Category: Music

Metallica
Metallica at the 2024 Gershwin Prize ceremony. From left to right: Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, Robert Trujillo and James Hetfield.
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Heavy metal thrash metal speed metal hard rock
Discography	Metallica discography
Years active	1981–present
Labels	Megaforce Elektra Vertigo Warner Bros. Blackened
Spinoffs	Megadeth Phantasm
Spinoff of	Leather Charm
Members	James Hetfield Lars Ulrich Kirk Hammett Robert Trujillo
Past members	Dave Mustaine Ron McGovney Cliff Burton Jason Newsted
Website	metallica.com

Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career.^[1][2] The band's fast tempos, instrumentals and aggressive musicianship made them one of the founding "big four" bands of thrash metal, alongside Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer. Metallica's current lineup comprises founding members and primary songwriters Hetfield and Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo. Guitarist Dave Mustaine, who formed Megadeth after being fired from Metallica, and bassists Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted are former members of the band.

Metallica first found commercial success with the release of its third album, Master of Puppets (1986), which is cited as one of the heaviest metal albums and the band's best work. The band's next album, ...And Justice for All (1988), gave Metallica its first Grammy Award nomination. Its fifth album, Metallica (1991), was a turning point for the band that saw them transition from their thrash roots; it appealed to a more mainstream audience, achieving substantial commercial success and selling more than 16 million copies in the United States to date, making it the best-selling album of the SoundScan era. After experimenting with different genres and directions in subsequent releases, Metallica returned to its thrash metal roots with its ninth album, Death Magnetic (2008), which drew similar praise to that of the band's earlier albums. The band's eleventh and most recent album, 72 Seasons, was released in 2023.

In 2000, Metallica led the case against the peer-to-peer file sharing service Napster, in which the band and several other artists filed lawsuits against the service for sharing their copyright-protected material without consent, eventually reaching a settlement. Metallica was the subject of the acclaimed 2004 documentary film Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, which documented the troubled production of the band's eighth album, St. Anger (2003), and the internal struggles within the band at the time. In 2009, Metallica was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band co-wrote the screenplay for and starred alongside Dane DeHaan in the 2013 concert film Metallica: Through the Never, in which the band performed live against a fictional thriller storyline.

Metallica has released eleven studio albums, four live albums (including two performances with the San Francisco Symphony), twelve video albums, one cover album, two extended plays, 37 singles and 39 music videos. The band has won ten Grammy Awards from 26 nominations and had six consecutive studio albums – from Metallica through Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (2016) – debut at number one on the Billboard 200. Metallica ranks as one of the most commercially successful bands of all time, having sold more than 125 million albums worldwide as of 2018^[update].^[3] Metallica has been listed as one of the greatest artists of all time by magazines such as Rolling Stone, which ranked the band in 61st place on its list of 100 greatest artists of all time.^[4] As of 2017^[update], Metallica is the third-best-selling music artist since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991,^[5] selling 58 million albums in the United States.^[6]

History[edit]

1981–1984: Formation, early years, and Kill 'Em All[edit]

Metallica was formed in Los Angeles in late 1981 when Danish drummer Lars Ulrich placed an advertisement in a Los Angeles newspaper, The Recycler, which read, "Drummer looking for other metal musicians to jam with Tygers of Pan Tang, Diamond Head and Iron Maiden."^[9] Guitarists James Hetfield and Hugh Tanner of Leather Charm answered the advertisement. Although he had not formed a band, Ulrich asked Metal Blade Records founder Brian Slagel if he could record a song for the label's upcoming compilation album, Metal Massacre. Slagel accepted, and Ulrich recruited Hetfield to sing and play rhythm guitar.^[9] The band was officially formed on October 28, 1981, five months after Ulrich and Hetfield first met.^[10][11]

Metallica founding members James Hetfield (top) and Lars Ulrich (bottom)

The band name came from Ulrich's friend Ron Quintana, who was brainstorming names for a fanzine and was considering MetalMania or Metallica. After hearing the two names, Ulrich wanted the latter for his band, so he suggested Quintana use MetalMania instead.^[12] Dave Mustaine replied to an advertisement for a lead guitarist; Ulrich and Hetfield recruited him after seeing his expensive guitar equipment. In early 1982, Metallica recorded its first original song, "Hit the Lights", for the Metal Massacre I compilation. Hetfield sang and played both bass and rhythm guitar, while Lars Ulrich played drums and Lloyd Grant was credited with a guitar solo.^[9] Metal Massacre I was released on June 14, 1982; early pressings listed the band incorrectly as "Mettallica", angering the band.^[13] The song generated word of mouth, and the band played its first live performance on March 14, 1982, at Radio City in Anaheim, California, with newly recruited bassist Ron McGovney.^[14] Their first live success came early; they were chosen to open for British heavy metal band Saxon at one gig of their 1982 U.S. tour. This was Metallica's second gig. Metallica recorded its first demo, Power Metal, whose name was inspired by Quintana's early business cards, in early 1982.

The term "thrash metal" was coined in February 1984 by Kerrang! journalist Malcolm Dome in reference to Anthrax's song "Metal Thrashing Mad".^[15] Prior to this, Hetfield referred to Metallica's sound as "power metal". In late 1982, Ulrich and Hetfield attended a show at the West Hollywood nightclub Whisky a Go Go, which featured bassist Cliff Burton in the band Trauma. The two were "blown away" by Burton's use of a wah-wah pedal and asked him to join Metallica. Hetfield and Mustaine wanted McGovney to leave because they thought he "didn't contribute anything, he just followed."^[16] Although Burton initially declined the offer, by the end of the year, he had accepted on the condition that the band move to El Cerrito in the San Francisco Bay Area.^[16] Metallica's first live performance with Burton was at the nightclub The Stone in March 1983, and the first recording to feature Burton was the Megaforce demo (1983).^[16]

Metallica was ready to record their debut album, but when Metal Blade was unable to cover the cost, they began looking for other options. Concert promoter Jonathan "Jonny Z" Zazula, who had heard the demo No Life 'til Leather (1982), offered to broker a record deal between Metallica and New York City–based record labels. After those record labels showed no interest, Zazula borrowed enough money to cover the recording budget and signed Metallica to his own label, Megaforce Records.^[17]

In May 1983, Metallica traveled to Rochester, New York, to record its debut album, Metal Up Your Ass, which was produced by Paul Curcio.^[18] The other members decided to eject Mustaine from the band because of his drug and alcohol abuse and violent behavior just before the recording sessions on April 11, 1983.^[19] Exodus guitarist Kirk Hammett replaced Mustaine the same afternoon.^[17] Metallica's first live performance with Hammett was on April 16, 1983, at a nightclub in Dover, New Jersey, called The Showplace;^[16] the support act was Anthrax's original lineup, which included Dan Lilker and Neil Turbin.^[20] This was the first time the two bands performed live together.^[16]

Mustaine, who went on to form Megadeth, has expressed his dislike for Hammett in interviews, saying Hammett "stole" his job.^[21] Mustaine was "pissed off" because he believes Hammett became popular by playing guitar leads that Mustaine had actually written.^[22] In a 1985 interview with Metal Forces, Mustaine said, "It's real funny how Kirk Hammett ripped off every lead break I'd played on that No Life 'til Leather tape and got voted No. 1 guitarist in your magazine."^[23] On Megadeth's debut album, Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! (1985), Mustaine included the song "Mechanix", which Metallica had previously reworked and retitled "The Four Horsemen" on Kill 'Em All. Mustaine said he did this to "straighten Metallica up" because Metallica referred to Mustaine as a drunk and said he could not play guitar.^[23]

Because of conflicts with its record label and the distributors' refusal to release an album titled Metal Up Your Ass, the album was renamed Kill 'Em All. It was released on Megaforce Records in the U.S. and on Music for Nations in Europe, and peaked at number 155 on the Billboard 200 in 1986.^[24][a] Although the album was not initially a financial success, it earned Metallica a growing fan base in the underground metal scene.^[25] To support the release, Metallica embarked on the Kill 'Em All for One tour with Raven.^[26] In February 1984, Metallica supported Venom on the Seven Dates of Hell tour, during which the bands performed in front of 7,000 people at the Aardschok Festival in Zwolle, Netherlands.^[27]

1984–1986: Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and Burton's death[edit]

Metallica recorded its second studio album, Ride the Lightning, at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark, from February to March 1984. It was released in August 1984 and reached number 100 on the Billboard 200.^[28] A French printing press mistakenly printed green covers for the album, which are now considered collectors' items. Mustaine received writing credit for "Ride the Lightning" and "The Call of Ktulu".^[27]

Elektra Records A&R director Michael Alago and co-founder of Q-Prime Management Cliff Burnstein attended a Metallica concert in September 1984; they were impressed with the performance, signed Metallica to Elektra and made the band a client of Q-Prime Management.^[29] Metallica's growing success was such that the band's British label, Music for Nations, released "Creeping Death" as a limited-edition single, which sold 40,000 copies as an import in the U.S. Two of the three songs on the record – cover versions of Diamond Head's "Am I Evil?" and Blitzkrieg's "Blitzkrieg" – appeared on the 1988 Elektra reissue of Kill 'Em All.^[30] Metallica embarked on its first major European tour with Tank to an average crowd of 1,300. Returning to the U.S., it embarked on a co-headlining tour with W.A.S.P. and support from Armored Saint. Metallica played its largest show at the Monsters of Rock festival at Donington Park, England, on August 17, 1985, with Bon Jovi and Ratt, playing to 70,000 people. At a show in Oakland, California, at the Day on the Green festival, the band played to a crowd of 60,000.^[29]

Metallica's third studio album, Master of Puppets, was recorded at Sweet Silence Studios from September to December 1985 and released in March 1986. The album reached number 29 on the Billboard 200 and spent 72 weeks on the chart.^[31] It was the band's first album to be certified Gold on November 4, 1986, and was certified six times Platinum in 2003.^[32] Steve Huey of AllMusic considered the album "the band's greatest achievement".^[33] Following the release of the album, Metallica supported Ozzy Osbourne on a U.S. tour.^[29] Hetfield broke his wrist while skateboarding; he continued with the tour, performing vocals, with guitar technician John Marshall playing rhythm guitar.^[34]

On September 27, 1986, during the European leg of Metallica's Damage, Inc. Tour, members drew cards to determine which bunks on the tour bus they would sleep in. Burton won and chose to sleep in Hammett's bunk. At around sunrise near Dörarp, Sweden, the bus driver lost control and skidded, which caused the bus to overturn several times. Ulrich, Hammett and Hetfield sustained no serious injuries; however, Burton was pinned under the bus and died. Hetfield said:

I saw the bus lying right on him. I saw his legs sticking out. I freaked. The bus driver, I recall, was trying to yank the blanket out from under him to use for other people. I just went, "Don't fucking do that!" I already wanted to kill the [bus driver]. I don't know if he was drunk or if he hit some ice. All I knew was, he was driving and Cliff wasn't alive anymore.^[34]

1986–1994: Newsted joins, ...And Justice for All and Metallica[edit]

Burton's death left Metallica's future in doubt. The three remaining members decided Burton would want them to carry on, and with the Burton family's blessings, the band sought a replacement.^[35] Roughly 40 people – including Hammett's childhood friend, Les Claypool of Primus; Troy Gregory of Prong; and Jason Newsted, formerly of Flotsam and Jetsam – auditioned for the band to fill Burton's spot. Newsted learned Metallica's entire setlist; after the audition, Metallica invited him to Tommy's Joynt in San Francisco. Hetfield, Ulrich and Hammett decided on Newsted as Burton's replacement; his first live performance with Metallica was at the Country Club in Reseda, California. The members initiated Newsted by tricking him into eating a ball of wasabi.^[35] The band finished its tour in February 1987.

After Newsted joined Metallica, the band left their El Cerrito practice space – a suburban house formerly rented by sound engineer Mark Whitaker and dubbed "the Metalli-mansion" – and relocated to the adjacent cities of Berkeley and Albany before eventually settling in the Marin County city of San Rafael, north of San Francisco.^[36][37] In March 1987, Hetfield again broke his wrist while skateboarding, forcing the band to cancel an appearance on Saturday Night Live. In August 1987, an all-covers extended play (EP), titled The $5.98 E.P. - Garage Days Re-Revisited, was released. The EP was recorded in an effort to use the band's newly constructed recording studio, test Newsted's talents, and to relieve grief and stress following the death of Burton. A video titled Cliff 'Em All commemorating Burton's three years in Metallica was released in 1987; the video included bass solos, home videos and pictures.^[38]

Metallica's first studio album since Burton's death, ...And Justice for All, was recorded from January to May 1988 and released in September. The album was a commercial success, reaching number 6 on the Billboard 200, and was the band's first album to enter the top 10.^[28] The album was certified Platinum nine weeks after its release.^[39] There were complaints about the production, however; Steve Huey of AllMusic said Ulrich's drums were clicking more than thudding, and the guitars "buzz thinly".^[40] To promote the album, Metallica embarked on a tour called Damaged Justice.^[41]

In 1989, Metallica received its first Grammy Award nomination for ...And Justice for All in the new Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrument category. Metallica was the favorite to win, but the award was given to Jethro Tull for the album Crest of a Knave.^[42] The award was controversial with fans and the press; Metallica was standing off-stage waiting to receive the award after performing the song "One". Jethro Tull had been advised by its manager not to attend the ceremony because he was expecting Metallica to win.^[42] The award was named in Entertainment Weekly's "Grammy's 10 Biggest Upsets" list.^[43]

Following the release of ...And Justice for All, Metallica released its debut music video for the song "One", which the band performed in an abandoned warehouse. The footage was remixed with the film Johnny Got His Gun. Rather than organize an ongoing licensing deal, Metallica purchased the rights to the film. The remixed video was submitted to MTV with an alternative, performance-only version that was held back in case MTV banned the remixed version. MTV accepted the remixed version; the video was viewers' first exposure to Metallica. In 1999, it was voted number 38 in MTV's "Top 100 Videos of All Time" countdown^[44] and was featured on the network's 25th-anniversary edition of ADD Video, which showcased the most popular videos on MTV in the last 25 years.^[45]

In October 1990, Metallica entered One on One Recording's studio in North Hollywood to record its next album. Bob Rock, who had worked with Aerosmith, The Cult, Bon Jovi and Mötley Crüe, was hired as the producer. Metallica – also known as The Black Album – was remixed three times, cost US$1 million,^[46] and ended Hammett and Ulrich's marriages.^[47] Although the release was delayed until 1991, Metallica debuted at number one in 10 countries, selling 650,000 units in the U.S. during its first week.^[48] The album brought Metallica mainstream attention; it has been certified 16 times Platinum in the U.S., which makes it the 25th-best-selling album in the country.^[49] The making of Metallica and the following tour was documented in A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica. The tour in support of the album, called the Wherever We May Roam Tour, lasted 14 months and included dates in the U.S., Japan and the U.K.^[46] In September 1991, 1.6 million rock music fans converged in Moscow to enjoy the first open-air rock concert to be held in the Soviet Union; it was part of the Monsters of Rock series.^[50] However, in a June 2020 interview, Lars estimated the attendance at about a half million during their time slot.^[51] In April 1992, Metallica appeared at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert and performed a three-song set.^[52] Hetfield later performed "Stone Cold Crazy" with the remaining members of Queen and Tony Iommi.^[52]

On August 8, 1992, during the co-headlining Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Hetfield suffered second- and third-degree burns to his arms, face, hands and legs. There had been some confusion with the new pyrotechnics setup, which resulted in Hetfield walking into a 12-foot (3.7 m) flame during "Fade to Black".^[53] Newsted said Hetfield's skin was "bubbling like on The Toxic Avenger".^[54] Metallica returned to the stage 17 days later with guitar technician and Metal Church member John Marshall replacing Hetfield on guitar for the remainder of the tour, although Hetfield was able to sing. Later in 1993, Metallica went on the Nowhere Else to Roam Tour, playing five shows in Mexico City. Live Shit: Binge & Purge, the band's first box set, was released in November 1993. The collection contains three live CDs, three home videos, and a book filled with riders and letters.^[54]

1994–2001: Load, Reload, Napster controversy and Newsted's departure[edit]

Posted on February 7, 2008

Killswitch Engage

Killswitch Engage theme by pondwater

Download: KillswitchEngage.p3t

(3 backgrounds)

American metalcore band

For other uses, see Killswitch Engage (disambiguation).

"Aftershock (band)" redirects here. For other uses, see Aftershock (disambiguation).

Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage performing in 2014
Background information
Origin	Westfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres	Metalcore melodic metalcore
Discography	Killswitch Engage discography
Years active	1999 (1999)–present
Labels	Roadrunner Ferret Metal Blade Columbia Sony
Members	Mike D'Antonio Adam Dutkiewicz Joel Stroetzel Jesse Leach Justin Foley
Past members	Pete Cortese Tom Gomes Howard Jones
Website	killswitchengage.com

Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbanding of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, bassist Mike D'Antonio, and drummer Justin Foley. The band has released eight studio albums and three live performance albums. Their eighth studio album, Atonement, was released on August 16, 2019.

Killswitch Engage rose to fame with its 2004 release The End of Heartache, which peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200, and was certified gold by the RIAA in December 2007 for over 500,000 shipments in the United States. The title track, "The End of Heartache", was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2005 for Best Metal Performance, and a live DVD titled (Set This) World Ablaze was released in 2005. Killswitch Engage has performed at festivals such as Soundwave Festival, Wacken Open Air, Reading and Leeds Festivals, Ozzfest, Download Festival, Rock on the Range, Rock am Ring, Mayhem Festival, Monsters of Rock, Pointfest, Knotfest and Heavy MTL. The band has sold over four million records in the U.S. and has been considered notable within the New Wave of American Heavy Metal, and has also been considered one of the earliest leading forces of the metalcore genre.^[1]

History[edit]

Early years and debut album (1999–2001)[edit]

Killswitch Engage formed following the disbandment of metalcore bands Overcast and Aftershock in 1999.^[2] After Overcast broke up in 1998, bassist Mike D'Antonio collaborated with Aftershock guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz. Dutkiewicz, now playing drums, recruited guitarist Joel Stroetzel from Aftershock and vocalist Jesse Leach of the band Nothing Stays Gold (who were signed to a record label owned by Dutkiewicz's brother Tobias, who was also the vocalist in Aftershock) to form a new band, Killswitch Engage.^[2] The band's name is derived from an episode of the television series The X-Files entitled "Kill Switch", written by William Gibson, who gave the episode this title after meeting the industrial band Kill Switch...Klick.^[3]

In 1999, Killswitch Engage recorded a demo containing four tracks, including "Soilborn", the first song written by the band.^[4] The demo was first released at the band's first show, opening for melodic death metal act In Flames, in November 1999.^[2][4] They released their self-titled debut album the following year. Although initially the album was not a financial success and did not land on any charts, it attracted the interest of Carl Severson, who worked at Roadrunner Records at the time. Severson handed Killswitch Engage to several Roadrunner representatives. Mike Gitter, a talent agent of the company, contacted D'Antonio, attended several of the band's shows, and offered the band a recording contract with Roadrunner. Realizing that Roadrunner had the resources to promote and distribute Killswitch Engage releases, the band accepted his offer, declining several offers from smaller labels.^[5]

Lineup changes and Alive or Just Breathing (2001–2004)[edit]

For a brief time in 2000 and 2001, ex-Overcast guitarist Pete Cortese joined Killswitch Engage, but left when he became a father.^[5] Killswitch Engage began writing new material for their second album in November 2001. Mixed in January at Backstage Studios by producer Andy Sneap,^[6] the album was titled Alive or Just Breathing, after lyrics in the song "Just Barely Breathing". A music video for the single "My Last Serenade" increased the band's exposure, and the album peaked at number 37 on the Top Heatseekers chart.^[7]

Following Alive or Just Breathing's release, the album having been written and recorded for two guitarists, the band decided to expand and become a fivesome; Dutkiewicz moved to guitar and former Aftershock drummer Tom Gomes filled in the vacant drummer position. After Leach was married on April 20, 2002 and began touring again he fell into a depression. Leach left the band a few days before the band was meant to play a show and sent the band members an e-mail telling them he had quit. On Leach's end, he remarked "I didn't have the mental energy to face them, or even call them on the phone rather. I was at a point in my life where I just didn't want to face any of them so I wrote them a long email explaining, like, I'm just done", while D'Antonio said in an interview that "after three years of hanging out with the dude, and considering him a brother, to just get an email was a little bit harsh."^[8]

The band immediately started to search for a replacement vocalist and found Howard Jones of Blood Has Been Shed. Jones disliked the band's sound when he first heard it. He commented, "I was like, 'Meh.' I come from hardcore and dirtier metal, and Killswitch sounded so clean. But the more I listened to it, I realized there's some really good songs here".^[9] After hearing about Leach's vocal problems, Jones contacted the band and was accepted as the replacement. Philip Labonte of All That Remains tried out for lead vocals but lost to Jones, who had to quickly memorize seven songs for his debut at the 2002 Hellfest.^[9]

The new lineup played on the Road Rage tour in Europe in 2002 with 36 Crazyfists and Five Pointe O ^{[citation needed]}. Touring continued through the New Year's Day, and in 2003 the first song to feature Jones, "When Darkness Falls", appeared on the soundtrack of the 2003 horror film Freddy vs. Jason.^[10] Following the 2003 Ozzfest, drummer Gomes left the band because he wished to spend more time with his wife, to pursue his band Something of a Silhouette, and because he was tired of touring.^[11] He was replaced by Justin Foley of Blood Has Been Shed, and Foley's first tour with the band was the MTV2 Headbangers Ball in 2003.^[12][13]

The End of Heartache (2004–2006)[edit]

The End of Heartache was released on May 11, 2004, and peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200 with 38,000 sales in its first week,^[14] and it also peaked at number 39 on the Australian Albums Chart.^[15] The album went on to sell more than 500,000 copies in the U.S and was certified gold on December 7, 2007.^[16] The album received mostly positive reviews, with Jon Caramanica of Rolling Stone calling the album a "stunning collection, retaining much of their signature musical brutality".^[17] Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic commented "riffs upon riffs are piled sky-high into each number that follows, it's the unpredictable rhythmic shifts used to build and then relieve internal pressure that fuel the Killswitch Engage power source".^[18]

"The End of Heartache" became the main single for the movie Resident Evil: Apocalypse, and in 2005 the song was nominated for Best Metal Performance for the 47th Grammy Awards. In late 2004, The End of Heartache was re-released as a special edition album, with a second disc featuring various live performances, a Japanese bonus track, and a re-recorded version of "Irreversal". During the summer of 2005, the band returned for Ozzfest, and on November 1, 2005, Alive or Just Breathing was re-released as part of Roadrunner Records' 25th anniversary. On November 22, 2005, the live DVD (Set This) World Ablaze was released, which contained a live concert at the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts, an hour-long documentary, and all the band's music videos. The DVD was certified gold in the US on April 8, 2006.^[16]

As Daylight Dies (2006–2007)[edit]

Killswitch Engage played the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2006, having already played Australian dates without Dutkiewicz, who was suffering from back problems and needed corrective surgery. On May 23, 2006, the song "This Fire Burns" was released on the WWE Wreckless Intent album.^[19] The track was intended to be the new theme song for WWE wrestler Randy Orton; however, it was scrapped and later became the theme song for the WWE Judgment Day 2006 pay-per-view. "This Fire Burns" was used as the entrance theme for WWE wrestler CM Punk (along with his stables the Straight Edge Society and The New Nexus) from 2006 until 2011 and was later re-released as "This Fire" on the As Daylight Dies Special Edition.^[20]

Recorded in three months, As Daylight Dies was released on November 21, 2006 and peaked at number 32 on the Billboard 200 chart with 60,000 sales in its first week. "As Daylight Dies" proved to be one of their biggest albums yet.^[21] It also entered the Australian Albums Chart at number 29.^[15] Mixed by Dutkiewicz, the album received mostly positive reviews—Thom Jurek of Allmusic called it "a Top Five metal candidate for 2006 for sure".^[22] Decibel Magazine contributor Nick Terry said "To call As Daylight Dies addictive would be an understatement. That it outdoes its already impressive enough predecessor could almost go without saying".^[23] Cosmo Lee of Stylus Magazine commented "the album is astonishingly badly sequenced", though he praised the album as being "less emotionally heavy-handed, and a lot more fun".^[24] As of November 27, 2007, As Daylight Dies has sold more than 500,000 units in the US.^[25]

The album's first single, "My Curse", peaked at number 21 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and is featured in the video games Sleeping Dogs, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Burnout Dominator and Burnout Paradise and is available as downloadable content for the Rock Band series. "The Arms of Sorrow" peaked at number 31 on the same chart. The band's cover of Dio's "Holy Diver", originally recorded for a Kerrang! compilation album titled High Voltage,^[26] peaked at number 12 on the Mainstream Rock charts.^[27] Early in 2007, the band had to cancel three of its European tour dates with The Haunted due to Dutkiewicz's back problems. He required emergency back surgery and was replaced on the tour by Soilwork guitarist Peter Wichers.^[28]

Due to Dutkiewicz's back problems in early 2007, he was replaced by Damageplan and The Mercy Clinic frontman Patrick Lachman during the No Fear Tour.^[29] Dutkiewicz recovered and was able to finish the No Fear tour, and the band began filming its video for As Daylight Dies's second single, "The Arms of Sorrow". On August 6, 2007, Dutkiewicz was forced to leave the Warped Tour so he could fully recover from his back surgery and continue daily physical therapy. He was replaced by Killswitch's guitar technician Josh Mihlek for select songs, until his return on August 14, 2007.^[30]

Second self-titled album (2007–2011)[edit]

Killswitch Engage entered the studio in October 2008 to start recording their next album with Dutkiewicz and Brendan O'Brien co-producing the album.^[31] In mid-February, bassist Mike D'Antonio confirmed in an interview with Metal Hammer that "drums were finished", and that he had "finished up the last few bass fixes". He also stated that Howard [Jones] was in Atlanta finishing vocals, and that "it shouldn't be too much longer now."^[32] From March to May, Killswitch Engage was a part of Disturbed's Music as a Weapon IV festival along with Lacuna Coil, Chimaira, Suicide Silence, Bury Your Dead and more. On April 14, the band announced the name of their album as Killswitch Engage, the second time the band has self-titled an album. The album was released on June 30, 2009,^[33] debuting at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, marking the band's highest chart position for an album.^[34] In July and August, Killswitch Engage took part in Mayhem Festival with headliners Marilyn Manson, Slayer, Bullet for My Valentine and others. In February 2010, Killswitch Engage announced that vocalist Howard Jones would not be performing with Killswitch Engage during their winter tour with The Devil Wears Prada and Dark Tranquillity; during the time, All That Remains vocalist Philip Labonte was substituting for Jones until he could return.^[35] At least one source speculated that Jones's hiatus was due to back pain.^[36] On March 18, 2010, original vocalist Jesse Leach returned to the band for a series of songs. From then on, Leach and Labonte performed as substitute vocalists for the remainder of the tour.^[37]

In 2010, the band contributed the track "My Obsession" to the God of War: Blood & Metal soundtrack.^[38] The band was later added as late replacement to 2010's Download Festival in June, after original sub-headliner, Wolfmother could not attend as scheduled.^[39] Afterward, Killswitch Engage took a break from the road, and its members pursued other interests. Adam Dutkiewicz formed the band Times of Grace with Leach and released the band's debut album The Hymn of a Broken Man on January 18, 2011.^[40] Along with Dutkiewicz and Leach, Times of Grace added Joel Stroetzel to their tour lineup.^[41] Justin Foley provided the drum tracking for the band Unearth on their album "Darkness in the Light", released on July 5, 2011. Foley also traveled with the band for their 2011 summer tour.^[42] D'Antonio started the hardcore band Death Ray Vision, with Shadows Fall vocalist Brian Fair and former Killswitch Engage guitarist Pete Cortese.

Jones's departure, Leach's return and Disarm the Descent (2011–2015)[edit]

In an interview with FTC, Gun Shy Assassin, Mike D'Antonio had stated that the band was currently in the works for a sixth studio album. D'Antonio stated, "Currently, everyone is individually writing demos for the next Killswitch Engage record. There is no release date yet, but I would assume it will be out early 2012."^[43] Adam Dutkiewicz followed that up with a statement on the Killswitch Engage Facebook, saying "YO! Its Adam D! We're about to begin writing our new record. Thanks to all of our fans for waiting so friggin' patiently...now let's turn on the "riff faucet" and RAGE!"^[44] On December 1, 2011, Mike D'Antonio posted online that Killswitch Engage should be entering the studio around February/March 2012 to record their sixth album expected around summer 2012. He also stated that the band had eight demos finished for the new record.^[45]

On January 4, 2012, the band announced via the band's official website, along with their other official sources, that Howard Jones had left the band after his nine-year membership with them.^[46] In the statement, the band did not disclose the reason for this decision out of respect for Jones, but simply thanked him for his nine years with the band and wished him well, as well as thanking the fans for their support as they began the search for a new lead singer;^[46][47] Jones later explained he departed the band to manage his type 2 diabetes which was worsened by a hectic touring lifestyle.^[48] Soon after the announcement of Jones's departure, rumors began that Phil Labonte of All That Remains would officially take over lead vocals due to his previous history with the band, although Labonte quickly dispelled the rumor.^[49] Many vocalists were considered in the search for a new one for the band. The band's search for a new singer concluded in February with the announcement that original lead vocalist Jesse Leach would return to the band, as the band felt that Leach's energy, as well as his overall comfort and command of both the old and new material, made him the clear choice during auditions.^[50] Following Leach's return, the band continued to the process of recording their new album and touring. On April 22, 2012, the band performed Leach's first show since 2002 at the New England Metal and Hardcore Fest.

On June 20, 2012, the demo version of a new song titled "This Is Confrontation" was leaked on YouTube. Not long after the song was leaked, the videos were soon deleted. Later, the band took part in Metal Hammer's "Trespass America Festival" headlined by Five Finger Death Punch with additional support from God Forbid, Emmure, Pop Evil, Trivium and Battlecross.^[51] The band performed this song live, confirming the song's title "No End in Sight". Not long after the album was confirmed, the song was streamed publicly again. In October 2012, with Jesse back at the helm, Killswitch Engage announced they would be celebrating the ten-year anniversary of their seminal album Alive or Just Breathing with a US Tour through November/December 2012, in which the band played the album live in its entirety. Support on the tour came from fellow Massachusetts natives Shadows Fall and Acaro.^[52]

The album Disarm the Descent was released April 1, 2013 in the UK. The album debuted at #15 in the UK charts while debuting at #7 in the Billboard top 200^[53] April 2 in the US. The first single "In Due Time" was released on February 5, 2013.^[54] The album has received critical acclaim from reviewers, and has been labeled as a "true standout" and "nothing short of amazing". It was announced in December 2013 that "In Due Time" was nominated for "Best Metal Performance" at the 2014 Grammy Awards,^[55] but lost to "God Is Dead?" by Black Sabbath.^[56] A tour in May 2013 was done to promote the new album. With Miss May I, Darkest Hour, The Word Alive and Affiance as support. As I Lay Dying was originally supposed to be on the tour but dropped due to criminal charges from frontman Tim Lambesis. The band also did a co-headliner with fellow Heavy Metal act Lamb of God in October 2013 with Testament and Huntress as support for both bands. The band did a small headliner on the east coast for Halloween 2014, with All That Remains, Death Ray Vision and City of Homes supporting.

Incarnate (2015–2017)[edit]

In an interview with Wikimetal, Jesse Leach announced that the band will start demoing new material "in the coming months".^[57]

On February 25, 2015, the band released a 40-second snippet of a new single titled "Loyalty". The track appears on the Catch The Throne: The Mixtape Volume 2 to promote the HBO TV series Game of Thrones. The mixtape also features appearances from various other metal and rap acts such as Anthrax and Snoop Dogg.^[58]

On March 30, 2015, Mike D'Antonio stated that the band had completed demoing material for its next studio album.^[59]

Killswitch Engage took part in a summer tour in July 2015, opening up for Rise Against with support from letlive.

On December 10, 2015, the band premiered a new song entitled "Strength of the Mind" on Revolver.^[60] The band also did a small Christmas 2015 tour on the East Coast with Unearth, Act of Defiance and '68.

On December 16, 2015, it was revealed that the band's upcoming seventh album, released on March 11, 2016, would be titled Incarnate, with a tour being took part in March of that year with Memphis May Fire and 36 Crazyfists as supporters.

On September 27, 2016, Leach revealed on his Instagram page that the band would be releasing a documentary compiled of live footage since 2012.^[61]

On November 25, 2016, the band released a Blu-ray/CD called Beyond The Flames: Home Video Vol.2. The Blu-ray contains live performances that were recorded around the world from 2012 to 2016 and an hour long documentary taking place right after the band's (Set This) World Ablaze had left off, as well as music videos, band member profiles and more, plus a bonus live CD containing live tracks from the band's legendary 2014 Monster Mosh show. The two disc set had a one day exclusive sale in record stores everywhere on Black Friday. The set is now available for online purchase and digital download on the Killswitch Engage store.

Atonement (2017–present)[edit]

On August 30, 2017, the band announced on their Instagram page that they were in the process of demoing material for their upcoming eighth studio album.^[62]

In April 2018, it was revealed that their former singer Howard Jones will appear on their new album performing a duet with Jesse Leach during a song that was revealed to be titled "The Signal Fire".^[63]

The band cancelled their tour dates from April 26 to May 5 due to the need of vocalist Jesse Leach undergoing surgery on his vocal cords.^[64]

During an interview with the Wall of Sound: Up Against the Wall podcast in October 2018, Jesse Leach revealed more details about the song with former singer Howard Jones stating, "He does a verse. I do a verse. We sing the chorus together. It's a real heavy shitkicker." He also mentioned that the song was inspired by Howard's new band name Light the Torch and their friendship.^[65] On April 24, 2019, the band posted on their Instagram that the follow-up to the 2016 album Incarnate would be released in the autumn.

According to Music Week, the band has signed with Metal Blade Records for the USA, Music for Nations for the UK, and an international contract with Columbia/Sony. These labels released the band's eighth studio album, Atonement, on August 16, 2019.^[66]

On August 20, 2019, the band released their music video for Atonement's third single "The Signal Fire", the song they recorded with former frontman

Posted on February 6, 2008

Jay-Z

Jay-Z theme by xstat32x

Download: JayZ.p3t

(10 backgrounds)

American rapper and businessman (born 1969)

For other uses, see JZ (disambiguation).

Jay-Z
Jay-Z in 2011
Born	Shawn Corey Carter (1969-12-04) December 4, 1969 (age 54) New York City, U.S.
Other names	The Carter Administration Jigga Hova El Presidente HOV[1]
Occupations	Rapper songwriter record producer entrepreneur record executive media proprietor
Years active	1986–present[2][3][4]
Works	Albums production singles songs videography
Spouse	Beyoncé ​ (m. 2008)​
Children	3, including Blue Ivy
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	East Coast hip hop
Labels	Roc Nation Atlantic Def Jam Roc-A-Fella NorthWestSide[5] Priority Payday FFRR
Member of	The Carters
Formerly of	The Commission High Potent Murder Inc. The Throne
Website	lifeandtimes.com
Musical artist

Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z,^[a] is an American rapper and entrepreneur.^[8][9][10] Born and raised in New York City, he was named the greatest rapper of all time by Billboard and Vibe in 2023.^[11] He served as the president and chief executive officer of Def Jam Recordings from 2004 to 2007 before founding the entertainment company, Roc Nation the following year.^[12]

As a protégé of fellow New York City-based rapper Jaz-O, Jay-Z began his musical career in the late 1980s; he co-founded the record label Roc-A-Fella Records in 1994 to release his first two studio albums Reasonable Doubt (1996) and In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997), both of which were met with critical acclaim. His following albums, including The Blueprint (2001), The Black Album (2003), American Gangster (2007), and 4:44 (2017) each debuted atop the Billboard 200; Jay-Z holds the record for the most number-one albums (14) of any solo artist on the chart.^[13][14][15] He has also released the collaborative albums The Best of Both Worlds (2002) and Unfinished Business (2004) with singer R. Kelly,^[16] Collision Course (2004) with Linkin Park, Watch the Throne (2011) with Kanye West, and Everything Is Love (2018) with his wife Beyoncé.^[17] He peaked the Billboard Hot 100 on four occasions with his guest performances on the singles "Heartbreaker" by Mariah Carey, "Crazy in Love" by Beyoncé, "Umbrella" by Rihanna, and his first to do so as a lead artist, "Empire State of Mind" (with Alicia Keys).^[18]

Through his business ventures, Jay-Z became the first hip-hop billionaire in 2019.^[19][20] In 1999, he co-founded the clothing retailer Rocawear^[21] and later founded the 40/40 Club, a luxury bar chain, in 2003. As both grew into multi-million-dollar businesses, he launched Roc Nation, a multi-disciplinary entertainment agency in 2008. In 2015, he acquired the technology company Aspiro and led the expansion of Tidal, the company's media streaming service.^[22][23][24] As of 2024, he is the wealthiest musical artist in the world with a net worth of US$2.5 billion.^[25]

One of the world's best-selling music artists with 140 million records sold, Jay-Z has won 24 Grammy Awards, the tenth-most of all time and most awarded for any hip hop artist jointly with Kanye West.^[26] He has been awarded the NAACP's President's Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Sports Emmy Award, and been nominated for a Tony Award. Ranked by Billboard and Rolling Stone as one of the 100 greatest artists of all time,^[27][28] Jay-Z was the first rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame^[29] and the first solo living rapper inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013.^[8]

Early life and education[edit]

Shawn Corey Carter was born on December 4, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York City.^[30] He was raised in Marcy Houses, a public housing project in Brooklyn's Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood.^[31] His father, Adnis Reeves,^[32] abandoned the family, and Jay-Z and his three older siblings were raised by his mother, Gloria Carter. Reeves later met and reconciled with Jay-Z prior to his death in 2003. Jay-Z claims in his lyrics that in 1982, at age 12, he shot his older brother in the shoulder for stealing his jewelry.^[33][34]

He attended Eli Whitney High School and George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School, both in Brooklyn, and then Trenton Central High School in Trenton, New Jersey. He did not graduate, dropping out during his sophomore year at Trenton Central High School.^[35] According to his interviews and lyrics, he sold crack cocaine^[34] and was shot at three times during this period.^[33] His former friend was sentenced to prison for possessing drugs and weapons.^[36][37] Known as "Jazzy" around the neighborhood, he later adopted the stage name "Jay-Z" in homage to his mentor Jaz-O.^[31][38]

Career[edit]

Jay-Z can be briefly heard on several of Jaz-O's early recordings in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including "H. P. Gets Busy", "The Originators" and "Hawaiian Sophie".^[39][40] Jay-Z became embroiled in several battles with rapper LL Cool J in the early 1990s.^[41] He first became known to a wide audience on the posse cut "Show and Prove" on the 1994 Big Daddy Kane album Daddy's Home. Jay-Z has been referred to as Big Daddy Kane's hype man during this period,^[42] although Kane explains that he did not fill the traditional hype man role, and was instead basically making cameo appearances on stage. "When I would leave the stage to go change outfits, I would bring out Jay-Z and Positive K and let them freestyle until I came back to the stage."^[43][44]

According to his second verse on "99 Problems", released in 2003, Jay-Z was allegedly stopped by an NYPD detective in 1994 while en route to I-95, possibly for a search of drugs in his car. Detection dogs were called, but another police car had passed; Jay-Z was let go soon after.^[45] Jay-Z appeared on a popular song by Big L, "Da Graveyard", and on Mic Geronimo's "Time to Build", which also featured early appearances by his former Murder Inc. colleagues Ja Rule and DMX in 1995. His first official rap single was "In My Lifetime", which was released with an accompanying music video in 1995. An unreleased music video was also produced for the B-side "I Can't Get with That."^[46]

1995–2000: Reasonable Doubt, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, Vol. 2..., Vol. 3..., and The Dynasty[edit]

With no major label to give him a record deal, Jay-Z sold burned CDs out of his car,^[33] and with Damon "Dame" Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke, created Roc-A-Fella Records as an independent label in 1995. After striking a distribution deal with Priority, Jay-Z released his 1996 debut album Reasonable Doubt with beats from acclaimed producers such as DJ Premier and Super DJ Clark Kent and an appearance by The Notorious B.I.G. The album reached number 23 on the Billboard 200, and was generally favored by critics.^[31] This album would later be included in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time as No. 248 and eventually reach platinum status.^[47] After reaching a new label distribution deal with Def Jam in 1997, Jay-Z released his follow-up In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. Featuring production by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, DJ Premier, and Ski, it earned platinum status in the United States.^[47]

In 1998, Jay-Z released Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life which spawned the biggest hit of his career at the time, "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)". He relied more on flow and wordplay, and he continued with his penchant for mining beats from the popular producers of the day such as Swizz Beatz, an upstart in-house producer for Ruff Ryders, and Timbaland.^[48] Other producers included DJ Premier, Erick Sermon, The 45 King, and Kid Capri. Charting hits from this album included "Can I Get A...", featuring Ja Rule and Amil, and "Nigga What, Nigga Who", featuring Amil and Jaz-O. Vol. 2 would eventually become Jay-Z's most commercially successful album; it was certified 5× Platinum in the United States and has to date sold over five million copies.^[47] The album went on to win a Grammy Award, although Jay-Z boycotted the ceremony protesting DMX's failure to garner a Grammy nomination and the academy's decision to not broadcast urban music categories.^[49] In 1999, Jay-Z collaborated with Mariah Carey on "Heartbreaker", a song from her seventh album, Rainbow. The song became Jay-Z's first chart-topper in the US, spending two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.^[50] In that same year, Jay-Z released Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter. The album proved successful and sold over 3 million copies.^[47] Vol. 3's most successful single was "Big Pimpin", featuring UGK.

In 2000, Jay-Z released The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, which was originally intended to become a compilation album for Roc-A-Fella artists but Def Jam turned into a Jay-Z album.^[51] The album helped to introduce newcomer producers The Neptunes, Just Blaze, Kanye West, and Bink, which have all gone on to achieve notable success. This is also the first album where Jay-Z utilizes a more soulful sound than his previous albums. The Dynasty sold over two million units in the U.S. alone.^[47]

2001–2002: Feud with Nas, The Blueprint and The Blueprint²[edit]

In 2001, Jay-Z spoke out against Prodigy after he took an issue with a Jay-Z line from "Money, Cash, Hoes" that he felt alluded disparagingly to Mobb Deep and Prodigy's dispute with Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, and Death Row Records. He later performed the song "Takeover", at Summer Jam 2001, which initially attacked Prodigy and revealed photos of Prodigy dressed like Michael Jackson.^[52] A line at the end of "Takeover" referred to Nas, who criticized him on "We Will Survive".^[53] Nas responded with a diss track called "Ether" and Jay-Z straightaway added a verse to "Takeover" which dissed Nas and would start a feud between the two rappers. The feud had ended by 2005; Jay-Z stated that record producer Mark Pitts had helped them settle their differences.^[54]

On September 11, 2001, Jay-Z released his sixth studio album, The Blueprint, which received a five-mic review from hip-hop magazine The Source. Written in just two days,^[55] the album sold more than 427,000 copies, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200^[56] and reached double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[47] Eminem guest performed and produced its song, "Renegade". Four tracks were produced by Kanye West. The Blueprint includes the songs "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)", "Girls, Girls, Girls", "Jigga That Nigga", and "Song Cry". As of February 2012^[update], the album had sold 2.7 million copies worldwide.^[57] In 2019, The Blueprint was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".^[58]

In October 2001, Jay-Z pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for stabbing record producer Lance Rivera at the Kit Kat Klub in New York City in 1999.^[59] Despite Jay-Z's sentence of three years probation for the crime, Rivera later recanted the allegations in 2023.^[60][61]

Jay-Z then collaborated with Chicago singer R. Kelly to release collaborative studio album, The Best of Both Worlds in March 2002. In November of that year, Jay-Z released his seventh studio album The Blueprint²: The Gift & The Curse—a double album. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number one, selling over 3 million units solely in the U.S.^[47] and surpassing The Blueprint.^[62] It yielded a single-disc re-issue, The Blueprint 2.1, which retained half of the songs from the original. Its original release spawned two hit singles, "Excuse Me Miss" and "'03 Bonnie & Clyde", which features Jay-Z's then-girlfriend, Beyoncé, and contained the track "A Dream", featuring Faith Evans and the late Notorious B.I.G.; the re-issue spawned the single "La-La-La", which was a sequel to "Excuse Me Miss" and failed to match its commercial success.

2003–2005: The Black Album and initial retirement[edit]

After visiting the south of France,^[63] Jay-Z announced work on his eighth studio album, The Black Album at the opening of the 40/40 Club.^[64] He worked with several producers including Just Blaze, The Neptunes, Kanye West, Timbaland, Eminem, DJ Quik, 9th Wonder, The Buchanans, and Rick Rubin. Notable songs on the album included "What More Can I Say", "Dirt off Your Shoulder", "Change Clothes", and "99 Problems". The Black Album has sold over 3 million copies in the U.S.^[47]

On November 25, 2003, Jay-Z held a concert—billed as a "retirement party" at Madison Square Garden in New York City, which was later the focus of his 2004 documentary, Fade to Black. All proceeds went to charity. Other performers included collaborators the Roots (in the form of his backing band), Missy Elliott, Memphis Bleek, Beanie Siegel, Freeway, Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé, Twista, Ghostface Killah, Foxy Brown, Pharrell Williams and R. Kelly, with appearances by Voletta Wallace and Afeni Shakur, the mothers of the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, respectively.^[65] While Jay-Z had attested to a retirement from making new studio albums, various side projects and appearances soon followed. Included in these were a greatest hits record, as well as the release and tour of Unfinished Business, the second collaborative album between Jay-Z and R. Kelly.

In 2004, Jay-Z collaborated with rock group Linkin Park, in which they released their collaborative remix EP Collision Course, which featured mashups of both artists' songs, as well as a concert DVD. The album's only single, "Numb/Encore", went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, and was performed with Linkin Park live at the Grammys, with a special appearance by Paul McCartney, who added verses from the song "Yesterday". The EP sold over 1 million copies in the U.S.^[47] Jay-Z was the executive producer of The Rising Tied, the debut album of Fort Minor, the hip hop side project of Linkin Park rapper Mike Shinoda. Jay-Z also planned to retire in 2004.^[66]

Later in 2004, Jay-Z was named president of Def Jam Records, which led to Jay-Z, Dash and Biggs selling their remaining interests in Roc-A-Fella Records and Jay-Z taking control of both of the companies.^[67] Reportedly this major industry move was prompted by disagreements between Jay-Z and Dash as to what direction Roc-A-Fella could undertake.^[68]

2005–2007: Kingdom Come and American Gangster[edit]

On October 27, 2005, Jay-Z headlined New York's Power 105.1 annual concert, Powerhouse. The concert was entitled the "I Declare War" concert leading to intense speculation in the weeks preceding the event on whom exactly Jay-Z would declare war. As he had previously "declared war" on other artists taking lyrical shots at him at other events, many believed that the Powerhouse show would represent an all-out assault by Jay-Z upon his rivals.^[69] The theme of the concert was Jay-Z's position as president and CEO of Def Jam, complete with an on-stage mock-up of the Oval Office. Many artists made appearances such as the old roster of Roc-A-Fella records artists, as well as Ne-Yo, Teairra Marí, T.I., Young Jeezy, Akon, Kanye West, Paul Wall, The LOX, and Diddy.^[70]

At the conclusion of the concert, Jay-Z put many arguments to rest to the surprise of hip hop fans. The most significant development in this show was closure to the infamous hip hop rivalry between Jay-Z and Nas. The two former rivals shook hands and shared the stage together to perform Jay-Z's "Dead Presidents" blended with Nas's song "The World is Yours".^[71]

Jay-Z returned with his comeback album on November 21, 2006, titled Kingdom Come.^[72] Jay-Z's comeback single, "Show Me What You Got", was leaked on the Internet in early October 2006, scheduled to be released later on that month, received heavy air-play after its leak, causing the FBI to step in and investigate.^[73] Jay-Z worked with video director Hype Williams, and the single's video was directed by F. Gary Gray. The album features production from Just Blaze, Pharrell, Kanye West, Dr. Dre and Coldplay's Chris Martin (single entitled "Beach Chair").^[74][75] The first week saw 680,000 sales of the CD, enough to be his "biggest sales week ever" as Billboard reported.^[76] This album has sold 2 million copies in the U.S.^[47]

Jay-Z released his tenth album entitled American Gangster on November 6, 2007. After viewing the Ridley Scott film of the same name, Jay-Z was heavily inspired to create a new "concept" album that depicts his experiences as a street-hustler.

Pantera
The band's best-known lineup, circa 2000. From left: Phil Anselmo, Vinnie Paul, Dimebag Darrell, and Rex Brown.
Background information
Origin	Arlington, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Groove metal thrash metal glam metal (early)
Discography	Pantera discography
Years active	1981–2003 2022–present
Labels	Metal Magic Atco Rhino East West Elektra
Spinoffs	Down Damageplan Hellyeah Superjoint Rebel Meets Rebel
Members	Rex Brown Phil Anselmo
Past members	Vinnie Paul Dimebag Darrell Terry Glaze (see Band members section for others)
Website	pantera.com

Pantera (/pænˈtɛrə/) is an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas, formed in 1981 by the Abbott brothers (guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul), and currently composed of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-known lineup consisted of the Abbott brothers along with Brown and Anselmo, who joined in 1982 and 1986 respectively. The band is credited for developing and popularizing the subgenre of groove metal in the 1990s.^[1][2][3] Regarded as one of the most successful and influential bands in heavy metal history, Pantera has sold around 20 million records worldwide^[4] and has received four Grammy nominations.^[5]

Having started as a glam metal band, Pantera released three albums in the mid-1980s with lead vocalist Terry Glaze (Metal Magic, Projects in the Jungle, and I Am the Night), with little success. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera recruited Anselmo in 1986 and released Power Metal in 1988. They secured a record deal with major label Atco the following year. Their fifth album (which the band has since declared to be their official debut album),^[6] 1990's Cowboys from Hell, popularized the groove metal genre, while its 1992 follow-up Vulgar Display of Power achieved an even heavier sound and increased their popularity. The subsequent seventh studio album Far Beyond Driven (1994) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.^[7]

Tensions began to surface among the band members when Anselmo, reeling from severe back problems brought on by years of intense on-stage performances, began growing distant from his bandmates in 1995, eventually becoming addicted to heroin as a result of his pain issues (he almost died from an overdose in July 1996). These tensions resulted in the recording sessions for The Great Southern Trendkill (1996) being held separately. The ongoing tension lasted for another seven years, during which only one studio album, Reinventing the Steel (2000), was recorded. Pantera went on hiatus in 2001 but lingering disputes led to the band breaking up in 2003. The Abbott brothers went on to form Damageplan while Anselmo continued to work on several side projects, including Down, which Brown joined as well.

On December 8, 2004, Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed on stage by a mentally unstable fan during a Damageplan concert in Columbus, Ohio. Vinnie Paul went on to form Hellyeah after his brother's death, and died of heart failure in 2018,^[8] leaving Brown and Anselmo as the only surviving members of the band's best-known lineup. In July 2022, it was announced that Brown and Anselmo were reuniting in 2023 for Pantera's first tour in 22 years,^[9] with Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante filling in for the Abbott brothers on guitar and drums, respectively.^[10] The new lineup played its first show in 21 years at the Hell and Heaven festival in Mexico on December 2, 2022,^[11] and the band's tour will continue into 2025.^[12]

History[edit]

1981–1986: Formation and early glam years[edit]

The band was originally named Gemini, then Eternity, before finally settling on Pantera^[13] and consisted of Vinnie Paul Abbott on drums, Darrell Abbott on lead guitar, and Terry Glaze on rhythm guitar; the lineup was completed with two more members, lead vocalist Donny Hart and bassist Tommy D. Bradford. In 1982, Hart left the band and Glaze became the group's lead vocalist. Later, Glaze stopped playing rhythm guitar, leaving Darrell as the sole guitarist, doing both lead and rhythm duties. Later that year, Bradford also departed and was replaced by Rex Brown (then known as Rex Rocker) on bass.

Pantera became an underground favorite, though its regional tours in this era never took them beyond Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. The band began supporting fellow heavy metal/glam metal acts such as Stryper, Dokken, and Quiet Riot. Pantera released their first studio album, Metal Magic, in 1983. Metal Magic was released on the band's record label of the same name and produced by the Abbott brothers' father, Jerry Abbott, at Pantego Studios.^[14]

In 1984, Pantera released their second studio album, Projects in the Jungle. Although still very much a glam metal album, the band members crafted songs that had less overbearing melodic influences than songs from the previous album.^[15] Another change was Terry Glaze's name, as he was henceforth credited as "Terrence Lee". In addition, a music video for the album's lead track, "All Over Tonight", was eventually created. Projects in the Jungle was also released on the band's independent Metal Magic Records label and produced by Jerry Abbott.

In 1985, Pantera released their third studio album, titled I Am the Night. As with Projects in the Jungle, this album saw Pantera's sound becoming heavier (though still rooted in glam metal),^[15] and the heavy metal press took more notice of the band. Because of poor distribution, I Am the Night turned out to be a costly album to many fans. Around 25,000 copies of the album were sold. Pantera's second music video was produced for the track "Hot and Heavy". By 1986, Glaze's glam approach did not fit the band's developing style, and he and the other members parted ways.^[16]

1986–1989: Anselmo's introduction and Power Metal[edit]

Pantera began a search for Glaze's replacement and initially auditioned Matt L'Amour, a David Coverdale lookalike. He sang a number of shows with the band in Los Angeles during the winter of 1986, but it became somewhat apparent that L'Amour could not hit the high notes Glaze was capable of. Together, with his lack of stage presence, this meant that Pantera could only play cover songs, leading to L'Amour's departure.^[17] Pantera next auditioned El Paso native Rick Mythiasin, later to sing for Steel Prophet and Agent Steel; however, cultural and image differences – Mythiasin failed to adapt to the Southern culture of the other members – meant his tenure was even shorter than that of L'Amour.^[18] A former schoolmate of the Abbott brothers, David Peacock of the band Forced Entry (who had supported Warlock),^[19] joined the band as lead vocalist in the spring of 1986, but despite Pantera doing most of the work for their fourth album during the summer with Peacock, Rex and the Abbotts found Peacock's voice to be unsuited to the musical direction Pantera wished for.^[20] By the end of the year, Pantera even revisited original frontman Donny Hart, but Hart himself knew that he was not the right man Pantera were seeking and Jerry Abbott was to fire him.

During 1986, New Orleans native Phil Anselmo had heard Pantera were looking for a singer.^[21] At the end of the year, they invited him to audition, and the eighteen-year old Anselmo was hired as the new vocalist on the spot.^[22] Anselmo had previously been the vocalist for the bands Samhain^[14] (not to be confused with Glenn Danzig's band of the same name) and Razor White.^[23] Upon playing with Pantera, Anselmo immediately clicked with the other three members.^[22] The years 1986 and 1987 saw the release of several landmark thrash metal albums that would prove influential to Pantera's developing musical style. Among the most prominent of these were Metallica's Master of Puppets, Slayer's Reign in Blood, Anthrax's Among the Living, and Megadeth's Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?.^[24] When Anselmo joined the band, he would bring his mixtapes with him and play bands such as Exhorder, Slayer, and Rigor Mortis to the other band members.^[25]

In 1988, with Anselmo as the new vocalist, Pantera released their fourth studio album, titled Power Metal.^[15] Power Metal, like Pantera's previous three albums, was released by Metal Magic Records, but showcased a change in their sound.^[22] By far the band's heaviest album at this point, Power Metal had little resemblance to the power metal subgenre, but was a mix of 1980s glam metal and thrash metal, sometimes blending both styles in a single song.^[22] Complementing the band's new sonic approach were Anselmo's harder-edged vocals compared to those of Terry Glaze.^[22] After the release of Power Metal, the band members decided to seriously reconsider their glam metal image and sound.^[22] Referring to the band's spandex appearance, Vinnie Paul remarked at a band meeting that "These magic clothes don't play music; we do. Let's just go out there and be comfortable, jeans, t-shirt, whatever, and see where it goes."^[24][26] The band members would later no longer acknowledge their independent releases, including Power Metal, as they sculpted a new, heavier image to accompany their later groove metal sound. Their four independent albums are not listed on the band's official website and have become hard-to-find collector's items.

Shortly after Power Metal was released, Megadeth needed a guitarist and asked Diamond Darrell to join the band. Darrell insisted that his brother, bandmate Vinnie Paul, be included. However, Megadeth had already hired Nick Menza as their new drummer so Darrell declined the offer, and Dave Mustaine instead decided on Marty Friedman.^[27]

1989–1991: Cowboys from Hell and mainstream breakthrough[edit]

The Abbott brothers refocused their attention on Pantera, and in 1989 they were given their first shot at commercial success. That year was also when the band formed their relationship with Walter O'Brien at Concrete Management (the management arm of Concrete Marketing), who remained their manager until they disbanded in 2003.^[28]

After being turned down "28 times by every major label on the face of the Earth",^[29] Atco Records representatives Mark Ross and Stevenson Eugenio were asked by their boss Derek Shulman, who was interested in signing Pantera, to see the band perform in Texas. Ross was so impressed by the band's performance that he called his boss that night, suggesting that the band should be signed to the label. Atco Records accepted, and at the conclusion of 1989, the band recorded its major label debut at Pantego Studios and hired Terry Date to produce it, in large part because of his work with Soundgarden, Metal Church, and Overkill, the latter of whose latest album at the time The Years of Decay was one of the sources of inspiration behind Pantera's transition away from glam/traditional heavy metal to thrash/groove metal, as well as Diamond Darrell's guitar tone on the album.^{[30][31][32][33][34]}

Looking for their first big breakthrough, Pantera released their fifth studio album, titled Cowboys from Hell, on July 24, 1990, which was produced by Pantera and Date. Pantera showed a more extreme style on this outing, leaving behind its glam metal influences in favor of mid-tempo thrash metal dubbed "power groove" (groove metal) by the band. Although Anselmo still used some Rob Halford-influenced vocals, he also adopted a more abrasive delivery. Darrell's more complex guitar solos and riffs, along with his brother's faster-paced drumwork were evidence of the band's extreme transformation. The album marked a critical juncture in the band's history. Many fans, and the band itself, have referred to Cowboys from Hell as Pantera's "official" debut.^[6] Cowboys from Hell included the tracks "Cemetery Gates", a brooding seven-minute piece that focuses on death and religion, and the thrashing title track, which gave the band members their nickname and asserted their raucous personality and style.

To promote the album, Pantera began the Cowboys from Hell tour by opening for thrash acts Exodus and Suicidal Tendencies. In 1991, Halford performed with the band onstage, which led Pantera (along with Annihilator) to open for Judas Priest on its first show in Europe. In addition, Halford collaborated with Pantera on the song "Light Comes Out of Black", which was featured on the soundtrack to the film Buffy the Vampire Slayer.^[35] Pantera also opened for other bands like Sepultura, Fates Warning, Prong, Mind Over Four, and Morbid Angel, and co-headlined a North American tour with Wrathchild America.^[36] The band eventually landed a billing for "Monsters in Moscow" with AC/DC and Metallica in September 1991, where they played to a crowd of over 500,000 in attendance to celebrate the new freedom of performing Western music in the Soviet Union shortly before its downfall three months later. The band was often found at the Dallas club "the Basement", where the band shot the videos for "Cowboys from Hell" and "Psycho Holiday". Pantera's 2006 home video compilation 3 Vulgar Videos from Hell features performances of "Primal Concrete Sledge", "Cowboys from Hell", "Domination", and "Psycho Holiday" from the show in Moscow.

1991–1995: Vulgar Display of Power and Far Beyond Driven[edit]

Pantera's unique "groove" style came to fruition with their sixth studio album, titled Vulgar Display of Power, recorded in 1991 and released on February 25, 1992. On this album, the power metal falsetto vocals were replaced with a hardcore-influenced shouted delivery and heavier guitar sound, which firmly cemented the band's popularity among mainstream and underground fans alike. Two other singles from the album became two of Pantera's most notable ballads: "This Love", a haunting piece about lust and abuse, and "Hollow", somewhat reminiscent of "Cemetery Gates" from the previous album. The band would play the song "Domination" (from Cowboys from Hell) leading into the ending of "Hollow" (what is roughly the last 2:30 of the album version), forming a medley referred to as "Dom/Hollow", as can be heard on the band's 1997 live album Official Live: 101 Proof. Singles from Vulgar Display of Power also received significant airplay on radio as did the companion music videos on MTV. "Walk" became one of the band's more popular songs, and it appeared on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at the No. 35 position. The album itself entered the American charts at No. 44.^[7] Pantera went on tour again, visiting Japan for the first time in July 1992 and later performing at the "Monsters of Rock" festival co-headlined by Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath in Italy. It was around this time that Darrell Abbott dropped the nickname "Diamond Darrell" and assumed "Dimebag Darrell", and Rex Brown dropped the pseudonym "Rex Rocker".

Pantera released their seventh studio album, titled Far Beyond Driven, on March 22, 1994, which debuted at No. 1 in both United States^[7] and Australian album charts. The album's first single, "I'm Broken", earned the band's first Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance" in 1995. "Planet Caravan", a Black Sabbath cover which appeared on Far Beyond Driven, was the band's first charting single in the U.S. as it peaked at No. 21 on the Mainstream Rock Chart. The album saw Pantera continue its groove metal approach, while taking an even more extreme direction with its musical style. The album's original artwork (a drill bit impaling an anus) was banned, so it was re-released with the familiar skull impaled with a drill bit. A limited edition was released with a slip-cover case. Also, a boxed set called Driven Down Under Tour '94 Souvenir Collection was released in Australia and New Zealand to coincide with the tours there. It featured Far Beyond Driven (with its original banned artwork) with a bonus 13th track, "The Badge" (a Poison Idea cover), the five-track Alive and Hostile EP, and the Japanese collector's edition Walk EP, all presented in a special cardboard box with an eight-page color biography.

Pantera began touring again, starting in South America, along with being accepted into another "Monsters of Rock" billing. In late June, Anselmo was charged with assault for attacking a security guard after he prevented fans from getting on stage. Anselmo was released on a $5,000 bail the next day.^[37][38] The trial was delayed three times.^[39] In May 1995, he apologized in court and pleaded guilty to attempted assault and was ordered to undergo 100 hours of community service.^[40][41] Pantera continued their tour of the United Kingdom in 1994 and eventually ended it in the United States where the band was opened for by fellow groove metal band Prong.

1995–1999: Band tensions and The Great Southern Trendkill[edit]

According to the Abbott brothers, Anselmo began behaving strangely and distanced himself from the band when they returned to the road in 1995. The rest of the band members first thought that Pantera's perception of his fame had gotten to Anselmo, but Anselmo cited back pain from years of intense performances as the reason for his erratic behavior. Anselmo attempted to alleviate his pain through alcohol, but this, as he admitted, was affecting his performances and "putting some worry into the band."^[24] Doctors predicted that with surgery, Anselmo's back problem could be corrected, but that the recovery time could take up a whole lot more time than before. Unwilling to spend that much time away from the band, Anselmo refused, and began using heroin as a painkiller.

Anselmo's on-stage remarks became notorious during this time. After stating at a Montreal concert that "rap music advocates the killing of white people", Anselmo denied accusations of racism, and later issued an apology,^[42] stating that he was drunk and that his remarks were a mistake.^[14] In 1995, the supergroup Down, one of Anselmo's many side projects, rose to expectations. Their 1995 debut, NOLA, was a success, but shortly afterwards, the group members returned to their respective bands, leaving Down inactive for several years.

Pantera's eighth studio album, The Great Southern Trendkill, was released on May 7, 1996,^[43] and is often considered their "overlooked" album.^[29] Anselmo recorded the vocals for this release in Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor's studio in New Orleans while the rest of the band recorded in Dallas, evidence of the continued distancing between Anselmo and the rest of the band. In comparison to the band's previous efforts, there was a heavier emphasis on vocal overdubbing in a somewhat "demonic" fashion. Drug abuse is a recurring theme in The Great Southern Trendkill, as exemplified by tracks such as "Suicide Note Pt. I", "Suicide Note Pt. II", "10's", and "Living Through Me (Hell's Wrath)". "Drag the Waters" became the album's only music video. The album's other single, "Floods", achieved acclaim largely because of Darrell's complex guitar solo in the song, which ranked No. 15 on Guitar World magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Solos" of all time.^[44]

On July 13, 1996, during their tour with Eyehategod and White Zombie,^[45] Anselmo overdosed on heroin an hour after a Texas homecoming gig.^[46][47] After his heart stopped beating for almost five minutes, paramedics gave Anselmo a shot of adrenalin (or possibly Narcan) and sent him to the hospital. After he woke up in the hospital, the nurse working in his room said "Welcome back to life, oh and you have overdosed on heroin." Anselmo apologized to his bandmates the next night, and said that he would quit using drugs.^[48] The revelation of heroin use came as a shock to Vinnie and Darrell, who were embarrassed by Anselmo's actions, according to Rita Haney, the guitarist's girlfriend. Anselmo said that he relapsed twice after this and was overcome with guilt.^[24]

Pantera released their first live album, Official Live: 101 Proof, on July 29, 1997, which included fourteen live tracks and two new studio recordings: "Where You Come From" and "I Can't Hide". Two weeks before the live album's release, Pantera received its first platinum album, for Cowboys from Hell. Just four months later, both Vulgar Display of Power and Far Beyond Driven were awarded platinum as well.^[49] The band also received their second and third "Best Metal Performance" Grammy nominations for The Great Southern Trendkill's "Suicide Note (Pt. I)" and Cowboys From Hell's "Cemetery Gates" in 1997 and 1998, respectively. The release of their video 3 Watch It Go earned them a 1997 Metal Edge Readers' Choice Award, when it was voted "Best Video Cassette".^[50]

Also in 1997, Pantera played on the mainstage of Ozzfest alongside Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Marilyn Manson, Type O Negative, Fear Factory, Machine Head, and Powerman 5000. Additionally, the band played on the 1998 UK Ozzfest tour alongside Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Foo Fighters, Slayer, Soulfly, Fear Factory, and Therapy?, as well as touring with Clutch and Neurosis.^[51]

1999–2003: Side projects, Reinventing the Steel, and breakup[edit]

Around this time, Anselmo ventured into more side projects, such as playing guitars on Necrophagia's 1999 release Holocausto de la Morte, where he went as the alias "Anton Crowley", which combines the names of Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey and occultist Aleister Crowley. He also temporarily joined the black metal supergroup Eibon and contributed vocals to that band's only two songs. Another one of Anselmo's "Anton Crowley" projects was black metal band Viking Crown. The Abbott brothers and Rex Brown began their own country metal crossover project, Rebel Meets Rebel with David Allan Coe, around the same time.

The band wrote a song for the NHL's Dallas Stars during the team's 1999

Bloc Party
Bloc Party performing live in 2019. From Left to Right: Lissack, Okereke, Harris, and Bartle
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genres	Indie rock post-punk revival alternative dance dance-punk post-Britpop alternative rock art punk
Years active	1999–present
Labels	BMG Wichita Frenchkiss Atlantic Infectious Vagrant Transgressive Trash Aesthetics Vice Arts & Crafts Dim Mak Dew Process
Spinoffs	Pin Me Down Young Legionnaire Novacub Menomena
Members	Kele Okereke Russell Lissack Louise Bartle Harry Deacon
Past members	Gordon Moakes Matt Tong Sarah Jones Justin Harris Daniel Pugsley
Website	blocparty.com

Bloc Party are an English rock band that was formed in London in 1999 by co-founders Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, sampler) and Russell Lissack (lead guitar, synthesizers). They are joined in the band's current iteration by Louise Bartle (drums, percussion) and bassist Harry Deacon. Their brand of music, whilst rooted in rock, retains elements of other genres such as electronica and house music.

Upon their formation at the 1999 Reading Festival by Okereke and Lissack, the band went through a variety of names before settling on Bloc Party in 2003. Gordon Moakes joined the band after answering an advert in NME magazine, while Matt Tong was picked via an audition. Bloc Party got their break by giving BBC Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq and Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos a copy of their demo "She's Hearing Voices".

In February 2005, the band released their debut album Silent Alarm. It was critically acclaimed and was named Indie Album of the Year at the 2006 PLUG Awards and NME Album of the year which both honour indie music. That year, the record was also certified platinum in Britain. The band built on this success in 2007 with the release of their second studio album, A Weekend in the City, which reached a peak of number two in the UK Albums Chart and number twelve in the Billboard 200. In August 2008, Bloc Party released their third studio record, Intimacy which entered the UK Albums Chart at number eight and number eighteen on the Billboard 200.

The band went on a hiatus in October 2009 to focus on side projects. They reunited in September 2011, and shortly thereafter released their fourth album, Four, which entered the UK Albums Chart at number three. In 2013, Bloc Party released their third EP titled The Nextwave Sessions in August; the band then began an indefinite hiatus to continue with their respective side projects. The band's fifth studio album, Hymns, the first to involve Justin Harris (bass) and Louise Bartle (drums), was released on 29 January 2016. Their sixth studio album, Alpha Games, was released on 29 April 2022. On 21 July 2023, they released the High Life EP. Bloc Party have sold over 3 million albums worldwide.^[1]

History[edit]

Formation and rising popularity (1999–2004)[edit]

Russell Lissack and Kele Okereke first met in 1998 in London. Lissack had attended Bancroft's School, while Okereke attended Ilford County High School, then Trinity Catholic High School, Woodford Green for sixth form. They bumped into each other again in 1999 at Reading Festival and decided to form a band.^[2] Bassist Gordon Moakes joined after answering an advert in NME, and drummer Matt Tong joined after an audition.^[2] After going through a variety of names, such as Union, The Angel Range, and Diet, the band settled on Bloc Party in September 2003, a play on block party.^[3] The band has said that the name was not intended to be an allusion to the Soviet Bloc or the Canadian political party Bloc Québécois. However, Moakes said on the group's official Internet forum that it was more a merging of the eastern "Blocs" and the western "parties", in the political sense. He also notes that the name was not explicitly driven by politics, but rather it "looked, sounded, seemed fine so we went with it."^[4]

"Banquet"

"Banquet" was Bloc Party's first and only release by Moshi Moshi, and is typical of their early indie rock style.

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In November 2003, Bloc Party had their track "The Marshals Are Dead" featured on a compilation CD called The New Cross released by Angular Recording Corporation.^[5] They then released their debut single "She's Hearing Voices" on the then fledgling record label Trash Aesthetics.^[6] Also in 2003 Bloc Party personally mailed Steve Aoki a 7-inch of the track “She’s Hearing Voices” and signed to Dim Mak shortly thereafter. Dim Mak teamed up with VICE, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records, and entered a major label deal for the first time. Dim Mak and Atlantic later released Bloc Party's critically acclaimed and commercially successful Silent Alarm in 2005. The band got their break after Okereke went to a Franz Ferdinand concert in 2003, and gave a copy of "She's Hearing Voices" to both lead singer Alex Kapranos and BBC Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq.^[7] Lamacq subsequently played the song on his radio show, labelling the track "genius",^[8] and invited them to record a live session for the show.^[9] The buzz generated off the back of the single led to another release, "Banquet/Staying Fat", this time through Moshi Moshi Records,^[10] and to the eventual signing with independent label Wichita Recordings in April 2004.^[11]

Silent Alarm (2004–2006)[edit]

Bloc Party's debut album, Silent Alarm, was released in February 2005 and was met with universal critical acclaim.^[12] It was voted 'Album of the Year' for 2005 by NME,^[13] and reached number 3 on the UK Albums Chart before being certified platinum.^[14][15] The first single from the album, "So Here We Are/Positive Tension", made the top 5 on the UK Top 40 chart.^[14] Further singles "Banquet" (which reached number 13 in NME's 'Top 50 Singles of 2005'), "Helicopter", and "Pioneers", whilst failing to repeat this success, still managed to reach the UK top 20.^[14] The animated video for "Pioneers," made by the Shoreditch-based Minivegas design agency,^[16] was top of the NME video charts for four weeks. NME tagged them as "art-rock" at that time but the band felt it was too limited.^[17]

The band received positive reviews from critics in the United States and they toured there heavily in the 18 months that followed the release of Silent Alarm.^[18] In early 2006, they finished their tour with sold-out shows in Los Angeles, Miami and Berkeley.^[18] The album went on to sell more than 350,000 copies in North America and over a million worldwide.^[15] After this success, the established electronic group, The Chemical Brothers, soon collaborated with Okereke for "Believe", a track on their Push the Button album.^[19] An album of remixes of tracks from Silent Alarm had also been released at the end of August 2005 in the UK.^[20] This remix album, entitled Silent Alarm Remixed, retained the album's original track list and includes remixes from the likes of Ladytron, M83, Death from Above 1979, Four Tet, and Mogwai.^[21]

During July 2005, Bloc Party recorded two new tracks with Silent Alarm producer Paul Epworth. The songs were released as a single with a B-side, titled "Two More Years",^[22] to coincide with the band's October 2005 UK tour.^[23] The tour was also accompanied by a re-issue of Silent Alarm, which included "Two More Years" and former single "Little Thoughts" as bonus tracks. A remix of "Banquet" by The Streets, as well as a music video for the song, were included in the "Two More Years" single.^[24] Bloc Party also contributed the track "The Present" to the Help!: A Day in the Life compilation, the profits of which benefited the War Child charity.^[25]

A Weekend in the City (2006–2008)[edit]

Bloc Party's second album, A Weekend in the City, was produced by Garret "Jacknife" Lee.^[26] It was released in February 2007,^[27] although it was leaked in November 2006.^[28] It became available for download on the UK iTunes Store before the physical release, and reached the number 2 spot on the UK Albums Chart.^[29] The album also reached number 2 on the Australian and Belgian charts,^[30][31] and debuted at number 12 in the Billboard 200, with 48,000 copies sold.^[32] The first single, "The Prayer", was released on 29 January,^[33] and became the band's highest charting single in the British Top 40, reaching number 4.^[34] In the buildup to the release of the album, BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe aired a live set by the band from Maida Vale studios on 30 January 2007, featuring a mix of old and new songs.^[35] On 1 February 2007, A Weekend in the City was made available to listen to for free through Bloc Party's official MySpace page.^[36]

The next single, "I Still Remember", was Bloc Party's highest charting American single, peaking at number 24 on the Modern Rock Chart.^[37] The band released their third single, "Hunting for Witches", with an accompanying video clip in August 2007. The single became their only ARIA Chart entry, peaking at number 20.^[38] In October 2007, it was announced that Bloc Party would release a new single, "Flux", on 13 November—ahead of their end of year gigs.^[39] The electronic song, also produced by Jacknife Lee,^[40] was very different from previous singles released by the band.^[41]

The band's first gig following the release of A Weekend in the City was on 5 February 2007, in Reading,^[42] and was broadcast live on BBC 6 Music.^[43] On 20 May 2007, Bloc Party headlined on the In New Music We Trust stage at the BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend in Preston.^[44] They also performed at the UK leg of Live Earth on 7 July 2007 at Wembley Stadium.^[45] Furthermore, the band played sets at T in the Park and Oxegen 07 that same weekend,^[46][47] as well as Glastonbury and the Reading and Leeds Festivals later in 2007.^[48][49] Bloc Party announced a tour of Australia and New Zealand in August 2007, which would include a special appearance at the Splendour in the Grass Festival on 5 August.^[42] On 17 September 2007, they recorded a set for the PBS show Austin City Limits^[50] a day after playing at the Austin City Limits Music Festival.^[42] On 27 October, the band performed a set at London's The Roundhouse with the Exmoor Singers, a London-based choir, as part of the BBC Electric Proms. The set included songs from both Silent Alarm and A Weekend in the City along with the first British live performance of "Flux".^[51]

Intimacy (2008–2009)[edit]

"Mercury" was released as the first single from Bloc Party's third album in August 2008.^[52] Again produced by Jacknife Lee and Paul Epworth, Intimacy was rush-released later that month, with the album available to download 3 days after an announcement in August 2008. Later in the month the band played second on the bill at the Reading and Leeds Festivals^[53] before headlining the Hydro Connect Music Festival in Argyll, Scotland.^[54]

During the autumn of 2008, the band went on a short tour of North America, which included an appearance at the Virgin Festival in Toronto, as well as the band's first ever American college show at Syracuse University and an appearance at the 2008 edition of MTV Video Music Brazil, their first concert in South America, which was negatively received due to the band choosing to mime their performance.^[55] They made their live return to the UK on 30 September 2008 with a special gig in London as part of Q Awards: The Gigs. They also played the Glasgow date of MTV2's and Topman's "Gonzo on Tour" on 19 October 2008.^[56] A follow-up single, "Talons" was released in October 2008. The song was not part of the pre-order album, but did feature on the full album CD release^[57] and was made freely available to people who already purchased the download-only album.^[58] An album of remixes of all tracks on Intimacy, Intimacy Remixed, was released in May 2009.^[59] The band undertook their first UK tour since December 2007 in October 2009,^[60] dubbing it "Bloctober".^[61]

One More Chance and hiatus (2009–2011)[edit]

In July 2009, Okereke stated that the band did not have a current recording contract and had no obligation or pressure to release a new album in the foreseeable future; he went on to suggest that the release of a fourth album was on an indefinite timescale.^[62] A new single, "One More Chance", was released in August 2009. The song did not appear on Intimacy and was produced by Jacknife Lee. After this, the group went on a hiatus, with the members unsure as to whether they would carry on.^[63]

During this period of hiatus Lissack revived his project Pin Me Down^[64] and joined the live line-up of Irish rock-band Ash as guitarist and synthesiser player on their touring for the A–Z Series.^[65] Moakes formed the group Young Legionnaire with Paul Mullen, vocalist & guitarist of The Automatic, and William Bowerman, drummer for La Roux, releasing a single, "Colossus" in August 2010.^[66] Okereke released a solo album, The Boxer, in June 2010. Produced by Hudson Mohawke and XXXChange, its release was preceded by the single "Tenderoni".^[67][68][69] Rumours throughout 2011 suggested Okereke had left the group to focus on solo work, though these were denied by other band members.^[70][71]

Four and The Nextwave Sessions (2011–2013)[edit]

Bloc Party started writing material for a fourth album in 2011,^[72][73] but decided not to play live.^[73] In the meantime Okereke finished an EP titled The Hunter.^[74] The group stated they intended to release a new album in 2012.^[75] In May 2012, Bloc Party announced Four,^[76][77][78] which was released on 20 August 2012, after being made available to stream in its entirety for over a week preceding release. The album was recorded with Alex Newport, who had previously worked with At The Drive In and The Mars Volta, in New York City. Bloc Party released "Octopus" that July and later released another single entitled "Day Four".^[79] The band released "Kettling" on 12 November 2012, followed by "Truth" on 25 February 2013. Four peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart and at number 36 on the Billboard 200.^[80]

The band debuted new material during their 2013 North American tour, including "Children of the Future" at Rams Head Live!, "Ratchet" at The Pageant, "Montreal" at the Ogden Theatre and "X-cutioner's Song" at Mr. Smalls Theater in Pittsburgh.^{[citation needed]} Lissack later confirmed the band's plans to release a new EP in "northern hemisphere summer". He told Marc Zanotti of Australian website MusicFeeds that the new material was "not like a continuation of the record we've just made, it's a completely separate thing [...] the next step; the next progression".^[81] "French Exit" was given its debut live performance at Crystal Ballroom on 24 May.^{[citation needed]} Some of the new material would feature on The Nextwave Sessions, an EP announced on 25 June and for release on 12 August via Frenchkiss Records.^[82]

Hiatus and line-up changes (2013–2015)[edit]

During the summer tour of 2013, drummer Matt Tong left the band.^[83] Lissack told a Canadian newspaper, the National Post that the band were planning to take an indefinite hiatus following their appearance at the Latitude Festival on 19 July.^[84][85] In October 2013, Kele assembled a DJ Mix for !K7's Tapes mix series, released under the Bloc Party name.^[86] In September 2014, Okereke stated that Bloc Party were working on a fifth album.^[87] In March 2015, bassist Gordon Moakes tweeted he had parted ways with Bloc Party.^[88] Following the departure of their former members, Okereke and Lissack started to work on new songs on their own in late 2014.^[89]

Bloc Party unveiled their new line-up at two intimate gigs in the Los Angeles area (19 August 2015 at The Glass House in Pomona and 20 August 2015 at The Roxy in Los Angeles). Following these performances, Bloc Party also subheadlined FYF Fest in Los Angeles on 22 August 2015.^[90] At these shows, the band confirmed that they've finished recording their next album. The shows marked the live debut for new bassist Justin Harris of the Portland, Oregon, indie rock outfit Menomena,^[91] who had previously opened several Bloc Party U.S. tour dates in April 2009;^[92] and Louise Bartle, who was accidentally announced a month earlier as Bloc Party's drummer by instrument manufacturer Natal Drums in a since-deleted tweet, leading to fan speculation regarding her membership that was ultimately proved correct.^{[93][better source needed]} These shows also included the first performances of two new songs called "Eden" and "Exes" according to the setlist.^[94][95]

Hymns and Silent Alarm Live (2015–2019)[edit]

In a performance at Maida Vale, Bloc Party gave "The Good News" its live debut; hours later, "The Love Within" was featured as "Hottest Record in the World" by Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1. Okereke revealed the band's upcoming fifth album is set to be titled Hymns.^[96][97]

Twiztid
Twiztid in 2013
Background information
Origin	Livonia, Michigan, U.S.[1]
Genres	Horrorcore hip hop rap rock rap metal
Years active	1997–present
Labels	Majik Ninja Entertainment Majik Recordz Island Records Psychopathic
Spinoffs	Dark Lotus
Members	Jamie Madrox Monoxide Child
Website	twiztid.com

Twiztid is an American hip hop duo from Livonia, Michigan,^[1] known for both their horror-themed lyrics and rock-influenced sound. Formed in 1997, Twiztid is composed of rappers Jamie "Madrox" Spaniolo and Paul "Monoxide" Methric. Spaniolo and Methric are also members of the group House of Krazees with Bryan "The R.O.C." Jones, which formed in 1992.

Twiztid released their debut album, Mostasteless, in 1998. Since then, they have released 16 full-length studio albums, 14 extended plays, 17 compilation albums, two mixtapes, and numerous singles. They were signed with Psychopathic Records from 1997 until 2012. Two years later, they formed their own label, Majik Ninja Entertainment.

History[edit]

House of Krazees and signing to Psychopathic Records (1992–1997)[edit]

Prior to Twiztid, Jamie Spaniolo and Paul Methric were members of the hip hop trio House of Krazees alongside Bryan Jones. They performed under the personas of Mr. Bones, Hektic, and The R.O.C. respectively.^[2] The group released five albums in the 1990s before Methric and Spaniolo departed in 1997. Jones continued using the House of Krazees name for a few years before turning to a solo career instead.^[3]

After the split, Methric and Spaniolo sent a demo tape to Insane Clown Posse member Joseph Bruce (Violent J), which also featured their friend Chris Rouleau (Blaze Ya Dead Homie), under the name ISI (Infamous Superstars Incorporated). The demo contained the tracks "2nd Hand Smoke", "Diemuthafuckadie", and "How Does It Feel?".^[3] Bruce was extremely impressed, invited Methric and Spaniolo to perform on The House of Horrors Tour, and signed them to Psychopathic Records. Before the tour kicked off, Bruce, Methric, and Spaniolo decided on a name that they felt would better fit the duo—"Twiztid". They also took the stage names of Monoxide Child (Methric) and Jamie Madrox (Spaniolo).^[3]

Mostasteless, side projects, and Freek Show (1998–2001)[edit]

Twiztid's debut album, Mostasteless, was originally released independently by Psychopathic Records in August 1998.^[4][5] A few of the tracks were conceived while the duo performed under their old personas of Mr. Bones and Hektic, while the other tracks were finished by Mike E. Clark of Psychopathic Records.^[6] When Insane Clown Posse signed with Island Records, they helped get a deal for Twiztid as well.^[7] In 1999, Mostasteless was pulled, and re-released on Island with a slightly altered tracklist and new artwork.^[7] In his review of the reissued album, AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that "[Although] the thought of a group of Insane Clown Posse protégés isn't exactly inspiring", the album "may take you by surprise...Mostasteless actually works better than most ICP records," that "Twiztid often is more convincing than [its] Dark Carnival colleagues," and concluded that "if you don't buy into the whole comic book-horror schtick, Mostasteless...will be irritating, but if you've bought into it, you'll enjoy this record as much, if not more, than most ICP albums".^[8] The reissue of Mostasteless peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart and at No. 149 on the Billboard 200 chart.^[9]

After the release of the Mostasteless albums, Twiztid continued to build their fanbase within the juggalo community by performing at numerous shows and being involved with associated projects. Dark Lotus was the first project that emerged, as it consisted of the then-current roster of Psychopathic Records. Although the debut album had been set for 1999 after the release of the single "Echo Side", the album was delayed and the song instead appeared on Insane Clown Posse's album The Amazing Jeckel Brothers. Another project formed was Psychopathic Rydas, which was a supergroup that consisted of Twiztid, Insane Clown Posse, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, and Myzery. The group took a satirical tone in the lyrics and used well-known gangsta rap beats as the backing music. The group's debut album was released in 1999, titled Dumpin'.

Twiztid was a headlining act at the first Gathering of the Juggalos in July 2000. The event was a success and Twiztid's presence continued for over a decade later. The duo also had made their acting debut in the comedy film Big Money Hustlas. The plot was conceived by Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid. The film was a success as the home video peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Music Videos chart. On October 31, 2000, Twiztid released their second studio album, Freek Show. In his review of the album, AllMusic's Brad Mills wrote that "this kind of music appeals to a small sector of hip-hop listeners and will probably do well within [its] niche market, but the average hip-hop listener will just have to understand that this is a different kind of album".^[10] The album peaked at No. 51 on the Billboard 200 chart.^[9] Freek Show also featured producer Fritz the Cat for the first time, who the duo would work with on-and-off throughout their career. Twiztid released their first compilation album titled Cryptic Collection on November 13, 2000. It consisted of studio outtakes, cut songs from the original Mostasteless album, and 1990s tracks from the House of Krazees era.^[5]

The duo's close friend and labelmate Blaze Ya Dead Homie released his full-length debut in 2001 titled 1 Less G n da Hood. The album was notable since Twiztid was involved with nearly every track in regards to either production or vocals. In 2001, Dark Lotus had released their long-awaited debut album Tales From the Lotus Pod. Alongside Twiztid and Insane Clown Posse, Marz and Blaze Ya Dead Homie had solidified the lineup as well. The album was a success as it peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, No. 6 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart, and No. 158 on the Billboard 200 chart. Shortly afterwards, Marz had left the group and was replaced by Anybody Killa, who recorded new vocals for the album's reissue in 2002.

Mirror Mirror and The Green Book (2002–2004)[edit]

In April 2002, Twiztid released their first extended play and third major release, Mirror Mirror. AllMusic reviewer Bradley Torreano praised the EP, writing that "Despite the fact that few outside of the juggalo family will give this a chance, this might be one of the most accurate portrayals of the mood of most unhappy young people in 2002".^[11] Mirror Mirror peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart and at No. 103 on the Billboard 200 chart.^[9] The duo then embarked on a national tour to support Mirror Mirror. Footage from the tour was incorporated into a webshow that was hosted by Twiztid titled The Purple Show, which also featured skits and backstage antics. Only four episodes were filmed for The Purple Show before its cancellation; however, it was released on DVD with extra content in early 2003.

For the 2003 version of the nationwide Van's Warped Tour, Twiztid was added to the lineup. Due to the differences in genres at the festival, Twiztid had not received a warm reception overall and they did not return to the festival for over 15 years. On July 1, 2003, Twiztid released their third studio album The Green Book. Madrox referred to the album as a "Juggalo favorite".^[12] AllMusic reviewer Rob Theakston panned the album, writing that it "is much, much better than the last ICP card record, but looking at the forest from the trees, that really isn't saying much anymore".^[13] The Green Book peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart and at No. 52 on the Billboard 200 chart.^[9] In October 2003, Twiztid created an annual event named Fright Fest for halloween. The event also featured Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Anybody Killa, JD Tha Weed Man, and the duo's former House of Krazees partner The R.O.C. as performers. An exclusive EP titled Fright Fest 2003 was also released to coincide with the event. Also in 2003, Twiztid had formed a short-lived record label on the side named Majik Recordz. Nothing was released on the label due to the duo's falling out with a business partner.

In 2004, Monoxide released his debut solo album Chainsmoker LP. The album charted at No. 191 on the Billboard 200 chart, No. 14 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart, and No. 3 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. It had featured guests such as Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Anybody Killa, Esham, and Madrox.

Man's Myth (Vol. 1) and Mutant (Vol. 2) (2005–2006)[edit]

Twiztid released their fourth full-length album Man's Myth (Vol. 1) on June 28, 2005. Man's Myth (Vol. 1) was the first half of a double album which concluded with the release of Mutant (Vol. 2) one month later.^[14] While Man's Myth (Vol. 1) featured a hip hop-oriented sound, Mutant (Vol. 2) featured a rock oriented sound.^[12] According to Madrox, "I've always wanted to do a rock album and to date that was the closest thing to it we have ever done, so it holds a special place in my heart."^[12] Man's Myth (Vol. 1) peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart, No. 14 on the Billboard Top Rap Albums chart, and No. 62 on the Billboard 200 chart.^[9] Mutant (Vol. 2) peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart, No. 20 on the Billboard Top Rap Albums chart, and No. 80 on the Billboard 200 chart. Ultimately, Man's Myth (Vol. 1) was commercially and critically more successful than Mutant (Vol. 2).^[9]

In 2006, Madrox released his debut solo album Phatso. The album charted at No. 107 on the Billboard 200 chart, No. 3 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart, and No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. A second version of the album was also released, titled Phatso (The Earth 2 Version), which featured remixes and new skits.

Independents Day, chart success with W.I.C.K.E.D., and Heartbroken & Homicidal (2007–2010)[edit]

On July 4, 2007, Twiztid released their sixth full-length studio album Independents Day. The album featured guest appearances from rappers signed to independent record labels, such as The Dayton Family, Tha Dogg Pound, Hed PE frontman Jared Gomes, Tech N9ne, and Krizz Kaliko. It also notably featured appearances by D12 members Proof and Bizarre. One of the group's members, Eminem, had feuded with Insane Clown Posse since the late 1990s and thus the collaboration was noteworthy.^[15] The album peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart, No. 9 on the Billboard Top Rap Albums chart, and No. 57 on the Billboard 200 chart.^[9] In September 2007, the group's Toxic Terror Tour was cancelled after Monoxide suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament following a car accident, but the tour was booked again in early 2008.^[16] A promotional EP titled Toxic Terror was released during the tour as well.

On March 17, 2009, Twiztid released their seventh full-length studio album W.I.C.K.E.D. (short for "Wish I Could Kill Every Day").^[17] W.I.C.K.E.D. was Twiztid's highest-charting album, peaking at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 chart, No. 4 on the Billboard Top Rap Albums chart, and No. 1 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart.^[9] W.I.C.K.E.D. became the third-highest-charting album in Psychopathic Records history, after Insane Clown Posse's The Amazing Jeckel Brothers and Bang! Pow! Boom!, both of which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart. During their End of Days Tour to promote W.I.C.K.E.D., the duo released a promotional EP titled End of Days.

Twiztid released Heartbroken & Homicidal on September 21, 2010. Monoxide had produced or co-produced the vast majority of the songs alongside Brian Kuma and Eric Davie. The album had extensive packaging, such as the 28-page booklet that resembled a notebook, with the liner notes written in invisible ink. The casing included a black pencil which was used to reveal the album's liner notes, which was also visible under a black light.^[18] The album peaked at No. 3 on both the Billboard Top Rap Albums and Billboard Top Independent Albums charts.^[9]

Abominationz, leaving Psychopathic Records, and A New Nightmare (2011–2013)[edit]

On April 18, 2012, both Madrox and Monoxide were interviewed on Strange Music's BlogTalkRadio. During the interview, they released the new album title, Abominationz. It was eventually released on October 22, 2012. It had charted highly as it peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Rap Albums chart, No. 4 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart, and No. 18 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album was mostly produced by Strange Music's in-house producer Seven, which was the beginning of a close musical relationship with the duo. Abominationz was Twiztid's last release under Psychopathic Records, as they left the label in December 2012. Blaze Ya Dead Homie followed soon afterwards. It was noted that there was no animosity, and Twiztid had simply wished to explore new ventures since they had been with Psychopathic Records for 15 years at that point. Besides Insane Clown Posse, Twiztid had the longest tenure on the label, more than any other artist that was signed.

Upon leaving Psychopathic Records, Twiztid had not initially announced any label plans; thus, they stayed as an unsigned act. The duo released A New Nightmare on July 30, 2013. Classified as either a mixtape or EP, it was Twiztid's 11th major studio release overall. The album peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Top Rap Albums chart. In regards to other Twiztid albums, A New Nightmare had the largest amount of featured performers, such as Blaze Ya Dead Homie, JellyRoll, Wrekonize, Caskey, Johnny Richter, Swollen Members, The R.O.C., and others.

Creation of Majik Ninja Entertainment, The Darkness, and The Continuous Evilution of Life's ?s (2014–2017)[edit]

Twiztid and Blaze Ya Dead Homie reunited with Insane Clown Posse for the Dark Lotus album The Mud, Water, Air & Blood in 2014. It was the supergroup's highest-charting release as it peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard 200 chart. Also in 2014, Twiztid announced that they would form their own record label titled Majik Ninja Entertainment (MNE for short). They had also dubbed their in-house studio as "The Dojo". On October 21, 2014, Blaze Ya Dead Homie released his fifth full-length album titled Gang Rags: Reborn. The album signified the creation of MNE as it was the label's first overall release. Twiztid released their next album The Darkness in early 2015, and it was MNE's second release. The album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Top Rap Albums chart and at No. 29 on the Billboard 200 chart.^[9] Towards the end of 2015, Twiztid recruited a backing band for their live shows, named The Wickedness. The members consisted of keyboardist Tiffany Lowe (Combichrist), guitarist Rocky Sobon (Ventana), and drummer Sean "Drayven" Davidson (Static-X/Davey Suicide). The Wickedness performed with Twiztid at various dates in 2015 and 2016, but Lowe and Sobon eventually departed from the band. Davidson then continued to be employed as Twiztid's drummer both live and in the studio.^[19]

From Twiztid and Blaze Ya Dead Homie's Psychopathic Records departure in 2012 up until 2016, they had continued to perform at the annual Gathering of the Juggalos. The 2016 event featured a prominent presence by MNE, as each artist released an EP at the event; Twiztid with Trapped, Blaze Ya Dead Homie with Dead Vulture, The R.O.C. with The Fucking Prey Lewd, and Lex "The Hex" Master with Mr. Ugly. At the end of 2016, it was revealed that former Psychopathic Records recording artist and in-house producer Young Wicked had joined the MNE label under controversial circumstances. The signing had permanently severed all of Twiztid's ties to Psychopathic Records and Insane Clown Posse, including appearances at the Gathering of the Juggalos, studio collaborations, and tour plans.^[20] Shortly afterwards, Twiztid released The Continuous Evilution of Life's ?s. The album peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard 200 chart. Blaze Ya Dead Homie and Twiztid also released an album titled Triple Threat on September 1, 2017. The trio's name stemmed from the song "Triple Threat" off of 2005's Mutant (Vol. 2) album.

Other ventures, Generation Nightmare, unexpected release with Mad Season, and Revelashen (2018–2020)[edit]

In early 2018, Twiztid hosted the first Astronomicon event. Astronomicon was focused on video games, horror films, comic books, and musical acts. Special guests included professional wrestlers such as Booker T, Scott Hall, Eric Bischoff, and Brother Love; horror icons such as Bill Moseley, Kane Hodder, and Tony Moran; comedic actors such as Brian O'Halloran and Jason Mewes; and metal musicians such as Carla Harvey. The event was a success as it was turned into a yearly event afterwards. Twiztid also announced a comic book series titled Haunted High-Ons, written by Dirk Manning. The project was revealed alongside a Kickstarter campaign.

Twiztid was invited to join Van's Warped Tour for the 2018 cycle, 15 years after the duo's last appearance. Due to the more positive reception than their 2003 appearance, they were invited back the following year; however, the 2019 cycle ended up being the final Van's Warped Tour since it was then retired as an entity.

On April 26, 2019, Twiztid released their 12th full-length studio album Generation Nightmare, a more rock-oriented album than most of their previous releases. Generation Nightmare had featured the most variety of producers on a singular Twiztid album to that point, with seven different producers overall. It peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart and at No. 51 on the Billboard 200 chart.

On April 20, 2020, Twiztid released their 13th full-length studio album Mad Season on their online web store without any prior promotion. A few days later, the album was made available on streaming services. The duo returned to a more horrorcore sound with a hip-hop approach on Mad Season.^[21] Due to the lack of promotion, the album had found only minimal success as it peaked at No. 38 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart.

On November 23, 2020, Twiztid announced their next album would be titled Revelashen. Similar to Mad Season, it received very little promotion or hype, and it was released merely four days after the announcement. In regards to prior albums, Revelashen was not as successful since it only appeared on one chart, the Billboard Top Current Album Sales chart, peaking at No. 57. Revelashen was more straightforward in its content, with the duo shredding the theatrical storylines and moving away from strictly horror themes.^[22]

Unlikely Prescription, Glyph, Welcome to Your Funeral, and future plans (2021–present)[edit]

Twiztid released the promotional EP Electric Lettuce on April 20, 2021, as it coincided with a 4:20 livestream event. Twiztid also formed another supergroup in 2021 named East Side Ninjas, which featured the duo, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, and Anybody Killa. Their debut album Pact of the 4 was released on June 5, 2021.^[23] Also in early 2021, Twiztid released the single "Rose Petal". It appeared on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart for over two months, peaking at No. 32. It was the duo's first appearance on a singles chart. Another single was released in May 2021 as a collaboration with Ice Nine Kills titled "Envy". It was the duo's second appearance on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, peaking at No. 32 in October 2021 and staying on the chart for 15 weeks overall.^[24] The song (and the aforementioned "Rose Petal" single) later appeared on Unlikely Prescription, their rock-oriented album that was released on September 10, 2021. Unlikely Prescription peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Top Current Album Sales chart and, because of the duo's venture into the rock genre, at No. 20 on the Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums chart, which was their first appearance on the chart.

On November 28, 2022, Twiztid surprise-released an album entitled Glyph. It was exclusively released through their webstore on physical CD with no prior notice. It was added onto streaming services two months later, although Glyph ultimately became the first Twiztid album to not appear on any Billboard chart.^[25][26]

Monoxide released his second solo album on February 29, 2024, titled Chainsmoker II. It arrived nearly 20 years after his previous solo album, 2004's Chainsmoker, and also became the first solo album from Twiztid in 18 years (since Madrox's Phatso in 2006).^[27] At 2024's Astronomicon, Twiztid confirmed that their rock-oriented album with producer Zeuss (who has worked with Rob Zombie, Earth Crisis, Hatebreed, Chimaira, among other rock/metal artists) was due for release in 2024, entitled Welcome to Your Funeral. A picture disc vinyl was revealed for the album's first single.^[28][29]

Style and influences[edit]

Jamie Spaniolo described his lyrical style by saying, "Think of it as if there was a Halloween or Friday the 13th on wax and Jason and Michael Myers could actually rap, this is what their vibe would sound like".^[30] Twiztid's lyrics draw from themes which include anger, hate,^[31] disgust, obsession and infidelity,^[32] and include elements of dark humor, including gallows humor.^[31] AllMusic writer Bradley Torreano wrote that Twiztid's songs are "teenage anthems that actually have more than a passing similarity" to the songs of Detroit rapper Eminem, and that Twiztid's lyrics "[accurately portray] the mood of most unhappy young people".^[33] Spaniolo, a fan of comic books, often references comics in his lyrics; his stage name is taken from the Marvel Comics superhero "The Multiple Man" Jamie Madrox, and he has made reference to "The Multiple Man" nickname in Twiztid's songs.^[34] Twiztid's style has been described as horrorcore,^[17] hip hop,^[17] rap rock^[32] and rap metal.^[35] Starting with their Abominationz album, Twiztid adopted a faster rapping style which allowed the duo to write more lyrics for the album than previous efforts.^[31]

Spaniolo has stated that the earliest musical influence on him was the rock band Kiss, which led to him discovering the hair metal bands Ratt, Cinderella, Twisted Sister, and Mötley Crüe's album Shout at the Devil.^[36] Methric was more of a hip hop fan and Spaniolo was more into rock music when the duo were younger, with the latter stating, "I’m the guy that likes The Beatles or Frank Sinatra."^[37] After Methric finally persuaded Spaniolo to listen to Run-DMC, the group's Raising Hell album became the first rap album Spaniolo ever purchased,^[37] and led to him discovering N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton and becoming a serious fan of the genre.^[36] The duo has stated that they are collectively influenced by Rob Zombie, Sully Erna, Chester Bennington, Black Sabbath,^[24] Marilyn Manson, Ronnie James Dio, Alice In Chains, Seether, Bullet for My Valentine, Korn, Mudvayne, Papa Roach, P.O.D., Slipknot, Five Finger Death Punch, and Bring Me the Horizon.^[38]

Members[edit]

Although Jamie Madrox and Monoxide Child are considered the core of Twiztid, various members have been associated with the duo as backing musicians. The first incarnation of their backing band was named The Wickedness.^[19]

• Jamie Madrox - vocals (1997–present)
• Monoxide Child - vocals (1997–present)
• Sean "Drayven" Davidson - drums (2015–present)
• Rocky Sobon - guitars (2015–2016)
• Tiffany Lowe - keyboards (2015–2016)

Discography[edit]

• Mostasteless (1998)
• Freek Show (2000)
• Mirror Mirror (2002)
• The Green Book (2003)
• Man's Myth (Vol. 1) (2005)
• Mutant (Vol. 2) (2005)
• Independents Day (2007)
• W.I.C.K.E.D. (2009)
• Heartbroken & Homicidal (2010)
• Abominatio