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Jumat, 28 Januari 2011

Iron Maiden

 

Biography

Iron Maiden was first formed in 1976 by bassist Steve Harris. The band played in local areas throughout the '70s, and it wasn't until the year 1980 they had their record debute with the self-titled album 'Iron Maiden'.

ALBUMS
2003 - DANCE OF DEATH
2002 - THE BBC ARCHIVES, Eddie's Archive
2002 - BEST OF THE B'SIDES, Eddie's Archive
2002 - BEAST OVER HAMMERSMITH, Eddie's Archive
2002 - EDWARD THE GREAT, Best Of
2002 - ROCK IN RIO, Live Album
2000 - BRAVE NEW WORLD
1999 - ED HUNTER, PC Game
1998 - VIRTUAL XI
1996 - BEST OF THE BEAST, Best Of
1995 - THE X-FACTOR
1993 - LIVE AT DONINGTON, Live Album
1993 - A REAL LIVE / DEAD ONE, Live Album
1992 - FEAR OF THE DARK
1990 - NO PRAYER FOR THE DYING
1988 - 7TH SON OF A 7TH SON
1986 - SOMEWHERE IN TIME
1985 - LIVE AFTER DEATH, Live Album
1984 - POWERSLAVE
1983 - PIECE OF MIND
1982 - THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST
1981 - KILLERS
1980 - IRON MAIDEN

The STORYTELLER

 

Biography

The STORYTELLER project started in late 1995 by L-G Persson. and Fredrik Groth. The music was based on acoustic guitars and vocals, and influenced by medieval songs and stories. A few demos were recorded in a local studio, and tapes were sold to friends and relatives and sent out to a few record labels.
A few years later Fredrik & L-G decided to take the music a few steps further, and they got a drummer, Martin Hjerpe. They also replaced their acoustic guitars with electric ones. Inspired by good heavy metal bands in general, they rearranged their old songs and wrote some new material. The band rehearsed a lot and recorded a few more demos, and finally, in June 1999 Storyteller got their first record deal.
The Storyteller's debut album was released in Europe in May 2000, and although it wasn't released in Japan at the time, the album was listed in Japanese Burrn magazine's "Import Albums" chart six months in a row. (The ratings were: August #5, September #3, October #3, November #24, December #49 and January #42.) But finally, in December the album was officially released in Japan by Soundholic Co. Ltd. As the unavoidable bonus track, the first acoustic demo of Chant Of The Thieves from 1995 was included.
During the following years a the band recorded and released "Crossroad", and played live on several occasions. In September 2002 they opened for Blind Guardian in Umeå, Sweden and the following spring they recorded a third album, "Tales of a Holy Quest". A few weeks after, The Storyteller played at Sweden Rock Festival, right before the mixing of the album, which was finally released in November 2003.
By this time plans developed for making a video on the song "Seed of Lies" from the new album. Said and done. The video was shot in the midst of January during 4 days pending between the heat of studiolights and the chilly winds of Swedish winter outdoors. The video was shown officially for the first time at the release party 12th of March 2003 taking place at Club Monster/Gävle and has since been broadcasted several times on Z-TV amongst other channels.

Throughout the first half of the year the band played some occasional gigs at minor clubs, supporting Bruce Kulick (ex-KISS guitarist) at Rockland/Sala for one, and after having the summer off they reunited for a gig at the Gates of Metal festival in Hultsfred July 31. Just days before the gig a cd containing "Seed of Lies" as cd-track and video both, a cover on Ozzy's "Bark at the Moon", a live recording of "The Secrets Revealed" and a demotrack called "Prophets of Liars" was released.
Early 2004, the band started to write new material for a new album. For the first time, pre production demos of most songs were recorded, and more time than ever was spent on the writing and arrangement processes. In April 2005 The Storyteller entered Studio Underground in Västerås to record what would be their fourth full length album, titled "Underworld". The lyrics were based upon old folk lores, which of course can be considered as "fantasy", but in a more traditional and historical way. "Underworld" was mixed at Studio Flåklypa by Fredrik Groth, and will be released in November. You can find some sound clips from it on the media page, and there are more clips to come in a not to distant future.

Meshuggah

 

Biography

Meshuggah was formed in 1987 in Umeå, Sweden. At this time the line-up was Fredrik Thordendal – guitars, Jens Kidman – vocals, Johan Sjögren - guitars, Per Sjögren - drums and Jörgen Lindmark - bass. Jens Kidman soon left the band and started the band Calipash with bassist Peter Nordin, drummer Niclas Lundgren and guitarist Torbjörn Granström.
Johan Sjögren left Meshuggah in -88 and guitarist Jonas Lindberg took his place in the band... Fredrik Thordendal found Calipash’s music more in line with what he wanted to do and so left the band (leading to the dissolution of the band, as this line-up). Fredrik kind of “took” the Meshuggah band name with him as he joined forces with “Calipash” and they went under the Meshuggah name from then on... During the early stages of the now “reformed” Meshuggah - Torbjörn Granström left the band.
At the time of the debut EP “Psykisk Testbild” in -89, the line-up was: Fredrik Thordendal – guitars and vocals, Jens Kidman – guitars and vocals, Niclas Lundgren - drums and Peter Nordin on bass.
In late -89 drummer Niclas Lundgren decided to leave the band.
Tomas Haake joined on drums in -90, before Meshuggah recorded their first LP, "Contradictions Collapse" which was released in 1991. The band had during -90 signed a record deal with the German record label Nuclear Blast.
Between this record and the next one, the band had a couple unfortunate accidents that forced the band to remain silent for the rest of -91 and a good part of -92. Fredrik Thordendal cut off the tip of his left middle finger at work. The fingertip was sewn back on, and with a fair degree of re-learning and practising he regained his abilities and skill within a year or so. Tomas Haake also had a work-related hand injury that same year, where he cut up three fingers on his right hand in a wood grinder of sorts. Several months passed without practice or rehearsals.

Another big change also happened during -92, where guitarist/vocalist Jens Kidman decided to focus on the vocals and at the end of -92, beginning of -93 he left his guitar duties over to Mårten Hagström.
Hagström was earlier in the band Barophobia with drummer Tomas Haake and Mårten and Tomas had been playing together in different settings since back when they were in the sixth grade!
The new lineup recorded the EP "None" in 1994. The EP "Selfcaged" – which was more of a demo for the upcoming album “Destroy Erase Improve”, was recorded in April and May 1994 and though not really meant to be an official release, NB decided to release it as a “teaser” for the coming album.
January 1995 saw the band returning to the public, when they left off for a short European tour organized by the record-label. Shortly after returning back home they recorded the album "Destroy Erase Improve," and then they were off again on a nine week European tour supporting the American band Machine Head.
Halfway through this tour, bassist Peter Nordin became ill and developed problems with the balance nerve in his inner ear. He was chronically dizzy, and in a constant sense of vertigo. He had to go back home to Sweden to be hospitalized, leaving the band on tour without a bassist. The bassist Adam of Machine Head offered to help out, but Meshuggah decided to try out as a four-man band again. At some shows, Fredrik played the bass through his guitar rig, at others they went with just two guitars (with Mårten playing through a pitch shifter, shifted one octave down). When Fredrik handled the bass he also played his leads on it.
Destroy Erase Improve was released in May 1995, this time with more proper marketing by the record label. In the autumn of 1995, they did a short tour with Swedish band Clawfinger throughout Scandinavia and Germany. The first couple of shows were done without a bassist - Peter Nordin had now left the band due in parts to his illness but also for other personal reasons. A new bassist joined the band, without ever rehearsing with Meshuggah, he met up with the boys before a show in Hamburg, and ended up playing with the band from then on; this was Gustaf Hielm (formerly of Charta 77). That fall, Meshuggah also went on a month-long European tour with Hypocrisy.
During 1996 Fredrik was busy working on his solo album. This album “Sol Niger Within” was released in March through UAE in Scandinavia, and in Japan in April. Fredrik also appeared on the debut album of Swedish “super-duo” Mats & Morgan. Meshuggah recorded a demo in the summer. Some the tracks on this demo later ended up on the "Rare Trax" release of -2001...
In May of -97, the band relocated to Stockholm to live closer to their management, bookers and the record industry in general. A new EP was recorded, with one new track, "Sane".. and three remix versions of the opening track "Future Breed Machine", from their latest album, "Destroy Erase Improve". The EP “The True Human Design" was released that fall after numerous delays. Around the same time, Fredrik's solo album, Sol Niger Within, was released in the USA. Towards the end of -97, the planning and writing of the next album started.
Gustaf Hielm joined the band as a permanent member in January 1998 after more than two years as a session member.
The recording of Meshuggah’s next album "Chaosphere" started around may of -98. Immediately after recording the album, the guys went to the USA for a short tour. The album Chaosphere, showing a seemingly faster and more aggressive Meshuggah was released in November -98.
Meshuggah did a thorough tour of Scandinavia and northern Europe with Entombed right after the album was released. In 1999 Meshuggah did their first “proper” U.S tour, supporting the mighty Slayer for 6 weeks. The new album and the live appearances got them a lot of good press in the USA. While waiting for the coming fullength release, the fans could enjoy the "Rare Trax" album, a collection of demos and impossible-to-find recordings, like the -89, 3-song EP "Psykisk Testbild" among others. This album took nearly a year to be released and wasn't available until the fall of 2001.
For the next U.S tour, Meshuggah supported Tool for a three week run, in the fall of 2001. In March of 2002, Meshuggah announced the title for their next album - "Nothing”. The Nothing tracks were first demo-recorded in Meshuggah's home studios, late -2001 through april -2002. The recording of the actual album started in May of 2002, and was finished in 5-6 weeks. Again the guys went to the U.S immediately after finishing the record - to do the Ozzfest tour.
The album "Nothing" was released in August -2002 and it showed a Meshuggah focusing more on groove and a lower/growlier production. With the new addition of 8-string guitars, this album brought a new dimension to the “Meshuggah sound”. Following the release, Meshuggah once again went on tour with Tool in the USA at the end of 2002. This time for 8 weeks.
Meshuggah were busy playing different tours promoting the NOTHING album until late -2003/early -2004 and around this time Gustaf Hielm parted with the band. Early -2004, Meshuggah again entered the studio to record the 21 minute song later to be named “I”.
This release was different in several aspects; it was not released on Nuclear Blast but instead on the small Cleveland, OH based label Fractured Transmitter Records. Meshuggah's "I” was the first release for this label owned/started by Jason Popson, previously vocalist/songwriter for the band Mushroomhead. The EP “I” was also more experimental in the sense that it’s one continuous piece of music, where Meshuggah venture through influences from past to present, creating one heavy and disturbingly eerie piece of music. "I" was also written/recorded as a "random", rhythmically non-structured piece. Drums were recorded "at random" and once pieced together into a continous 21 minute "drumtrack" - the guitars were "charted out" and recorded bar by bar!
With Gustav now no longer in the band, Meshuggah needed to find a new bassplayer and even though they auditioned 4-5 bassplayers from the Stockholm area, they didn't feel that they had found "their man" among these - Instead, through mutual friends in the band Darkane - Christofer Malmström and Peter Wildoer suggested Meshuggah should talk to Dick Lövgren, formerly of bands Time Requiem, Armageddon, Last Tribe and Cromlech. Dick was also a touring "stand in" bassplayer with In Flames and Arch Enemy for a few tours. Meshuggah met with Dick and after a first rehearsal, Meshuggah instantly knew they had found the "right guy for the job"!
With the 2005 release “Catch Thirtythree”, Meshuggah showed a new experimental side of the band, with this guitar driven, trance-inducing, one continuous piece of music clocking in at 47 minutes! As "Catch Thirtythree" was somewhat of an “experimental piece” Meshuggah only did a few tours in support of this album. Even so, they got the Metal Hammer Award for "Best Underground Band 2005".
In the fall of 2007, Meshuggah started writing their coming album, later named “obZen”. On this album, Meshuggah mixes influences from their past to present (and future it seems).
At the release of "obZen", in March of 2008, the album immediately got a lot of attention and entered the U.S billboard at place 59 for the first week’s sales. This album has more dynamics and is differenciating more, both in tempos and vibes of the different songs, compared to previous albums. This is also, according to the band, something they really went for when writing the album.
To many, the most memorable "obZen" song and in some ways probably the most extreme Meshuggah track to date, “Bleed” was also made a video for. This video, with its scary and twisted imagery, also received a lot of accolades and even won a “metal video of the year” award. The video was written and directed by Ian McFarland/Killswitch TV.
Ian McFarland has also, at the time of this bio being written, recorded several live shows with the band and the plan is to have the first ever Meshuggah Live DVD released in early -2010.

W.E.B.

 

Biography

W.E.B. play music deeply influenced by the "dark side" of metal. It can be defined as atmospheric metal mixed with a variety of goth and black metal along with heavy riffs sensitve melodies and erotic lyrics.
2002: Darkface and Alexandros meet and start jamming together. W.E.B. is formed. ..
2003-2004:.. Rehearsals and search for band members to complete the line up + Promo CD is recorded.
2005:.. First gig abroad with Orphaned Land in Sofia Bulgaria. Signed a record deal with Sleaszy Rider Records. The first album is recorded in Fragile Sound Studios – Athens (GR). The first video clip of the band is filmed for the song “Cockroach”.
2006:.. On January the debut album “Don’t Wake Futility” is released. Great welcome from the press (both music oriented and not). Metal Hammer Greece honors the band with a cover on Horror (Metal Hammer’s index). Made a mini tour with To/Die/For and several one-off gigs to promote the album.
2007:.. The band composes and records their second album in Scythe Noise Lab – Athens (GR) and went off to mix it at Fredman Studios (SE) with Fredrik Nordstrom. Later on filmed two video clips for the songs “Enthorned” and “Blossoms Cry”.
2008:.. On May the second album of W.E.B. is released with the title “Jesus Heist”. Very good critics about the album. Got th e 8th place of sales in metal music albums in Greece. The band gets to have another cover for Horror of Metal Hammer. First part of the Sinful Jesus Greek Tour with Inactive Messiah takes place. Also first headline show in Cyprus ends 2008 the best way possible.
2009:.. The band takes the 4rth place in "Best Greek Metal Band for 2008" by the vote of Greek Metal Hammer's readers. Second part of the Sinful Jesus Greek Tour starts on spring. In June W.E.B. join Forces with Septic Flesh, Inactive Messiah and Dimlight on the Greek Alliance Eastern European Tour, the first tour in Europe with a bill of Greek bands only.
2010:..The band takes an intermission and starts working on the compositions of their third strike.

HELMET

 

Biography

Seeing Eye Dog, HELMET’s seventh album, is one of the band’s most uncompromising and ambitious releases, embodying the classic and utterly unique Helmet sound and pushing it into regions the band has never before explored. One big reason for that spirit of musical adventure is the record is essentially self-released (through the Work Song label). “I just felt completely free to do whatever I wanted to do,” says frontman Page Hamilton. “It was really fun to make this record because I just felt this…freedom.”
Freedom can also arise from limitation, something Hamilton knows well–as ever, he insisted on having few overdubs and edits on Seeing Eye Dog. “This album is human and honest,” he declares. “People have always commented that we sound like our albums live, and our recording approach has a lot to do with that. Humans playing music will always be better than chop-shop rock.”
Besides Hamilton, the humans on Seeing Eye Dog include drummer Kyle Stevenson, who joined Helmet in 2006, guitarist Dan Beeman, who’s been on board since 2008, and long-time Helmet bassist Chris Traynor. (Dave Case is the band’s touring bassist.) The album was produced by Hamilton, with additional production by Toshi Kasai (Melvins) and vocal production by Mark Renk.
Some history: In 1989, Page Hamilton co-founded the New York-based Helmet, fusing Zeppelinesque riffing with a vehement post-hardcore precision, augmented by dense chords and offbeat time signatures based in Hamilton’s formal jazz training. The combination was that rarest of visionary creations–it was successful in its own time. After their 1990 debut album Strap It On (on revered indie label Amphetamine Reptile), Helmet unleashed the major label Meantime (1992), a widely acclaimed album that earned a Grammy nomination, went gold, and launched a thousand other bands. Betty followed in 1994, successfully branching out from the band’s ferocious attack and into more varied musical waters. (In 2010, Helmet issued via their website a digital-only deluxe version of Betty that includes 14 original album tracks plus five bonus tracks.) Another acclaimed album Aftertaste followed in 1997 and after nine years and thousands of shows, Helmet called it a day in 1998.
Hamilton went on to do soundtrack work for major Hollywood movies like Catwoman, S.W.A.T., Titus, and Saw, among others, formed the band Gandhi, and, following in the footsteps of greats like Adrian Belew and Stevie Ray Vaughan, played lead guitar in David Bowie’s band in 1999. In 2004 Hamilton restarted Helmet, releasing two acclaimed albums–Size Matters in 2004, Monochrome in 2006–and co-headlining the Warped Tour that year. Helmet did extensive US and European touring in 2009 in preparation for the new album.
Bands such as the DEFTONES, RISE AGAINST, PANTERA and TOOL have all cited Helmet as an influence, and not just for Helmet’s blistering, aggro approach but for the band’s sheer musicality and brains. See, Helmet, among other things, is a work of art. Hamilton is a trained musician who happens to make heavy, brutal music, a guy who digs BARTOK and MINOR THREAT. Which is why, as Seeing Eye Dog proves, Helmet is a surprisingly flexible concept.
“The Helmet musical vocabulary is well established at this point, but I continue to work on a variety of musical projects that inevitably influence the Helmet songs,” says Hamilton. “I’ve been working on movies with Elliott Goldenthal and co. for 17 years now and had never really experimented with incorporating these soundscapes (or shit sculpting as I prefer to call it) into Helmet songs. We had a much better recording situation in which I felt much less time pressure and was working with an engineer who was patient and very creative (Toshi Kasai), so away we went. I started layering upper parts of the chords and was digging the sound so I went with it.”
“So Long” and the title track embrace the classic Helmet approach: raging slabs of guitars, drill-sergeant vocals, drums like an expert beating, and guitar solos that scrawl hectic graffiti across the band’s monolithic attack. The lyrics, as Hamilton has said, spring from a combination of “comedy and disgust,” particularly in the scathing “Welcome to Algiers” and “In Person.”
But Seeing Eye Dog also finds Helmet pushing at its own boundaries–the grimly affecting “White City,” for instance, is as close to a ballad as Helmet has ever dared. “LA Water” sounds like a Beatlesque Helmet and later, “And Your Bird Can Sing” is a Helmetesque Beatles, with the band wielding the Fab Four’s standout Revolver track like a molten sledgehammer. The mostly instrumental “Morphing,” the luminous sound sculpture in the middle of the album, might seem unlike any other Helmet track, and yet it has the same monumental quality as the band’s most brutal work. (And if you hunger for Helmet in all its live glory, Seeing Eye Dog comes with a bonus disc, a blistering live set from the San Francisco stop on the 2006 Warped Tour.)
The freedom and adventurousness of Seeing Eye Dog (title via Ezra Pound, by the way) didn’t come out of nowhere. Hamilton encountered some record label interference in the past and vowed that it would never happen again. “After that, I said, I built this thing and this is the way it is,” Hamilton says. “Fortunately, those experiences ended up helping me maintain a singular attitude that’s really conducive to writing rock songs.”

Moonspell

 

Biography

Moonspell is a Portuguese heavy metal band from Brandoa, Lisbon. Formed in 1992, the group released their first EP Under the Moonspell in 1994, a year before the release of their first album Wolfheart. The band quickly gained status and became one of the most recognizable metal bands from Portugal.

Members
Fernando Ribeiro (Langsuyar)
Miguel Gaspar (Mike/Nisroth)
Ricardo Amorim (Morning Blade)
Pedro Paixão (Passionis/Neophytus)
Aires Pereira (Ahriman)

Ensiferum

 

Biography

1995
Markus Toivonen played guitar with some friends in a band called ”Dark Reflections” which played mainly covers of certain heavy metal bands including MEGADETH, PANTERA and many others. Later on Markus felt that the band in which he was playing offered him very little inspiration and wanted to play something different. Markus was hugely inspired by folk music and also found himself fascinated about melodic death metal bands, like AMORPHIS and DARK TRANQUILITY. Then one day Markus asked the band’s drummer, Kimmo Miettinen, if he wanted to play heroic folk ’death’ metal with him. Kimmo agreed. Next Markus and Kimmo asked their friend Sauli Savolainen, if he wanted to come and play the bass. Fortunately he said yes. Now they had a band. Only trouble was that the band had no name at the time. One day Markus was visiting Sauli at his home, when he found a book. A Latin Dictionary. Markus casually opened the book. And from the first randomly picked page he glanced at a word. Ensiferum. Markus found the word fascinating and when he read the translation he got really excited of this word…
1996
Ensiferum started it’s training in January 1996 at the Pasila Youthcenter in Helsinki (the same place their earlier band Dark Reflections had their rehearsals). Markus begun writing songs in 1995, which he got finished later 1996. The songs were ”Knighthood”, ”Old Man (Väinämöinen)” and ”Frost”. Later in the same year Markus lured Jari Mäenpää (at the time a member of a band Immemorial and an experienced solo artist) to join his band as a singer and a second guitarist. Jari came aboard with some great skills and excellent musical ideas. Thus the band was no longer a trio, but a quartet. Jari proved to be a skillfull lyricist and wrote the lyrics on ”Old Man”. The two other songs required no new lyrics for Jari to write, because Markus had done the original lyrics on ”Knighthood” and Sauli to ”Frost”. So Jari just improved them. Ensiferum had their first concert at Pasila Youthcenter in December 1996. Ironically, they performed just one song, ”Old Man”, which was the only song including finished lyrics.

1997
Jari went to army in January and the band was in halt. The rest of the guys used this spare time to improve their playing skills. Ensiferum had two unofficial gigs in Pasila (the other in the Youthcenter and the other one outside of it) with a strange line-up…
Jari finished his duty in the army in the fall of 1997 and Ensiferum started training heavily for the first demo, which was recorded at Kivi-Studios in November. The demo included three songs, ”Frost”, ”Old Man” and ”Knighthood”, and the demo had the spread of almost 300 copies in the following year.
1998
At the release of the demo Ensiferum did yet another two concerts in Pasila. New songs got finished, including ”Little Dreamer (Väinämöinen II)”. But Ensiferum had to take a little breather. And things didn’t get any easier because Kimmo Miettinen joined the band ARTHEMESIA and Sauli Savolainen concentrated on his job and school. That year Oliver Fokin had quit playing drums in ARTHEMESIA and had a few short jamming sessions with Markus in an old bomb shelter at Munkkiniemi, Helsinki. One thing led to another and Oliver agreed to play drums in the band. So one might say that Ensiferum and ARTHEMESIA had a change of drummers. Roughly about the same time Sauli was freshed out of the inthusiasm toward Ensiferum and was replaced by Kimmo Miettinen’s little brother, Jukka-Pekka Miettinen. Funnily, at the time he started to play bass in Ensiferum he was only fourteen years old. Now there was a new line-up ready to head the challenges of the second demo. And they had a new training facility: the bomb shelter in Munkkiniemi.
1999
The second demo was recorded in January 1999 at MD-Studios. The demo included 4 songs: ”The Dreamer’s Prelude”, ”Little Dreamer (Väinämöinen II)”, ”Warrior’s Quest” and ”White Storm”. The second demo was technically evolved and although it missed narrowly giving a record deal to Ensiferum it gave confidence to the band. They gained more experience in a local band contest and after that they started to record their third and final demo in November 1999 once again at MD-Studios with the help of Janne Joutsenniemi (a member of Stone and Sub-Urban Tribe) who recorded and mixed the demo in a very short studio session. The demo included 4+1 songs: ”Intro”, ”Hero In A Dream”, ”Eternal Wait”, ”Battle Song” and a bonus song ”Guardians Of Fate”, which was recorded at Jari’s home with a drum machine. ”Eternal Wait” had a guest female vocalist Johanna Vakkuri, a friend of the band. The demo was released with a new band logo, which was designed and conceived by Tuomas Tahvanainen, the same guy, who designed the two earlier logos.
2000
The third demo had great reviews and was awarded to be the top demos of the month in several different publishes. And it also got the eagerly awaited attention amongst the record labels. Once Spinefarm record company got hold of the demo they contacted Ensiferum immediately and started negotiating about the possibility of a record deal. In the meanwhile, Ensiferum went in a local band contest and was among the top finalists of that year. Roughly the same time a record deal was finally made with Spinefarm. Ensiferum recorded their debut album in November 2000 at Sundi-Coop Studios in Savonlinna with Tuomo Valtonen (studio engineerer). The album featured such guest musicians as Trollhorn (keyboards), Johanna Vakkuri (guest female vocals) and Marita Toivonen (kantele).
2001
In the spring of 2001 the debut album was mixed by Tuomo Valtonen in his studio. Tuomo Valtonen made the record ballsy, as he always does. At similar times Ensiferum had a new addition to it’s line-up: a keyboard player. Meiju Enho joined Ensiferum and so the band became five-membered. Debut album ”Ensiferum” was released in July 2001 and the feedback was tremendous.
2003-2004
To record "Iron" Ensiferum travelled all the way to Copenhagen's Sweet Silence studios in the summer of 2003. The reason for choosing a foreign studio was the studio´s owner, the famed producer Flemming Rasmussen, who has in the past recorded and produced such famed albums as METALLICA´s "Master of Puppets" and "Ride the Lightning". "Iron" was then recorded, produced and mixed by Rasmussen.
After the recordings Ensiferum announced with a sad heart that their singer/guitarist Jari Mäenpää had made the decision of leaving the band. The search for a replacement was started immediately due to the band´s busy touring schedule, and soon a new singer was found in the form of NORTHER´s lead singer Petri Lindroos. Soon the temporary replacement for Jari took over his duties when Ensiferum toured Europe with FINNTROLL and THE WAKE during the Spring of 2004.

Armcarver

 

Biography

Armcarver has no biography available at the moment...
Line-up:
Adam Cortina - Vocals
Jason Deacon - Guitars
Dusty Tomb - Guitars
Gopi - Bass
John Paradiso - Percusion

Ill Niño

 

Biography

“Viva la Revolucion!” - These words, made famous by Ernesto “Che” Guevara, served as a battle cry for the Latin world in the 1950’s and 60’s and have continued to permeate our culture today. Perhaps it is fitting then that 40 years later Ill Nino titled their first album, a combustible blend of Latin rhythms, distorted guitars and Spanish/English lyrics, Revolution, Revolucion. And much like the Guevara, Ill Nino has never been content to rest on their laurels; rather they continue to dig deeper and deeper into their Latin roots and create music that is at once intense and soulful, scathing and hopeful, Latin and universal. The product of a lifetime spent between two cultures, The New Jersey sextet’s fourth album, Enigma, is their most innovative and powerful to date. Incorporating all of the disparate elements that have made Ill Nino what they are today, Enigma seeks not to blur but to obliterate the geographic lines that separate us and prove that music is one medium that no know boundaries.
Formed in Northern New Jersey in 1999 by drummer Dave Chavarri, vocalist Cristian Machado and bassist Laz Pina, Ill Nino quickly made a name for themselves with a unique blend of decidedly American metal fused to a backbone of Latin percussion. An early demo landed in the hands of Roadrunner Records and the band was signed in 2000. Their first album, 2001’s Revolution, Revolucion saw the band burst into the worldwide spotlight with the single “What Comes Around” and stints on Ozzfest and the Jagermeister Music Tour along with tours with Linkin Park, Soulfly and Drowning Pool. In 2003 the band released Confession, an album which eased up on the aggression while adding a greater Latin flavor to their sonic stew. The album debuted in the Top 40 and the single “How Can I Live”, which was also the lead single from the film Freddy vs. Jason, helped further expand the band’s reach both at home and abroad. Tours with Godsmack, Korn and Sevendust ensued, with the band selling nearly 200,000 copies of their sophomore release in the U.S. 2004’s DVD Live In The Eye Of The Storm and 2005’s One Nation Underground followed, both cementing the band’s status as true innovators in the Latin and hard rock genres.

In 2006 Ill Nino amicably parted ways with Roadrunner and were quickly signed to Cement Shoes Records. The band released a five song limited edition EP, The Undercover Sessions, and headed out on a six week headlining run in support of it. Upon their return, they got down to the task of writing a new album. “We have a tremendous amount of artistic freedom now,” explains Chavarri of the band’s new home. “We're able to express ourselves without boundaries on Enigma.” And that new-found freedom is evident from note 1.” Enigma is a much more natural-sounding album than any of its predecessors, with Latin rhythms and Spanish vocals snaking in and out of the more traditional numbers.
While the heaviness still remains on tracks like “Finger Painting (With The Enemy)“ and “Guerilla Carnival“, Enigma is more about surprise than comfort. The band’s Latin roots anchor the album with percussive rhythms and Spanish vocals making up the key ingredients to tracks such as “March Against Me“ and “Estoy Perdido“ rather than just offering some South-of-the-border spice. “Me Gusta La Soledad“ is a ballad sung entirely in Spanish, whose sweeping, yet tender scope transcends any language barrier. The first single “ Pieces Of The Sun “ sees Ill Nino firing on all cylinders; melodic guitars squeal above a thunderous rhythm section, all combining to create a chorus that rumbles around in your head long after the song’s undeniable groove is done smacking you silly.
Starting with over 30 songs, the band took their time in choosing which tracks would make the final cut. “On past albums we spent about 4 months to record, mix and master. On Enigma we spent almost 7 months, as we wanted to make sure everything was the best that it could be,” Chavarri notes. More time combined with a new setting, the addition of rhythm guitarist Diego Verduzco and close proximity to one another also affected the outcome of Enigma. Bassist Pina explains, “We were able to spend all our time together without any distractions. It was all about the music 24/7 and I think that shows.” Beginning with Cris, Laz, Dave and guitarist Ahrue Luster, the songs began to take shape, with Verduzco and percussionist Danny Couto fleshing the numbers out with their contributions.
Once completed, Cris would add his lyrics to bring the true identity to each piece. “It’s really about the deterioration of our planet and the policies that have contributed to the current situation of the world,” Machado explains of the lyrical bent of Enigma, “ It's a story about destruction and consequence. Life and death. Elemental fury and spiritual awakening.” And yet for all of it’s scathing indictments, the album is one of both anger and beauty. “Ultimately I think our message is a positive one. We promote self-awareness and individuality.”
It is Ill Nino’s individuality, their willingness to buck trends and to stay true to both their individual and cultural identities, that has allowed them to grow. “I think that we are a Latin bad with heavy metal roots and a metal band with a Latin core; we’re not just one or the other,” explains Chavarri. “We were raised listening to Latin music so to us it’s second nature.” The duality of Ill Nino’s culture clash is fully realized on the appropriately-titled Enigma; an album that is equal parts reinvention and evolution. So perhaps Guevara’s words are not the best way to describe Ill Nino’s music.
Has anyone coined the phrase: “Viva la Evolucion!”?

Dream Theater

 

Biography

September 1986 was when it all began. Guitarist John Petrucci and his bassist friend John Myung both attended the Berklee School of Music in Boston, and they were looking to form a band in their spare time. They came across drummer Mike Portnoy in one of Berklee's rehearsal rooms, and after a few days chatting they decided to give it a shot.

They contacted high school friend Kevin Moore to fill the keyboardist position, and vocalist Chris Collins completed the line-up to be known as Majesty.

Symphony X

 

Biography

After the release of Michael Romeo's demo tape, The Dark Chapter, Symphony X was formed in April 1994. Besides Romeo, the original lineup included keyboardist Michael Pinnella and drummer Jason Rullo. The same year saw the band recording their self-titled debut. This was followed eight short months later by their tremendously received second album, The Damnation Game, which featured the new singer, Russell Allen, for the first time.
They made a huge leap up the ladder in Autumn 1996 with the release of The Divine Wings Of Tragedy, which was especially well received in Europe, and which received high placing in the Readers' Polls of Europe's most important music magazines. Accolades such as 'the best Progressive Power Metal band in the world' and 'the best Progressive Metal album of the year' were heaped onto Symphony X. March 1998 saw the release of their fourth studio album Twilight In Olympus, and the band's first, eagerly awaited concerts.
Their fifth studio album, V - The New Mythology Suite, took Symphony X on a European tour in Autumn 2000. During the tour, they recorded their live double album, Live On The Edge Of Forever, in the legendary Paris venue Elysee Montmartre. The live album was released in October 2001, which documented the huge technical capabilities of the five band members.

With their sixth studio work and latest release, The Odyssey, Symphony X united recognized progressive elements and their clean, sharp melodic vocals with a somewhat harder, rawer production. "The lyrics of 'King Of Terrors' are based on a novel by Edgar Allen Poe", says Romeo. "We had the feeling that this dark, heavy song needed dark spooky lyrics. Edgar Allen Poe is perfect for stuff like this." But the proof that this heavier sound has not completely buried the band's more melodic and epic side is documented in 'Accolade II'--the continuation of the song 'Accolade' from the 1996 album, The Divine Wings Of Tragedy; as well as the title track, divided into seven chapters with a total length of 29 minutes. In a breathtaking musical trip through the Greek Odyssey, Symphony X have put to music such stages as the Sirens' song ('Sirens'), the conquest of Circe ('Circe (Daughter Of The Sun)'), the perilous sea journey ('Scylla And Charybdis') and finally the arrival at Ithaca ('The Fate Of The Suitors / Champion Of Ithaca'). In order to realize their visions of an exciting and deliberately harder album, Symphony X took over almost all the work on The Odyssey; the songwriting and arranging, the pre-production and the work in the studio was all firmly in the musicians' hands. "It needed a hell of a lot of energy, but it was definitely worth it", Romeo says with satisfaction.
The band's seventh studio release, Paradise Lost, was released on June 26, 2007.
Current members
Russell Allen - Vocals
Michael Romeo - Guitar
Michael LePond - Bass
Michael Pinnella - Keyboards
Jason Rullo - Drums
Former members
Thomas Walling - Drums
Thomas Miller - Bass
Rod Tyler - Vocals
Discography
1994 - Symphony X
1995 - The Damnation Game
1997 - The Divine Wings of Tragedy
1998 - Twilight in Olympus
1999 - Prelude to the Millennium (Compilation)
2000 - V: The New Mythology Suite
2001 - Live on the Edge of Forever (Live)
2002 - The Odyssey
2007 - Paradise Lost
2010 - TBA

Entera

 

Biography

1990:
- Carsten Lutter establishes Entera in March.
1993:
- First concert in Völklingen on July 7, 1993.
- Release of the "Crossing" Demo EP.
- Entera takes part in the Death-Metal/Hardcore Festival in St.Ingbert on November 20, 1993.
1994:

- Hardest time for the Band: Guitar player.
- Jürgen Peters dies on September 4, 1994.
1997:
- Best Band 1997 is the line in the newspaper "Pfälzischer Merkur".
2000:
- 10th anniversary concert at the "Erdgeschoss" in Zweibrücken on April 15, 2000.
- Release of the first album "Betrayal against time".
2002:
- Entera takes part in "Rock 'n' Proll Open Air" on May 24, 2002.
2003:
- Release of the second album "Believe, Fight or Die".
- "Goodbye"-Concert at the JuZ in Pirmasens, September 20, 2003.
2004:
- A new start in Nürnberg.
2005:
- Entera takes part in "Tearin` down the tower II" on Feb. 05, 2005.
2006:
- Entera takes part in "Thrash Attack 2006 Part I & Part II".
2007:
- Ex- Guitar player Holger Grzeschik dies on february 25, 2007.
2008:
- Release of the third album "Daily Terror

Kamis, 27 Januari 2011

Torture Squad

 

Biography

Torture Squad have been annihilating the Brazilian metal scene for over 15 years now, playing visceral and powerful death/thrash metal that has been proven on 4 studio albums and a live CD and DVD. The group has gathered legions of fans with their electrifying concerts all over Brazil, Latin America and even hitting upon Europe as well. Torture Squad have played with great bands such as Anthrax, Dimmu Borgir, Kreator, Tristania, Krisiun, Monstrosity, Incantation, Desaster, Exodus, Angra, Shaaman, Korzus and others.
The band’s first line-up was Vitor Rodrigues (vocals), Cristiano Fusco (guitar), Castor (bass) and Amilcar Christofaro (drums).
Torture Squad released their debut album, Shivering, in 1998. The album was originally recorded and supposed to be released in 1995, but due to label problems it was not released until 1998.
Shivering was quickly followed by their 1999 sophomore album, Asylum of Shadows. Proving to be a landmark album for the band, it launched them into Europe to play 7 dates in Germany, giving the European metal scene a true taste of Brazilian metal.
In 2001, Torture Squad released their third album, The Unholy Spell, which was elected by audiences and Brazilian metal magazines as one of the 5 best Brazilian metal albums ever released! In this same year, the band shot their first video for the song Abduction Was the Case, which was showcased on Brazil’s MTV.
The following year saw the departure of guitarist Cristiano Fusco, who left the band due to personal reasons. Joining the ranks of Torture Squad was former Krisiun axe-man Mauricio Nogueira.
2003 arrived and Torture Squad released the acclaimed album Pandemonium. Since the release of this album, it has drawn fans from all over the world. An album that has been highly praised, elected by Roadie Crew Magazine, one of the biggest metal magazines in Brazil, as the best Brazilian metal album ever released. It also got Torture Squad voted to be the headliners of Brazil Metal Union Fest, a great and important Brazilian metal festival at DirecTV Music Hall, São Paulo, Brazil. From webzines, to metal magazines all over the world, Pandemonium was indeed taking place.
Between 2004-2005, Torture Squad would release their first live CD and DVD, Death, Chaos And Torture Alive, and played throughout Brazil for almost two years in support of this release and Pandemonium.
In 2006, the band returned to Europe for 18 concerts between Germany and Austria including one gig at Musikmesse in Frankfurt Germany, which is the second biggest music fair of the world! When Torture Squad returned to Brazil, crowds of over 10,000 people came to see Torture Squad at the Porão do Rock Brasília/DF. The return home also marked the third time they would perform at the Brazilian Metal Union.
This followed the Death, Chaos and Torture Alive tour which was an extensive one over American Latin territories like Paraguay, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Panama. During this time, the band was working on their next chapter in new music.
In November 2006, the band released the EP Chaos Corporation. The EP featured 2 brand new tracks, Chaos Corporation and The Beast Within, plus 3 songs from their 1993 demo tape A Soul In Hell.
In June 2007, Torture Squad was chosen (after winning the local Metal Battle) to represent Brazil in the Wacken Open Air Festival to take place August 2-4, 2007 in Wacken, Germany. Then, once at Wacken Open Air they played in the Metal Battle (at the W.E.T. Stage) with several other bands, having won the contest. With that, they won prizes along with a contract with Wacken Records (ex- Armageddon Music) from Germany which will release their upcoming album Hellbound and will be released at some point this year.
In January 2008, Mauricio Nogueira leaves Torture Squad for personal reasons and Augusto Lopes joint in the band replacing him.
Their most recent album, Hellbound, was released in Europe in May 2008 by Wacken Records and at same year Torture Squad embarked on a 60-date European tour, which will include a show at Wacken Open Air in August 2008.
The year of 2009 started pretty well for Torture Squad. After the release of Hellbound and its excellent repercussion in Brazil, Europe and the United States, the band will be in a European tour with two legends of thrash metal, Overkill and Exodus. The tour begins in mid February in London, where the Brazilian group performs for the first time, and includes 12 more shows in countries like Spain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
LINE-UP:
Vitor Rodrigues (1993) - Vocals
Augusto Lopes (2008) - Guitar
Castor (1993) - Bass, Backing vocals
Amílcar Christófaro (1993) - Drums
Former members
Mauricio Nogueira (2002-2008) - Guitars
Cristiano Fusco (1990-2002) - Guitars
Marcelo Fusco (1990-1993) - Drums
Marcelo Dirceu (1990-1993) - Bass, Vocals
Fúlvio Pelli (1993) - Guitars

Gormathon

 

Biography

Gormathon was formed in February 2009 by Stefan Jonsson (guitar), Tony Sandberg (drums) and Tony Sunnhag (bass and vocals). They began to write music based on the idea of creating metal close to death metal but still maintaining the melodies and harmonies fundamental to traditional metal.
In April 2009 they started to record the first tracks, putting a lot of effort in recording the tracks on their own. Later the same month, in order to bring more life into their music, they invited Thomas Hedlund (bass) and Peter Sonefors (guitar) to join the band. A three track demo was released in June and the songs got played on Swedish national radio, P3 Rock, in July and got excellent reviews in Sweden Rock Magazine and Close-Up Magazine.

In September 2009 Gormathon got contacted by Johnny Hagel of Bonnier Amigo Music Group AB, who was working on establishing a new metal label within the company. They sent him the tracks, and as he really liked the tunes a contract was signed in February 2010 with Supernova Records Sweden AB, the new metal label under Bonnier Amigo Music Group AB. All tunes were re-mixed and re-mastered by Henrik Edenhed at Studio Cosmos in Stockholm, Sweden.

THE OATH

 

Biography

THE OATH was born in Lyon (France) during the year 1999. During the years, the band known several line-up changes but the hard core of the band has always succeeded in persevering... THE OATH is currently composed of Pierre Leone (guitars & vocals), Manu Da Silva (lead guitars), Nathaniel Reynaud (bass and backing vocals), Romain Devaux (keyboards and clean vocals) et Christophe Bardon (drums).
The music of THE OATH is situated at the border of black, death, thrash and heavy-metal. The whole band members’ influences concerning metal or any other musical style are represented. These various contributions give to the band’s music this characteristic which makes it a band very hard to label, original and quite effective musically.
After a 4 songs demo-tape released in 2000 and some gigs during these first years of experimentations and maturation, THE OATH recorded at the end of 2002 its second self-produced demo (Cd) intitled “Présages... & Ténèbres”. This recording has allowed the band to have a name within the underground metal scene, generating in that way many reviews, numerous contacts and of course some more gigs... But quickly, it became obvious that the future of the band have to pass by the professionnal recording of its new songs.
Christian Héritier from La Manufacture Du Son (KEMET, TENEBRUM INFECTUS) started the recording and the mix of the band’s first album in february 2006. Mastered in L’Autre Studio (Paris) at the end of august, this self-produced album, entitled “The End Of Times”, was quickly pointed out by the entire metal scene and helped the band to build a solid reputation in France and in many other countries.
With more motivation than ever, the band decided in 2007 to record its second opus, intitled “4”, in Kohlekeller Studio (Seeheim/Germany) under supervision of Kristian “Kohle” Kohlmannslehner who works with bands such as CREMATORY, AGATHODAIMON, SIEGES ENVEN, BENIGHTED...
The next two years, with passion and perseverance, THE OATH shared the stage with some great names of the entire extrem metal scene such as ENSLAVED, KEEP OF KALESSIN, NEGURA BUNGET, VREID, TAAKE, CIRITH GORGOR, AGATHODAIMON, NECRODEATH, ETHS, DAGOBA, ADAGIO, MISANTHROPE, DESTINITY, ANTAEUS...
The very good feedback concerning this album helped the band to cross a new step and THE OATH will finally spread its name and music worldwide under the banner of the Italian record label Code666.
In 2010, after ten years of existence, THE OATH approaches a major phase of its evolution. Another time with the trust of its label Code666, THE OATH returns to Kohlekeller Studio (Germany) to give life to its third opus " Self-Destructed ". Announced as the most accomplished, richest recording, but also the most direct and audacious of its discography, this new chapter develops themes and musical elements which make of THE OATH a different band, built on its own and original personality. For the layout and artwork matters, the acclaimed French artist Fursy Teyssier (ALCEST, LES DISCRETS, AMESŒUR...) has worked closed to the band to create a dark, dramatic and unique visual identity for its new release.
The pain goes ever on...

Selasa, 25 Januari 2011

Death Of Desire

 

Biography

The band started and recorded their fist demo in an empty Nazi headquarter in Bruchsal, Germany, a building which belonged to the Secret Service back in the Second World Wide, and the band broke in and recorded audio and video in there and also in the prison area.
In 2009 Death of Desire recruited Hellhammer as the official drummer, all drum tracks were recorded in the Molla Studio in Norway who belongs to Knut M. Valle (Arcturus) and has recorded many bands such as MayheM, Rotting Christ, Ulver, etc..
The band finished 2 songs in December 2009 and they will be included in a upcoming Demo album which will include some recordings from the Nazi attic, only 300 copies will be printed and they will be all signed with blood.
the full length entitled 'ANTIhuman' will be released soon this year and will consist on 10+ tracks all of the including Hellhammer on the Drums.
Dawn Desire - Screams
Morbid - Guitars
Hellhammer - Drums
Priapos - Bass

Lust Of Symphony

 

Biography

Lust Of Symphony are a Six-piece Progressive Rock/Metal outfit hailing from Mumbai, India, but they're not just another band. They are professional musicians from all corners of the world. Imagine a bunch of virtuosos, with a huge passion for music. Lust Of Symphony was from the start the brainchild of Kiran Roy; lead guitars. The band's name is both a reference for their undying love for music, and the speed and melody that is an integral part of their virtuosic music. All members of the band are virtuosos in their craft and full time professional musicians and teachers in their Academy Guitar Hall, which apart from being India’s first and foremost professional guitar training academy, is also the world’s largest chain of guitar training academies. Every member of the band holds a vast experience of live performances with their respective bands. Lust Of Symphony is an amalgamation of musicians from far corners of the world.
Already having a huge fan base in India courtesy their individual performances right throughout and due to Guitar Hall, Lust Of Symphony is all set to rock India with their new sound and virtuoso guitars, keyboards and drums playing.
Guitarist Kiran Roy first gained notoriety and stepped into the live circuit when he won the best lead guitarist awards for 3 consecutive years at various college festivals starting from 2001 with his Rock band R.O.T.He soon went on to take his Guitar Academy Guitar Hall to great heights. During the process he met some extraordinarily talented musicians like Dhruv Rathod;lead guitars, Aman Gujral;bass, Toshi Hizungba who is a native of Nagaland;lead guitars, Tristan Poirier who is a native of France;vocals/keyboards and Udit Kapoor;drums, who apart from teaching in Guitar Hall were also performing in various Rock bands all over.
Kiran Roy, a former truant; current nationally-renowned guitar hero, begged to differ when his professional musician friends from the film industry sniggered and insisted that Rock music isn't something you can make a living out of in India. In spite of almost non-existent support in their early days, their perseverance and countless hours of practice have taken the band higher from the very first band rehearsals. Thanks to their uncompromising attitude, the band have made themselves known for their striking mix of mind-blowingly technical guitar work, yet still extremely aggressive and catchy metal rhythm section heavier than most metal bands in the scene. Today Lust Of Symphony are about to take their virtuosic music to a new level altogether.
Having a host of original guitar based instrumentals the band also has many compositions with their vocalist Tristan Poirier. The band influences are VAN HALEN, DREAM THEATER, RACER-X, STEVE VAI, JOE SATRIANI, MEGADETH, PANTERA, Eric Johnson, Neil Zaza, JUDAS PRIEST, Andy Timmons, etc.
Members
Kiran Roy – Lead/Rhythm Guitars
Dhruv Rathod – Lead/Rhythm Guitars/Keyboards
Toshi Hizungba – Lead/Rhythm Guitars
Aman Gujral – Bass Guitar
Tristan Poirier – Vocals/Keyboards
Udit Kapoor – Drums

Ripgut

 

Biography

Trashing it up since Winter of 2009, thrashers Brett and Derek were looking to form a Metal band to wreak havoc and tear shit up. They looked to Alex to hop on the drums and turned to Kenny to throw his death growls on top of the mix. The garage door closed and practices commenced.

Upon the band's conception, they were known as Shackled for a number of months, but talk of a name-change was a common occurrence. Eventually, after sifting through an unbearable amount of names, the four settled upon the perfect one to represent their punchy style - Ripgut!
In early June, Ripgut went into a home studio down the street from their practice house and recorded their first EP, "Gut Rippin' Good"! Henceforth, an onslaught of flesh ridden shows shall unfold!

Rozen


Rozen is a gothic metal/rock band. In June 2009 they released EP named after band. Music is mainly melodic and melancholic with heavy guitar riffs and beautiful female vocals.
Rozen started in 2007 with XarXes, Crish and Dimmu. Little later joined Atheya and Anzelika. With main members in place they started to work with new material. With Anzelika’s strong and beautiful voice band style became more melodic and also more powerful.


Lyrics are mainly about love and life hardships. Often questioning and searching meaning. Before the recording of first EP they started to work with rapper called Keepz. He had some great ideas and now he raps in three songs (No Control, No More Lies, Broken Heart)
Line-up:
Anželika - vocals
XarXes - guitar
Atheya - keyboards
Crish - lead guitar
Dimmu - bass
Keepz - rap vocals

Dark Century

 

Biography

Dark Century is a band from Montreal that offers a style that is agressive, hilarious, heavy and bloody, but most of all, filled with trans fats and cholesterol. Incorporating influences from death, thrash, grind and hardcore, the band tries to stay fresh while keeping a great taste of smoked bacon.
The first record, DAYS OF THE MOSH, came out in 2008 and already, the recession can be felt. Humanity trembles in front of the Mosh it created. Riots are everywhere and people are ripping each other for our merchandise. Beware of the skies! On a dark day, the Mosh and Dark Century are probably near, looking for fresh meat to consume!

Jumat, 21 Januari 2011

Slipknot


Slipknot adalah sebuah band beraliran Nu Metal dari Des Moines, Iowa yang dibentuk pada 1995, Band ini telah beberapa kali mengganti anggotanya dan memiliki anggota tetap sejak 1999 yaitu: Sid Wilson, Joey Jordison, Paul Gray, Chris Fehn, James Root, Craig Jones, Shawn "Clown" Crahan, Mick Thomson, dan Corey Taylor. Sampai sekarang Slipknot Telah Nerilis 4 Buah Album, Band ini juga pernah mendapatkan Grammy Awards untuk kategori Best Metal Performance untuk lagu "Before I forget" pada tahun 2006, album ke 5 mereka yang bertajuk "All Hope Is Gone" akan dirilis pada 26 Agustus 2008

Anggota

Mantan anggota

Jenglot


Beberapa tahun lalu, sekitar akhir tahun 1997, tiba-tiba saja ada “makhluk” misterius yang jadi pembicaraan. Perawakannya kecil dengan tubuh tak lebih dari 12 cm dan rambutnya yang panjang, jarang dan kaku melewati kaki. Makhluk itu dinamakan jenglot. Kabarnya, jenglot itu bukan benda mati. Konon ia hidup, namun tak ada yang pernah tahu kapan bergerak.
KALAU melihatnya dari sudut lain, yakni dari sudut dan dunia simbolik kalangan para dukun, jenglot dikatakan sebagai “mummy” yang konon berusia 300 tahun. Menurut Abas Soegiono, jenglot ditemukan saat sejumlah paranormal alias dukun melakukan tirakat di Wlingi, Jawa Timur tahun 1972.
Jenglot yang dipamerkan waktu itu ada empat, masing-masing disebut sebagai jenglot, yang konon berjenis kelamin lelaki dan konon pula bisa membantu mengamankan pemiliknya dari segala macam bahaya. Yang lain lagi adalah Bethoro Karang, pria juga, konon bisa membantu kelancaran usaha, menjaga keselamatan dan lain-lain. Lalu Bethoro Katon, konon berjenis kelamin wanita, di mana selain membantu melancarkan usaha juga bisa dipakai sebagai pengasih.
Yang terakhir, Begawan Kapiworo, katanya penjelmaan kera putih, ada hubungan dengan Anoman, mempunyai padepokan Kendali Sodo. Jenglot sendiri menurut Abas adalah benda mati, bukan makhluk hidup. Meski jenglot bukan makhluk hidup, tetapi daya spiritual jenglot tetap hidup. Karena itu jenglot “harus diberi makan”. Makanan jenglot adalah darah berjenis O dan minyak wangi. Abas menyebut merk minyak wangi yang katanya mudah didapat di pasar.
Ahli Forensik FKUI-RSCM: Jenglot Bukan Manusia
JENGLOT pernah diperiksa dr Budi Sampurna DSF di bagian Forensik RSCM. Benda sepanjang 10,65 cm, menyerupai boneka menyeramkan itu memiliki bagian serupa kepala, badan, tangan dan kaki serta rambut terurai sepanjang 30 cm. Ukuran masing-masing tampak proporsional. Hanya saja, ukuran kuku-kuku jarinya serta taring sangat panjang. Taring mencuat hampir sepanjang ukuran kepala, kuku juga panjang dan meruncing hingga bukan tidak mungkin membuat bulu kuduk penonton berdiri. "Setiap 35 hari pada Jumat Legi, kita kasih satu tetes darah dicampur minyak javaron seperti kalau banyak orang memberikan sesaji berupa kembang atau kemenyan,” kata Hendra.
Tak ada yang tahu apakah darah tersebut benar-benar diminum atau tidak oleh makhluk seberat 37,2 gram itu. Menurut Hendra, dalam tubuh jenglot masih terdapat kehidupan. Tanda kehidupan itu, menurutnya, dapat dilihat dari bola matanya yang bisa berpindah setiap saat serta rambut dan kukunya yang memanjang. Benarkah jenglot dan kawan-kawannya itu masih hidup atau setidaknya pernah hidup? Hendra dengan berani mengajukan “tantangan” agar para ahli kedokteran menelitinya secara objektif. Tampaknya gayung bersambut. Pihak forensik RSCM tertarik untuk meneliti “kemanusiaan” jenglot. Tentu saja bukan berdasarkan ilmu klenik, tapi secara medis berdasarkan ilmu pengetahuan. Maka pada hari Kamis, 25 September 1997 siang, makhluk jenglot dibawa ke RSCM untuk diperiksa secara medis. Ruang forensik dan ruang rontgent RSCM mendadak penuh sesak pengunjung.
Mereka terdiri dari paramedis, mahasiswa kedokteran, wartawan dan sejumlah pengunjung RS yang tertarik melihat kedatangan jenglot yang ditaruh dalam kotak kayu berukir itu. Ahli Forensik FKUI-RSCM, Budi Sampurna DSF mengatakan, pemeriksaan jenglot dengan latar belakang seperti yang telah diketahui masyarakat luas merupakan tantangan menarik bagi dunia kedokteran untuk membuktikannya dari segi keilmuan. Menurut dr Budi, guna membuktikan kemanusiaan jenglot, maka akan dilakukan deteksi dengan alat rontgent untuk mengetahui struktur tulangnya serta pemeriksaan bahan dasar kehidupan seperti C,H,O atau proteinnya.
Untuk keperluan tersebut, ahli forensik mengambil sampel dari bahan yang diduga sebagai kulit atau daging jenglot serta sehelai rambutnya. Pengambilan sampel dilakuan sendiri oleh Hendra yang saat datang ke RSCM membawa serta tiga batang hio. "Untuk jaga-jaga, jangan-jangan ada yang kena sawab-nya (pengaruh)," katanya perihal hio.
Dokter Djaya Surya Atmaja kemudian memotret dan mengukur berbagai bagian “tubuh” jenglot. Setelah itu dokter spesialis radiologi, dr Muh Ilyas memeriksa jenglot menggunakan sinar X. Dalam pemerikasaan lebih lanjut Hendra menolak barang koleksinya dibedah. Alasannya, jasad Jenglot akan rusak. "Akibat tidak baik bagi kita semua," katanya.
Usai pemeriksaan ternyata hasilnya menyatakan jenglot tak memiliki struktur tulang. Hasil rontgent yang disaksikan puluhan wartawan, paramedis, mahasiswa praktek, ternyata hanya menampilkan bentuk struktur menyerupai penyangga dari kepala hingga badan. Selain itu terlihat juga jaringan kuku dan empat gigi selebihnya tak ada. "Ada bagian jaringan serupa daging, namun kita belum bisa memastikan apakah itu daging atau bahan lainnya," kata Muh Ilyas.
Guna mendapat hasil lebih mendetail, maka jenglot diteliti dengan CT Scan. Ternyata jenglot tidak memiliki struktur seperti manusia kendati kenampakan luar menyerupai manusia. Kini pihak Forensik FKUI-RSCM masih meneliti sampel kulit/daging serta rambut jenglot untuk mengetahui golongan darah, DNA-nya. "Memakan waktu sekitar tiga minggu," katanya.

Menanggapi hasil tersebut, Hendra mengatakan, "Apa pun hasilnya kita harus terima dong," katanya. Majalah Gatra, Nomor 52/III, 15 November 1997 memberikan laporannya mengenai jenglot. Penelitian yang dilakukan Dokter Djaja Surya Atmaja PhD, dari Universitas Indonesia menunjukkan bahwa contoh kulit jenglot yang diperiksa memiliki karakteristik sebagai DNA (deoxyribosenucleic acid) manusia. "Saya kaget menemui kenyataan ini," kata Djaja, doktor di bidang DNA forensik lulusan Kobe University, Jepang, 1995.
Namun Djaja menolak anggapan seolah ia mengakui jenglot sebagai manusia. "Tapi sampel yang saya ambil dari jenglot menunjukkan karakteristik manusia," katanya. Adapun sampelnya berupa sayatan kulit jenglot berukuran setengah luas kuku, yang mengelupas dari lengannya. Contoh kulit itulah yang kemudian ditelitinya di Laboratorium RSCM atas prakarsa dan biaya pribadi. Spesimen seirisan kulit bawang itu kemudian diekstraksi agar DNA-nya keluar dari inti sel. DNA merupakan material genetik berupa basa protein panjang yang membangun struktur kromosom. Pada inti sel manusia terdapat 23 pasang kromosom. Masing-masing bisa dipenggal-penggal menjadi banyak lokus, satu unit yang membangun sifat bawaan tertentu.
Djaja memeriksa DNA Jenglot pada lokus nomor D1S80 dari kromosom 1 dan HLA-DQA1 dari kromosom 5, serta lima lokus khusus lain dengan teknik PCR (polymerase chain reaction). Pemeriksaan HLA-DLA-DQA1 memberikan hasil positif. Artinya, spesimen Jenglot itu berasal dari keluarga primata -bisa monyet, bisa pula manusia. Namun dari penyelidikan atas lokus D1S80, Djaja mendapat kepastian bahwa sampel DNA itu berkarakteristik sama dengan manusia. Temuan mengejutkan itu diperkuat dengan kajian mesin PCR. "Hasilnya begitu, saya harus bilang apa," kata satu-satunya ahli DNA forensik Indonesia berusia 37 tahun itu. Hendra Hartanto gembira mendengar hasil penelitian Djaja. "Ini menyangkut peninggalan sejarah yang berumur 3.112 tahun," katanya ketika ditemui Gatra di pameran Gelar Benda Pusaka Jenglot, di Plaza Metro Sunter, Jakarta Utara waktu itu.
Dokter Budi Pramono, yang pernah merontgen jenglot, terkejut mendengar hasil penelitian Djaja Surya. "Mirip bagaimana? Harus jelas. Saya kok kurang percaya. Nanti saya akan mengonfirmasikan langsung ke Dokter Djaja," katanya. Yang pasti, Budi tak percaya jika jenglot dianggap hidup. "Makhluk hidup itu perlu makan dan bernapas. Lalu strukturnya perlu tulang, jantung, paru, dan lain-lain. Jenglot tak mempunyai itu semua," katanya.
Untuk menjelaskan sosok jenglot secara lengkap, kata Budi, perlu diteliti lebih jauh struktur anatominya, aspek mikroskopis jaringannya, bahkan enzim yang ada di tubuhnya. Pimpinan RSCM sempat tertarik untuk meneliti Jenglot. Namun setelah Budi melaporkan bahwa jenglot tak memiliki kelengkapan organ sebagai makhluk, niat itu surut. Jenglot dianggap seperti karya mistik lainnya yang tak mengandung tantangan ilmiah. Sampai kemudian Djaja Surya menguji DNA dari kulit lengannya, yang ternyata berkarakteristik manusia. Tapi Djaja pun tak memutlakkan temuannya. Bisa saja penyelidikannya meleset karena sampelnya terkontaminasi. "Misalnya, kulit jenglot sebelumnya terkena olesan darah manusia," katanya.
Waktu jenglot dipamerkan, seorang bapak yang mengaku dari Salatiga yang bertanya, "Bisakah jenglot berkembang biak?''
Pertanyaan itu semata-mata berpangkal dari kekhawatirannya jika “makhluk ganas” (karena makanannya darah) itu makin banyak. Tetapi Hendra menepis kekawatiran itu. Menurut dia, jenglot hanya hidup secara gaib (roh). Artinya, kehidupan yang dimiliki bukan seperti kehidupan makhluk hidup. Sebab, secara fisik jenglot sebenarnya sudah mati (mumi). "Namun, dalam kematiannya itu dia masih memiliki kekuatan,'' ujarnya. Karena itu, dia mempersilakan orang yang memiliki tenaga dalam untuk membuktikan keberadaan "energi'' itu.
“Energi yang terkandung di dalam jenglot betul-betul besar, sampai saya terpental beberapa meter. Padahal, saya sudah mengerahkan kemampuan tenaga dalam untuk meremukkannya, namun ternyata tak mampu. Wah, betul-betul luar biasa,” tutur salah seorang pengunjung yang tak mau disebut namanya, setelah menjajal energi yang tersimpan di jenglot yang dipamerkan di Ruang Pamer Pasarraya Sri Ratu Jalan Pemuda Semarang.
Memang, banyak pengunjung yang kurang percaya jenglot itu mempunyai energi supranatural. Namun, bagi pengunjung yang mempunyai ilmu tenaga dalam atau tenaga supranatural, baru akan mempercayainya mumi mini tersebut mempunyai energi yang besar. Sampai-sampai mampu melemparkan pengunjung yang menjajal-nya.
Beberapa pengunjung yang lain yang memiliki ilmu tenaga dalam ketika menguji juga mengalami nasib serupa, terpental. Namun ada juga pengunjung yang memang tak dibekali dasar-dasar ilmu tenaga dalam, ketika mau membuktikan energi jenglot oleh panitia dengan terpaksa tidak diperkenankan. “Jangankan diremas oleh orang tua, oleh anak kecil pun jenglot pasti remuk,” tutur Yehana SR, salah seorang panitia pameran.
Tidak hanya itu, kabar jenglot yang diduga mempunyai unsur DNA manusia dan energi supranatural juga telah mendunia. Buktinya, salah seorang pakar foto aura dari Belanda, yakni Ny Adri Bojoh Knijn, secara khusus datang ke Ruang Pamer Jenglot untuk mendeteksi keberadaan energi jenglot tersebut dengan alat foto aura.
Hendra Hartanto pemilik benda tersebut menjelaskan, soal asal-usul jenglot tersebut manusia atau bukan, tergantung pada kepercayaan. Karenanya, jika ada pihak lain yang mempercayai benda tersebut bukan merupakan jasad manusia sah-sah saja. Sedangkan soal penelitian DNA, pihaknya berencana akan melakukan pengujian ke Singapura dan Jepang.
Banyak pula pengunjung yang meragukan jenglot sebagai makhluk mati yang mempunyai energi. Misalnya, kapan jenglot memindahkan tangan atau kakinya. Mulai hari pertama hingga kelima dipamerkan, empat ''pertapa sakti'' tersebut tetap dalam posisi semula: tangan tertekuk di depan dada, kedua kaki lurus-sejajar, dengan kedua mata terbuka.
''Katanya hidup, kok nggak bisa berkedip-kedip?'' tanya seorang pengunjung.
Terhadap pertanyaan itu, Hendra menjelaskan, jenglot memang tak bisa berkedip. Namun, meskipun belum pernah memergoki, dia sering mendapati posisi kelopak mata yang berubah. ''Suatu saat, posisi kelopak mata terbuka lebar, tapi saat yang lain akan menurun. Saya memang belum pernah memergoki, tapi pernah mendapati kelopak mata dalam kedua posisi seperti itu,'' ucapnya mencoba meyakinkan para pengunjung.
Dia menambahkan, yang dimaksud hidup dari jenglot bukan hidup seperti halnya manusia. ''Jenglot itu mumi, dan 'kehidupannya' ada dalam kematiannya itu. Jenglot hanya hidup secara gaib (roh).''
Dari Petir
SRI Ningsih, paranormal di Jl Petek, Darat Nipah Selatan No 177A Semarang, mengatakan, jenglot memang memiliki kekuatan atau energi. Jadi nggak ada unsur rekayasa. ''Namun saya berbeda pendapat dari Hendra mengenai asalnya. Menurut saya, jenglot itu berasal dari petir yang dipegang dan di-sabdo oleh tiga wali, yakni Syekh Maulana Malik Ibrahim, Sunan Ampel dan Sunan Giri,” tuturnya.
Mereka menganggap petir kurang ajar karena menyambar-nyambar saat ketiga wali berjalan-jalan. Karena itu petir ditangkap, kemudian di-sabdo. Karena berasal dari petir, maka jenglot memilki aliran listrik besar. “Secara fisik, jenglot berbentuk manusia, tapi sebenarnya dia itu jin. Setelah saya negosiasi, makanan jenglot bisa tanpa darah manusia, tapi cukup dengan minyak japaron,” tuturnya.
Sedangkan Harwanto, pengunjung asal Pedurungan, mengaku tertarik melihat jenglot, karena katanya termasuk manusia dan hidup. “Tapi ketika saya datang, berkedip pun dia tak bisa. Kalau demikian, jenglot tak ubahnya seperti benda pusaka lain, yaitu keris batu akik. Apalagi sesajiannya darah dan minyak wangi,” paparnya.