Firebird (band)
Encyclopedia
Firebird is a British
blues-rock
power trio
founded by Bill Steer
in 1999. The music style, reminiscent of seventies rock bands such as Cream
, is a radical departure from Steer's previous work with grindcore
pioneers Napalm Death
and death metal
band Carcass
.
bassist Leo Smee and Spiritual Beggars
drummer Ludwig Witt. This line-up recorded both Firebird and Deluxe. Both bassist and drummer departed due to commitments with their primary bands before a 2001 European tour that saw Steer teaming up with Blind Dog bassist Tobias Nilsson and Quill
drummer George Atlagic. In 2002 Steer announced yet another line-up consisting of drummer Atlagic and Quill and Spiritual Beggars bassist Roger Nilsson. This line-up recorded 2003's No. 3. Since then many line-up changes occurred but significantly Steer reunited with Witt on 2006's Hot Wings and have remained the core of the line up ever since.
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...
blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
power trio
Power trio
A power trio is a rock and roll band format where the traditional power trio has a lineup of guitar, bass and drums, leaving out the rhythm guitar or keyboard that are used in other rock music to fill out the sound with chords...
founded by Bill Steer
Bill Steer
Bill Steer is an English guitar player, and a founder of British Metal band Carcass...
in 1999. The music style, reminiscent of seventies rock bands such as Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
, is a radical departure from Steer's previous work with grindcore
Grindcore
Grindcore is an extreme genre of music that started in the early- to mid-1980s. It draws inspiration from some of the most abrasive music genres – including death metal, industrial music, noise and the more extreme varieties of hardcore punk....
pioneers Napalm Death
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
and death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band Carcass
Carcass (band)
Carcass are an extreme metal band from England, who formed in 1985 and disbanded in 1995. A reunion was enacted in 2008 without one of its original members, drummer Ken Owen, due to health reasons....
.
History
Firebird came together in 1999 when Steer teamed up with CathedralCathedral (band)
Cathedral are a doom metal band from Coventry, England. The group forged a link between early doom metal and a 1990s extreme metal aesthetic, making doom slower and heavier. Their debut album, Forest of Equilibrium, is considered a classic of the genre. They later on changed their doom style,...
bassist Leo Smee and Spiritual Beggars
Spiritual Beggars
Spiritual Beggars is a hard rock/stoner metal band from Halmstad, Sweden, formed by Michael Amott, who is known from Arch Enemy, Carcass and Carnage.- Biography :...
drummer Ludwig Witt. This line-up recorded both Firebird and Deluxe. Both bassist and drummer departed due to commitments with their primary bands before a 2001 European tour that saw Steer teaming up with Blind Dog bassist Tobias Nilsson and Quill
The Quill (band)
The Quill are a Swedish stoner rock/heavy metal band.-Biography:The Quill was formed in the early 1990s by singer Magnus Ekwall, guitarist Christian Carlsson, drummer George Atlagic, organist Anders Haglund and bassist Peter Holm. The Quill played the Swedish barcircuit the following years. Peter...
drummer George Atlagic. In 2002 Steer announced yet another line-up consisting of drummer Atlagic and Quill and Spiritual Beggars bassist Roger Nilsson. This line-up recorded 2003's No. 3. Since then many line-up changes occurred but significantly Steer reunited with Witt on 2006's Hot Wings and have remained the core of the line up ever since.
Discography
- Firebird CD (2000 Rise Above RecordsRise Above RecordsRise Above Records is a London, England based independent record label owned by Lee Dorrian . It is named after a Napalm Death song from their EP Mentally Murdered. It was formed in the late 1980s and originally made to sell live releases by Napalm Death and S.O.B., but by 1991 had changed to cater...
) - Deluxe CD/LP (2001 Music for NationsMusic For NationsMusic For Nations was a British independent record label focusing mainly on rock and metal. They were a subsidiary of the larger label distributor Zomba Records who in turn is owned by BMG....
) - No. 3 CD/LP (2003 Steamhammer RecordsSPV GmbHSPV GmbH is an independent German record label.Founded on January 1, 1984, it has slowly grown to be one of the largest independent distributors and record labels worldwide....
) - Hot Wings CD/LP (2006 Rise Above RecordsRise Above RecordsRise Above Records is a London, England based independent record label owned by Lee Dorrian . It is named after a Napalm Death song from their EP Mentally Murdered. It was formed in the late 1980s and originally made to sell live releases by Napalm Death and S.O.B., but by 1991 had changed to cater...
) - Grand UnionGrand Union (Firebird album)"Grand Union" is the fifth studio album from the band Firebird, which was formed by Carcass guitarist Bill Steer with drummer Ludwig Witt. It was released in 2009 on Rise Above Records...
CD/LP (2009 Rise Above RecordsRise Above RecordsRise Above Records is a London, England based independent record label owned by Lee Dorrian . It is named after a Napalm Death song from their EP Mentally Murdered. It was formed in the late 1980s and originally made to sell live releases by Napalm Death and S.O.B., but by 1991 had changed to cater...
) - Double Diamond CD/LP (2011 Rise Above RecordsRise Above RecordsRise Above Records is a London, England based independent record label owned by Lee Dorrian . It is named after a Napalm Death song from their EP Mentally Murdered. It was formed in the late 1980s and originally made to sell live releases by Napalm Death and S.O.B., but by 1991 had changed to cater...
)
Current members
- Bill SteerBill SteerBill Steer is an English guitar player, and a founder of British Metal band Carcass...
– guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, vocals, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
(1999–Present) - Ludwig Witt – drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s (1999–2001; 2005–Present) - Greyum May - Bass (2009–Present)
Former members
- Leo Smee – bass guitar (1999–2001)
- Tom Broman – drums (2001)
- Tobias Nilsson – bass guitar (2001)
- Roger NilssonRoger NilssonRoger Nilsson a Swedish bass-player best known for his work with The Quill, Spiritual Beggars, Arch Enemy and Firebird.-The Quill:* The Quill * Silver Haze * Evermore...
– bass guitar (2002) - George Atlagic – drums (2002)
- Alan French – drums (2002–2004)
- Al Steer – bass guitar (2003–2006)
- Harry Armstrong – bass guitar (2006–2007)
- Smok Smoczkiewicz – bass guitar (2007–2009)
- Tom Sutton - bass guitar (2009)
- Terry Waker - bass guitar (2009)