Balance of Power (band)
Encyclopedia
Balance of Power are a British
melodic progressive metal
group, formed in 1995.
rock scene. One of their first line-ups featured drummer Lionel Hicks
, bassist Chris Dale, vocalist Tony Ritchie, and guitarists Bill Yates and Paul Curtis. In October 1996, this line-up started working on their first album titled When the World Falls Down
. The album, produced by Hicks and Curtis, was picked up by Pony Canyon
Records and released in Japan
in 1997 where it was well-received. The album was also released by Point Records around Europe
.
After their first album, lead singer Tony Ritchie was replaced by American Lance King. At the time, founder Ivan Gunn was working some licensing deals with King, who offered himself for the job. Ritchie, however, remained with the band as their main songwriter. In 1998, the band released their second studio album, Book of Secrets
. The album also featured new guitarist Pete Southern, who was a childhood friend of Hicks and Ritchie.
After their second album, the band returned to the studio to work on the follow-up: Ten More Tales of Grand Illusion
. At this time, founder and keyboardist Ivan Gunn left the band to concentrate on work with his record company, Anthem. When Chris Dale left the band, former vocalist and bassist Tony Ritchie rejoined them as bassist. They then released their fourth album, Perfect Balance
, in 2001. Chris Beck, of HM magazine called it a "superior album in almost every way" when comparing it to the band's previous efforts. He also said the album "had excellent singing, musicianship and production".
In 2003, the band parted ways with singer Lance King after some disagreements. In an interview with HM magazine, King said that "unfortunately we couldn't work together anymore--some business, and some of it personal." Guitarist Pete Southern said in another interview that Lance's departure was "never about music", but attributed it to the "business side" of their relationship. In June 2003, they recruited singer John K, from Biomechanical
and released the album Heathen Machine
.
After a brief tour, John K decided to rejoin Biomechanical full-time. In an interview, John said "I found my self giving Biomechanical less that 100% and that bothered me a lot... As a musician you have something to say and I think you can easily lose direction by playing in two or three bands. I personally find it disorientating and I would prefer to focus in my band only." The decision was amicable and the band continued to work on other projects.
In 2005, the band released their first compilation of hits, entitled Heathenology
. This package included a DVD
with live footage of the band, plus a collection
of tracks from previous albums. That spring they also toured with Pink Cream 69
and Axxis
. In August 6 of that year, they appeared at the Rock The Nations festival in Istanbul
, with ex-Shadowkeep
vocalist Rogue Marechal
handling vocal duties on a one-off basis.
On 20 July 2005, the band announced that their new vocalist would be Corey Brown
(formerly of Magnitude 9, Section 16 and Psycho Drama). He began performing live with the band at the end of the summer in Firefest II. Steve Atkinson, of Hard Rock House remarked that, despite being Brown's second performance with the band, "they all looked utterly at ease on the stage. The band cruised their time slot, with a majestic swagger, blending expansive, orchestral keyboards and lightning guitar".
After this, the band began working together on the band's sixth album, which was tentatively titled Whispers in the Hurricane, and set for release in 2006. However, the album never surfaced and its members are currently working on other projects.
14 April - Kaufbeuren
15 April - Bochum
16 April - Korbach
17 April - Ulm
18 April - Bremen
19 April - Schweinfurt
21 April - Offenbach
22 April - Manheim
23 April - Markneukirchen
24 April - Carlsruhe
26 April - Nurnberg
27 April - Hamburg
28 April - Braunschweig
29 April - Trossingen
30 August - Abracadabras, Burton-On-Trent, UK (warm-up gig)
20 March - Buolding a Force Festival - Stadthalle Widdern (nr Heidelberg/Stuttgart, Germany)
2 September - The Underworld
, Camden, London (warm-up gig)
4 September - Bloodstock Festival - The Assembly Roms, Derby, UK
26 November - Firefest 2 - Nottingham Rock City, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
melodic progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
group, formed in 1995.
History
Balance of Power was formed in 1995 by keyboardist Ivan Gunn, along with a group of musicians from the LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
rock scene. One of their first line-ups featured drummer Lionel Hicks
Lionel Hicks
Lionel Hicks began his career aged 15 as a drummer for such bands as UFO, Kid Wicked, Balance of Power and Gene Loves Jezebel.After two decades of drumming, Hicks moved into music production, and his credits include United States of Mind , Gypsy: A Musical Fable, Teaser, Lady Luck, Kid Wicked, all...
, bassist Chris Dale, vocalist Tony Ritchie, and guitarists Bill Yates and Paul Curtis. In October 1996, this line-up started working on their first album titled When the World Falls Down
When the World Falls Down
When The World Falls Down is the first album from British progressive rock band Balance of Power. It was released in 1997 and is the only album of the band to feature Tony Ritchie as lead vocalist.-Production and recording:...
. The album, produced by Hicks and Curtis, was picked up by Pony Canyon
Pony Canyon
is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966 , which publishes music, DVD and VHS videos, movies and video games. It is a subsidiary of Japanese Media Group, Fujisankei Communications Group.-History:...
Records and released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1997 where it was well-received. The album was also released by Point Records around Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
After their first album, lead singer Tony Ritchie was replaced by American Lance King. At the time, founder Ivan Gunn was working some licensing deals with King, who offered himself for the job. Ritchie, however, remained with the band as their main songwriter. In 1998, the band released their second studio album, Book of Secrets
Book of Secrets (album)
Book of Secrets is the second album from British progressive rock band Balance of Power. It was released in 1998. Book of Secrets is the first album of the band to feature Lance King on vocals.-Concept:...
. The album also featured new guitarist Pete Southern, who was a childhood friend of Hicks and Ritchie.
After their second album, the band returned to the studio to work on the follow-up: Ten More Tales of Grand Illusion
Ten More Tales of Grand Illusion
Ten More Tales of Grand Illusion is the third album from British progressive rock band Balance of Power. It was released in 1999.-Production and recording:...
. At this time, founder and keyboardist Ivan Gunn left the band to concentrate on work with his record company, Anthem. When Chris Dale left the band, former vocalist and bassist Tony Ritchie rejoined them as bassist. They then released their fourth album, Perfect Balance
Perfect Balance
Perfect Balance is the fourth album from British progressive rock band Balance of Power. It was released in 2001 and is the last album to feature lead singer Lance King.-Production and recording:...
, in 2001. Chris Beck, of HM magazine called it a "superior album in almost every way" when comparing it to the band's previous efforts. He also said the album "had excellent singing, musicianship and production".
In 2003, the band parted ways with singer Lance King after some disagreements. In an interview with HM magazine, King said that "unfortunately we couldn't work together anymore--some business, and some of it personal." Guitarist Pete Southern said in another interview that Lance's departure was "never about music", but attributed it to the "business side" of their relationship. In June 2003, they recruited singer John K, from Biomechanical
Biomechanical (band)
Biomechanical is a progressive groove metal band from London, UK. The project started back in April 1999 by the founding member John K who wrote, recorded and arranged all of the music, with the exception of the songs ‘Existenz’ and ‘Survival’ which were co-written by Chris Webb and Jamie Hunt...
and released the album Heathen Machine
Heathen Machine
Heathen Machine is the fifth album from British progressive rock band Balance of Power. It was released in 2003 and is the only album of the band to feature vocalist John K.-Production and recording:...
.
After a brief tour, John K decided to rejoin Biomechanical full-time. In an interview, John said "I found my self giving Biomechanical less that 100% and that bothered me a lot... As a musician you have something to say and I think you can easily lose direction by playing in two or three bands. I personally find it disorientating and I would prefer to focus in my band only." The decision was amicable and the band continued to work on other projects.
In 2005, the band released their first compilation of hits, entitled Heathenology
Heathenology
Heathenology is the first compilation album by British progressive rock band Balance of Power. It was released in 2005 and features a triple-pack DVD/CD that includes:* A 2-hour DVD of Balance of Power in concert in 2004...
. This package included a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
with live footage of the band, plus a collection
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
of tracks from previous albums. That spring they also toured with Pink Cream 69
Pink Cream 69
Pink Cream 69 is a German hard rock band founded in 1987 in Karlsruhe, Germany by Andi Deris, Dennis Ward, Kosta Zafiriou and Alfred Koffler. The band gained their first contract by winning music magazine Metal Hammer 's newcomer competition in Ludwigsburg one year after forming. In 1994, Andi...
and Axxis
Axxis
Axxis is a German power metal band that was founded in 1988. Their debut album, "Kingdom of the Night", became the best-selling debut album ever by a hard rock band in Germany in 1989.-Biography:...
. In August 6 of that year, they appeared at the Rock The Nations festival in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, with ex-Shadowkeep
Shadowkeep
Shadowkeep is a British heavy metal band, formed in Guildford, England, in 1999 by guitarists Chris Allen and Nikki Robson .-Early recordings, concerts and festival appearances:...
vocalist Rogue Marechal
Shadowkeep
Shadowkeep is a British heavy metal band, formed in Guildford, England, in 1999 by guitarists Chris Allen and Nikki Robson .-Early recordings, concerts and festival appearances:...
handling vocal duties on a one-off basis.
On 20 July 2005, the band announced that their new vocalist would be Corey Brown
Corey Brown
Corey Allen Brown is a Major League Baseball center fielder for the Washington Nationals. He is 6'1" tall and he weighs 205 pounds....
(formerly of Magnitude 9, Section 16 and Psycho Drama). He began performing live with the band at the end of the summer in Firefest II. Steve Atkinson, of Hard Rock House remarked that, despite being Brown's second performance with the band, "they all looked utterly at ease on the stage. The band cruised their time slot, with a majestic swagger, blending expansive, orchestral keyboards and lightning guitar".
After this, the band began working together on the band's sixth album, which was tentatively titled Whispers in the Hurricane, and set for release in 2006. However, the album never surfaced and its members are currently working on other projects.
Current members
- Corey Brown - vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(2005–present) - Pete Southern - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s (1998–present) - Tony Ritchie - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1999–present) - Lionel Hicks - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(1995–present)
Former members
- Ivan Gunn - keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
(1995–1998) - Bill Yates - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(1995–2001) - Paul Curtis - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(1995–1997) - Tony Ritchie - vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(1995–1997) - Lance KingLance KingLance King is an American heavy metal vocalist. Lance has sung for many metal bands in his career, including Defyance, The Kings Machine, Empire, Gemini, Decibel, Balance of Power, Pyramaze, Shining Star and Avian. He is known for singing in a traditional metal style with falsetto vocals in the...
- vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(1997–2002) - Chris Dale - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1995–1998) - John K - vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(2003–2004)
Discography
- When the World Falls DownWhen the World Falls DownWhen The World Falls Down is the first album from British progressive rock band Balance of Power. It was released in 1997 and is the only album of the band to feature Tony Ritchie as lead vocalist.-Production and recording:...
(1997) - Book of SecretsBook of Secrets (album)Book of Secrets is the second album from British progressive rock band Balance of Power. It was released in 1998. Book of Secrets is the first album of the band to feature Lance King on vocals.-Concept:...
(1998) - Ten More Tales of Grand IllusionTen More Tales of Grand IllusionTen More Tales of Grand Illusion is the third album from British progressive rock band Balance of Power. It was released in 1999.-Production and recording:...
(1999) - Perfect BalancePerfect BalancePerfect Balance is the fourth album from British progressive rock band Balance of Power. It was released in 2001 and is the last album to feature lead singer Lance King.-Production and recording:...
(2001) - Melody and Power Massacre Records compilation (2002)
- Heathen MachineHeathen MachineHeathen Machine is the fifth album from British progressive rock band Balance of Power. It was released in 2003 and is the only album of the band to feature vocalist John K.-Production and recording:...
(2003) - HeathenologyHeathenologyHeathenology is the first compilation album by British progressive rock band Balance of Power. It was released in 2005 and features a triple-pack DVD/CD that includes:* A 2-hour DVD of Balance of Power in concert in 2004...
(2005)
2000
German Tour 2000 - with Pink Cream 69 and Axxis14 April - Kaufbeuren
15 April - Bochum
16 April - Korbach
17 April - Ulm
18 April - Bremen
19 April - Schweinfurt
21 April - Offenbach
22 April - Manheim
23 April - Markneukirchen
24 April - Carlsruhe
26 April - Nurnberg
27 April - Hamburg
28 April - Braunschweig
29 April - Trossingen
2002
31 August - Bloodstock Festival II - Derby, UK30 August - Abracadabras, Burton-On-Trent, UK (warm-up gig)
2004
17 March - Alcatraz - Southsea (warm-up gig)20 March - Buolding a Force Festival - Stadthalle Widdern (nr Heidelberg/Stuttgart, Germany)
2 September - The Underworld
Camden Underworld
The Camden Underworld is a music venue in Camden Town, London, England. The venue itself is a part of the World's End pub, being situated in the basement of the building.- History :...
, Camden, London (warm-up gig)
4 September - Bloodstock Festival - The Assembly Roms, Derby, UK
2005
6 August - Rock the Nations - Istanbul, Turkey26 November - Firefest 2 - Nottingham Rock City, UK