Judgement Day (band)
Encyclopedia
Judgement Day is a three piece "string metal" band from Oakland, California
.
and Lewis Patzner started off playing metal violin and cello duets on the streets in Berkeley, California
in 2002. They quickly released a seven-song acoustic EP and began playing rock shows as Judgement Day. The CD was self-recorded and about 500 copies were made and sold at shows and on the street. It is now out of print.
Shortly after the release of that disc the brothers recruited their friend Jon Bush to play drums and began playing fully amplified shows in Santa Cruz and Oakland with bands like The Botticellis
, Minkus, Desa
and The Matches
. Many of these early shows, while well received, were plagued with sound problems, mostly because of the feedback that comes from amplifying and distorting acoustic instruments. Eventually the band refined their techniques, bought the right kind of gear and figured out how to make their sound work on stage.
In November 2004 Judgement Day released their debut full length record, "Dark Opus". The record immediately gained praise in local and online press. Entirely self recorded and released, the half-hour album includes mostly tracks of heavy metal and hardcore with drums and distorted violin and cello but also includes some slower interlude tracks with string orchestras. One metal song features a full choir.
Unfortunately, soon after the release of "Dark Opus" Judgement Day was put on hold as Lewis Patzner began to concentrate heavily on receiving his cello performance degree from The Peabody Conservatory of Music
in Baltimore
. Adding to the hiatus, Anton Patzner
was recruited to play violin for notable indie-rock band Bright Eyes after Judgement Day was discovered playing an acoustic set outside of The Great American Music Hall
in San Francisco by Cursive
. For the next three years, Judgement Day released no new recordings and only played a few scattered shows. They did manage to play their first tour in May 2006, which included dates in Los Angeles
, San Diego and Santa Barbara
in addition to Northern California
.
Also in 2006 the band joined MySpace
and started a YouTube
channel, posting live footage of street performances, club shows and webcasts as well as music videos and a promotional video called "December 29th is Judgement Day" which became a minor hit with over 30,000 views.
, Mates of State
, and Margot and the Nuclear So and So's
. Judgement Day first played at Pittsburgh punk
venue Mousetrap Manor on October 21, 2008. On July 21, 2009 Judgement Day released a 7" record entitled "Out of the Abyss: Live on Tape" on Third Culture Records.
and finished overdubs at Anton's home studio. "Peacocks / Pink Monsters" will be released independently on April 13, 2010.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Beginnings (2002–2007)
Brothers AntonAnton Patzner
Anton Patzner is a violinist, composer and arranger who is a founding member of Judgement Day, has been featured on several major label and indie label records, frequently tours with Bright Eyes and Audrye Sessions and has also toured with Mates of State, The Faint, dredg, Margot and the Nuclear So...
and Lewis Patzner started off playing metal violin and cello duets on the streets in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
in 2002. They quickly released a seven-song acoustic EP and began playing rock shows as Judgement Day. The CD was self-recorded and about 500 copies were made and sold at shows and on the street. It is now out of print.
Shortly after the release of that disc the brothers recruited their friend Jon Bush to play drums and began playing fully amplified shows in Santa Cruz and Oakland with bands like The Botticellis
The Botticellis
The Botticellis are an American surf pop band founded in 2003 in Santa Cruz by Alexi Glickman, Zack Ehrlich, Burton Li, and Dave Tranchina. Their 2008 debut record was released by Antenna Farm Records in 2008 to critical acclaim...
, Minkus, Desa
Desa (band)
Desa is a rock band from Oakland, California. The band is currently signed to and released its second album in 2006. The band recently completed a two-month US tour with labelmates Rx Bandits to help promote the new album...
and The Matches
The Matches
The Matches are a United States-based band formed in 1997 in Oakland, California. It currently is composed of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Shawn Harris, lead guitarist and backup vocalist Jonathan Devoto, bassist and backup vocalist Dylan Rowe, and drummer Matt Whalen...
. Many of these early shows, while well received, were plagued with sound problems, mostly because of the feedback that comes from amplifying and distorting acoustic instruments. Eventually the band refined their techniques, bought the right kind of gear and figured out how to make their sound work on stage.
In November 2004 Judgement Day released their debut full length record, "Dark Opus". The record immediately gained praise in local and online press. Entirely self recorded and released, the half-hour album includes mostly tracks of heavy metal and hardcore with drums and distorted violin and cello but also includes some slower interlude tracks with string orchestras. One metal song features a full choir.
Unfortunately, soon after the release of "Dark Opus" Judgement Day was put on hold as Lewis Patzner began to concentrate heavily on receiving his cello performance degree from The Peabody Conservatory of Music
Peabody Institute
The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a renowned conservatory and preparatory school located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland at the corner of Charles and Monument Streets at Mount Vernon Place.-History:...
in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
. Adding to the hiatus, Anton Patzner
Anton Patzner
Anton Patzner is a violinist, composer and arranger who is a founding member of Judgement Day, has been featured on several major label and indie label records, frequently tours with Bright Eyes and Audrye Sessions and has also toured with Mates of State, The Faint, dredg, Margot and the Nuclear So...
was recruited to play violin for notable indie-rock band Bright Eyes after Judgement Day was discovered playing an acoustic set outside of The Great American Music Hall
Great American Music Hall
The Great American Music Hall is a concert hall in San Francisco, California. It is located on O'Farrell Street in the Tenderloin neighborhood on the same block as the Mitchell Brothers O'Farrell Theater...
in San Francisco by Cursive
Cursive (band)
Cursive is an American indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska, on Saddle Creek Records.-History:The band was formed in 1995 by Tim Kasher, Matt Maginn, Steve Pedersen , and drummer Clint Schnase. In 1997, they released Such Blinding Stars for Starving Eyes. After a couple years of touring, the band...
. For the next three years, Judgement Day released no new recordings and only played a few scattered shows. They did manage to play their first tour in May 2006, which included dates in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, San Diego and Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
in addition to Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
.
Also in 2006 the band joined MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
and started a YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel, posting live footage of street performances, club shows and webcasts as well as music videos and a promotional video called "December 29th is Judgement Day" which became a minor hit with over 30,000 views.
2008–present
Lewis Patzner graduated from Conservatory in spring of 2007 and the brothers both moved back to the bay area to begin work on another album. On May 9, 2008 Judgement Day released a 6-song EP title "Opus 3: Acoustic". In August 2008 they began touring nationally, supporting headlining acts such as DredgDredg
Dredg is an American rock group formed in 1993 in Los Gatos, California. The band consists of vocalist Gavin Hayes, guitarist Mark Engles, bassist Drew Roulette and drummer Dino Campanella....
, Mates of State
Mates of State
Mates of State are an American indie pop duo, active since 1997. The group is composed of the husband-and-wife team of Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel .Over the course of the band's fourteen year career, they've released three EPs and six full-length, studio...
, and Margot and the Nuclear So and So's
Margot and the Nuclear So and So's
Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s are a band from Indianapolis, Indiana. Their style has been described as "cinematic chamber pop" that "both the casual music fan and music perfectionist will enjoy"...
. Judgement Day first played at Pittsburgh punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
venue Mousetrap Manor on October 21, 2008. On July 21, 2009 Judgement Day released a 7" record entitled "Out of the Abyss: Live on Tape" on Third Culture Records.
Future plans
Judgement Day is currently preparing to release their second full length record entitled "Peacocks / Pink Monsters". According to their blog they recorded drums at Nu-Tone Studios with engineer Riki Feldmann in Pittsburg, CaliforniaPittsburg, California
Pittsburg is a city located in eastern Contra Costa County, California, the outer portion of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 63,264 at the 2010 census....
and finished overdubs at Anton's home studio. "Peacocks / Pink Monsters" will be released independently on April 13, 2010.
Discography
- 2003 - Acoustic Ep (out of print)
- 2004 - Dark Opus
- 2008 - Opus 3: Acoustic
- 2009 - Out of the Abyss: Live on Tape (7" singleSingle (music)In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
) - 2010 - Peacocks/Pink Monsters
- 2011 - B•Sides
Guest appearances
- 2006 - Taking Back SundayTaking Back SundayTaking Back Sunday is a rock band from Long Island, NY, formed in 1999 by guitarist Eddie Reyes. Current members of the band are Adam Lazzara , John Nolan , Eddie Reyes , Shaun Cooper and Mark O'Connell ....
- Louder NowLouder NowLouder Now is the third album by American rock band, Taking Back Sunday, released on April 25, 2006 through Hollywood Records. The first single off the album is "MakeDamnSure". The song "Error Operator" has been released on the Fantastic Four 2005 film soundtrack, but has been revamped for Louder...
, song: "My Blue Heaven" - 2006 - The MatchesThe MatchesThe Matches are a United States-based band formed in 1997 in Oakland, California. It currently is composed of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Shawn Harris, lead guitarist and backup vocalist Jonathan Devoto, bassist and backup vocalist Dylan Rowe, and drummer Matt Whalen...
- DecomposerDecomposer (album)Decomposer is the second album by The Matches, released by Epitaph Records on September 11, 2006 worldwide and on September 12, 2006. The band took an unusual approach to the album and enlisted the help of nine producers including John Feldmann of Goldfinger, Mark Hoppus of +44 and Blink-182, Nick...
, song: "Salty Eyes" - 2007 - The Color FredThe Color FredThe Color Fred is a band headed by former Taking Back Sunday guitarist and singer Fred Mascherino. The band got their name by a poll taken on the internet and The Color Fred was declared as the fans' favorite name. The band was started while he was in the band Breaking Pangaea. The Color Fred was...
- Bend To BreakBend to BreakBend to Break is the debut studio album by The Color Fred, the project of Fred Mascherino .It was released in digipak style on "a minimum of 80% post-consumer waste recycled paper". "I like to keep everything I do as close to carbon footprint zero as possible," he says...
, songs: "It Isn't Me"; "I'll Never Know" - 2009 - Pete YornPete YornPeter Joseph Yorn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist who first gained international recognition after his debut record, Musicforthemorningafter, was released to critical acclaim in 2001.-Early history:Yorn's father is a dentist and his mother is a former concert pianist who worked as a...
- Back and Fourth - 2009 - dredgDredgDredg is an American rock group formed in 1993 in Los Gatos, California. The band consists of vocalist Gavin Hayes, guitarist Mark Engles, bassist Drew Roulette and drummer Dino Campanella....
- The Pariah, the Parrot, the DelusionThe Pariah, the Parrot, the DelusionThe Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band Dredg, released on June 9, 2009, on Ohlone Recordings...
, song: "Long Days And Vague Clues" - 2010 - SlashSlash (musician)Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
- Slash - 2010 - Taking Back SundayTaking Back SundayTaking Back Sunday is a rock band from Long Island, NY, formed in 1999 by guitarist Eddie Reyes. Current members of the band are Adam Lazzara , John Nolan , Eddie Reyes , Shaun Cooper and Mark O'Connell ....
- Live from Orensanz CD/DVD - 2011 - The Low AnthemThe Low AnthemThe Low Anthem is an American indie folk band from Providence, Rhode Island, formed in 2006. The band consists of multi-instrumentalists Ben Knox Miller, Jeff Prystowsky and Jocie Adams, and rose to prominence with the re-release of its third studio album, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, in 2009.In...
- Smart FleshSmart FleshSmart Flesh is the fourth studio album by American indie folk band The Low Anthem, released on February 22, 2011 on Bella Union. The majority of the album was recorded in an abandoned pasta sauce factory in Central Falls, Rhode Island, near the band's hometown of Providence, Rhode Island... - 2011 - Jack Conte - VS4