http://www.lacunacoil.it/
* Lacuna Coil at MySpace- http://www.myspace.com/lacunacoil
* Karmacode- http://www.thekarmacode.com/main/

Videos

Lacuna Coil - Heaven's A Lie
[youtube]ixxtnrWb17Y[/youtube]

LACUNA COIL - Enjoy the Silence
[youtube]Lx58hXh4pVA[/youtube]

LACUNA COIL - Closer
[youtube]b6gFJogLJ_g[/youtube]

LACUNA COIL - Within Me
[youtube]rGSgOF020C8[/youtube]

Lacuna Coil - Swamped
[youtube]Ly9E30Hc5pg[/youtube]

LACUNA COIL - Our Truth
[youtube]nDaDtHMgVxM[/youtube]

Justin's Take

Lacuna Coil, great band, I can't even begin to explain how great I think their stuff is, they just seem to balance everything out very well, and with Cristina Scabbia's voice, which is about as perfect as you can get, I think this band should go far, I would love to see them live someday, as I've heard that Cristina sounds just as good live as she does on the albums, in other words, she doesn't need any of the post production crap to make her voice sound so great, she's just that good, I can't wait for the follow up to Karmacode, since both Karmacode and Comalies were both great albums that have seen a lot of time in my CD player, they are simply a great band that has yet to recieve the mainstream attention they deserve

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Welcome back Music Asylum!!!

Lacuna Coil is another underknown, underrated band. Cristina Scabbia tends to be overshadowed by counterpart female vocalist Amy Lee from Evanescence. The music is complete - very full and rich. I wouldn't mind hearing them team up with the lead singer of Type O Negative to see what could be cooked up.

Heaven's a Lie is the song that got me into them, and I always said what excellent entrance music it would make for a women's wrestler.

 

[justinsayne]

Welcome back Music Asylum!!!

Lacuna Coil is another underknown, underrated band. Cristina Scabbia tends to be overshadowed by counterpart female vocalist Amy Lee from Evanescence.

There have been rumors that Evanescence basically stole Lacuna Coils sound, though I don't know how true that can be since both bands came out around the same time, personally I think Cristina is the better singer between her and Amy Lee, not taking anything away from Amy, she's a good singer herself, but Cristina is just so much better

The music is complete - very full and rich. I wouldn't mind hearing them team up with the lead singer of Type O Negative to see what could be cooked up.

I've alway felt the music had a beautiful eerieness to it, I was trying to think of what words would best describe it when writing my take on the band, and couldn't come up with the words until just now, and I would definitely say those words are the best way to describe their sound

Heaven's a Lie is the song that got me into them, and I always said what excellent entrance music it would make for a women's wrestler.

I never really thought of that but yeah it would, aswell as songs like Enjoy The Silence and Our Truth, both those would make great music for a wrestler, I was thinking those songs would work great with someone like Beth Phoenix, I think their may be a women's wrestler in the indy scene who does use a Lacuna Coil song for her music, I beleive I seen a women's match on an ROH DVD where one of the women used a Lacuna Coil song, can't remember for sure though

 

[Disasterpiece]

Heaven's a Lie is the song that got me into them, and I always said what excellent entrance music it would make for a women's wrestler.

Dude!

Heaven's a Lie is an amazing tune. I noticed them on the first edition on the Headbangers ball CD that Mtv released. That was one of my favorite tunes on the CD. However I don't like the message of the song, "heaven is a lie" . . . I'm a christian and don't like music with anti-christ lyrics. Maybe im wrong though. I believe they were around before evanescence. It doesn't seem like Amy Lee has been around for to long. The fact that they have a GORGEOUS singer might have helped out bring in some more fans as well. What kind of a guy doesn't like gazing at a stunning siren letting out her vocals?

 

[TheOneBigWill]

I'm in agreement that Lacuna Coil is a great band. A lot of people will mistakenly get them confused as a "cover band" or "rip-off" band from that of Evanescence.

As I've said before, I think the general misconception is what Irish has already said as well. Too many people get the lead singer of Lacuna Coil confused with Amy Lee, & thus since Evanescence isn't an "underground" band.. they get the glory, while Lacuna Coil gets stuck with being called "copying."

In all actuality, (& I could be wrong) I think Lacuna Coil was around long before Amy Lee & Evanescence, so therefore if anything Evanescence should be considered the cover band.

Out of all their songs, "Heaven's A Lie" & "Swamped" are my two favorite. I went out & bought the Comalies album because of it. Just out of curiousity, is Lacuna Coil even still around anymore? They had a small burst of stardom on Mtv for the two aformentioned songs (that I like) but then disappeared (apparently) again.

 

[justinsayne]

Dude!

Heaven's a Lie is an amazing tune. I noticed them on the first edition on the Headbangers ball CD that Mtv released. That was one of my favorite tunes on the CD. However I don't like the message of the song, "heaven is a lie" . . . I'm a christian and don't like music with anti-christ lyrics. Maybe im wrong though. I believe they were around before evanescence. It doesn't seem like Amy Lee has been around for to long. The fact that they have a GORGEOUS singer might have helped out bring in some more fans as well. What kind of a guy doesn't like gazing at a stunning siren letting out her vocals?

Well, I don't think they were trying to be anti-christian in there lyrics, I think it depends on how you interpret the lyrics, I've always thought that she was singing the song from the view point of a person in a bad relationship, particulary due the the lyric "...your heaven's a lie", that's how I've always interpreted it, though I could be wrong, after all I didn't write the song

 

[justinsayne]

I'm in agreement that Lacuna Coil is a great band. A lot of people will mistakenly get them confused as a "cover band" or "rip-off" band from that of Evanescence.

As I've said before, I think the general misconception is what Irish has already said as well. Too many people get the lead singer of Lacuna Coil confused with Amy Lee, & thus since Evanescence isn't an "underground" band.. they get the glory, while Lacuna Coil gets stuck with being called "copying."

In all actuality, (& I could be wrong) I think Lacuna Coil was around long before Amy Lee & Evanescence, so therefore if anything Evanescence should be considered the cover band.

Out of all their songs, "Heaven's A Lie" & "Swamped" are my two favorite. I went out & bought the Comalies album because of it. Just out of curiousity, is Lacuna Coil even still around anymore? They had a small burst of stardom on Mtv for the two aformentioned songs (that I like) but then disappeared (apparently) again.

I beleive both bands came out around the same time, Evanescence just hit it big first, IMO Lacuna Coil is the more talented of the two bands as I've said before

Yes they are still together, they just finished a huge tour with Megadeth, Static-X, and DevilDriver, and are now working on there next album, which I'm betting will be good, since both Comalies, and Karmacode were great

 

[IrishCanadian25]

It also bears mentioning, DIsasterpeice, that there is a massive difference between "anti-Christian" lyrics and Agnostic lyrics or lyrics that question faith rather than refute it. Somebody in great pain believing there was no heaven is not nessecarily anti-Christian. They may not be anti-anything.

I also discovered Lacuna Coil off of the Headbangers Ball CD- that CD introduced me to some bands I follow heavily today, especially Breaking Benjamins.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

I also discovered Lacuna Coil off of the Headbangers Ball CD- that CD introduced me to some bands I follow heavily today, especially Breaking Benjamins.

I definately think Breaking Benjamin should be the next band featured! Their first original single "Polyamorous" (I think) I honestly didn't like, but I never gave it a chance. I love it now, in fact there hasn't been a single Breaking Benjamin song I haven't enjoyed completely!

Therefore, I completely hope the next band featured or at some point soon, will be them.

 

[RVDgurl]

Yes!!!!!!....The Music Asylum!!! Justin, you always do me proud- I love you! Another one of my favorite bands. I love the harmonies and I think the male/female vocals are just so fresh and innovative for a metal band. They are heavy, but still have the strings and softer tones to their music. I have seen them twice live and they put on one hell of a show.

 

[justinsayne]

Static-X
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Static-X is an industrial metal band from Los Angeles, California, USA. Formed in 1994, they are signed to Warner Bros. Records and have released five albums, their most recent being Cannibal, which was released on April 3, 2007.

The band rose to fame with their debut album Wisconsin Death Trip, which went platinum in 2001. However, this is the only album they have released to date that has reached such sales level. Their sound incorporates elements of industrial music and heavy metal in a sub-genre called industrial metal.

Static-X has released five studio albums, one compilation album, one EP, twelve singles and twelve videos. They recorded a DVD entitled Where the Hell Are We and What Day Is It... This Is Static-X, but it was never released due to a threatened lawsuit by Sharon Osbourne over tracks recorded at Ozzfest.


Biography

The beginning and debut - Wisconsin Death Trip (1994-2000)


Static-X was formed in 1994 from the ashes of Wayne Static and Ken Jay's former band, Deep Blue Dream. Wayne and Ken originally met at the Chicago record store where Jay worked and were introduced to one another by Smashing Pumpkins vocalist Billy Corgan (the band also shared a rehearsal space with Smashing Pumpkins for a time). Once Deep Blue Dream folded, Static and Jay moved to Los Angeles to search for new band members. There, they met bassist Tony Campos and guitarist Koichi Fukuda, completing the band's original lineup.

Static-X signed with Warner Bros. Records in early 1998, and released their debut album, Wisconsin Death Trip, on March 23, 1999. Soon after, they released their first single "Push It", followed by "I'm with Stupid" and "Bled for Days" in 2000. Static-X toured strictly in support of the album and twice performed on Ozzfest. In the following year a promotional EP, The Death Trip Continues, was released, however this album was not available in stores. . In 2001, Wisconsin Death Trip went platinum and is, to date, Static-X's only album to reach this success.

The band has contributed numerous tracks from this album to video game soundtracks and for other promotional applications. The song "Otsegolation" was used in the PlayStation video game, Omega Boost, where it is featured in the main menu and the final boss sequence. The song "Push It" was included in the games Street Skater 2 and Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes, both also for the PlayStation gaming console. An instrumental of "Love Dump" was used as the entrance music for the professional wrestler Kronik in World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. This version was later used by Steven Richards.

Machine - Shadow Zone (2001-2003)

After recording their follow-up album Machine, Koichi Fukuda left the band to spend time with his family and pursue other musical opportunities. As Fukuda's replacement, former Dope member Tripp Eisen stepped in. Machine was released May 22, 2001 to major success, and shortly after, Static-X began work on their third album, Shadow Zone, this time with Eisen performing and writing on the album. However, before they could start recording, Ken Jay left the band due to musical and political differences. To drum on the album, Josh Freese of A Perfect Circle and The Vandals was brought in. Later, Nick Oshiro, formerly of Seether, was selected as Jay's replacement and the band's permanent drummer.

During production of the album, Jonathan Davis of Korn contacted Wayne Static to record the vocals for a song he wrote for the Queen of the Damned soundtrack, entitled "Not Meant for Me". Shadow Zone was later released on October 7, 2003. Static-X continued their affiliation with video game soundtracks: "This Is Not" from Machine, was included in the video game Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder; "The Only" from Shadow Zone was featured on the soundtrack of Need for Speed: Underground, while "Start a War" was included in the video game WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006.


Beneath, Between, Beyond - Start A War (2004-2006)

July 20, 2004 saw the release of Beneath... Between... Beyond..., a collection of rarities and demos. Due to the release, rumors popped up saying Static-X would be breaking up due to declining record sales. However, shortly after the release of Beneath... Between... Beyond..., the band commenced work on their fourth studio album, Start a War. On February, 2005, Tripp Eisen was arrested in a sex scandal involving minors, and was therefore fired from Static-X. Former guitarist Koichi Fukuda, who had been providing samples and keyboards for the new album, rejoined Static-X to fill the gap left by Eisen. Start a War was finally released on June 14, 2005. "I'm the One" and "Dirthouse" were released as singles from the album. The song "Skinnyman" is included in the soundtrack of the famous 2005 street racing game Need For Speed: Most Wanted.

Cannibal and beyond (2007-present)

Cannibal, released on April 3, 2007, marked the studio return of their original guitarist, Koichi Fukuda. One of the new tracks called "No Submission" is available on the Saw III soundtrack. The full track has also been released on Static-X's MySpace page. "Cannibal" was released as a digital download single at iTunes. "Destroyer" was released as a lead off radio single, before the album's was released. Videos for the singles were supposed to be taken at the same time.

On March 20 the upcoming album was preceded with an exclusive Destroyer EP. The video for "Destroyer" has also been produced and is available now at headbangersball.com. The album itself debuted at #36 in the U.S. with sales of over 30,000.

On May 10, 2007 it was announced that the band will be playing on the main stage at Ozzfest 2007. Additionally, in a recent interview, Wayne Static announced his side-project called "Pighammer".

The band will begin their sixth studio album in December after returning from the Operation Annihilation tour in Australia.

In November 2007, Tony Campos joined legendary industrial act Ministry.


Related artists and influences

Static-X cite Ministry, Prong, Pantera and Type O Negative as major musical influences. They are frequently linked to these bands by fans and critics, along with others such as White Zombie, Nine Inch Nails, Fear Factory, Danzig, and Coal Chamber. Though they have described their music as "evil disco", "death disco" and "rhythmic trancecore", Static-X's sound shares much in common with their industrial metal influences, using heavy overdrive distortion, electronic keyboard, pounding bass riffs, and fast-paced, angry vocals. Songs generally apply heavy use of synthesizers and insertion of samples, such as snippets of movie dialogue. For example, A Dios Alma Perdida samples spaceship drone sound effects and alien chatter from the film Laserblast. A present element in their Cannibal album is the presence of guitar solos, that weren't present in the previous albums, except for briefly on the album 'Start a war' in the song 'Pieces'.

The Otsego songs

There is a version of the title "Otsego" on the first four albums: "Otsegolation", "Otsego Undead", "Otsegolectric" and "Otsego Amigo". The track "Otsego Undead" is misspelled on the Dracula 2000 soundtrack, and was printed as "Ostego Undead". An explanation for the "Otsego" tracks was given in a 2003 interview with Metal Edge Magazine, where Wayne Static said:

“Otsego is a town near where I went to college at Michigan (Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo), and it was kind of a depressing, small town. There was a guy named Dean there, and I had his fake ID.”


Members

Current members

* Wayne Static - Vocals, Guitars, Programming, Keyboards (1994-present)
* Tony Campos - Bass, Backing Vocals (1994-present)
* Koichi Fukuda - Lead Guitar, Programming (1994-2000; 2005-present)
* Nick Oshiro - Drums (2003-present)

Former members

* Ken Jay - Drums (1994-2002) (left due to "musical differences")
* Tripp Eisen - Lead guitar (2000-2005) (fired due to two sex scandals involving underage girls)

Session members

* Marty O'Brien - Bass (2001) (live fill in)
* Josh Freese - Drums (2003) (during Shadow Zone sessions)
* Will Hunt - Drums (2007) (live fill in)
* Bevan Davies - Drums (2007) (live fill in)

Discography

Studio albums

1999 Wisconsin Death Trip
2001 Machine
2003 Shadow Zone
2005 Start a War
2007 Cannibal

Cameos/appearances

* In the early episode's of the TV series My Parents Are Aliens, there is a poster of Wayne above Mel's bed.

* In an episode of the TV series The Worst Witch, you can see a poster of the Machine album in a bedroom.

* In the movie House of the Dead 2, a Static-X poster can be seen on the wall behind the door in the dorm room where the two female AMS officers confront Griffin.

* Wayne can be seen performing in the The X-Ecutioners video It's Goin Down.

* Static-X appeared and performed The Only off of Shadow Zone on an episode of Monster Garage.

* Static-X performed their single "The Only" on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live.

* Static-X performed their song "Cold" on an episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

* Wayne can be seen in the beginning of the music video for "Rebirth of the Temple" by Silent Civilian.


External links

* Official website- http://www.static-x.com/
* Static-X at MySpace- http://www.myspace.com/staticx
* Static-X at Last.fm- http://www.last.fm/music/Static-X

Videos

Static-X - Cold
[youtube]0RK_4siHF4M[/youtube]

Static-X - Push It
[youtube]2jXmJETaFpM[/youtube]

Static-X - Destroyer
[youtube]eWdA1DKfbwo[/youtube]

Static-X - Cannibal
[youtube]MhbsrJrSFp8[/youtube]

Static-X The Only
[youtube]847vfNY-L1s[/youtube]

Static-X - This Is Not
[youtube]N1iRIJAH6-s[/youtube]

Static-X - I'm With Stupid (Full Length Video)
[youtube]OZveEyg_GmQ[/youtube]

Static-X - I'm The One
[youtube]OHd97VCSpY4[/youtube]

Static-X - Dirthouse
[youtube]ya7IYYkWZQU[/youtube]

Static-X - So
[youtube]LkPmW34QvKc[/youtube]

STATIC-X - The Trance Is The Motion (Live)
[youtube]DJ80ToCaDC4[/youtube]

Justin's Take

Static-X has been one of those bands I've followed since pretty much the beginning, when Wisconsin Death Trip came out, growing up in Wisconsin when the album came out, you can imagine it grabbed a lot of attention from the local rock station and ever since I heard that first song by them I was hooked, they are another one of those underrated bands who's members don't get nearly enough credit for what they do, Wayne Satitc dishes out some great vocals, and I don't know how he does it and is able to talk the next day, then you got Tony Campos playing bass and doing the backup vocals and not ever getting credit for how big of a peice of the band he actually is, moving onto Koichi Fukada, this guy does shit with that guitar that is simply put incredible, you can really notice how much of an influence he has on this band by how great Death Trip was, and then when he left Machine and Shadow Zone came out and were good but when Tripp got fired and Koichi came back the band sounded complete again, and the songs sounded faster a fiercer than ever, listen to Start A War & Cannibal and you'll see what I mean, now finally onto the drummer, Nick Orshiro, when I bought Start A War it came with a bonus DVD on that DVD it shows Nick recording his drum parts, and just watching him record the drums for Brainfog, was fucking amazing, just seeing how fast he had to play and everything really blew me away and it showed how good he really is, Static-X is one those bands that will go down as one of my all time favorites, I've seen these guys twice, and both times they were incredible live, two of the best shows I've ever seen, and I can't wait to see them again, Static-X is truly a great fucking band!!!

 

[Hyorinmaru]

I love both the bands so far. Static X is one of my favorites of all time. My favorite Stati c X song is this one:

http://http://youtube.com/watch?v=uZso19FJLK8
Ostego Undead

Another metal band i like is called Raise Hell a death Metal band from Sweden. They have great guitar work although they aren't very good live.

Keep up the great work.

 

[Meilichia]

Great choice in bands, Lacuna Coil is one of my all time favourite bands, I have never heard a bad album or song from them for that matter, and Static X have some great songs too. Great choices so far!

 

[TheOneBigWill]

I wasn't honestly a fan of Static X to begin with, because I always thought their music was too "hardcore" for me to ever like. But I love the songs "Push It" & "Cold." I actually love more than just that, but for whatever reason when I first heard them.. I couldn't get beyond the point of thinking it was just mindless crap. And now I love listening to them, especially when I'm in a bad mood. Metal always has a way of making anger seem easier.

What are the chances of getting some Spineshank in here soon?

 

[justinsayne]

I wasn't honestly a fan of Static X to begin with, because I always thought their music was too "hardcore" for me to ever like. But I love the songs "Push It" & "Cold." I actually love more than just that, but for whatever reason when I first heard them.. I couldn't get beyond the point of thinking it was just mindless crap. And now I love listening to them, especially when I'm in a bad mood. Metal always has a way of making anger seem easier.

If you like songs like Cold, than you should listen to the song So, that is one of my current favorite songs by them, and it's a great video as well, some of my all-time favorite songs by them would include Love Dump, Push It, Brainfog, Wisconsin Death Trip, Black & White, I'm The One, So, and Cannibal, I like all their songs but those would probably be my favs

Speaking of which I've always thought that I'm The One would make great entrance music for a wrestler, listen to the song and you'll see what I mean

I agree with the whole listen toi metal when you're anger, and it making things easier, that's often what I do when I get angry, I pull out the heaviest shit I can find and just let it go

What are the chances of getting some Spineshank in here soon?

Well, I useally pick the bands based off of who I'm listening to at the time, in most caes I really don't know what bands I'm going to do for that week until Friday night or Saturday rolls around and it's time to update the thread, but I'll definitely be keeping Spineshank in mind for somewhere down the road

 

[TheOneBigWill]

If you like songs like Cold, than you should listen to the song So, that is one of my current favorite songs by them, and it's a great video as well, some of my all-time favorite songs by them would include Love Dump, Push It, Brainfog, Wisconsin Death Trip, Black & White, I'm The One, So, and Cannibal, I like all their songs but those would probably be my favs

After listening to half of the songs you have previewed here.. I really can't understand why I didn't originally like them. I think thats weird, but at the same time it kinda has the Slipknot feel to it.

What I mean by that is, I hated them at first too, because it was a lot of yelling without any meaning to me. Then, I started loving selective songs, because not all of them were yelling.

Static X, however, doesn't seem to be that type of group/band at all though. So its hard for me to understand now, why I thought that then. I also liked the song "So" (just listened to it)

Speaking of which I've always thought that I'm The One would make great entrance music for a wrestler, listen to the song and you'll see what I mean

I've actually heard that song before, as it regards a wrestlers theme. It wasn't used by a naturally known guy, but in Northern Iowa there was a wrestling indy circuit & one of the guys had that song as his theme. (I had to listen to it to make sure, because I didn't know the song or the artist.. but I know that song after listening to it) So all in all, I agree that it could be a theme song.

I agree with the whole listen toi metal when you're anger, and it making things easier, that's often what I do when I get angry, I pull out the heaviest shit I can find and just let it go

I've always been a sap for listening to heartbreaking songs when I'm upset, so it seems nature to listen to heavy metal & hard rock when I'm pissed off.

Well, I useally pick the bands based off of who I'm listening to at the time, in most caes I really don't know what bands I'm going to do for that week until Friday night or Saturday rolls around and it's time to update the thread, but I'll definitely be keeping Spineshank in mind for somewhere down the road

I was introduced to Spineshank around 2001, I think.. I have loved listening to everything I've heard since.

 

[justinsayne]

Flaw (band)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Flaw is an alternative metal/hard rock music group from Louisville, Kentucky. The band was formed by guitarist Jason Daunt in 1995.

Band history

1995-2004

Flaw was formed in 1995 when vocalist Chris Volz answered an ad in a local paper placed by guitarist Jason Daunt, looking for a singer for an alternative/industrial band. The band's rhythm section progressed through several line-ups but solidified with the addition of bassist Ryan Jurhs in 1996. That same year the band recorded their first independent record American Arrogance.

Because they were low on money, the band ordered everything they needed to record from the Musician's Friend catalog, then returned it using the 30-day return policy. Their album gave them the opportunity to open for acts including Fear Factory and Econoline Crush. A local radio station, The Fox, broadcasted the songs from Flaw's indie disc, giving them further notoriety.

Two more independent records, 1998's self titled album Flaw and 2000's Drama were later produced. Flaw then signed to Universal/Republic Records in 2000, and proceeded to release their debut album, Through the Eyes in 2001. The album eventually topped the Billboard Heatseekers Chart, due to moderate playback of their music videos "Payback" and "Whole" on MTV2 and rock radio stations. In 2002, the band played at Ozzfest.

In 2004, after three years without releasing a new album, Flaw returned to the studio to begin recording their second studio album, Endangered Species. The band had parted ways with guitarist Jason Daunt and drummer Chris Ballinger, and the new line-up caused controversy amongst fans. The first and only single released from Endangered Species was "Recognize" and it received little amount of radio play. A music video was supposed to be filmed for the single but it never happened.

Endangered Species debuted at #42 on the Billboard Top 200, selling 3 copies in its first week. The album received mixed reviews from fans, partly due to the softer nature of the album when compared to the debut album, Through the Eyes. Flaw was soon dropped by Universal Records after failing to sell 500,000 copies of both their albums, and eventually disbanded.

Breakup and post-breakup projects (2004-2006)

Flaw was dropped by their label Universal Records in late 2004 and eventually broke up after. The band's final days left many angry fans venting on the band's message board. The band had scheduled a few shows within their surrounding states, and when the break-up news began to circulate, no one from the band stepped forward to confirm or deny it. Several fans drove hundreds of miles to see the shows only to be told by club managers that the band unexpectedly canceled without notice. The group's website had, at the time, still displayed a notice which read "Flaw is still playing".

After Flaw broke up, Chris Volz eventually started up an entirely new band with drummer Ivan Arnold who had played with Flaw from 1998 to 2000. The new band, Five Bolt Main, signed with Rock Ridge Records and released two albums before disbanding. He now has a solo album, Redemption, which was released on September 11, 2007.

After leaving Flaw, Jason Daunt played in another Louisville band called "Into Another", as well as going back to school for a law degree. Chris Ballinger played in small bands before regrouping with Jason Daunt and Chris Volz to reform Flaw. Lance Arny began playing guitar for a band called "Nail Gun Strategy" in Louisville after Flaw broke up but has now rejoined Flaw.

Micah Havertape is currently playing with Black Market Hero alongside ex-40 Below Summer members. Ryan Juhrs was also playing in BMH but recently left the group, the band's guitarist stated that he would be "very surprised" if Ryan re-joined Flaw.

Flaw reunion (2006-present)

According to the Flaw fansite, flawfans.com, Flaw has reunited with three of the founding members: Chris Volz, Jason Daunt and Chris Ballinger. The trio are apparently working on new material and planning new tour dates. This has also been confirmed on the Five.Bolt.Main forums by Jason Daunt.

According to the bands official myspace, Lance Arny has also rejoined the band. There is a video of the band in the studio recording their new album, available on Youtube and the band's Myspace. Former Darwin's Waiting Room/Five.Bolt.Main/Alston bassist Alex Cando has joined the band as the new bass player. The band recently did an interview with All Knowing Force that caused some 40 Below Summer/Black Market Hero fans to be angry with some of Chris Volz's comments.

On March 11, 2007, at Headliner's Music Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, the band played its first show since their break up. They played the show with Powerman 5000. The band has also announced that they hope to release an album in Summer/Fall 2007 and are currently trying to find the right record company to sign with. There are two tracks off the CD which are known called "Do You Remember" and "Inside".

During the most recent live shows, Jason Daunt has only been able to make a couple of the shows due to his work as a full-time lawyer. For all the shows Jason is unable to make, Andy from Lance Arny's other band, Nailgun Strategy, performs in Jason's place.

Alex left sometime in mid-2007 and is now playing bass for the Illinois band Silence Is Broken.

"Through The Eyes" lineup

* Chris Volz – vocals
* Lance Arny – guitar
* Jason Daunt – guitar
* Ryan Jurhs – bass, backing vocals
* Chris Ballinger – drums

Endangered Species line-up

* Chris Volz – vocals
* Lance Arny – guitar
* Ryan Jurhs – bass, backing vocals
* Micah Havertape – drums

Reunion line-up

* Chris Volz – vocals
* Lance Arny – guitar
* Jason Daunt – guitar
* Van Avery - Bass (before Alex Cando)
* Alex Cando – bass
* Chris Ballinger – drums

Current Lineup

* Chris Volz – vocals
* Lance Arny – guitar
* Jason Daunt – guitar
* Andy Russ – bass/guitar (when Jason is busy)
* Chris Ballinger – drums

Discography

American Arrogance 1997
Flaw 1998
Drama 2000
Through the Eyes October 30, 2001
Endangered Species May 4, 2004

Singles

2001 "Payback"
2001 "Only the Strong"
2002 "Whole"
2004 "Recognize"

External links

* Flaw - official website (no longer updated)- http://www.flaw.com/main.html
* Flaw - official myspace- http://www.myspace.com/flaw
* Chris Volz - official website- http://www.chrisvolz.com/

Videos

flaw-payback
[youtube]V4UcDh3EvMQ[/youtube]

Flaw - Whole
Apparently this video wasn't working right on here, but works fine on Youtube, so here's the link to it- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbCdjrj0DYk&feature=related

Flaw - Best I Am (through the eyes)
[youtube]vmcsQ8plFCw[/youtube]

Flaw-Only the strong
[youtube]JUcJ4EHPKes[/youtube]

Live

FLAW - My Letter (live)
[youtube]RtX8nNfAOVQ[/youtube]

FLAW - Get Up Again (live)
[youtube]pyOBxmyzL3o[/youtube]

FLAW - Amendment (live)
[youtube]KX15MP952BE[/youtube]

Justin's Take

I have a feeling this is a band very few people here have heard of, and sadly this band will probably not get a lot of posts, but anyway, I first heard of this band when I bought Rob Zombie's Sinister Urge CD, with that CD came a another sampler mixed CD, and Flaw was one of the bands on that CD with the Song Payback, I heard that song and was hooked, as soon as I was able to find it I bought their first CD, Through The Eyes, anyone who has ever heard it knows that this band is extremely underrated, and deserve more mainstream exposure, they have everything it takes to be on top, they are one of those bands that's has always been able to get through the rough shit in my life, My Letter, Only The Strong, & Amendment, are the three songs that have always stood out to me, I highly suggest going out and picking up there stuff, they are just that good

 

[TheOneBigWill]

I was completely unaware that Flaw was around since 1995, see thats why I am beginning to love the crap out of this thread.. because thus far, I've become amazed with what I've learned about all 3 bands that have been brought up thus far.

I honestly didn't get into Flaw until 2001. "Payback" was the first song I truly loved by them, & the "Whole." I think both of those songs were nationally released through air-waves as well, so that could be why I liked them.

I swear they were on a couple soundtracks for the Scorpion King or Triple X movies.. not sure if either of the songs I just mentioned were what was on either soundtrack.

Overall, I guess I'm not hugely into Flaw, since some of those other songs didn't really impress me. I'll always love "Payback" as my main favorite by them though. (Guess I don't have anything else to say)

Also, "Whole" isn't working.. so here's another video for it.
[youtube]qbCdjrj0DYk[/youtube]

 

[justinsayne]

I was completely unaware that Flaw was around since 1995, see thats why I am beginning to love the crap out of this thread.. because thus far, I've become amazed with what I've learned about all 3 bands that have been brought up thus far.

See that's one of the things I hope to accomplish with this thread, to educate people on these bands and hopefully introduce them to some new bands and pay tribute to other established bands that everyone knows

I honestly didn't get into Flaw until 2001. "Payback" was the first song I truly loved by them, & the "Whole." I think both of those songs were nationally released through air-waves as well, so that could be why I liked them.

I swear they were on a couple soundtracks for the Scorpion King or Triple X movies.. not sure if either of the songs I just mentioned were what was on either soundtrack.

I'm pretty sure they're on the scorpion King soundtrack, I have that one, not sure about the Triple X soundtrack though, since I don'y have it and have never listen to it

Overall, I guess I'm not hugely into Flaw, since some of those other songs didn't really impress me. I'll always love "Payback" as my main favorite by them though. (Guess I don't have anything else to say)

Really?, I'd think you'd be more into them right now for some reason, did you just go through the videos or did you check out the links too, they didn't have alot of videos so I did the best with what I could find, they have more songs on there Myspace page, so you should check that out too if you haven't

Also, "Whole" isn't working.. so here's another video for it.
[youtube]qbCdjrj0DYk[/youtube]

Yeah, thanks for the heads up, the one you posted was actually the same one I had, for some reason it works over on Youtube, but doesn't when posted on here, can't figure out why, but I just posted the link for it instead

 

[justinsayne]

Korn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Korn, sometimes typeset as KoЯn, is a band from Bakersfield, California, and are credited with creating and popularizing the nu metal genre. Along with other bands at the time, they have also inspired many nu metal and alternative metal bands throughout the mid 1990s and early 2000s.

The band's catalogue consists of nine consecutive debuts in the top ten of the Billboard 200, including a compilation album, Greatest Hits Vol.1, and their untitled eighth album, released on July 31, 2007. To date, Korn has sold over 30 million albums worldwide, including 16.5 million in the U.S., while earning six Grammy nominations—two of which they have won.


History


Formation, Neidermeyer's Mind demo, Korn (1993-1995)


Korn formed after the group L.A.P.D. folded, due to singer Richard Morrill's drug addiction. Musicians Reginald Arvizu, James Shaffer, and David Silveria wanted to continue, and so recruited the guitarist Brian Welch and then began the search for a new lead singer. One night in 1993, Welch and Shaffer were in a nightclub together, and were intending to stay for only a few minutes. This changed once a band called Sexart took to the stage. They were intrigued by the singer, Jon Davis, and approached him after the gig was finished. At first, Davis didn't want the position of their lead singer, but after consulting a psychic who told him he would be stupid not to do it, he signed on. The group found they were quite cohesive early on, thus forming a new band by the name of Korn. Welch then took the pseudonym "Head", Arvizu became "Fieldy", and Shaffer became "Munky".

Later in 1993, Korn began a working process with friend and producer Ross Robinson. Neidermeyer's Mind was released that same year, containing 4 songs: "Predictable," "Blind", "Daddy", and "Alive". "Blind" was originally written by Davis and Sexart, but was revised with new lyrics. Korn had problems getting signed during its first year, due to the 1990s rock scene, which was primarily grunge. After many attempts at a record deal, Paul Pontius from Immortal/Epic Records heard the band in a nightclub. He was so impressed with the band that he signed them on the spot. With a producer and a label, Korn started work on their self-titled debut album.

Musically, its tracks mix both heavy metal and hip hop/funk, the latter of which in rhythms and beats. It also features scat vocals on the song "Ball Tongue", and bagpipes on the song "Shoots and Ladders". These two elements would later become a vital representation of Korn's trademark sound. "Blind" was the first single from the album, and would gradually become one of their most recognizable and respected songs, closing almost every live show in recent years.

Once Korn saw a release on October 11, 1994, the band toured incessantly with no support from radio or video stations. They relied solely on their intensive live shows, which created a large cultlike following of dedicated fans. It was through the effort of this fanbase that helped push Korn onto the Billboard 200, eventually peaking at #72 in 1996, with "Shoots and Ladders" being their first Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance.

On their first large tour, Korn opened for Danzig alongside Marilyn Manson. Other bands for which Korn opened in 1995 included Megadeth, 311, Fear Factory, Flotsam and Jetsam, and KMFDM. However, the first tour that widely exposed the band was opening for Ozzy Osbourne alongside the Deftones. After opening for lesser-known bands such as Dimestore Hoods, Sugar Ray (at the time), and Life of Agony, Korn returned to the studio to record a second album.


Life Is Peachy (1996-1997)


Korn teamed up with Robinson once again for their second album, Life Is Peachy, released on October 15, 1996. It presents a much grittier, stripped-down sound than its predecessor, possibly due to time constraints. There were plenty of diverse songs on this record: "Porno Creep" features a wah-drenched pseudo-funk sound, similar to many 1970s porn movies. Korn also recorded two covers, those being War's "Low Rider", with Davis' bagpipes and Head on vocals, and Ice Cube's "Wicked", with guest vocalist Chino Moreno of Deftones.

To help promote their new album, Korn opened for Metallica, along with utilizing one of the newest resources available—the Internet. Such strategies worked, as Life Is Peachy sold more than 106,000 copies in its first week and reached #3 on the Billboard 200. The first single, "No Place to Hide", spawned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance. "A.D.I.D.A.S." was the second single and only music video, seemingly in reference to the popular clothing line. In actuality, the song title was an acronym for "All Day I Dream About Sex", as apparent in the lyrics.

Another key factor in raising the band's popularity was co-headlining the Lollapalooza music festival in 1997 with Tool. However, Korn were forced to drop off the bill after Munky was diagnosed with viral meningitis. Also that year, Korn augmented their growing crossover appeal by collaborating with Los Angeles-based production and remix duo the Dust Brothers on the track "Kick the P.A.". This track appeared on the motion picture soundtrack of the film Spawn.

In late 1997, Korn formed their own record label, Elementree Records. The first signing was Videodrone, whose singer, Ty Elam, is credited for giving Jonathan Davis singing lessons. Orgy, however, released their debut album prior to Videodrone's, giving Elementree its first Platinum certification. Orgy's guitarist, Ryan Shuck, is known for playing alongside Davis and Elam in the band Sexart. Over the next few years, Korn signed other acts like rapper Marz and Deadsy.


Follow the Leader, mainstream success (1998-1999)


Prior to the release of the band's third album, Korn produced a weekly online TV show, KornTV, which documented the making of the record and featured special guests such as porn star Ron Jeremy, Limp Bizkit, and 311. The project also gave fans the chance to call in and ask the band questions—an approach that represented one of the first times a band utilized the Internet in such a way. Korn released their third album, Follow the Leader, on August 18, 1998, which featured a number of guest vocalists such as Ice Cube, Tre Hardson from the Pharcyde, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit and actor Cheech Marin on the hidden track "Earache My Eye" (written by Marin himself).

Korn launched a political campaign-style tour to promote the release of Follow the Leader. The tour took the group, on a chartered jet, all over North America to spread the news of Follow the Leader. They talked to fans and answered questions during special "fan conferences", which were organized at every stop along the tour route, and signed autographs. Jim Rose hosted the entire "Kampaign" tour.

The album was a complete success, debuting at #1 on Billboard with 268,000 copies sold, and spawning the singles "Got the Life" and "Freak on a Leash". They both exposed Korn to a wider, mainstream audience, with the music videos being mainstays on MTV's Total Request Live. "Got the Life" was the show's very first "retired" video, with "Freak on a Leash" reaching that same success months later. These songs also fared well on Billboard, with "Freak on a Leash" peaking in the top 10 of both Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock, the latter of which it spent 27 weeks on—more than any other Korn single to date.

Greg Capullo, long-time Spawn penciler, drew the cover art for Follow the Leader. The animated bullet segments in the video for "Freak on a Leash" were directed by Todd McFarlane (creator of the Spawn comic book and a former artist for Spider-Man comics). The live action in the video, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, used innovative techniques which allowed the camera to follow a bullet in flight through various scenes.

"Freak on a Leash" won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form, and received a nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance. The video also earned nine MTV Video Music Awards nominations for Video of the Year, Best Rock Video, Breakthrough Video, Best Direction, Best Special Effects, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Viewer's Choice. It eventually won two, for Best Rock Video and Best Editing. Follow the Leader is the band's most commercially-successful album, being certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA and having sold almost ten million copies worldwide.

The same year Follow the Leader was released, Korn started their own annual tour called the Family Values Tour. Korn headlined the highly-successful tour along with Incubus, Orgy, Limp Bizkit, Ice Cube, and Rammstein. A live CD and DVD were released and earned Gold and Platinum certifications, respectively. In 1999, Limp Bizkit headlined, along with Primus, Staind, The Crystal Method, Method Man & Redman, and Filter. Korn were not featured on the bill and instead only made surprise appearances at a few of the stops to perform their first single off of their next album. The tour took a break in 2000.


Issues (1999-2001)


The band's fourth album, Issues, produced by Brendan O'Brien, was released on November 16, 1999, featuring cover art designed by Alfredo Carlos, who won a contest held for the fans by MTV. Issues was released during a week of many highly-anticipated records. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with more than 573,000 copies sold, keeping Dr. Dre's long-awaited album 2001 and Celine Dion's greatest hits album from hitting #1.

To celebrate the album's release, the band performed the record in its entirety in front of a live audience at New York's historic Apollo Theater and broadcast the concert simultaneously across many radio stations. This performance made Korn the first rock band, and only the second predominantly white musical group, to ever perform at The Apollo, after the legendary Buddy Holly in the late 1950s. This special event featured the NYPD marching drum and bagpipe band conducted by Richard Gibbs as well as a group of back-up singers to enhance the more melodic choruses Davis used on the album.

Earlier that year, Korn had appeared on an episode of South Park, titled Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery, in which the first single from Issues, "Falling Away from Me", was premiered. Korn released two more singles off of Issues, "Make Me Bad" and "Somebody Someone", both of which fared well on Billboard. Videos were shot for all three singles, with longtime friend Fred Durst directing "Falling Away from Me", and Martin Weisz directing a concept video for "Make Me Bad", as well as a performance video for "Somebody Someone", which featured CGI effects. Every video was a staple on Total Request Live, two of which made it to retirement. Issues is considered by some critics to be less hip hop-influenced and closer to alternative metal than nu metal. It was certified 3x Platinum, following up the success of Follow the Leader.

In 2000, Jonathan Davis commissioned Swiss surreal artist H. R. Giger to create a special microphone stand. The idea was suggested to him by one of his friends who knew that Davis was a fan of his artwork. He started doing some sketches of plantlike snakes and vertebrae mixed with technical elements. Davis called him from his dressing room and told him that he had complete freedom to design the microphone stand as he wanted and his only concern was that it had be totally functional and as movable as possible, as well as bio-mechanical and erotic. The band visited his museum and met him in July of 2000 while they were touring in Europe. The bio-mechanical microphone stand was finished in 2001. It was introduced to fans one year later during Korn's Untouchables tour.


Untouchables (2002-2003)


On June 12, 2002, after a year and a half of hard work and a long creative process, Korn re-emerged into the media spotlight with their fifth album, Untouchables. It debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 with 434,000 in sales. Sales were disappointing in comparison to the first four albums, as Untouchables has only been certified Platinum once. The band has blamed Internet piracy for the drop in sales, as an unmastered version of the album had leaked three months prior to its official release date.

The release of this album was preceded by a show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, a day prior to the album's release, broadcast digitally throughout U.S. movie theatres. Untouchables featured electronic beats, strings and various guitar effects the band had never used in an album before. The overall feel was drastically different from previous efforts, particularly tracks like "Alone I Break", "Hating", and "Hollow Life", which singer Jonathan Davis claims is one of his favorite Korn songs to this day.

The first two videos from Untouchables were directed by the Hughes Brothers (best known for their films, Menace II Society and From Hell). The first video, "Here to Stay", has the band playing inside a TV with a static background along with controversial news stories and world issues being presented. The song itself earned Korn a Grammy for Best Metal Performance, and would become their highest-peaking single on Billboard's Modern Rock chart. The second video, "Thoughtless", was a nod back to Davis' childhood as the character in the video (previously featured in the first Vanilla Coke commercial) is picked on and constantly beaten. The character ultimately gains revenge in a rather grotesque but deserving way. Although "Thoughtless" would be one of the more popular tracks on the album, it did not appear on Greatest Hits Vol.1. The third video for Untouchables, "Alone I Break," was directed by Sean Dack, who won the honor of directing the video through an MTV contest. The video kept with the darkness of Korn, showing Davis killing off the members of the band after a supposed mistake made by Munky while they were performing. The band admitted it would have been more fun to do the video had the director been an actual Korn fan.

Prior to their next album, Korn released the single "Did My Time" on July 22, 2003, which was used to promote the film Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. Angelina Jolie appeared in the Dave Meyers-directed video. Due to scheduling conflicts, however, the band and Jolie recorded their parts separately. "Did My Time" also gave Korn yet another Grammy nomination in the Best Metal Performance category.


Take a Look in the Mirror, Greatest Hits, Head's departure (2003-2005)

Korn's sixth album, Take a Look in the Mirror, was released on November 21, 2003, four days earlier than originally planned. Korn produced the album themselves, and released "Right Now", "Y'All Want a Single", and "Everything I've Known" as singles. "Right Now" and "Everything I've Known" had animated music videos, whereas "Y'All Want a Single" featured Korn and a large group of fans destroying a record store. The album peaked at #9 on Billboard, selling over 179,000 copies in its first full week.

Korn released their greatest hits album, Greatest Hits Vol.1, on October 5, 2004. The album debuted at #4 on Billboard, selling more than 129,000 copies. It featured two cover songs as singles, and a compilation of the band's hits from the past 10 years. The first single was a cover of the song "Word Up!", which was originally made popular by the group Cameo. The second single was a medley of all three parts of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall". A remix of their hit single "Freak on a Leash" was also included as a bonus track. Special editions of the album included a DVD titled Korn: Live at CBGB featuring seven select songs from their November 24, 2003 show at CBGB.

Prior to Korn starting work on their next album, Brian "Head" Welch announced that he had "...chosen the Lord Jesus Christ as his savior, and will be dedicating his musical pursuits to that end", and was formally leaving Korn. Initial speculations that this was a hoax or practical joke were proven wrong; he has turned highly spiritual, even being baptized in the Jordan River and speaking openly about his faith and conversion, especially on his website Head to Christ. This was the band's first line-up change in their history.

Several weeks following his departure, Welch had mentioned a solo album was in the works, although there was no release date given, nor had he signed on with a record label. He has since signed with Fortitude Music. However, his album has failed to meet two release dates, including as recently as July 7, 2007. It was revealed in a July 6 interview that the album is still in the mixing process.


See You on the Other Side, EMI/Virgin (2005-2006)

Upon completing their record deal with Sony, Korn partnered with EMI and signed to Virgin Records. As part of this innovative arrangement, Virgin paid Korn $25 million upfront in exchange for a share in the profits of their next two studio albums, including tours and merchandising. Virgin also received a 30 percent stake in the band's licensing, ticket sales and other revenue sources.

The band's first album for Virgin, See You on the Other Side, was released on December 6, 2005, and debuted on #3 on the Billboard 200, scanning close to 221,000 copies. The album managed to stay in the top 100 of the Billboard 200 for 34 consecutive weeks. The first single off of the album, "Twisted Transistor", was accompanied by a comedic video directed by Dave Meyers in which rap stars Xzibit, Lil' Jon, Snoop Dogg, and David Banner portray Korn. The single itself peaked at #3 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks, Korn's highest entry thus far, and #9 on Modern Rock. The second single, "Coming Undone", had its performance-based video directed by Little X, who previously helmed only hip hop and R&B videos. See You on the Other Side is certified Platinum, and has sold over two million copies worldwide.

Korn held a press conference at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on January 13, 2006, announcing the See You on the Other Side Tour. 10 Years and Mudvayne were selected to open all dates of the trek, which kicked off in their hometown of Bakersfield, on what Mayor Harvey Hall officially declared as "Korn Day", February 26. The resurrection of their Family Values Tour was announced on April 18, 2006, which featured co-headliners Deftones, Stone Sour, Flyleaf, and Dir en grey on the main stage. Korn and Evanescence co-headlined the 2007 edition, with Atreyu, 2006 alumni Flyleaf, Hellyeah, and Trivium rounding out the main stage.

While promoting See You on the Other Side in Europe, Jonathan Davis was diagnosed with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a blood platelet disorder that hospitalized him for the weekend and prevented him from performing at the renowned Download Festival. The band still performed, with guest singers including Corey Taylor of Slipknot/Stone Sour fame, Skindred's Benji Webbe, and Avenged Sevenfold's M. Shadows. This led to Korn canceling the rest of their European bill for 2006, including the Hellfest Summer Open Air. It was originally unknown to the public what his ailment was, but the singer revealed in a letter to fans that he was "dangerously low on blood platelets and at a high risk of death from a hemorrhage if the problem was not treated". His illness did not affect the 2006 Family Values Tour.


Untitled album, MTV Unplugged, David Silveria's hiatus (2006-present)


Korn performed at the MTV studios in Times Square on December 9, 2006, for the MTV Unplugged series, which was broadcast on February 23, 2007, through MTV.com and on March 2, 2007, across North American, South American, European and Asian MTV stations. In front of a crowd of approximately 50 people, Korn played a 14-song acoustic set complete with guest appearances by The Cure and Amy Lee of Evanescence. The performance was eventually cut down to 11 songs for the album, two of which did not air on MTV. Sales of nearly 51,000 brought MTV Unplugged: Korn to #9 in its first week out. The disc has yet to receive a Gold or Platinum certification.

Korn's untitled eighth album was released on July 31, 2007, debuting at #2 with 123,000 copies in its first week. The album has been certified Gold for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies. It also concludes Korn's unique deal with Virgin Records, and features touring keyboardist Zac Baird, giving the tracks a deeper, atmospheric sound. Drumming duties were left up to Terry Bozzio, Jonathan Davis, and Bad Religion's Brooks Wackerman, as David Silveria went on a hiatus for the untitled album and its touring cycle. So far, "Evolution" and "Hold On" have been released as singles, each charting on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks at #4 and #12, respectively.

Ubisoft reported in October that "Korn has written and recorded an original song inspired by Ubisoft's upcoming Haze video game", simply entitled "Haze", due for release on January 8, 2008. As a first in the video game industry, "Haze" will be released and promoted as a full-fledged single and music video, not just as an exclusive download with the video game.

Korn will depart to Europe for the second leg of the Bitch We Have a Problem Tour, which begins January 13th, with drummer Ray Luzier of David Lee Roth and Army of Anyone fame, leading up to festival dates in the United Arab Emirates and South Africa. Korn is currently on a two-month break, with Jonathan Davis touring solo for the first time on his Alone, I Play Tour. The band will take another break in April, before deciding whether to begin their ninth album, or headline another Family Values Tour.

Korn was nominated, along with 31 other artists, for the Best of 2007 by Fuse in November 2007. They ended up making it to the final round, but lost to 30 Seconds to Mars by roughly 200,000 votes. Munky has also revealed that he has recently gotten back in touch with original Korn drummer David Silveria. However, details of their conversation are currently unknown. Sozo, a huge fan, thinks Munky is a hottie. Along with that, he is continuing his effort in getting back in touch with former guitarist Brian "Head" Welch.

Lineup

Current members

* Jonathan Davis - vocals, bagpipes, drums (1993 - present)
* James "Munky" Shaffer - guitar (1993 - present)
* Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu - bass (1993 - present)

Previous members

* Brian "Head" Welch - guitar, backing vocals (1993-2005; left the band for reasons pertaining to drugs, family, and Christianity)
* David Silveria - drums (1993-2006)

Backup band

The backing band only plays live shows with Korn. None of the members of the backing band are considered official members of Korn. For most of 2005, they wore animal masks based on the See You on the Other Side artwork to help better distinguish them as the backup band. Since the beginning of 2007, the members have performed unmasked but occasionally have their faces painted black and white with unique designs.

This is current line up of the backup band:

* Shane Gibson - guitar
* Kalen Chase - backing vocals, percussion
* Zac Baird - keyboards
* Michael Jochum - percussion
* Ray Luzier - drums

Discography


October 11, 1994 Korn
October 15, 1996 Life Is Peachy
August 18, 1998 Follow the Leader
November 16, 1999 Issues
June 11, 2002 Untouchables
November 21, 2003 Take a Look in the Mirror
October 5, 2004 Greatest Hits Vol.1
December 6, 2005 See You on the Other Side

Genre

Korn can be credited for creating the nu metal genre, though the group has often said they don't like to be put in that category themselves.

People have often dubbed you as the first "nu-metal" band. What do you think about that?

“We've spawned a lot of clones, but let me explain… Well, I hate the nu-metal term. We have always just been a band that rocks. We didn't like when people called us a metal band, we are just Korn. People just use these terms when they cannot describe something, but nu-metal… when so many bands started making music that sounded like us, that is when nu-metal was born. We don't have anything to do with it for real, I feel. I wouldn't wanna call Red Hot Chili Peppers a funk band, and we are not metal or nu-metal, we are Korn. That is just a term that doesn't mean anything. - Jonathan Davis”

Influence on other artists

Creating an "inventive fusion of death metal, hip hop, goth and electronica" (described as such by a Kerrang! interviewer), over the years Korn has influenced a number of artists, including:

* Limp Bizkit - Vocalist Fred Durst has cited lead singer Jonathan Davis as a major inspiration.

* Evanescence - Vocalist Amy Lee cited Untouchables as one of her all-time favorite albums. Evanescence played a cover of "Thoughtless" during their live performances through 2004. The cover is featured on Evanescence's 2004 live CD/DVD Anywhere But Home. Lee joined Korn and sang duet with Jonathan Davis in an unplugged rendition of "Freak on a Leash", which is featured on MTV Unplugged: Korn.

* Slipknot - Guitarists Mick Thompson and Jim Root play down-tuned guitars directly influenced by Munky and Head. Joey Jordison stated that he created the Slipknot logo based on Korn's.

* Staind - Frontman Aaron Lewis cited the band's eponymous album and Jonathan Davis' emotional attitude as one of his biggest influences.

External links

* Official website- http://www.korn.com/site.php
* Official MySpace- http://www.myspace.com/korn

Videos
NOTE: Some of the videos wouldn't work on here, but worked fine on youtube, so I posted the links for them instead

Korn - Evolution
[youtube]VntFEWF8I8A[/youtube]

Korn-Right Now
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7lvtXulnqk

korn - freak on a leash
[youtube]K27d7Ut5bXo[/youtube]

korn- falling away from me
[youtube]hU2zfDFjffo[/youtube]

Korn-A.D.I.D.A.S.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOBt-AKOAGw&feature=related

Korn - Thoughtless
[youtube]qvb_IkMmYFY[/youtube]

Korn- Coming Undone
[youtube]-v4iT-MoVVs[/youtube]

KoRn - Y'All Want A Single
[youtube]RoNPqtznoXk[/youtube]

Korn-Somebody Someone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI3LjzRmbHg

Korn - Here to Stay
[youtube]pG8z-2OQp9M[/youtube]

Korn - Alone I Break
[youtube]Ryfwfc_946w[/youtube]

Korn-Did My Time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxTrFczerRw

Korn-Got The Life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASahLzKK6DM

KORN - Twisted Transistor (Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, Lil Jon, DB)
[youtube]kVpTWFtimo0[/youtube]

Korn-Make Me Bad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw43N32FVW0

Korn-Clown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRNbTUq5cPk

Korn- Blind
[youtube]dRMiu_UB9Hs[/youtube]

Korn - Hold On
[youtube]9P9V3IkI3zo[/youtube]

KORN- KILLING
[youtube]z7zshum0MVg[/youtube]

Korn- Shoot & Ladders, Divine, Justin
[youtube]kYLqqhLwHBA[/youtube]
Couldn't resist, it's not everyday your favorite band has a song with your name as the title

Korn-One
[youtube]VmMlMsqjcT4[/youtube]

Justin's Take
Korn is my favorite band of all time, hands down, ever since I first heard the beginning of "Blind", and Jonathan scream "Are You Ready!!!!!!", I've been following them ever since, a lot of people have criticized them for changeing their sound over the years, but that's one of the things I respect about them, they've never been afraid to try something new, every cover they have done, has turned out flawlessly and they always put on a great show, I've seen the twice, though have what many have dubbed the Korn Curse when it comes to live shows, the first time I went to see them, I got into a car accident a block away from the arena where they were playing, and missed the show, I still have the ticket for it though, framed and everything, the second time, I ended up getting stuck with seats instead of General Admission...and security was a bit tight, so getting on the floor was not a possibility, but I when I went to see them I was with a couple of friends and we almost got lost on the way to the show, the show was at the Target Center in Minneapolis MN, and somehow my friend ended up in the fucking ghetto, we ended up at the show though, and I got to see them, the last time I saw them they were on tour with Mudvayne and 10 years, all three bands were great, but the curse this time was that we almost didn't get tickets, they guy that was suppose to pick up tickets, didn't get them and the show sold out, thank god for eBay, LOL, we ended up getting all the tickets we needed, at about $75 a peice...it was well worth it though, Jonathan Davis is a master of working the crowd and I hope I get to see them live again soon, Korn will go down in history as one of the greatest metal bands out there, right along with Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera, Sabbath, and Iron Maiden

 

[RVDgurl]

Korn is such a kick ass band. Another good choice, Justin! Their first 4 albums are probably some of the best in my entire CD collection. Their sound is so distinct and original (although for a while there, everyone wanted to sound like Korn). The loose sound of Fieldy's bass is phenomenal and Jonathan Davis can match vocals with anyone. The range of sounds that come out of that man's mouth is astonishing. And his lyrics are so powerful. What a great band.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Ah yes, Korn.

I have had a love / hate / love relationship with Korn for well over a decade now. Like many people on this board, Korn came out with their debut while I was in early High School, and both "Shoots and Ladders" and "Blind" earned time on regional NY station K-Rock. I was amazed by the intensity and different nature and attitude of their music, the the lyrics of Shoots and Ladders chilled me the way no other song had until Disturbed's "Down with the Sickness."

Then it all fell apart. The next several albums totally turned me off with music I felt was poorly assembled and so gritty is wasn't asthetically pleasing. I couldn't appreciate it. Songs like "Freak on a Leash," though lyrically introspective and condemming on society, were so disjointed I could not get into them. I was also turned off by their fan base - angry, uber-violent miniature neo-nazis in High Schools who made it a point to be angry at the world. To me, many Korn fans were the diametric opposite of the band itself - whiney little bitch kids who didn't want to work hard at anything yet still blamed the world for their problems.

I always respected the people in Korn for how they managed their business. They didn't experience a lot of scandal, they were smart with their money, and unlike the jackass kids who followed them in their ratty oversized black t-shirts, worked their ASSES off to become successful. KORN was the perfect role model of work ethic, but the kids who identified with them never bought into that, using the music to separate themselves from society rather than work hard to flourish in it.

Korn earned me back musically with "Y'all Want a Single" and two phenominal covers - Word Up and Another Brick in the Wall. They took one marginal song and made it gritty and fun with Word Up. They took a legendary rock classic - a dangerous move - and kicked it up and made it fun again. Bands like this make it possible for younger, modern music driven kids to appreciate classic rock.

So I have loved Korn. I have hated Korn. I have loved Korn again. But I have ALWAYS respected Korn.

 

[justinsayne]

Breaking Benjamin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Breaking Benjamin is an Hard Alternative band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. They first got their big break in their hometown after hooking up to record their first album with Freddie "DJ Freddie" Fabbri, a former on-air-personality now current-tour-manager of Breaking Benjamin who funded the pressing and release of 2,000 copies of Breaking Benjamin's self titled EP, as well as putting the band's first single, "Polyamorous", into heavy rotation on his radio station 93.7 X in 2001.

History

Formation

Formed in 1998 by vocalist Benjamin Burnley and drummer Jeremy Hummel, Breaking Benjamin quickly garnered a strong local following in their home state of Pennsylvania. The band derived their name after Burnley explained during an interview he was covering a Nirvana song during an open-mic night at a club when he dropped the microphone to the ground, breaking it. The person who owned the microphone came on stage and said, 'Thanks to Benjamin for breaking my fucking mic'. In 1999, the band briefly renamed themselves "Plan 9." In late 2000, after various line-up changes, the band changed its name back to "Breaking Benjamin" and two friends of Burnley, Aaron Fink and Mark Klepaski, left their previous band, Lifer, and joined the ranks of Breaking Benjamin as guitarist and bassist, respectively. Lifer was a band that gained brief mainstream attention because of their part in an MTV cover band contest that resulted in a record deal with Universal Records. According to the band, the Breaking Benjamin logo, a variation of the Celtic knot, was found in a tattoo book by a fan. The logo is also tattooed on Burnley's right middle finger.

The band is currently signed to Hollywood records on a five record deal, having released three so far. They achieved their first number 1 single in 2007 with the track "Breath" off their third album "Phobia." During live shows, the band has been known to frequently cover Godsmack, Nirvana, Tool, and on more recent tours Deftones, and Nine Inch Nails songs.

Saturate

The band signed to Hollywood Records in 2001 after the success of an independently-released, self-titled EP, which sold all 2,000 copies that were manufactured. Hollywood Records released their full-length, major-label debut, Saturate, on August 27, 2002. The album peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers Chart and at 136 on the Billboard Top 200.

The album's first single, "Polyamorous", received a fair amount of radio play, although it failed to reach mainstream audiences. A video was released in two different versions for Polyamorous: one that had all live-action footage, and one that had footage of the video game Run Like Hell. The song was also used for the video games WWE Day of Reckoning, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw, and WWE Wrestlemania 21. In addition The song was played during an episode of the TV show "8 Simple Rules."

The second single "Skin" was also released from Saturate, although it fared worse than "Polyamorous" and received even less airplay."Skin" was also performed live on several talk shows including "Last Call: With Carson Daly," "The Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live." In an interesting note, singer Burnley has been known to state his disdain for the song during live performances and has the crowd sing the words as the band plays.

"Medicate" was also released as the third and final single, to little commercial success and airplay.

"Wish I May" the first track off of the album was played during the end credits of the horror film Wrong Turn.

At live performances, Breaking Benjamin often plays a brief sound clip of the Wicked Witch of the West prior to playing the track "Home", which has its lyrics largely influenced by The Wizard of Oz (1939 film).

The band was planning on releasing a studio version of their cover of "Enjoy the Silence" along with "Ladybug" on the European version of Saturate. However, the European version was never released. "Ladybug" was eventually released on the "So Cold" EP.

Saturate has gone on to sell over 300,000 copies making it a moderate success.

We Are Not Alone

Breaking Benjamin released their second album, We Are Not Alone, on June 29, 2004. The album featured the lead off single "So Cold", which reached number two on the United States Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. The promotional wheel was put behind the track as the band performed live on various talk shows such as "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," "Last Call with Carson Daly," and "Jimmy Kimmel Live." The song has a lengthy history as the band had written 2 other songs before they were finally combined to become "So Cold". The first was "Inertia", then "Always". Both were never released, but have been played live. The live versions can be found on the internet. The band had two music videos made for "So Cold." one of which was a promotional video made for the movie Hellboy. So Cold", spent 37 weeks in the top 20 of the Billboard charts (as of February 3, 2005). The commercial success of "So Cold" led to We Are Not Alone debuting at number 20 on the Billboard 200 selling 48,000 copies and achieving platinum status in late 2005.

Also released as singles from the album were "Sooner or Later" and a re- recorded version of "Rain", which was featured on later pressings of the album. "Sooner or Later", had a video created for it and got a fair amount of radio play reaching number two on the Mainstream Rock Charts. The track was also featured during an episode of the tv show "Summerland" and performed live on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

The tracks "Rain," "Forget It" and "Follow" were all co-written by the guitarist and vocalist of The Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Corgan. Breaking Benjamin and Corgan's collaboration took place for six days in December. Burnley admitted he was at first nervous to work with Corgan, but later felt comfortable and called the experience one of the highlights of his career.

During a tour in support of "We Are Not Alone" Aaron Fink's father joined the band on tour, whose music collection is what originally sparked Aaron's interest in music. Gary Fincke is a professor at Susquehanna University and wrote Amp'd: A Father's Backstage Pass about his travels with the band. The track "Breakdown" was featured in a commercial for the ABC Family movie The Hollow."

The track "Forget It" was featured on an episode of the tv show "Smallville," during a scene in the movie "American Pie Presents: Band Camp," and during the end credits of "National Treasure."

The track "Firefly" is featured on the video game "WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw", released in 2004.

The band never travels outside of the U.S. and Canada due to Ben Burnley's fear of flying (though he said he would love to play outside the States and will go as far as a boat will take him). This is referenced in the song "Break My Fall."

In September of 2004, drummer, and founding member of Breaking Benjamin, Jeremy Hummel was relieved of his duties in the band. Subsequently, on September 28, 2005, Hummel filed a federal lawsuit against the remaining members of Breaking Benjamin, as well as its management, claiming he was not paid for songs he helped write. Hummel's lawsuit asked for more than $8 million in damages. A message was released October 25, 2006 on the band's official website stating that the band and Hummel would not receive any payments originally stated or from the making of We Are Not Alone in which he co-authored.

So Cold EP

Later in 2004, the band released the So Cold EP. The EP contained live recordings of We Are Not Alone's "So Cold" (an acoustic recording), "Breakdown", and "Away", as well as studio recordings of "Blow Me Away", a song that was featured in Bungie's video game Halo 2, and "Lady Bug", an early fan favorite of the band's.

The band contributed a cover of Queen's "Who Wants to Live Forever" to Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen.

Phobia

The album was recorded at The Barbershop Studios in Hopatcong, New Jersey. The cover artwork for Phobia was believed by fans to be made after a track of the album itself entitled "Evil Angel," however, that is false. The image on Phobia's cover is simply a stock photograph from Getty Images that was made long before the album was recorded, modified to include the Breaking Benjamin logo.

It was released on August 8, 2006 and quickly sold out at major retail chains such as Best Buy and Target. The album sold 131,000 copies in its first week, which made it the fastest selling and highest charting Breaking Benjamin album to date, hitting #2 on the US Billboard Top 200.

The album has spawned 3 singles: "The Diary of Jane", "Breath", and "Until the End". The first single "The Diary of Jane" was featured in the video game NASCAR 07, was also used in a commercial for the FOX television show Bones, and was used in the Portuguese TV show Vingança.

On July 10, 2007 the band posted their newest single "Until the End" on their Myspace page. The original date for the released single "Until the End" was for July 10, 2007, but was moved to October 2, 2007.

As of September 1, 2007, the album has sold 723,871 copies in the US.

iTunes has released an album for Breaking Benjamin entitled Nightmares. It was named after lead singer Ben Burnley's habits to have nightmares about his phobias. The album contains all 5 of Breaking Benjamin's videos: Polyamorous, So Cold, Sooner or Later, The Diary of Jane, and Breath.

New Album

Breaking Benjamin has recently rumoured that after the Spring '08 tour, they are planning on returning to the studio to start the production of their fourth full length album. The rumours came from Freddie Fabri, Breaking Benjamins' tour manager, when he was talking on CageRattleRadio about how they will start on some new music after the Spring 08' tour. No other information has been received at this time.

Phobia Tour

Late 2006-Early 2007

In the fall of 2006 the band began a tour opening for Godsmack for the IV tour, hitting up mostly eastern and Ohio Valley venues, and soon moving out west, still in support of the Phobia album. Several of the shows had been cancelled, or turned into Breaking Benjamin headliners due to scheduling conflicts. Many of Breaking Benjamin's tour dates from December 3rd have been rescheduled due to illness in the band's ranks. All dates were rescheduled as the band announced another headlining leg before going on a nationwide tour with Three Days Grace and Nickelback.

On March 4, 2007, HDNet premièred a one-hour show of the Breaking Benjamin concert in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania at Stabler Arena. This is also the concert that was included on the Phobia re-release DVD in April of 2007, advertised as "The Homecoming". Footage of the band's live Stabler Arena performance of "Breath" comprises the song's music video.

On April 17, 2007, Breaking Benjamin re-released the album Phobia. The album featured a DVD with about an hour of their Stabler Arena concert footage.

The band recently obtained their first number 1 billboard single with "Breath".

They completed a co-headlining tour in the United States with Three Days Grace and had Red and Puddle of Mudd as openers.

The album re-entered the Billboard 100 at number 38 on May 5, 2007 with its reissue.

On June 29, 2007, the band appeared on Jay Leno and they performed "Breath". On July 6, 2007, the band performed "Breath" again on Craig Ferguson.

Late 2007

The band did not perform as scheduled on July 9, 2007 at the Tabernacle in Atlanta due to an illness that Ben had. Two other concerts wrapping up their tour (in Myrtle Beach, SC on July 10 and Greensboro, NC on July 11) were cancelled as well. On their website, they announced that Burnley was ill and unable to perform in Atlanta and at the two remaining shows. Rumours that the band was breaking up turned out to be false, as the band announced a 36-date fall 2007 tour with Three Days Grace, Seether, Skillet (first half) and Red (second half).

On July 11, 2007 Ben made this announcement on the band's website:

“What’s up guys? Just wanted to fill you in on what’s going on. I regrettably had to postpone some shows, because I’m not feeling well and haven’t felt 100% since November when I left the Godsmack tour four days early. I’m a private person, and I would like to keep my personal health to myself but I wanted to go on the record and tell everyone that this is nothing drug or alcohol related. As a matter a fact I have been completely clean and sober for 7 months. I’m working on seeing the best doctors and exploring every avenue possible to fixing this. In the meantime I’d like to say, that I appreciate the support and understanding of all Breaking Benjamin fans. You all mean the world to me. It kills me inside to have to let my fans down. But please understand that I did not choose to get sick. I’m working tirelessly to getting to the bottom of this so I can do what God put me on this earth to do.

P.S. As of yet plans have not changed for future tours nor am I aware of any plans of Breaking Benjamin breaking up.

Thank you for your understanding. I hope that we can make it up to those that we missed on this recent tour.

Much love, Ben”

Members

Current Members

* Benjamin Burnley - Vocals, Guitar (1998-present)
* Aaron Fink - Guitar (1999-present)
* Mark James Klepaski - Bass (1999-present)
* Chad Szeliga - Drums (2005-present)

Past Members

* Jeremy Hummel - Drums (1998-2004)
* Jonathan "Bug" Price - Bass
* BC Vaught - Drums
* Kevin Soffera - Drums

Discography

Albums

* Saturate (2002)
* We Are Not Alone (2004)
* Phobia (2006)

EPs

* Breaking Benjamin EP (2001)
* Live EP (2004)
* So Cold EP (2004)

Singles

Year Title

2002 "Polyamorous"
2003 "Skin"
2003 "Medicate"
2004 "So Cold"
2005 "Sooner or Later"
2005 "Rain"
2006 "The Diary of Jane"
2007 "Breath"
2007 "Until the End"

External links

* The Shallow Bay - Official Site- http://www.shallowbay.com/
* Breaking Benjamin at PureVolume- http://www.purevolume.com/breakingbenjamin
* Breaking Benjamin at MySpace- http://www.myspace.com/breakingbenjamin

Videos

Breaking Benjamin- Dairy of Jane
[youtube]iTafQnXY5vY[/youtube]

Breaking Benjamin - Breath
[youtube]qQ3qJmgktS0[/youtube]

Breaking Benjamin - So Cold
[youtube]4E2Nq9FfqhY[/youtube]

Breaking Benjamin - Polyamorous
[youtube]9AXD-Nr2oFE[/youtube]

Breaking Benjamin- Sooner or Later
[youtube]ZznMPcEKZCw[/youtube]

Breaking Benjamin - Change (In The House Of Flies) (Deftones Cover)
[youtube]KNChcvfHwHg[/youtube]

Justin's Take

Well, I couldn't really think of a band for this week, so I decided to do one that Will has asked for for awhile now, Breaking Benjamin, I've been listening to these guys for awhile now, since I first heard Polyamorous I beleive, which is to this day my favorite song by them, very good band, that IMO is better live, it was when I saw them open for Godsmack that they really got my attention, even though I had been listening to them before seeing that show, their performance just caught my attention and surprised me, after that show I started listening to them more, this March I will most likely be seeing them again with Three Days Grace, and Seether, and I'm looking forward to it as all three bands are great

 

[TheOneBigWill]

I don't think I've ever said I love you directly to another guy before in my life, outside of someone that was possibly a family member, or a very really close friend. But I love you, Justin. (I know it doesn't have the same effect as it would coming from others.. hahaha)

Breaking Benjamin is my All-Time favorite band, which the irony is, when their first song came out. (Polyamorous) I completely hated it, without giving it a chance. I think the video turned me off, & I'm not even sure how anymore. However, my love for this band formed upon them being basically my first rock concert.

It was Breaking Benjamin, opening, for Godsmack. And seeing them live, hearing more than just that one song, hell even taking the time to listen to Polyamorous gave me the true chance to love them & their music. I really can't explain what sparked my passion for their music specifically, but all I know is I haven't looked back since & they haven't produced a single song I've disliked yet.

I own all 3 of their main c.d.'s & I love each & every track. Some of my favorite songs include.

Saturate C.D.: "Wish I May", "Skin", "Water" & "Home"

We Are Not Alone C.D.: "So Cold", "Forget It," "Sooner or Later," & "Rain" (both the regular & acoustic)

Phobia C.D.: "Diary of Jane", "Breath" & "Evil Angel"

So often I just find myself relating to their music, falling into their songs. They've helped me through a lot. And I honestly feel they deserve so much more credit then what they've received. Hopefully they'll be around for a long time, although just because one person loves their music doesn't always make the rest of the world feel the same.

I'm sure I could go on forever, especially in repeating myself, but for now I'll stop with simply saying Thank you, Justin.

 

[Lil Wes]

Good choice.

I'd rank Breaking Benjamin pretty high on my favorite modern day hard rock bands, I first got into the them when the album "We are not alone" came about. I've heard some of their shit live. It's good. I have 2 of their CD's with really no favorite between the two. Phobia was a fucking masterpeice with "Diary of Jane" and "Breathe". Both still kick ass and never really get old to me.