Anterior (band)
Encyclopedia
Anterior is a American metal
band from Tredegar
, Wales
. They are currently signed to Metal Blade Records
, although they were also approached by Manowar's Joey DeMaio
. They have released one album through Metal Blade called This Age of Silence
.
magazine:
Originally a four-piece line up, they began playing covers of the bands that inspired them to play and immediately adopted a serious approach to music. After realizing their combined potential they started to compose their own music and style and set out to record a demo of their first original songs. They completed the self-funded disc in just a few days in the summer of 2004 and started sending copies to local promoters in search of shows.
The demo gained the band many shows in the area and many promoters had great interest in their music. Every show that Anterior played they were turning more heads and soon started getting support slots for many established bands. Still playing their very first songs and selling their demo at shows, they landed an opening slot for DragonForce and more shows started happening. Soon after, Anterior were playing alongside bands such as The Black Dahlia Murder, Himsa, and 3 Inches Of Blood, to name a few. As the band continued growing they started writing new material with the goal of recording a studio quality disc. When the new material was ready Anterior headed to Sonic One studios with producer Tim Hamill to record their first real studio effort. Once completed, the band had a new disc with their best material to date and were looking for distribution. They put two of the new songs on their MySpace page and it attracted immediate attention from listeners worldwide, which included managers interested in taking the band on. One of the managers offered Anterior a provisional period to work together on finding the band a record label. They received several offers from different labels over the period and finally signed a worldwide deal with Metal Blade Records
. Now with such an established label behind them, the band started work on their debut album. Anterior again wanted to work with Tim Hamill, having already recorded with him before, and the album writing was underway.
During the writing process, the band hit a block when vocalist Luke Davies encountered medical problems forcing him to no longer be able to play guitar. During the recording all guitars were recorded by guitarist Leon Kemp, as Davies' condition was more permanent than the band had once thought. They overcame the complications and recorded 10 tracks, 9 being original songs and the tenth a Racer X
cover. The album was named This Age of Silence
. Just days after the albums completion the band were finishing their UK tour with 3 Inches of Blood
. Anticipating the album release, Anterior continued to keep playing live with the help of a friend on rhythm guitar duties and Luke just singing.
The band was now sharing stages with bands such as As I Lay Dying
and Sanctity
. The album was released June 12, 2007 and they embarked on a UK tour with label mates The Black Dahlia Murder and The Ocean. The album was critically appraised by various magazines such as Kerrang!
, Metal Hammer
and Rocksound, as well as online magazines "Room 13" and "Power Play".
With vocalist Luke still unable to play, the band were looking for a full time guitarist to become an official part of the band. During many of their shows, Anterior had played with the Scottish metalcore band Mendeed
many times and had a very close relationship with them. The summer of 2007 saw the breakup of Mendeed and the addition of their lead guitarist, Steven Nixon, to Anterior, completing the band as a new five-piece line up.
The band has been touring extensively. On February 25, 2008 they completed their five-day Indian tour where they headlined "AVALANCHE" - the rock show at Netaji Subhas Institute of Technologyhttp://www.nsit.ac.in/, New Delhi, with Dutch melodic thrash band Detonation
and also performed at East Wind Festival. The band then embarked on a European tour with Himsa and DevilDriver
. The band also supported Dying Fetus
on a UK tour in June 2008. The band were also the sole support for the two UK/Ireland shows in June with Children Of Bodom
on the 11th in Dublin and the 12th in Glasgow.
On March 31, 2008, it was announced that drummer Ross Andrews would be leaving the band to pursue an alternative career path once a suitable replacement could be found. However, he left at the end of 2008 before any replacement was arranged.
On February 4, 2010, it was announced through the band's MySpace that another drummer had been announced by the name of James Cook to contribute to the new album.
On August 26, 2011, after much delay, Echoes of The Fallen was released.
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band from Tredegar
Tredegar
Tredegar is a town situated on the Sirhowy River in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent, in south-east Wales. Located within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, it became an early centre of the Industrial Revolution in South Wales...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. They are currently signed to Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records is a record label which was founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The U.S. corporate office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Arizona, Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony BMG Music...
, although they were also approached by Manowar's Joey DeMaio
Joey DeMaio
Joey DeMaio is an American bass player and main songwriter for the heavy metal band Manowar which he co-founded in 1980. He is also the founder and CEO of Magic Circle Music....
. They have released one album through Metal Blade called This Age of Silence
This Age of Silence
This Age of Silence is the debut album of heavy metal band, Anterior. It was released by Metal Blade Records and the production was done by Tim Hamill and the band itself.-Track listing:#"Ghosts of Dawn" - 1:36 #"The Silent Divide" - 6:31...
.
History
The band was formed back in 2004 when a group of teenage friends decided to take their music abilities seriously. Frontman Luke Davies stated in an interview with Metal HammerMetal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
magazine:
"We'd known each other in school but we put the band together in July 2004. That's when we got serious and started writing our own material and looking for gigs outside of our local area. For the next three years we just practiced regularly, writing new songs whilst doing one-off gigs around the country; just trying to gain as much experience as we could. We decided to take some time off from gigging and concentrated on writing better material, and we recorded another demo."
Originally a four-piece line up, they began playing covers of the bands that inspired them to play and immediately adopted a serious approach to music. After realizing their combined potential they started to compose their own music and style and set out to record a demo of their first original songs. They completed the self-funded disc in just a few days in the summer of 2004 and started sending copies to local promoters in search of shows.
The demo gained the band many shows in the area and many promoters had great interest in their music. Every show that Anterior played they were turning more heads and soon started getting support slots for many established bands. Still playing their very first songs and selling their demo at shows, they landed an opening slot for DragonForce and more shows started happening. Soon after, Anterior were playing alongside bands such as The Black Dahlia Murder, Himsa, and 3 Inches Of Blood, to name a few. As the band continued growing they started writing new material with the goal of recording a studio quality disc. When the new material was ready Anterior headed to Sonic One studios with producer Tim Hamill to record their first real studio effort. Once completed, the band had a new disc with their best material to date and were looking for distribution. They put two of the new songs on their MySpace page and it attracted immediate attention from listeners worldwide, which included managers interested in taking the band on. One of the managers offered Anterior a provisional period to work together on finding the band a record label. They received several offers from different labels over the period and finally signed a worldwide deal with Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records is a record label which was founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The U.S. corporate office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Arizona, Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony BMG Music...
. Now with such an established label behind them, the band started work on their debut album. Anterior again wanted to work with Tim Hamill, having already recorded with him before, and the album writing was underway.
During the writing process, the band hit a block when vocalist Luke Davies encountered medical problems forcing him to no longer be able to play guitar. During the recording all guitars were recorded by guitarist Leon Kemp, as Davies' condition was more permanent than the band had once thought. They overcame the complications and recorded 10 tracks, 9 being original songs and the tenth a Racer X
Racer X
Racer X is an American heavy metal band formed in 1985 in Los Angeles, California. The group has gone through numerous lineup changes, including a hiatus, with founders guitarist Paul Gilbert and bassist Juan Alderete being the sole constant members.- 1980s :...
cover. The album was named This Age of Silence
This Age of Silence
This Age of Silence is the debut album of heavy metal band, Anterior. It was released by Metal Blade Records and the production was done by Tim Hamill and the band itself.-Track listing:#"Ghosts of Dawn" - 1:36 #"The Silent Divide" - 6:31...
. Just days after the albums completion the band were finishing their UK tour with 3 Inches of Blood
3 Inches of Blood
3 Inches of Blood is a Canadian heavy metal band formed in 2000 in Vancouver, British Columbia, currently consisting of Cam Pipes, Justin Hagberg, Shane Clark, and Ash Pearson...
. Anticipating the album release, Anterior continued to keep playing live with the help of a friend on rhythm guitar duties and Luke just singing.
The band was now sharing stages with bands such as As I Lay Dying
As I Lay Dying (band)
As I Lay Dying is an American metalcore band from San Diego, California. Founded in 2000 by Tim Lambesis and having completed their first Line-up in 2001, the band consists of vocalist Tim Lambesis, drummer Jordan Mancino, lead guitarist Nick Hipa, rhythm guitarist Phil Sgrosso, and bassist Josh...
and Sanctity
Sanctity (band)
Sanctity was a heavy metal band from Asheville, North Carolina, USA. They formed in 1998 and have released one album, Road to Bloodshed, on April 24, 2007. They are currently writing for a new album, with their new TBA vocalist...
. The album was released June 12, 2007 and they embarked on a UK tour with label mates The Black Dahlia Murder and The Ocean. The album was critically appraised by various magazines such as Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
, Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
and Rocksound, as well as online magazines "Room 13" and "Power Play".
With vocalist Luke still unable to play, the band were looking for a full time guitarist to become an official part of the band. During many of their shows, Anterior had played with the Scottish metalcore band Mendeed
Mendeed
Mendeed were a metalcore band formed in 2000 and disbanded in 2007.-History:The band's members met at school in Dumbarton. In 2002 they self-released their first EP Killing Something Beautiful. In 2003 the band released their second EP As We Rise....
many times and had a very close relationship with them. The summer of 2007 saw the breakup of Mendeed and the addition of their lead guitarist, Steven Nixon, to Anterior, completing the band as a new five-piece line up.
The band has been touring extensively. On February 25, 2008 they completed their five-day Indian tour where they headlined "AVALANCHE" - the rock show at Netaji Subhas Institute of Technologyhttp://www.nsit.ac.in/, New Delhi, with Dutch melodic thrash band Detonation
Detonation (band)
Detonation is a Dutch melodic death metal band, with members from the Netherlands and the United States. In recent years the band has gravitated towards a melodic death metal sound.-History:...
and also performed at East Wind Festival. The band then embarked on a European tour with Himsa and DevilDriver
DevilDriver
DevilDriver is an American heavy metal band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 2002. The band was originally named Deathride, however, due to copyright issues and the name being taken by several bands, Deathride changed its name to DevilDriver, which refers to bells Italian witches used to...
. The band also supported Dying Fetus
Dying Fetus
Dying Fetus is an American death metal band from Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Formed in 1991, the group is known for their outspoken political views, and for being one of the few death metal bands who follow a political nature. Earlier lyrics showcased the common death metal trait of explicit violence...
on a UK tour in June 2008. The band were also the sole support for the two UK/Ireland shows in June with Children Of Bodom
Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom is a Finnish heavy metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993, the group currently consists of Alexi Laiho , Roope Latvala , Janne Wirman , Henkka Seppälä , and Jaska Raatikainen...
on the 11th in Dublin and the 12th in Glasgow.
On March 31, 2008, it was announced that drummer Ross Andrews would be leaving the band to pursue an alternative career path once a suitable replacement could be found. However, he left at the end of 2008 before any replacement was arranged.
On February 4, 2010, it was announced through the band's MySpace that another drummer had been announced by the name of James Cook to contribute to the new album.
On August 26, 2011, after much delay, Echoes of The Fallen was released.
Discography
- This Age of SilenceThis Age of SilenceThis Age of Silence is the debut album of heavy metal band, Anterior. It was released by Metal Blade Records and the production was done by Tim Hamill and the band itself.-Track listing:#"Ghosts of Dawn" - 1:36 #"The Silent Divide" - 6:31...
(2007) - Echoes of the FallenEchoes of the fallenEchoes of the Fallen is the second studio album of heavy metal band, Anterior. It was released by Metal Blade Records and the production was done by Scott Atkins.-Track listing:#"To Live Not Remain" - 4:42#"Blood In The Throne Room" - 5:08...
(2011)
Members
- Luke Davies - Vocals (2004–2008, 2010-present)
- Leon Kemp - GuitarGuitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
(2004–2008, 2010-present) - Steven Nixon - GuitarGuitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
(2007–2008, 2010-present) - James Britton - BassBassistA bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
(2004–2008, 2010-present) - James Cook - DrumsDrummerA drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
(2010–present)