Haven (American band) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Haven was a Christian progressive metal band from New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

during the late 1980s until 1993. Haven drew its influences from bands such as, Queensryche

Queensrÿche

thumb|250px|right|Queensrÿche's classic line-up performing at the [[Sauna Open Air Metal Festival]] 2011 in [[Tampere]], [[Finland]]. Left to right: bass Eddie Jackson, lead vocals Geoff Tate, drums Scott Rockenfield and guitars Michael Wilton....

, Metallica

Metallica

Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...

, King Diamond

King Diamond

Kim Bendix Petersen , better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Grammy Award nominated Danish heavy metal musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his extensive vocal range, in particular his usage of falsetto. He is the lead vocalist for both Mercyful Fate and the eponymous King Diamond...

, and Dream Theater

Dream Theater

Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...

. Haven split shortly after the completion of the "Age of Darkness" release.

The beginning

In the mid-1980s, Andrew Bruner met Tim Benton at church youth group. The two decided to form a band, with then bass player Steve Forenza.
The trio then acquired a friend of Steve Forenza, Craig Carlson for vocals. Because of problems with Steve Forenza, Ed Bruner was then brought on to play bass for the band. It was at this point that Haven recorded a 4 song demo at a local recording studio in Cinnaminson New Jersey

New Jersey

Changes

Andrew Bruner, Tim Benton, and Ed Bruner, all highly devoted Christians decided to take a more overtly Christian direction with Haven and had to release Craig Carlson from the band. In an effort to fill the need for a vocalist, the remaining members posted flyers at local Christian bookstores for a singer.

Haven officially formed

In 1988, Kevin Ayers responded to the advertisement and was accepted as the new singer. Kevin's newly rededicated faith and musical experience brought a fresh new inspiration and direction to Haven. In 1989, Haven began to perform at local clubs and explore record deals with a home-made 4 song demo with added guitarist Chad McKee.

REX Records

In 1989, Haven was invited to Sacrament

Sacrament

A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...

’s signing party, though a friend of former band mate Craig Carlson. Not long after this event Haven was signed to R.E.X. Records

R.E.X. Records

R.E.X. Records was an independent record label founded by Doug Mann and Gavin Morkel, which operated from 1987 until running into financial difficulty in 1995. Operations were based in Chicago until 1990 when the company moved to Nashville...

and in 1990 recorded their first record "Your Dying Day" at Morning Star Studio's in Philadelphia PA. Because of differences, Chad McKee was replaced as the second guitarist with John Farrell as his replacement.

Age Of Darkness

The addition of John Farrell brought a new musical influence and heavy guitar harmonies to Haven. In 1992, Haven recorded "Age of Darkness" at Catamount Studios in Iowa, with Believer's Kurt Bachman as producer. This record took on the opposition to Occultism as a lyrical theme. The track "Divination" enjoyed a few weeks as #1 on the Billboard chart.

Breakup

In 1993, most of Haven was now in their early 20s. It was at this time that Tim Benton left the band and moved to Atlanta. Tim's leaving had significant impact on the band. However, eager to continue Haven found a new Drummer, Ed Phelan. Haven continued to prepare the third record for R.E.X. By 1992 it became clear that there would be no third recording, due to the impending demise of R.E.X. Records

R.E.X. Records

. It was at this time, that Andrew announced his intention to leave Haven. After the loss of Tim and Andrew, it was commonly believed that Haven was finished.

Controversy

There have been a few recordings done after the split of Haven that purports to be from the band Haven. These recordings should be viewed mostly as the work of Kevin Ayers and not of Haven. Haven only recorded two records and they were both on R.E.X. Records

R.E.X. Records

Discography

Your Dying Day (1990, R.E.X. Records)
Age Of Darkness (1992, R.E.X. Records)
Straight From the Cutting Room Floor (1993, R.E.X. Records)
Haven (1995, Kma Comm. (Independent))

Members

Kevin Ayers- vocals
Andrew Bruner - guitars
Ed Bruner- bass
Tim Benton - drums
John Farrell- guitar
Chad McKee - guitar

External links

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