Dying Fetus is an American death metal band from Annapolis, which was founded in 1991. Their lyrics are about politics, violence and religion, and used to be interspersed with gore elements.
In 1995 the first official album Infatuation with Malevolence was self-released and a tour through the eastern United States soon followed. In 1996 the second album Purification Through Violence followed, which was released under Pulverizer Records and again followed a tour through all of America with bands like Kataklysm or Monstrosity.
With their third album Killing on Adrenaline, which was released in 1998 under Blunt Force Records, Dying Fetus also achieved an international breakthrough. A major tour of America and Europe followed. In 1999 her debut album Infatuation with Malevolence was re-released with some bonus tracks. In 2000 Dying Fetus signed a record deal with Relapse Records, went on a US tour with Kataklysm and Destruction and released the EP Grotesque Impalement, a compilation of old songs to shorten the fans’ waiting time for the new album.
After 2000, Dying Fetus released their fourth album Destroy the Opposition, which was a great success and again led to an international tour. After that album and tour, there was heated debate within the band. Jason Netherton, Sparky Voyles and Kevin Talley left the band and formed Misery Index. Mike Kimball, Sean Beasly, Erik Sayenga and Vince Matthews joined the band as replacements.
In 2003 Dying Fetus’ fifth album, Stop at Nothing, was released, followed by several tours. In 2004 Vince Matthews split from the band and in 2005 Erik Sayenga left Dying Fetus as well. After more than a year of looking for a drummer, Duane Timlin (ex-Divine Empire) was announced as the new drummer, and bassist Sean Beasly took over the second vocals. With this line-up, their sixth album, War of Attrition, was released in early 2007. In the same year, Duane Timlin left the band and was replaced by Trey Williams. Guitarist Mike Kimball left the band in March 2008.
On September 18, 2009 the new album Descend into Depravity was released. It was released in full as a stream a week earlier. The music video for Sheperd’s Commandment was presented on September 21, 2009.
To mark their 20th anniversary, in July 2011 Dying Fetus released the EP History Repeats via Relapse Records. This contained a new song, as well as cover versions of Dehumanized, Napalm Death, Broken Hope, Bolt Thrower, Pestilence and Cannibal Corpse.
In contrast to the very technical metal of its predecessor, the sound carrier Reign Supreme, released in 2012, is more oriented towards the old style. According to John Gallagher, contemporary production was important. The album received good reviews almost without exception (Metal-Hammer: 6/7, Rock-Hard: 8/10, Metal.de: 8/10)
I took pictures of Dying Fetus when they opened for All That Remains and GWAR at Red’s in West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada on November 22, 2004:
Deicide (meaning “god murder“) is a death metal band from the USA. It was founded in 1987 in Florida.
Deicide first published the two demo recordings Feasting the Beast (1987) and Sacrificial (1989) under the name Amon. In 1989 the band was renamed Deicide and in 1990 they released their self-titled debut album. The successor Legion was released in 1992. The band was at the height of their career at this point and was considered one of the best-selling death metal bands. To this day, Deicide is in a head-to-head race with Cannibal Corpse in this regard.
The original line-up with Glen Benton (bass and vocals), brothers Eric and Brian Hoffman on guitars and Steve Asheim on drums lasted a total of 17 years and seven studio albums. For most fans, the debut and Legion are the band’s reference albums, the quality of which Deicide has failed to match.
In 2004 the stable band structure crumbled. Brian and Eric Hoffman left the group with an announcement by Glen Benton that they would be replaced by the guitarists of the band Vital Remains. Dave Suzuki played for Deicide in 2004 and 2005 and only as a live guitarist.
The eighth studio album The Stench of Redemption was released on August 18, 2006 – Jack Owen (ex-Cannibal-Corpse; guitar with Deicide since 2004) and Ralph Santolla (ex-Death; guitar with Deicide since 2005, later went to Obituary) could be heard here for the first time on a studio album.
Ralph Santolla left the band in late 2007, but can still be heard on the ninth studio album Till Death Do Us Part, released on April 25, 2008. In addition to the normal edition, a limited edition was available with a patch labeled Glen Benton for President. On this album, drummer Steve Asheim can be heard on guitar in two songs.
Kevin Quirion took over the guitar for tours between 2008 and 2010 as a live musician. Santolla returned to the band in 2010, but was fired in 2011 after the release of the tenth studio album To Hell with God during the tour due to alcohol problems. Quirion returned as a full-time member, and can be heard for the first time on the eleventh studio album In the Minds of Evil, released in 2013.
Deicide’s lyrics are almost exclusively on anti-Christian or satanic topics. Singer Glen Benton has an inverted cross branding on his forehead and is a member of the American Anti-Catholics Organization.
At a concert by the band on November 25, 1992 at Fryshuset in Stockholm, a bomb detonated while the opening act Gorefest was playing. Daniel Ekeroth reports that suddenly a loud bang could be heard, everyone thought it was part of the performance and Gorefest played to the end. Bathory’s Quorthon, on the other hand, who was backstage security at the time, said the band played so loud that no one heard the bomb. He stood about five feet from the bomb and didn’t hear it, but suddenly smelled his hair on fire, saw concrete dust flying around and, when he turned around, saw a huge, burning hole in the wall. However, there was no personal injury. The perpetrators are suspected to be either militant animal rights activists who wanted to protest against the band’s bloody stage show and Benton’s alleged tendencies to torture and kill animals, or fanatical black metal supporters who wanted to attack Gorefest as a politically correct band. Gorefest had received death threats beforehand and had to leave the city with a police escort after the incident.
I took pictures of Deicide during their live show at Starlite Room in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on October 6, 2005:
Cryptopsy is a Canadian death metal band from Montreal. The band name is made up of the terms cryptic and autopsy. The band plays brutal and technically very demanding death metal.
The band was founded in 1988 under the name Necrosis. It appeared for the first time in 1992 and changed its name to Cryptopsy in the same year, as it was found out that there were already several bands with the name Necrosis. The music was initially very much influenced by the New York Death Metal Suffocations, but Cryptopsy became more and more technical. In 1997 longtime singer Dan Greening alias “Lord Worm” left the band, but re-joined in 2003 again.
The demo Ungentle Exhumation and the album Blasphemy Made Flesh were initially released on their own. The demo was later re-released via Gore Records and the album was licensed via the German music label Invasion Records. In 1994, Kevin Weagle (bass) and Dave Galea (guitar) were replaced by Martin Fergusson (bass) and Jon Levasseur (guitar) who recorded Blasphemy Made Flesh. After a subsequent tour, Eric Langlois (bass), who brought in the slap technique, replaced Martin Fergusson and Steve Thibault (guitar) left the band, although he continued to manage it for a while.
For the second album – None So Vile, Cryptopsy switched to Wrong Again Records. Jon Levasseur acted as the main songwriter. From 1998 to 2013 the band was then under contract with Century Media. They went on tour with Miguel Roy (live guitar). Lord Worm then left the band to work as an English teacher. Mike DiSalvo replaced him.
Album Whisper Supremacy was the first on Century Media. Miguel Roy (guitar) recorded the album. It came with the first US tour but the voice of Mike DiSalvo, which is closer to hardcore, was controversial in fan circles.
Whisper Supremacy was released in 2000. Alex Auburn (guitar) replaced Miguel Roy here. After a subsequent tour, Mike DiSalvo (vocals) left the band to take care of his family. Martin LaCroix was signed in 2001 as a replacement and they went on tour of Europe and Japan.
The live album was recorded at a concert in Montreal and released in 2003. Lord Worm then replaced the French-speaking Martin LaCroix, who had problems with the English pronunciation. Miguel Roy (guitar) helped out at concerts in 2004. At Trois-Rivieres Metalfest IV, a live DVD was filmed for a 2005 release.
In early 2005 longtime guitarist Jon Levasseur left the band. Dan Mongrain (Martyr) replaced him on the Back to the Worms US tour. On Once Was Not (with the exception of Luminium) Alex Auburn took over the guitar. Chris Donaldson (Mythosis) was engaged for the following North American tour (with Suffocation, Despised Icon and Aborted). Aborted, Dew-Scented and Grave accompanied the band on a European tour, after which they went back to North America, Australia, Great Britain, Europe and Scandinavia. As a result, Donaldson became a permanent member of the band.
In April 2007 the band announced that they had separated from Lord Worm again.
In December 2007 the singer Matt McGachy (ex-3 Mile Scream) and the keyboardist Maggie Durand were hired for the band. In this new line-up, the sixth studio album The Unspoken King was recorded, which was released on May 23, 2008 on Century Media. A video for the piece Worship Your Demons was presented on June 14th. The Unspoken King had a strong hardcore influence besides the usual Death Metal part. In addition to some melodic riffs, clear vocals were used, which was largely rejected by the fans of the old albums. In conservative circles of the metal scene, modern deathcore influences are generally viewed critically. In February 2009 Alex Auburn (guitar) left the band after 10 years for various reasons. He was replaced by Youri Raymond (Unhuman).
In May 2011 Jon Levasseur rejoined the band after six years of barely playing guitar. Long-time bass player Eric Langlois got out and guitarist Youri Raymond switched to bass. He quit in December 2011 with a lack of motivation to play bass. He was succeeded in January 2012 by Olivier Piniard (Neuraxis).
A new album called Cryptopsy was released on September 14, 2012. For this purpose, they separated from Century Media and released the album on their own.
Since Levasseur was not available for concerts in 2012, Youri Raymond has been helping out on guitar again since then. Levasseur has not been listed as a member on the band’s homepage since 2012.
I took pictures of Cryptopsy on September 17, 2004 at Starlite in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada:
Cradle of Filth is a British Extreme Metal band with influences from gothic metal, and other extreme metal subgenres. The band was formed in 1991 in Suffolk, United Kingdom.
Classification of Cradle of Filth’s musical style has caused a great controversy. It evolved from the Death Metal of its first demos towards a cleaner amalgam that encompasses extreme metal, symphonic black metal and other styles of heavy metal.
The band’s lyrical themes and images have been widely influenced by Gothic literature, poetry, and mythology. The band has successfully fought their niche by courting the popular news media (often at the expense of their fans), and this has led to increased coverage by magazines such as Kerrang! and TV channels like MTV, plus frequent stage appearances at major world rock festivals like Ozzfest, Download, and even the Sziget Festival.
The band has sometimes been seen as satanic, although their references to Satanism are few and far between, and the use of related imagery is not part of the group’s intention to express a belief, but rather to create shock value. According to Metal Hammer magazine, they are the most successful British metal band since Iron Maiden.
In the first years of its existence, which were characterized by a constant change of line-up, Cradle of Filth recorded a total of four demos. The originally planned debut album Goetia remained unreleased because the studio deleted the recordings due to unpaid bills. In 1993 the band signed a record deal with Cacophonous Records and released their debut album in 1994, The Principle of Evil Made Flesh. In 1996 the working relationship with Cacophonous became more strained, which eventually culminated in Cradle of Filth leaving the label. According to the contract, the band had to deliver another album, and so they recorded – rather half-heartedly but successfully – Vempire or Dark Faerytales in Phallusstein. Cradle of Filth never denied that this record was a kind of stopgap. In 1995 they switched to Music for Nations.
Despite frequent line-up changes, the band was able to expand its fan base considerably. After the release of the 1997 album Dusk… and her Embrace, a veritable wave of merchandise set in motion, which was conducive to the band’s popularity, but also earned them nasty accusations from the black metal scene. The band was accused of promoting commercialization and of being sell-outs in the scene. These allegations intensified with the release of the albums Cruelty and the Beast (1998) and with Midian (2000), which musically became increasingly mainstream compatible.
Bitter Suites to Succubi (2001) and the greatest hits album Lovecraft and Witch Hearts (2002) would be Cradle of Filth’s last releases on Music For Nations. In 2002, the band also made a guest appearance in the low budget splatter film Cradle of Fear, in which frontman Dani Filth played a supporting role. From then on, the band operated their own record label Abracadaver Records, but an offer from Sony promised a promising career leap. Thus, apart from Satyricon, they were the only extreme metal band to switch to a major label.
In 2003 the album Damnation and a Day was released by Sony Music UK. However, the collaboration with Sony did not last long: Nymphetamine, the 2004 album, was released on Roadrunner Records. In 2005 Roadrunner Records also released a new DVD entitled Peace through Superior Firepower, which includes a live recording from the final concert of the Nymphetamine Tour in Paris. In 2007 Thornography was released, also on Roadrunner Records. The album differs from the older works in style and vocals, for example Sarah Jezebel Deva’s female vocals hardly come into their own on this album.
In November 2006, drummer Adrian Erlandsson announced his departure in order to devote more time to his other musical projects such as Needleye and Nemhain. As a replacement on the current tour, the Czech Martin Å karoupka aka Marthus was behind the drums.
On October 24th, 2008 the album Godspeed on the Devil’s Thunder was released, which is a concept album, in which Gilles de Rais was an overarching theme.
The band’s next studio album, Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa – also a concept album – was released on October 29, 2010 on Peaceville Records under the company’s own Abracadaver imprint. It’s the fastest and possibly toughest in the band’s history so far. Based on the story of Adam’s first wife Lilith, who is described as the counterpart to Venus, the Roman goddess of love, primeval evil and goddess of lust. In previous interviews with frontman Dani Filth it was said that Godspeed on the Devil’s Thunder would be the last concept album for the time being, but the band decided against it. According to Dani, the decisive factor was the good concept idea and the fact that the character Lilith as such had already been in the shadow of the band for quite a while. But it should remain the last concept album for the time being.
Evermore Darkly was released as a mini-album (EP) on October 24, 2011 on Peaceville Records. The CD / DVD bundle includes, in addition to many band-typical artworks, a previously unreleased title, three demo recordings from the album Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa, a remix version of the single Forgive me Father by Rob C (Anthrax) and an extended version by Lilith Immaculate. A classic version of Summer Dying Fast, which was released on the debut album, creates a classic orchestral project album by the band to be released in the future. In addition to the promotional video for Lilith Immaculate and a 45-minute tour documentary, the DVD offers the complete live recording of the show at the Graspop Metal Meeting Festival on June 25, 2011 in Dessel, Belgium.
On April 21, 2012, the album Midnight in the Labyrinth was released, with orchestral works on pieces from the band’s first four albums.
The tenth studio album called The Manticore and Other Horrors was released in Europe on October 29, 2012. In the USA, the release took place the following day. In contrast to the two previous albums, this is not a concept album, but the theme of “monsters and demons” is a common thread running through all tracks.
The collaboration with long-time member Paul Allender ended in summer 2014. A new studio album called Hammer of the Witches was announced for June 2015 and released via Nuclear Blast.
An essential trademark of the band is the singing of Dani Filth, whose bizarre and often extremely high vocal parts are highly recognizable. His lyrics can often only be understood with a philosophical and literary background. In addition, they are written in relatively demanding English.
Cradle of Filth uses a certain form of visualization through clothing and make-up (but also through album covers and merchandise artwork), which has parallels to Black Metal, but differs in appearance in many ways. Nevertheless, the resulting image of the band creates an atmosphere of mysticism, madness and darkness, which can also be found in many black metal bands. However, unlike most black metal bands, Cradle of Filth present themselves more occult and vampyrical and less satanic. Many of the band’s songs contain references to well-known stories in the field of mysticism. (For example the song “Cthulhu Dawn” which refers to the Cthulhu myth of the author H. P. Lovecraft). According to Dani Filth, Cradle of Filth makes “fairy tales for adults“.
I took pictures of Arch Enemy on December 03, 2004 at Shaw Conference Center in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where they headlined after Himsa, Bleeding Through and Arch Enemy:
Arch Enemy is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Halmstad, founded in 1996 by guitarist Michael Amott after leaving his previous band Carcass. Arch Enemy made its big breakthrough when the band’s former German singer Angela Gossow took her place in the band in connection with the album Wages of Sin (2001).
Arch Enemy is one of Sweden’s biggest death metal bands and has since the start released eight studio albums, two live albums/videos and three EPs (but never any singles). The band plays classic melodic death metal, but also mixes in a lot of elements from the thrash metal scene, and also a bit of 80’s hard rock, which is heard by the band placing great emphasis on guitar solos. A relatively original feature of Arch Enemy is the fact that they have a female singer, who performs growls as loud and dull as a male voice.
After recording the band’s sixth album Doomsday Machine (2005), guitarist Christopher Amott dropped out of the band to concentrate on his studies. He was replaced by Fredrik Ã…kesson. In March 2007, Christopher Amott reunited with the band.
Angela Gossow left the band as a singer in March 2014 but continues to work as the band’s manager. She was replaced by Canadian singer Alissa White-Gluz, former singer in The Agonist.
Arch Enemy’s eleventh studio album, Will to Power, was released on September 8, 2017.
I took pictures of Arch Enemy on December 03, 2004 at Shaw Conference Center in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where they opened after Himsa and Bleeding Through for Cradle of Filth:
Bleeding Through is a California metal band. The band was formed in 1999 and have released eight studio albums and two DVDs during its career. The band broke up in 2014 but played one charity gig in 2016. In 2018, Bleeding Through announced a comeback and released their eighth album Love Will Kill All.
The band has taken influences in their music from hardcore punk, black metal and death metal. The band’s vocalist Brandan Schieppati describes the band as more of a hardcore band than a metal band. The band differs from other Metalcore bands in that the band has a keyboardist who creates a different element to the band’s music. The Bleeding Through’s music includes loud screaming and pure singing. Playing drums is very blast beat-focused.
The group was formed under the name “Breakneck”; the original members were Brandan ‘Sheep’ Schieppati, Javier Van Huss, guitarist Scott Danough, bassist Chad Tafolla and drummer Troy Born. However, the band soon changed formation with the departure of Van Huss and the recruitment of Mark Jackson on bass. Tafolla thus became the guitarist of the group, bringing a more Death Metal sound that caused the group to change its name to “Bleeding Through“. Under this name the band released their first album Dust to Ashes in 2001, after a new lineup change with Vijay Kumar, Cat Burgler and Molly Street. In 2002 the album Portrait of the Goddess was released.
Schieppati later hired Scott Danough, Brian Leppke, Ryan Wombacher, Marta Peterson and Derek Youngsma. In 2003 the album This Is Love, This Is Murderous was released and the band began their first tours (during which they also had a serious car accident without serious damage). In February 2005, after the album’s re-release under the title of This Is Love, This Is Murderous (Reissue), the band got their first European tour.
In January 2006, their third album, The Truth, was released, securing the band a place at the Donington Park Circuit Download festival, along bands such as Tool and Metallica, and an invitation to the Ozzfest along with bands such as Ozzy Osbourne, System of a Down, Hatebreed, Lacuna Coil, Disturbed, DragonForce, Black Label Society, Unearth, Atreyu, Norma Jean, A Life Once Lost, Strapping Young Lad, The Red Chord, Full Blown Chaos, Walls of Jericho, All That Remains and Between the Buried and Me.
Declaration, their 5th studio album, was released on 30th September 2008. The album was recorded from April to May. The album sold just under 6,000 copies in its first week of release and managed to debut at 104th place on the Billboard 200.
Bleeding Through on the Roadrunner Records website stated that on April 13, 2010 the new self-titled album would be released, also providing the track list. Following the release of the seventh album, entitled The Great Fire, in January 2013, Bleeding Through announced the dissolution after a fourteen-year career.
On March 28, 2018, the band announced that the new album would be released under the title Love Will Kill All through SharpTone Records on May 25.
I took pictures of Bleeding Through on December 03, 2004 at Shaw Conference Center in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where they opened after Himsa for Arch Enemy and Cradle of Filth:
Himsa was a thrash metal-influenced metalcore group from Seattle, Washington.
The name of the band is inspired by the Sanskrit linga term “Ahimsa“, which means “non-violence“, from which by removing the initial A you get “Himsa“, meaning “kill” or “harm“.
The band was formed in 1998 and the following year released a self titled EP, later followed by an album called Ground Breaking Ceremony, both under Revelation Records.
In 2001 Himsa released another EP – Death is Infinite – and moved to Prosthetic Records.
In 2003 the second LP entitled Counting Tragedy and Disaster was released, following which the band embarked on a long tour in the United States and other parts of the world. Half of 2005 was spent in Denmark for the recording of the third album that came out the following year with the title Hail Horror.
After a tour in Australia in November 2006 with Parkway Drive and Cry Murder, the band signed a contract with Century Media, the label under which Summon In Thunder, a new studio album was released on September 18, 2007.
On 21 June 2008 the group, through bassist Derek Harn, announced the dissolution.
I took pictures of Himsa on December 03, 2004 at Shaw Conference Center in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where they opened for Bleeding Through, Arch Enemy and Cradle of Filth:
At the time when true metal was being pushed aside by all kinds of nu metal genre, 3 Inches Of Blood hit the eardrums of guitar-powered music fans with old school heavy metal.
Hailing out of Vancouver in British Colombia, Canada, 3 Inches of Blood took all that made metal great in the 1980’s and brought it back to life through the early 2000’s.
3 Inches of Blood continued to play until 2015, when they announced they would be disbanding after two final shows in their hometown.
I took the pictures of 3 Inches of Blood during their live show at Red’s in West Edmonton Mall on April 18, 2005.