Metal-Radio

Testament Bio

Testament was formed in the San Francisco area in 1983 by guitarist Eric Peterson and his friend, Derrick Ramirez, also a guitarist, originally using the name Legacy. The band soon recruited bassist Greg Christian, drummer Mike Ronchette, and vocalist Steve Souza. Ramirez was subsequently replaced by young guitar prodigy Alex Skolnick, who had studied under the legendary bay-area guitarist Joe Satriani. The band released one self-titled 4 song demo in 1986. Ronchette left shortly after the recording and was replaced by Louie Clemente. Steve Souza subsequently left the band to join Exodus, and suggested that Chuck Billy should replace him on lead vocals. While recording their first album, the band was forced to change their name to Testament (which, according to Maria Ferrero in the May 2007 issue of Revolver, was suggested by Billy Milano of S.O.D.) because "The Legacy" was already trademarked by a jazz band. Testament's first album, The Legacy, was released in 1987 on Megaforce Records. It is a concise and technical album of vintage thrash metal, still referred to as a classic by many fans of the genre. Testament received instant fame within thrash circles and were often compared with fellow bay-area thrash pioneers Metallica. The band quickly managed to increase their exposure by heading out on a successful tour of America and Europe with Anthrax, who were then touring in support of their Among the Living album. On this tour the Live at Eindhoven EP was recorded. The next album, The New Order, was released in 1988, and found the band continuing in a similar vein. After another successful world tour the band headed back into the studio to record Practice What You Preach. Released in 1989, Practice was an extremely focused effort that minimized the occult and gothic themes found on their first two albums, instead focusing on real-life issues such as politics and corruption. The album was the band's most popular to date and even MTV took notice, giving the title track extensive airplay on Headbanger's Ball. However, Testament would never be able to equal the success they found with Practice. In 1990, Souls of Black was released to mixed reviews and slow album sales. Attempting to reconnect with an audience distracted by the growing grunge movement, Testament released The Ritual in 1992. The Ritual saw a stylistic move away from thrash to a slightly more traditional heavy metal sound. Sales were poor and the band began to implode. Billy stated in an interview for the sound of the record was by conflicting decisions on what sound the album should have been recorded. [1] Lead guitarist Alex Skolnick had long been frustrated by the stylistic limitations of the band and left soon after The Ritual's release to temporarily join Savatage. Drummer Louie Clemente soon split with the band as well, moving towards a more stable non-musical career, whereas Peterson and Billy wanted Testament to become more metal, not less. In 1993, Skolnick and Clemente were temporarily replaced by Glen Alvelais and Paul Bostaph respectively, both of the thrash band Forbidden. This lineup released the 1993 live EP, Return to Apocalyptic City. Soon after, Alvelais quit the band and Paul Bostaph departed to join Slayer. 1994's Low, featured John Tempesta on drums and death metal guitarist James Murphy, formerly of Disincarnate, Death, Cancer, and Obituary. Low was a diverse album, featuring various influences such as death metal, groove metal, and as well as a ballad: "Trail of Tears". The band's remaining fans reacted favorably to Low although it did little to expand Testament's fanbase. Some fans, however, viewed Testament's move away from the mainstream as a liberation that allowed them to expand artistically, not being pressured by sales and success as they once were. After their 1994-1995 tour, Greg Christian, John Tempesta, and James Murphy departed the band. The band's follow-up album, Demonic, released in 1997, took a new approach, and found Testament experimenting with death metal more. The album featured Eric Peterson on both lead and rhythm guitar, early member Derrick Ramirez on bass guitar, and former Dark Angel drummer Gene Hoglan. By 1999, Hoglan had departed and James Murphy had returned for the release of The Gathering. The rhythm section on The Gathering was highly respected, consisting of metal fretless bass pioneer Steve DiGiorgio (formerly of Death and Sadus) and original Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo. The sound of the album was largely a combination of death metal, thrash metal, and a minor black metal influence from Eric Peterson's side project, Dragonlord. Soon after the release of The Gathering, lead guitarist James Murphy was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Through various fundraisers, Murphy was able to afford surgery and eventually made a full recovery. Nevertheless, he now cannot recall anything from the recording of The Gathering. In 2001, Chuck Billy was also diagnosed with cancer which was treated successfully. In August of 2001, friends of Billy organized the Thrash of the Titans benefit concert, featuring seminal Bay Area thrash bands Vio-Lence, Death Angel, Exodus, Heathen, and others. The show was headlined by a Legacy reunion, featuring Steve Souza on vocals, and former guitarist Alex Skolnick, who had not played with the band since 1992 and Greg Christian. Late in 2001, Testament released First Strike Still Deadly, a compilation of songs from their first two albums. The album featured the lineup of Billy, Peterson, DiGiorgio, the return of Alex Skolnick on guitar and John Tempesta on drums. By 2003 Chuck Billy had completely recovered, and the band began performing live again with a new drummer, John Allen of Sadus. In 2004, the band changed their lineup once again for their summer festival live appearances, and John Allen was replaced by Paul Bostaph, returning to the band for a second stint after a decade's absence. Lead guitarist Steve Smyth also departed to join Nevermore, and was replaced by ex-Halford guitarist "Metal" Mike Chlasciak. Ironically, shortly after Steve Smyth's departure, Eric Peterson fell down a flight of stairs, breaking his leg, and was unavailable for some dates. He was temporarily replaced by Steve Smyth. In May 2005, it was announced that Testament would be doing a brief Europe-only reunion tour - known as the "10 Days in May Tour" - featuring the original lineup of Billy, Peterson, Skolnick and Christian, with drum duties shared between John Tempesta and Louie Clemente. After the success of the initial tour dates, Testament announced more dates in the US, Europe and Japan with the classic lineup. Alex has also been touring the East Coast with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Testament played for the first time in the Middle East at the Dubai Desert Rock festival in May, 2006. Other notable bands that performed for the Desert Rock Festival were Megadeth and 3 Doors Down. A new album is expected sometime in 2007, and interviews on the Live In London 2005 DVD suggest that there may be an album written with the classic album lineup after this. Eric Peterson did say that Skolnick has been writing songs for the new album, which confirms this

Studio albums

The Legacy (1987) The New Order (1988) Practice What You Preach (1989) Souls of Black (1990) The Ritual (1992) Low (1994) Demonic (1997) The Gathering (1999) First Strike Still Deadly (2001) TBA (2007) NOTE: First Strike Still Deadly features new studio recordings of classic tracks, performed by a slightly different line-up than the originals. Steve DiGiorgio plays bass on the new recordings while Greg Christian appeared on the originals, and John Tempesta provides drums duties for the new recordings, with Louie Clemente on the original offerings. Chuck Billy, Eric Peterson, and Alex Skolnick appear on both recordings. Steve Souza adds a guest appearance on vocals for the last two tracks.

Live albums Live at Eindhoven (1987) Return to the Apocalyptic City (1993) (includes a bonus studio track) Live at the Fillmore (1995) (includes 3 bonus studio tracks) Live in London (2005) Compilation albums The Best of Testament (1996) Signs of Chaos (1997) The Very Best of Testament (2001) Days of Darkness (2001) The Spitfire Collection (2007)

DVDs Seen Between the Lines (1991) Live in London (2005)

Leaether Strip Bio

Leæther Strip

Leæther Strip is a Danish musical project founded on January 13, 1988 by Claus Larsen. Its influence has been most felt in the electronic body music and industrial music genres. Perhaps to a certain extent, it may have influenced various film score productions. Leæther Strip was one of the earliest and most prominent acts on Germany's now defunct Zoth Ommog record label. For distribution outside of Europe, the music has been licensed to the U.S. labels Cleopatra Records and Metropolis Records. After the demise of Zoth Ommog in 1999, Larsen signed to its unofficial successor Bloodline Records, which only released a single before also going out of business. Since 2005, Leæther Strip is signed with the Belgian Alfa Matrix label. According to founder Claus Larsen, Leæther Strip is, and always will be, only him. Larsen was born on November 13, 1967 in Aalborg, Denmark. He first released music under the name of Leæther Strip in 1989. However, his 1995 release G.A.W.M.U.S. included two early demos from 1982 and 1984, with the latter forming the unknown beginning of the band according to an interview conducted with Claus Larsen. In 1991, Larsen created a side-project called Klute in which he also remained the sole member. It can be argued, and is by many, that the sound of Leæther Strip throughout the early 1990s helped define what is today known as electro-industrial. In 1994, Claus Larsen drastically changed the sound of Leæther Strip, with the release of a synthesized semi classical album. Conceived as a soundtrack to a fictional film, it was named Serenade for the Dead. The releases since then have reincorporated electronic dance elements, and have redefined Leæther Strip into what Larsen calls, "symphonic electro". Leæther Strip remained silent for several years after the release of the single Carry Me in 2000 and the official band website, which once contained a wealth of information regarding the project, was taken offline. In foreshadowing the return of his band, Larsen's remix of the band KiEw's song Graograman on the Diskette EP (2003) states at the beginning of the song, in a sing-song computer-generated voice, "Leæther Strip will return for more electronic mayhem". In an interview conducted late 2005, Larsen revealed that label issues, as well as personal concerns, have caused the dormancy of the band during the 2000 - 2005 period.[1] October 28, 2005, has marked the official return of Leæther Strip with the EP release Suicide Bombers on the Alfa Matrix label. Claus Larsen has opened a blog to inform fans of his current activities and progress on the project. A string of releases followed including the 2-CD album After the Devastation, and the 2006 EP releases Walking on Volcanos and Fætish. Also in 2006, Claus Larsen released a free song via his MySpace page, a remix of Frank Tovey taught me things. The song was subsequently downloaded over 10.000 times. On April 13 2007, Leæther Strip released the album The Giant Minutes to the Dawn. It has been made available in several editions, including a special limited edition box-set which includes the band's first DVD release. According to various reviewers, the album constitutes the "true" return of the band to classic Leæther Strip form.[2] In a recent interview conducted by the German Uselinks magazine, Larsen talked about the possibilities of doing a live show. Although his physical health doesn't allow for a very energetic performance, he indicated a show is feasible if his fans are content with just seeing him perform behind a keyboard.[3] Discography

12" releases

1989 - Japanese Bodies 1989 - The Pleasure of Penetration 1990 - Aspects of Aggression 1990 - Science for the Satanic Citizen 1991 - Object V 1992 - Material 1992 - Solitary Confinement

CD releases

1989 - The Pleasure of Penetration 1990 - Science for the Satanic Citizen 1992 - Penetrate the Satanic Citizen 1992 - Solitary Confinement 1993 - Underneath the Laughter 1993 - Fit for Flogging 1994 - Serenade for the Dead 1995 - Legacy of Hate and Lust 1995 - Double or Nothing (2 CD) 1995 - Getting Away With Murder: Murders from 1982 to 1995 1996 - Best of Leæther Strip 1996 - The Rebirth of Agony 1996 - Yes, I'm Limited Vol. II 1997 - Retrospective 1997 - Self-Inflicted 1998 - Yes, I'm Limited Vol. III (2 CD) 1999 - Serenade for the Dead (re-mastered) (2 CD) 2005 - Satanic Reasons: The Very Best Of (2 CD) 2005 - After the Devastation (2 CD) 2007 - The Giant Minutes to the Dawn

EP/single releases

1991 - Object V - EP CD 1991 - Material - EP CD 1992 - Yes, I'm Limited - EP CD 1994 - Positive Depression - EP CD 1997 - Anal Cabaret: A Tribute to Soft Cell - EP CD 2000 - Carry Me - CDS 2005 - Suicide Bombers - EP CD 2006 - Walking on Volcanos - EP CD 2006 - Fætish - EP CD DVD releases 2007 - Watch - DVD NSTC region 0 (only available with the The Giant Minutes to the Dawn limited box edition) Limited releases

2005 - ÆFTERSHOCK - CDS (only available with the After the Devastation limited box edition) 2006 - Hælloween - EP CD (only available with the Fætish limited box edition) 2007 - The Hourglass - EP CD (only available with the The Giant Minutes to the Dawn limited box edition) Other releases 2006 - After the Devastation (Limited 3 CD Special Bag Edition) Limited edition of the double album includes: After The Devastation" Limited Edition 3-CD Box Set, "Evacuate Or Die", Double Sided Printed T-Shirt, Poster and Deluxe Bag, Matri-X-traX Chapter I and some postcards 2006 - Fætish (Limited 2 CD Box) Limited to 2000 copies including "Hælloween" 5-track EP, some special fetish goodies (condom, button, postcards) and a booklet full of Leæther Strip fans fetish artwork. 2007 - The Giant Minutes to the Dawn (2 CD+DVD fan boxset) Limited edition including "The Hourglass" EP, "Watch" DVD, the "Trust your instinct" T-shirt and some fan goodies Side projects Klutæ - electro-industrial side-project, formerly known as Klute

Samael Bio

Samael is a heavy metal band formed in 1987 in Sion, Switzerland. Although much of their music from the mid-1990s onwards has incorporated electronic sounds which would best define their genre as industrial metal, they are an early 2nd wave black metal band and innovator for post-black metal styles. Their first demos presented a slow, doomy style of thrash metal with raw vocals, similar to that of Celtic Frost. Some of the songs would be included on Worship Him (1991) and Blood Ritual (1992), which was assisted in distribution with the help of late guitarist Euronymous (Øystein Aarseth) of the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. Around the time of Ceremony of Opposites (1994), the band started using industrial-styled song techniques, employed by the use of keyboards and (minimalist) acoustic percussion. By this time, they had also left French record label Osmose Productions and signed with Century Media Records. Their album Passage (1996) saw them gather a larger audience, with the music video for the song "Jupiterian Vibe" getting airplay on MTV's Headbanger's Ball. After the release of Eternal (1999), Samael would not renew their contract with Century Media. In 2004, Reign of Light was released through independent label Galactical Records. In 2006, their album Era One was released on Century Media Records. It includes a bonus disc, "Lesson in Magic #1," which is entirely instrumental and done solely by band member Xy. The album itself was recorded in 2002, and the bonus disc a year later. Both were rearranged and remixed in 2005. Band members Vorph and Xy are brothers. Albums
Worship Him
(1991) Blood Ritual (1992) Ceremony of Opposites (1994) Passage (1996) Eternal (1999) Reign of Light (2004) Solar Soul (2007)

Other releases

1987 - 1992 (Compilation, 1995)

Rebellion (EP, 1995) Exodus (EP, 1998) Black Trip (DVD, 2003) Telepath (Single, 2004) On Earth (Single, 2005) Era One (2006) (side project of Vorph and Xy) Aeonics - An Anthology (Compilation, 2007)

Xytras released a neo-classical remix of Passage and Exodus in 1998.

Front Line Assembly Bio

Front Line Assembly (also known by the acronym FLA) is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed in 1986 by Bill Leeb and Michael Balch after Leeb left Skinny Puppy. Following the two demo tapes Nerve War and Total Terror, Front Line Assembly released their first album The Initial Command in 1987. Soon Rhys Fulber joined the band. The album State of Mind (1988) was the first to be released worldwide. In 1989 Michael Balch left Front Line Assembly, and joined Ministry. The album Gashed Senses and Crossfire was released in 1989, and the track "Digital Tension Dementia" caught the attention of many underground music fans and DJs. Caustic Grip was released in 1990, and became an instant classic with underground fans. In 1991, the stand-alone single Virus (and also the music video) won extensive play in industrial and dance clubs world wide. The album Tactical Neural Implant in 1992 was next, and with it Front Line Assembly became one of industrial music's most popular bands. The next album Millennium (1994) featured a combination of metal guitars, electronic music, and media sampling (much of which was taken from the Michael Douglas film Falling Down), which had become one of the characteristics of industrial rock and industrial metal during the 1990s. Hard Wired (1995) and the world tour following the release was Front Line Assembly's most successful period. In 1997, Rhys Fulber left the band to concentrate on producing Fear Factory and other bands. Replacing Fulber was Chris Peterson, who already supported the band on their live shows. Two years after Fulber quit, the 1998 album FLAvour of the Weak was released, making a complete turn in Front Line Assembly's musical style. The metal influences were subdued and instead electronica dominated the band's new sound. Front Line Assembly made somewhat of a return to their former sound with the album Implode (1999), followed by Epitaph (2001). Chris Peterson left Front Line Assembly in 2002, and through most of that year it was rumored that the band had essentially broken up. However, in 2003, Rhys Fulber rejoined the band. The single Maniacal was released in October 2003, launching a new phase in the band's career, and the album Civilization followed in early 2004. Chris Peterson later rejoined the band, and the trio of Leeb/Fulber/Peterson released Artificial Soldier in 2006. The support tour has been cut short due to a problem with the company supplying the tour bus, and the band acknowledged that they were returning home to Vancouver earlier than planned after playing roughly half of their scheduled tour in the United States (dates in New York and Canada were canceled). The Band toured in Europe in August 2006 covering 18 cities. In 2006 the band submitted tracks from their Artificial Soldier to the soundtrack for the horror film FrightWorld, slated for a 2007 release. Out in April 2007 via Metropolis was the Frontline Assembly remix album "Fallout". The album was released in a 4-panel digipak and featured three brand new tracks ("Electric Dreams", "Unconscious"and "Armagedon") and nine remixes by (among others) Combichrist, Covenant, Portion Control, Sebastian R. Komor (Zombie Girl/Icon of Coil), Rhys Fulber and more. Discography Nerve War 1986 Independent Cassette Total Terror 1986 Independent Cassette The Initial Command 1987 Third Mind Records KK Records CD State of Mind 1987 Dossier CD Corrosion 1988 12" EP Later compiled and re-released in 1995 as part of the Corroded Disorder album. Disorder 1988 12" EP Later compiled and re-released in 1995 as part of the Corroded Disorder album. Convergence 1988 Wax Trax! Records Third Mind Records Gashed Senses And Crossfire 1989 Wax Trax! Records CD Caustic Grip 1990 Tactical Neural Implant 1992 Total Terror Part I 1993 Total Terror Part II 1993 Millennium 1994 Hard Wired 1995 Corroded Disorder 1995 Live Wired 1996 OFF Beat Records Double live album [FLA]vour of the Weak 1997 Re-wind 1998 Remix album Implode 1999 Epitaph 2001 Civilization 2004 Artificial Soldier 2006 Fallout 2007

:wumpscut: Bio

:wumpscut: (sometimes referred to as Wumpscut or :W:) is an electro-industrial project from Germany. It was founded in May of 1991 by Bavarian disc jockey Rudy Ratzinger (born June 3, 1966). Ratzinger has always been the main creative force behind :wumpscut:, occasionally employing the help of others as guest artists. Ratzinger cites the influence of such bands as Leæther Strip as his reason for making the transfer from DJing to recording music. The release of the song "Soylent Green", which is named after the 1973 movie and also contains audio samples from the German dubbed version, first attracted attention to :wumpscut:. Since its release in 1993, it has become a frequently played song at events and clubs in the gothic and industrial subcultures and its associated splinter groups, both in Germany and the United States. So far Ratzinger has published numerous recordings and remixes for other artists. :wumpscut: is also very well known for elaborate box set releases including limited versions of a CD or LP release in a box with additional and often also limited bonus material (bonus tracks, “liquid soylent” energy drinks, posters, pins, stickers, bags, flags, etc.). Standalone merchandise is also available such as caps, mugs, etc. Ratzinger also started his own record label, Beton Kopf Media, in 1995, which is restricted to :wumpscut: releases only. In 1996 he started the label Mental Ulcer Forges which was shut down after a while. But in 2006 the label started a second life[1]. The label released albums by the followng bands: Remyl, Noisex, B-Ton-K, Yendri and F/A/V. Rudy also managed the label Fleisskoma with Karl Kimmerl (B-Ton-K), which has released work by the electronic band Press to Transmit. The logo for :wumpscut: bears a striking resemblance to the logo for the fictional Weyland-Yutani corporation of Alien lore; Ratzinger has incorporated samples from the third Alien film into his album Boeses Junges Fleisch, as well as the fourth Alien film into his album Wreath of Barbs. Discography Defcon (1991) Small Chambermusicians (1992) Music for a Slaughtering Tribe (1993) Dried Blood (1994) Smell the Disgusting Sweet Taste of Dried Blood (1994) Gomorra, (1994) Bunkertor 7 (1995) Mesner Tracks (1996) Music for a Slaughtering Tribe II (1997) Embryodead (1997) Born Again (1997) Dried Blood of Gomorrha (1997) Totmacher (1999) Eevil Young Flesh (1999) Boeses Junges Fleisch (1999) Ich Will Dich (1999) Deadmaker (1999) Blutkind (2000) Deliverence (2001) Wreath of Barbs (2001) Liquid Soylent (2002) Preferential Legacy - Music For A German Tribe (2003) Bone Peeler (2004) Blondi (2005) Evoke (2005) Jesus Antichristus & Die Liebe (2006) Cannibal Anthem (2006) Killer Archives (2006) Body Census (2007)

Obituary Bio

Obituary are one of the pioneering bands of the death metal genre. The band hailed from Tampa, Florida, founded as Xecutioner in 1985. Shortly before the release of their debut album, they changed their name to Obituary. They still remain an influential band of the Florida death metal movement that arose in the late 1980s. Their 1990 release Cause of Death is hailed as a seminal album in the genre, and vocalist John Tardy is recognized as one of the first vocalists to use an abnormally low growl (compared to the screechy growls used by predecessors Death and Possessed)[citation needed]. Obituary disbanded in 1997, reforming in 2003. During the hiatus, Donald Tardy played in Andrew W.K.'s touring band (during W.K.'s appearance on Saturday Night Live Tardy wore an Obituary shirt). Allen West focused on his two projects, Lowbrow and Six Feet Under while not playing in Obituary. Trevor Peres formed Catastrophic in 2001, which will continue to exist alongside the reformed Obituary. Their first reunion album, Frozen in Time, was released in 2005. The band's first live DVD, Frozen Alive, was released in January of 2007. Obituary have signed a new record deal with Candlelight Records and are almost finished recording their new album, entitled Xecutioner's Return. The release date is set for late August. Also Obituary's guitarist, Allen West, has been incarcerated for DUI (driving under influence), his release is set for February 2008. Ralph Santolla has been announced as a fill in for West while he is in unable to record and tour[1].

Discography

Studio albums

Slowly We Rot (1989) Cause of Death (1990) The End Complete (1992) World Demise (1994) Back from the Dead (1997) Frozen in Time (2005) Xecutioner's Return (2007)

Live albums Dead Frozen Alive (DVD) Compilations Anthology (2001)

EPs and singles Don't Care (1994)

Rammstein Bio

Rammstein (pronounced Ram-Shtine) is a German band that incorporates elements of hard rock, industrial metal, and electronic music. The band is also widely accepted as part of the Neue Deutsche Härte-scene, alongside bands such as Oomph! and Die Krupps. Critics have also dubbed their sound as Tanz-Metall (lit. "Dance metal").[ Their songs are performed almost exclusively in German. Formed in 1994, they have sold over 12 million records worldwide. Rammstein's entire catalogue is published by Universal Music Group. Although most songs are written in German, the band has had overwhelming success outside German-speaking nations in Europe as well as in the USA, Canada, Latin America, Russia, Japan, India, Israel and Australia. With the release of the album Reise, Reise (2004), they became the most successful German-language band of all time. It has been confirmed that the band has reunited from their vacation and has begun writing their sixth studio album, which will be released sometime in 2008. The Band members are all from Germany. They are: Till Lindemann – lead vocals Richard Z. Kruspe – lead-guitar Paul H. Landers – rhythm-guitar Oliver "Ollie" Riedel – bass-guitar Christoph "Doom" Schneider – drums Christian "Flake" Lorenz – keyboards Riedel, Schneider and Kruspe originally founded Rammstein, following an attempt by the Kruspe to compose American-influenced music with a West Berlin band called Orgasm Death Gimmicks. As Kruspe put it, "I realized it's really important to make music and make it fit with your language, which I didn't do in the past. I came back [to Germany] and said, 'It's time to make music that's really authentic.' I was starting a project called Rammstein to really try to make German music." He invited Till Lindemann, a former Olympic swimmer and drummer for the band First Arsch, to join the project as a vocalist. The four entered a contest for new bands and won, attracting the interest of Paul H. Landers, who knew them all and decided to join the band. Christian "Flake" Lorenz was the last member to join; he had played with Landers before in the band Feeling B and was initially reluctant to come on board, but was eventually persuaded to join. Their first album was released a year later. They have been nominated for two Best Metal Performance Grammy Awards: in 1998 with the song "Du hast" and in 2005 with the song "Mein Teil". Rammstein takes its name indirectly from the western German town of Ramstein-Miesenbach, site of an airshow disaster in 1988. The band's signature song, the eponymous "Rammstein", is a commemoration of the tragedy that took place at the Ramstein Air Base. At the show, three Italian air force jets collided on August 28, 1988 at an air show at the US airbase. About 40 spectators died in the first minutes and several hundred were injured. In the next two months, the death toll rose to 72. The extra "m" in the band's name allows the word to mean "battering ram" (literally "ramming stone"), reinforcing the image of the band's music as fierce and relentless. The minor planet 110393 Rammstein is named in the band's honour. Although Rammstein is often generalized as Industrial metal, its music spans a variety of related styles, including hard rock, electronic, heavy metal, gothic, and German Industrial Cat in C Minor, due to their use of keyboards to emulate strings, choirs or pianos. The band was strongly influenced by Laibach, a Slovenian neo-classical and industrial group. Other influences include DAF (Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft), Oomph!, and Ministry, but the contrast between individual songs such as "Bestrafe mich", "Ohne dich", "Te quiero puta!" and "Du riechst so gut" makes the band difficult to classify. Rammstein's style has tended to divide critics, some of whom have responded with memorable comments. Jam Showbiz (April 2001) described Mutter as "music to invade Poland to." New Zealand's Southland Times (Dec. 17, 1999) suggested that Till Lindemann's "booming, sub-sonic voice" would send "the peasants fleeing into their barns and bolting their doors." The New York Times (Jan. 9, 2005) commented that on the stage, "Mr. Lindemann gave off an air of such brute masculinity and barely contained violence that it seemed that he could have reached into the crowd, snatched up a fan, and bitten off his head." Other critics have been more positive. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide commented that "their blend of industrial noise, grinding metal guitars, and operatic vocals is staggeringly powerful".[6] "We just push boundaries," said Till Lindemann in an interview with rock magazine Kerrang!. "We can't help it if people don't like those boundaries being pushed." Despite Rammstein's brutalist image, many of its songs lyrics demonstrate a certain sense of humour. "Zwitter", for example, is a bizarre take on narcissism (and bisexuality) through the eyes of a hermaphrodite: Wenn die anderen Mädchen suchten (When the others were looking out for girls) Konnt ich mich schon selbst befruchten (I could already fertilize myself) Similarly, the song "Amerika" features a tongue-in-cheek adaptation of the normal chorus: We're all living in Amerika Coca-Cola, Wonderbra! Usually "Amerika ist wunderbar" ("America is wonderful"), in one chorus is sung as "Coca-Cola, Sometimes War" We're all living in Amerika Amerika, Amerika! Some of their songs show unexpected influences, usually from poems and German folk tales. "Dalai Lama" is an adaptation of the famous poem "Der Erlkönig" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. "Hilf mir" was inspired by the short story "Die gar traurige Geschichte mit dem Feuerzeug" (from Der Struwwelpeter) by Heinrich Hoffmann. "Spieluhr" borrows the line "Hoppe hoppe Reiter" from a Kinderreim of the same name. "Rosenrot" is inspired by the poem "Heidenröslein" by Goethe and the story "Schneeweißchen und Rosenrot" by the Brothers Grimm. Nearly all of Rammstein's songs are in German. However, the band did record English versions of "Engel" , "Du Hast" and "Amerika", as well as covers of the songs "Stripped" (Depeche Mode) and "Pet Sematary" (The Ramones). In addition, the songs "Amerika" (German version), "Stirb nicht vor mir//Don't die before I do" and "Moskau" contain not only German verses, but also English and Russian choruses, respectively; "Te quiero puta!" is entirely in Spanish and "Schtiel" is entirely in Russian. "Ollie" Riedel commented that, "German language suits heavy metal music. French might be the language of love, but German is the language of anger." [11]. Wordplay is a fundamental component of Rammstein's lyrics. In many instances, the lyrics are phrased such that they can be interpreted in several ways. The song "Du hast", for example, is a play on German marriage vows (Willst du, bis der Tod euch scheidet, treu ihr sein für alle Tage? - Will you, until death separates you, be faithful to her for the rest of your days?). In the song, the traditional affirmative response, ja (yes), is replaced by its negation nein (no). The final repetition of this line further perverts the meaning of the original vows through a minor change in the wording: Willst du, bis zum Tod der Scheide,(...) (Will you, until the death of the vagina...) (where 'vagina' can also refer to the woman), but it could also be interpreted as: Willst du bis zum Tod, der scheide, (...), which would have the meaning of: "Will you, until death separates, ...". The song starts, in fact, with a play on words: Du... Du hast... Du hast mich... meaning, "You have me". This line is often mistaken for "You hate me", because in German, there is no clear distinction between the pronunciation of du hasst (double s) which means "you hate" and du hast (single s) which means you have. The verbs are hassen (hate) and haben (have). The wordgame is later resolved as the line is completed: Du hast mich gefragt (You [have] asked me). Rammstein often uses rhyming to create similar effects. For example, from the song "Los": Es ist hoffnungslos (It is hopeless) Sinnlos (Senseless) Hilflos (Helpless) Sie sind Gottlos (They are Godless) The last two lines above can be interpreted in three ways. "Sie sind Gott. / Los!" can mean "They are God. / Go!"; "Sie sind Gott los" can be translated as "They got rid of God;" while "Sie sind gottlos" means "they are godless". However, in the context of the rest of the lyrics, the most likely meaning is the third one. Rammstein has achieved particular fame (not to mention notoriety) for its hugely over-the-top stage show, using so many pyrotechnics that fans eventually coined the motto "Other bands play, Rammstein burns!" (a quip at Manowar's song "Kings of Metal", which states, "other bands play, Manowar kills"). The heat is so intense that on occasion, people have been carried out of Rammstein concerts suffering from heat exhaustion, and lighting gantries have been seen glowing red-hot from repeated fireball hits. The variety of the pyrotechnics can be seen in a recent concert playlist, which includes such items as "Lycopodium Masks", "Glitterburst Truss", "Pyrostrobes", "Comets", "Flash Trays" and "Mortar Hits". The band's on-stage antics have included: Band members using head-mounted flamethrowers ("Lycopodium Masks", also called "Dragon Masks") while singing/playing (example: "Feuer frei!" video); Till Lindemann singing an entire song while on fire (example: "Rammstein" video); he now uses twin flamethrowers strapped to his arms; Till Lindemann singing into a prop telephone that bursts into confetti (during the song "Du Hast", but only during the Sehnsucht and Mutter tours) Christian "Flake" Lorenz in full bondage gear being led by Till Lindemann during stage performances of "Bück dich". Exploding drumsticks, drums, microphones and boots; Till Lindemann removing a large firecracker from his pants - which explodes, emitting sparks (during the song "Das alte Leid") Rockets fired along cables strung above the audience; Spark-shooting longbows, drumsticks, boots and guns; Christian "Flake" Lorenz destroying a keyboard in the style of Nine Inch Nails and The Who; Microphones, guitars and keyboards on fire; Band members surfing the crowd in a rubber boat Christian "Flake" Lorenz driving around on a Segway HT during "Amerika". Till Lindemann doing a jig with fireworks in the front of his shoes, shooting sparks in front of him (Weißes Fleisch). Christian "Flake" Lorenz sitting in a large cooking pot, which Till Lindemann blasts with a flamethrower when Lorenz ducks. In the same sequence Lindemann chases Lorenz around the stage with a microphone built into a carving knife. Rammstein's shows have become increasingly elaborate since the first ones over ten years ago, when their effects were confined to pouring kerosene around the stage and setting it alight. After an accident in the Arena in Berlin where some burning decoration parts fell on the the audience (September 27th 1996) the band took to employing professionals to handle the pyrotechnics; Lindemann himself is now a licensed pyrotechnician who spends entire songs engulfed head-to-toe in flames. He has suffered multiple burns on his ears, his hair and his arms. Since the band frequently incorporates fake accidents into their shows, it’s unclear how often Lindemann actually gets burned. Of Lindemann, bandmate Christoph Schneider says, “Till gets burned all the time, but he likes the pain.” The band's costumes are equally outlandish. During the Reise, Reise tour they were wearing Lederhosen, corsets and vague military uniforms with steel helmets, while during the Mutter tour the group kept to the themes of the album artwork and descended onto the stage from a giant uterus while wearing nappies. According to Kruspe, the on-stage wackiness is entirely deliberate (Rammstein's motto according to Schneider is: "Do your own thing. And overdo it!"). The aim is to get people's attention and have fun at the same time: "You have to understand that 99 percent of the people don't understand the lyrics, so you have to come up with something to keep the drama in the show. We have to do something. We like to have a show; we like to play with fire. We do have a sense of humor. We do laugh about it; we have fun... but we're not Spinal Tap. We take the music and the lyrics seriously. It's a combination of humor, theater and our East German culture, you know?". At the Metaltown Festival in Gothenburg, Sweden on July 30, 2005, Till suffered a knee injury when Flake accidentally ran into him with the Segway.

Ministry Bio

Early years Al Jourgensen began Ministry in Chicago, Illinois in 1981. His first band prior to Ministry was Special Affect with Groovie Mann (of My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult). The original line-up of Ministry consisted mainly of Jourgensen (vocals and keyboards) and Stephen George (drums), and Ministry's original sound was essentially New Wave synth-pop that was more melodic than the aggressive music for which Jourgensen would become known. In the incarnation of Jourgensen/George, Ministry created four 12" singles on Wax Trax! Records through 1984 (anthologized on Twelve Inch Singles). Their first LP, With Sympathy, was issued on Arista Records in 1983, and sold slowly but hit the upper 90's in the Billboard Top 100. The music in With Sympathy, and the various singles that Arista issued in association with it, was melodic pop; critic Dean Carlson describes the album as "Human League's surly little brother."[1] Jourgensen has always expressed disappointment with Ministry's music during those early years, reportedly referring to With Sympathy as an "abortion of an album." According to him, after signing the record contract, all artistic control of Ministry was "handed" over to other writers and producers. [2] Some of his preferred recordings from that era were collected into the CD Early Trax (Rykodisc Records, 2004). A notable song was "Everyday is Halloween." Twitch

By the mid-1980s, Jourgensen parted ways with George and the record-company. Signing to Sire, Jourgensen performed mostly solo for Ministry's next LP, Twitch (1986), which sold well, but was still considered to be "underground". The music was danceable electronic music, but wasn't pop music, and the sound was harsher and more aggressive than what Ministry had recorded before. According to Jourgensen, " Twitch was stuff that I was doing before With Sympathy came out. Some of that stuff was already four or five years old, but the record company didn't want to use it, so...." [3] The record was quintessential in asserting industrial music's importance in new-wave dance clubs. This album would also prove to be a pivotal move in the course of Ministry. Much of the new sound was created with the use of digital sampling and the input of producer Adrian Sherwood. Al's opinion of Twitch seems to be much higher than With Sympathy, as Ministry has played an updated version of the song "We Believe" as recently as 2003. The Land of Rape and Honey

After Twitch, Jourgensen made the most significant change in Ministry's history when he became re-enchanted with the instrument he had taken up years earlier: the electric guitar. This new sound in Ministry's music was almost certainly influenced by Killing Joke and Chicago's Big Black, both of whom were perhaps the first rock groups to exploit the potent combination of live electronic drums and loud, slashing guitars. Jourgensen also brought bass guitarist Paul Barker of the Seattle band the Blackouts into the Ministry camp; Barker would remain Jourgensen's bandmate through what are generally considered Ministry's golden years, and for many years was the only person credited as a member of the band other than Jourgensen. With the addition of The Blackouts drummer William Rieflin, Ministry recorded The Land of Rape and Honey (1988). The LP continued their success in the underground music scene and is now considered a classic and one of the most important albums in the subgenre of industrial metal. The Land of Rape and Honey is arguably the best example of Ministry's sound, making use of synthesizers, keyboards, EBM sequences, tapes, jackhammering drum machines, obscure samples, dialogue excerpted from movies, unconventional electronic processing, and, in parts, heavy distorted electric guitar and bass. The album was supported by a tour in 1988 and the singles and music videos for Stigmata, Flashback, and The Land of Rape and Honey. Stigmata was also used in a key scene in Richard Stanley's 1990 film Hardware, although the band shown apparently performing the song was actually Gwar. The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste

The follow-up, The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste was just as acclaimed, if not more, than The Land of Rape and Honey. Both albums included similar tight, thick soundscapes, but The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste was slightly harder with Jourgensen's heavy metal-influenced guitar more emphasized. The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste was supported by a tour through 1990. Due to the complex nature of the album's drumming, a second drummer, Martin Atkins, was used. This tour was documented on In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up. Three singles were released from the album, Burning Inside (for which a video was made), Thieves and So What (a composition inspired by the movie The Violent Years). Side projects

Throughout the late 1980s Jourgensen and Barker expanded their ideas beyond Ministry into a seemingly endless parade of side projects and collaborations. Many of these bore Ministry's signature sound and the duo's "Hypo Luxa/Hermes Pan" production imprint. (These side-projects were also responsible for the delayed release of Ministry's next album.) Foremost of these was Ministry's alter ego, the Revolting Cocks. "RevCo", as it was fondly referred to, was essentially the same band plus Belgian vocalist Luc Van Acker & Richard 23 of Front 242. Jourgensen and Barker also formed Lard with Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra, Acid Horse with Cabaret Voltaire, 1000 Homo DJs with Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor, PTP with Chris Connelly and Pailhead with Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat and Fugazi. Barker released his own material as Lead Into Gold and Jourgensen produced and played electric guitar on Skinny Puppy's Rabies LP. Atkins and Rieflin also formed the band Pigface, which featured Barker on several tracks, as well. The smaller of these projects were later collected on the CD Side Trax (Rykodisc Records, 2004), while the discographies of Lard and RevCo were remastered and reissued. Psalm 69

Ministry broke into the mainstream in 1991 with "Jesus Built My Hotrod" (co-authored by Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers and Michael Balch). The music video was a hit on MTV, and the band scored second billing on the Lollapalooza tour. As the single would have indicated, the sound of the following LP, Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs (1992), was the most metal-oriented Ministry had put to record at that point, the focal point of the sound shifting almost entirely from synths to Jourgensen's and new members Mike Scaccia's and Louis Svitek's electric guitars. ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ, which is printed on the record, is Greek for "head" or "leader". The title was borrowed from Aleister Crowley's work: The Book of Lies (Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs). Psalm 69 became Ministry's biggest hit, including in addition to "Jesus Built My Hotrod" the singles "N.W.O." (a protest of the Persian Gulf War and attack directed at then-President George H.W. Bush) and "Just One Fix" (a collaboration with poet/novelist William S. Burroughs). Filth Pig

In spite of their growing success, Ministry was nearly derailed by a series of arrests and drug problems. The band didn't issue their next album, Filth Pig, until 1996. For Filth Pig, Ministry stripped all synthesizers and most samples from their style and made the music almost entirely with ultra-noisy guitars, heavy bass, and real drums. The songs were played mostly at slower tempos than the very fast ones that were used for the compositions on their previous three LPs, giving it an almost doom metal feel. Filth Pig was supported with the singles/videos Reload, The Fall, Lay Lady Lay (an unusual and unexpected cover of Bob Dylan's old country-tinged hit) and Brick Windows and with a tour in 1996 (the live performances were later anthologized on the Sphinctour album and DVD in 2002), but was unenthusiastically received and was thought to be a lazy effort. Jourgensen would later consider Filth Pig one of Ministry's best records, even though the sessions were remembered as a time marred by his habitual use of heroin (including one event resulting in an arrest for possession of heroin). He commented in RIP Magazine saying that record companies are "enablers", because they won't pay him in crack, they make him go buy it on the street. The album has been considered by Jourgensen to be his response to fan expectations of where Ministry's sound was heading, and it's also been speculated that it was an attempt to move away from the "industrial" label of the band's music. Dark Side of the Spoon

The members of Ministry experienced greater devastation when former guitarist William Tucker committed suicide in 1999 by cutting his own throat. Ministry then recorded their final studio album for Warner Bros. Records, entitled Dark Side of the Spoon (1999), which they dedicated to Tucker. For Dark Side of the Spoon, Ministry tried to diversify their sound by adding some melodic and synthetic touches, similar to the Jourgensen/George sound, to their usual electro-metal sound, but the album wasn't well received. To this day, it is the one album Jourgensen barely remembers recording due to his overwhelming drug addictions. "It felt like I was operating on Dealer Standard Time", he later confided. However, the single "Bad Blood" appeared on the soundtrack album of The Matrix and was nominated for a 2000 Grammy award. The band would record another song, What About Us? for the Steven Spielberg film AI: Artificial Intelligence and make a cameo appearance in the film. Al later stated that the band's appearance in the movie saved the band from breaking up.[citation needed] Since 2000

Parting with their longtime record imprint, Warner Bros. Records issued the collection Greatest Fits in 2001. During 2000-2002, record-company (Warner Bros. Records) disputes resulted in the planned albums Live Psalm 69, Sphinctour and ClittourUS on Ipecac Recordings from being cancelled (although its contents had been compiled), resulting instead in Sphinctour appearing on Sanctuary Records. Around 2001, Jourgensen almost lost an arm when he was bitten by a venomous spider.[4] According to Jourgensen, the realization that he could've lost his livelihood caused him to kick his heroin addiction and focus on music once again. Jourgensen and Barker focused on developing songs for a new record during 2001 and 2002, with the band issuing Animositisomina on Sanctuary Records in 2003. The sound was strongly heavy metal laden with voice effects, and matched the ferocity (if not upped the ante, with the song "Animosity") of Psalm 69 (though it featured an almost-pop cover of Magazine's "The Light Pours out of Me"). Animositisomina did poorly in terms of sales and singles for Animosity and Piss were cancelled before they could be released. Barker left the Ministry camp in 2003 due to dissatisfaction with the direction of his life. He stated that the trigger was his father dying while the band was wrapping up a summer tour in Europe, and also stated in early 2004 that his family life was his main focus at that particular time. Jourgensen then freely continued Ministry with Scaccia and a roundtable of fellow musicians. For Ministry's next album, Jourgensen released a song entitled "No 'W'", an attack on US President George W. Bush; an alternate version of the track was placed on the multi-performer compilation Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1. The follow-up LP, Houses of the Molé (2004), contained the most explicitly political lyrics Jourgensen had yet to author, with songs in Ministry's classic punky electro-metallic sound played messier, more crudely and more freely than ever before, giving the album the most metal-oriented sound of their career. In 2006 the band released their long awaited Rio Grande Blood LP on Jourgensen's own 13th Planet Records. The album featured an even heavier thrash metal sound drawing comparison to Slayer and was met with Ministry's biggest success in years. The single "Lieslieslies" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance at the 49th annual Grammy Awards. Future

Jourgensen has expressed on multiple occasions an intent to disassemble the project after concluding the current "MasturbaTour", and at least one final "SeeYouLaTour". Ministry's "final"[1] album, 'The Last Sucker', will be released sometime during the second half of 2007. In Spring 2007, the band will release Rio Grande Dub, an album featuring remixes from the band's 2006 Rio Grande Blood album. Discography

With Sympathy (US)/Work for Love (Int'l) - 1983 Twelve Inch Singles - 1985 Twitch - 1986 The Land of Rape and Honey - 1988 The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste - 1989 Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs - 1992 Filth Pig - 1996 Dark Side of the Spoon - 1999 Animositisomina - 2003 Houses of the Molé - 2004 Rio Grande Blood - 2006 The Last Sucker - 2007 (TBD)

Tool Bio

Tool is an American rock band, formed during 1990 in Los Angeles, California, that consists of drummer Danny Carey, bassist Justin Chancellor, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Emerging with a "slam and bang" heavy metal sound on their first release, when heavy metal was dominated by thrash metal, they were later seen at the top of the alternative metal movement with the release of their second full length studio album Ænima in 1996. After an ongoing evolution of their sound and continuous efforts to unify musical experimentation, visual arts, and a message of personal evolution on Lateralus (2001), their most recent album 10,000 Days (2006), as well as respective tours, they are generally described as a style-transgressing act and part of progressive and art rock. Their aspirational work features exceptionally long or complex releases, controversial yet abstract lyrics, and unorthodox music videos, which results in a rather ambivalent relationship between the band and today's music industry, at times marked by censorship and the band's ongoing struggle for privacy. Nevertheless, Tool receives critical acclaim, has won Grammy Awards, performs worldwide tours, and produces albums that top the charts in several countries. Between album releases, the band takes extended breaks that allow for collaboration with other artists to design award-winning album packaging, elaborate light shows and form notable side-projects. The early days (1990–1995) During the 1980s, the future members of Tool had all moved to Los Angeles. Both Paul d'Amour and Adam Jones wanted to enter the film industry, while Maynard James Keenan studied arts and later worked applying spatial design concepts to remodeling pet stores. Danny Carey performed as a drummer for Green Jellÿ, was a studio drummer for Carole King, and played around Los Angeles with Pigmy Love Circus. Tool's Lollapalooza 1993 performance was an important step in boosting their popularity. Above the band performs "Sober". Left to right: Jones, Keenan, Carey.Keenan and Jones met through a mutual friend and started jamming together around the end of the decade. Carey Keenan and Jones met through a mutual friend and started jamming together around the end of the decade. Carey happened to live above Keenan and was introduced to Jones by Tom Morello, an old high school friend of Jones and former bandmate of Electric Sheep.Carey played in their sessions because he "felt kinda sorry for them," as other invited musicians weren't showing up. A friend of Jones later introduced them to bassist d'Amour, who completed the band. Only three months later, Tool would sign a record deal with Zoo Entertainment. Zoo published the band's first effort Opiate in March of 1992, borrowing its name from Karl Marx's famous quote, "Religion is the opium of the People." The six-song EP included the "hardest sounding" songs the band had written to that point, among them the singles "Hush" and "Opiate". A music video for "Hush" was created to promote the single, and the band's dissenting views about the then-prominent PMRC and its advocacy of censorship of music. The band members appeared naked, only their genitalia covered with the PMRC-promoted parental advisory stickers and their mouths covered by duct tape in symbolic protest. To support Opiate the band began touring with Rollins Band, Skitzo, Fishbone, and Rage Against the Machine to positive responses, giving the band a strong start into their musical career.The following year, Tool was able to release their first full-length album, Undertow (1993), because many of the songs on Undertow had already been written at the time Opiate was released.Touring continued as planned, with a memorable exception in May of 1993. Tool was scheduled to play the Garden Pavilion in Hollywood, but learned at the last minute that the Garden Pavilion belonged to L. Ron Hubbard's Church of Scientology, which clashes with "the band's ethics about how a person should not follow a belief system that constricts their development as a human being." Keenan recalled that he "spent most of the show baa-ing like a sheep at the audience." Eventually, they were hired to play the second stage at Lollapalooza in 1993, but were quickly moved to the main stage due to their "presence, prowess and power." This helped to boost the popularity of Undertow and during December of 1993 the album was certified gold by the RIAA. By March 1994 the single "Sober" had become very close to becoming a hit single and the accompanying music video had won Billboard's "Best Video By A New Artist" award. The band received negative publicity with their follow-up to "Sober", "Prison Sex" and its music video, which was also directed and created by guitarist Adam Jones. Due to the symbolic portrayal of child abuse, the American branch of MuchMusic called the band into question by deeming the video too graphic and offensive, and MTV stopped airing the video after a few viewings. Still, Undertow was certified platinum in September 1994. In September of 1995, the band entered the studios to record their second album. At that time, Tool experienced its first and until today, only line-up change: bassist d'Amour left the band amicably. Chosen over tough competitors such as Kyuss' Scott Reeder, Justin Chancellor, a member of former tourmates Peach, eventually replaced d'Amour. Ænima, legal issues, A Perfect Circle and Salival (1996–2000) After Justin Chancellor came on board, recording of the already-begun Ænima continued. The band enlisted the help of producer David Bottrill, who had produced some of King Crimson's albums while Jones collaborated with Cam de Leon to create Ænima's (later Grammy-nominated) artwork. The album was released in October of 1996, and displayed influences of other artists as well: Satirist Bill Hicks had long been an inspiration for the band and is noted as such in the liner notes of Undertow. Two-and-a-half years prior to the release of Ænima Bill Hicks died, and the album is dedicated to his memory.The band intended to raise awareness about Hicks' material and ideas, because they felt that they "were resonating similar concepts. Unity is the philosophical center. Evolution. Change." In particular, Ænima's final track "Third Eye", a song about the U.S. Government's war on drugs, is preceded by a clip of Hicks' performances and both the lenticular casing of the Ænima CD packaging as well as the chorus of the title track "Ænema" make reference to Hick's idea of California falling into the Pacific Ocean, stemming from a sketch about his hatred of Los Angeles, found on his album Arizona Bay. Eventually, "Ænema" would win Tool their first Grammy Award. To support the album, the band released "Stinkfist" as a first single. Yet it had difficulty gaining airplay, and it was shortened by radio programmers. Additionally, MTV renamed the music video of "Stinkfist" to "Track #1" due to offensive connotations, and the lyrics of the song were altered. Responding to fan complaints of censorship, Matt Pinfield, the host of MTV's 120 Minutes, expressed regrets by waving his fist in front of his face on air while explaining the reason for the name change as he introduced the video. A tour began as well, in October 1996, only two weeks after Ænima's release. Following numerous appearances in the United States and Europe, Tool headed for Australia in late March 1997. April 1 saw the first of several April Fools pranks related with the band, most of them being initiated by Kabir Akhtar, webmaster of the semi-official fanpage t.d.n., announcing that: "...while on tour in Australia, Tool's tour bus was involved in a serious highway accident. Early reports from Zoo Entertainment are that at least three of the band are listed in critical condition." The hoax gained wide attention, and was eventually exposed on radio and MTV. Akhtar later posted an apology, claiming that t.d.n. "will not indulge itself in such outlandish pranks in the future" - a false claim as later pranks would prove. Of course, the tour continued the next day as originally announced. Eventually returning to the United States, Tool appeared at Lollapalooza '97 in July, this time as a headliner, gaining critical praise from The New York Times: "Tool was returning in triumph to Lollapalooza after appearing among the obscure bands on the festival's smaller stage in 1993. Now Tool is the prime attraction for a festival that's struggling to maintain its purpose. Tool uses taboo-breaking imagery for hellfire moralizing in songs that swerve from bitter reproach to nihilistic condemnation. Its music has refined all the troubled majesty of grunge." That same year Volcano Records — the successor of Tool's by-then defunct label Zoo Entertainment — alleged contract violations by Tool and filed suit. Tool looked at offers from other record labels, an action not allowed by the contract, according to Volcano. After Tool filed a counter suit stating that Volcano failed to use a renewal option in their contract, the parties settled out of court. The parties later agreed to a new contract and a three-record deal. This legal battle put a great strain on the band and delayed work on their next album. During this time, Keenan founded a new band, A Perfect Circle, with long-time Tool guitar tech Billy Howerdel and members of other well known bands such as Marilyn Manson, Primus, Failure, The Smashing Pumpkins and The Vandals. At this point, rumors that Tool were breaking up began to spread, until the band released the Salival box set (CD/VHS or CD/DVD) in 2000, effectively putting an end to the rumors. The CD contained one new original track, a cover of Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter," a live cover of Peach's "You Lied," and live recordings of old songs arranged differently from their studio counterparts. The VHS and DVD both contained four music videos, with a bonus music video for "Hush" on the DVD. Although Salival did not produce any singles, the hidden track "Maynard's Dick" (which dates back to the Opiate era) briefly found its way to FM radio when several DJs chose to play it on air under the title "Maynard's Dead". Lateralus, rumors and DVD singles (2001-2005) In January 2001, Tool announced a new album, Systema Encéphale, along with a 12-song tracklist full of esoteric and obscure words such as "Riverchrist," "Numbereft," "Encephatalis," "Musick," and "Coeliacus." As anticipated, file-sharing engines such as Napster became flooded with bogus files disguised with those titles. During that time, Tool members were outspokenly critical of engines like Napster due to the negative impact on smaller artists that are dependent on success in record sales to continue their career. Keenan had this to say during an interview with NY Rock in 2000:"I think there are a lot of other industries out there that might deserve being destroyed. The ones who get hurt by MP3s are not so much companies or the business, but the artists, people who are trying to write songs." Only one month later, they revealed that the new album was actually titled Lateralus and that the name Systema Encéphale and the tracklist had been a ruse, much to the dismay of music magazines and commercial websites who had committed headlong to the fake title. Lateralus took Tool a step further down into art- and progressive rock territory — the Rolling Stone wrote in an attempt to summarize the album: "Drums, bass and guitars move in jarring cycles of hyperhowl and near-silent death march. The prolonged running times of most of Lateralus' thirteen tracks are misleading; the entire album rolls and stomps with suitelike purpose." Close to 79 minutes in length, Lateralus's relatively complex and long songs — topped by the music video for "Parabola" with ten-and-a-half minutes — still posed a challenge to fans and music programming alike. Nevertheless, the album became a success the world over, reaching #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart in its debut week. Tool received their second Grammy Award for the best metal performance of 2001 for the song "Schism." During the band's acceptance speech, drummer Carey stated that he would like to thank his parents (for putting up with him) and Satan, while bassist Chancellor concluded: "I want to thank my dad for doing my mom." Extensive touring throughout 2001 and 2002 supported Lateralus, and included a personal highlight of the band: a 10-show mini-tour with King Crimson in August of 2001, during which the progressive rock veterans opened for Tool. During a show at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre Keenan concluded: "For me, being on stage with King Crimson is like Lenny Kravitz playing with Led Zeppelin, or Britney Spears onstage with Debbie Gibson." The tour eventually came to an end on November 24, 2002 in Long Beach, California at Long Beach Arena. Although the end of the tour seemed to spell another dormancy for the band, they did not become completely inactive. While Keenan recorded and toured with A Perfect Circle, the other band members released an official yet fanclub exclusive interview and a recording of some of their new material. On March 31, 2005, the official website announced - to the shock of many fans and friends - that "Maynard has found Jesus" and would be abandoning the recording of the new Tool album temporarily and possibly permanently. Kurt Loder of MTV contacted Keenan via email to ask for a confirmation and received a very nonchalant confirmation. When Loder asked again, Keenan's response was simply "heh heh." On April 7, the official Tool site posted the following news item titled with the Bill Hicks quote "Christians, huh? So forgive me.": "Good news, April fools fans. The writing and recording is back under way." While the writing and recording proceeded for the by then long awaited follow-up to Lateralus, the wait was shortened by the release of a Lateralus vinyl edition, two DVD singles, and a new elaborate splash intro to the band's official website by artist Joshua Davis. The "double vinyl four-picture disc" edition of Lateralus was first released as a limited autographed edition exclusively available to fan-club members, and publicly released on August 23, 2005. On December 20, 2005, the two DVDs were released, one containing the single "Schism" and the other "Parabola". Both DVDs have the music videos for each single, along with commentary by David Yow and Jello Biafra, respectively. In addition, each disc has a remix of each song by Lustmord. 10,000 Days By then fifteen years into the band's career, Tool had acquired a devoted, "cult" following, and as the first minor details about the band's next album emerged, such as the influence of Lateralus tourmates Fantômas and Meshuggah, the notorious rumor mill surrounding new Tool-releases resurfaced. One of the main controversies regarding the new release was the album title. After rumored titles such as Teleincision had been dismissed, a news item on the official Tool website eventually announced the new album's name on March 3, 2006: 10,000 Days. Still, the rumors surrounding the band's activities reached a point where it was speculated that they had fabricated a "decoy" album to fool audiences until the day of release, but this began to subside when a leaked copy of the album was illegally distributed via filesharing networks a week prior to the official release. The album opener "Vicarious" premiered on US radio stations on April 17, while the record was released as announced on May 2, 2006 in the US, and debuted at the top spots of various international charts. 10,000 Days sold 564,000 copies in its opening week in the US, reaching number one on the Billboard Top 200 charts, doubling sales of Pearl Jam's self-titled album, the closest competitor. However, the critical reception of 10,000 Days was less favourable than its predecessor Lateralus (as indicated by a Metacritic average score of 68 compared to 75). After the release of 10,000 Days, a tour kicked off at Coachella on April 30, 2006. Much like the Lateralus tour of 2001, it was followed by a handful of shows in smaller venues and theaters in the U.S. and Canada, and then festivals, such as the Download Festival, Rock am Ring and Pinkpop, and solo shows in Europe. In fall 2006, Tool toured across North America, playing in large arenas and amphitheatres with support by Isis. From November to mid-December, they returned to Europe to present the stage show in cities not covered by the first leg, this time with Mastodon as the opening act. After touring Australia and New Zealand to headline the Big Day Out music festivals, with sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne, Tool's plan to continue to North America until April were postponed to June due to a bicep tear suffered by Danny Carey during a short break from touring. Early speculation caused by Tool's website was that he was injured in a fight with a boxer. However, it was later clear that the boxer was a dog. Carey underwent surgery on February 21. Nevertheless, the band's gig at the Bonnaroo Music Festival 2007 in Tennessee was never in jeopardy — on June 16th, Tool appeared as a headliner surprising the audience with the guest appearance of Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello on "Lateralus" In the meanwhile, the elaborate packaging of 10,000 Days gained Tool the distinction of "Best Recording Package" during the 49th Grammy Awards in February 2007, but their first single "Vicarious" fell short in the category "Best Hard Rock Performance" to Wolfmother's "Woman". In regard to the band's future, Justin Chancellor said in a recent interview that the band would be continuing their tour probably until early 2008, and then, take "some proper time off". He qualified this by adding that the band has already written new material and will surely release another album at some point down the road. One of the rumored future projects until a possible next album is to make a "band movie", a possibility the band has reportedly thought of for a long time. The ideas range from "a narrative story in a surreal fashion with as much money and special effects" as possible to "pockets of all of that or something that's live or [the band] playing." And although Carey stated that the necessary know-how was at hand due to the many relations to artists working in the movie business, Jones dismissed: "It's just talk right now." Musical traits, genre and influences Tool has gained appreciation and critical praise for a complex and ever-evolving sound, which complicates classifying the band and narrowing down their musical origins. Many illustrious examples describe their sound, such as "grinding, post-Jane's Addiction heavy metal" and "Led Zeppelin's heaving, battering guitar riffs and Middle Eastern modes". Additionally, they have been explained as a "blend of vintage Jane's Addiction and King Crimson" and Pink Floyd's Meddle (1971), but thirty years later and altered by "Tool's impulse to cram every inch of infinity with hard guitar meat and absolute dread". The band cites its influences as King Crimson, The Melvins, and Meshuggah. Musical traits An essential component of Tool's song repertoire relies on the heavy use of odd meter time signatures. For instance, bassist Justin Chancellor describes the time signature employed on Lateralus' first single "Schism", as 6.5/8 and that it later "goes into all kinds of other times". The album's title track "Lateralus" also displays shifting rhythms, as does 10,000 Days' (2006) "Wings for Marie (Pt 1)" and "10,000 Days (Wings Pt 2)". Beyond this fundamental aspect of the band's sound, each band member experiments within their musical scope. In general, Chancellor's bass playing is characterized by "thick midrange tone, guitar-style techniques, and elastic versatility". An example of this is the use of a wah effect by hammering "the notes with the left hand and using the bass's tone controls to get a tone sweep", such as on the song "The Patient" (Lateralus 2001). The band's drummer, Danny Carey, gained fame within the drum world for his use of tabla-style techniques, polyrhythms, and the incorporation of custom electronic drum pads to trigger samples, such as prerecorded octoban drum patterns. Maynard James Keenan's contribution to Tool's sound has been characterized more subjectively. Specific accolades attested him a "distinct and soft but powerful" singing voice (Undertow 1993) or being able to perform as "a natural fit at replacing [Layne] Staley" during an Alice in Chains reunion concert in 2005.More generally The New York Times said in regard to his role in his bands that A Perfect Circle and Tool "rely on Mr. Keenan's ability to dignify emotions like lust, anger and disgust, the honey in his voice adding a touch of profundity." Guitarist Adam Jones is not known for dominating any particular guitar playing technique, but rather combines many techniques such as "alternately utilizing power chords, scratchy noise, chiming arpeggios, and a quiet minimalism". Other techniques used by the band to expand their sound repertoire require forms of instrumental experimentation, for example, the use of a "pipe bomb microphone" (a guitar pickup mounted inside a brass cylinder), and a talk box guitar solo on "Jambi". The band puts an emphasis on the sound of their songs and attempt to reduce the effect lyrics can have on the perception of songs by not releasing song lyrics with any album. In some instances, their song lyrics are arranged in extraordinary manner, such as in "Lateralus". The number of syllables per word in the lyrics to "Lateralus" correspond to an arrangement of the fibonacci numbers and in "Jambi" the metrical foot iamb is used. The themes of their lyrics often include philosophical and spiritual issues — specific subjects range from evolution and Jungian psychology in "Forty-Six & 2", to organized religion in "Opiate" and transcendence in "Lateralus". Keenan often explores issues very personal to him, such as the album name 10,000 Days and the album's title track, which refer to the time Keenan's mother had to suffer from complications of a stroke until her passing away in 2003. Genre allusions The band is often described using umbrella terms and critics often place them in many different genres at the same time.While seemingly contradictory, this is merely the result of "music genre" being "an ill-defined notion, that is not founded on any intrinsic property of the music, but rather depends on cultural extrinsic habits",such as fads or simply personal taste. Specifically, Tool "slipped into the definition of alternative rock during the post-Nirvana era" when playing Lollapalooza in 1993. At that time, their first full length album Undertow had just been released. An increase in complexity and layering followed on their next album Ænima, (1996) which landed them in the alternative metal genre. They were also referred to as post-metal, although this term did not come into wide use until the next decade. The band's next evolution involved more musical and visual art experimentation. Representing this is Lateralus' elaborate album packaging and their complex live shows during the supporting tour, which sparked the use of the terms art rock and art metal. Simultaneously, the band expressed their kinship with one of their prime influences, King Crimson, whose first albums are considered to have pioneered progressive rock, by launching a joint mini-tour. Comparisons between the two bands were made, calling the bands "the once and future kings of progressive rock". Reviews of Lateralus often considered it to be progressive rock, while others favored its heavier counterpart, progressive metal. However, longtime King Crimson member Robert Fripp downplayed any influence his band had on Tool. In an interview with Tool, he touched briefly on how the two bands relate to each other: "Do you hear the influence? There's just one figure where I hear an influence, just one. It was a piece we were developing that we dropped. And it's almost exactly the same figure: three note arpeggio with a particular accent from the guitar. So I don't think you could have heard it. That's the only thing." (Robert Fripp during a "Tool Army" exclusive interview) Unsurprisingly, the band itself has a satirical point of view on this debate: "As far as the prog references go, we embrace them. However, we would prefer our new moniker, which is a Mulligan stew of progressive rock, Bulgarian folk metal, rock ’n’ roll, ’80s disco and Christian rap that we like to call Munge." (Maynard James Keenan cited in Boston Herald, 2006) Influence on other bands Meanwhile, Tool has impacted newer bands, such as the nu metal genre as a whole. For example, Keenan's unique style of singing has been repeatedly seen influencing artists such as Pete Loeffler of Chevelle. When asked about "these bands who list [Tool] as an influence" during an interview with the Australian music magazine Drum Media Keenan replied: "I don't really see the connection. Because there is some intensity in some of our songs, I think these bands pick up the surface noise, and that's their influence. [...] When I hear these loud, goofy posturing idiots jumping up and down, more concerned about their hairdos than their music, it's just we don't do that, what am I missing? There's nothing to the music that moves me, or compels me to want to sit down and listen to it, which is unfortunate. Maybe I'm just a cynical old bastard." Visual arts An integral part of Tool's work as a band is to incorporate influences of other works of art in their music videos, live shows, and album packaging. In particular, Adam Jones doubles as the band's art director and director of their music videos. Another expression of this kinship between the band's music and visual arts is an entire website "dedicated to the arts and influences" on the band, dissectional.com With the exception of "Hush", all of Tool's music videos feature stop-motion animation created by Jones, in a style similar to the Brothers Quay. Many were created with the help of outside artists such as Chet Zar, Alex Grey, and Osseus Labyrint. Out of seven music videos, the band members make appearances in only the first two, because otherwise "people start latching onto the personalities involved rather than listening to the music." Their "Sober" music video, where "evil little men dwell in a dark dungeon with meat coursing through pipes in the wall," has gained accolades, with the Rolling Stone calling it a groundbreaking, epic clip, and Billboard voting it "Best Clip". No videos have been released to accompany any of their songs off their latest release, 10,000 Days. The video for "Vicarious" was "nearly finished" in July 2006 but has yet to be released. Album artwork Tool has a reputation for "odd" and "some of the most innovative album packaging in the industry." While Adam Jones is responsible for most of the band's artwork in general, Ænima and Salival included artwork by Cam de Leon, Lateralus and 10,000 Days featured work created by Alex Grey. Ænima was nominated for and 10,000 Days was awarded with the Grammy Award for Best Recording Package. As art director of 10,000 Days, Adam Jones worked to create packaging that features a pair of stereoscopic lenses for viewing 3-D artwork and photos. Jones has been a lifelong fan of stereoscopic photography, and expressed a desire for the packaging to be unique within budget, as well as reflecting 70s artwork that he appreciates. The band logo on 10,000 Days resembles the word "fool". The band has circulated several stories surrounding the origin of their name. One of the most vital speculations revolved around lachrymology, a pseudophilosophy that the band has stated was founded in 1949 by Ronald P. Vincent after the death of his wife in a snow plowing accident. Drummer Danny Carey alleged that the name "Tool" means that the band served its fans as a tool through which those people would come to understand the concept of lachrymology. However, it is more likely that the band made this up in order to create a unique backdrop, since singer Maynard James Keenan gave a more direct approach to explaining his band's name in an interview in 1994: "Tool is exactly what it sounds like: It's a big dick. It's a wrench. It's also what it sounds like: It's a verb, it's a digging factor. It's an active process of searching, as in use us, we are a shovel, we are the match, we're the blotter of acid, your tool; use us as a catalyst in your process of finding out whatever it is you need to find out, or whatever it is you're trying to achieve." Studio albums 1993 - Undertow (2x Platinum, Zoo/BMG/Volcano: USA) 1996 - Ænima (3x Platinum, Zoo/BMG/Volcano: USA) 2001 - Lateralus (2x Platinum, Volcano II/Tool Dissectional: USA) 2006 - 10,000 Days (Platinum, Volcano II/Tool Dissectional: USA) Others 1991 - Tool a.k.a. 72826 demo (Toolshed) 1992 - Opiate EP (Platinum, Zoo/BMG/Volcano: USA) 2000 - Salival box set (Volcano II/Tool Dissectional: USA)

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