SOiL
Encyclopedia
Soil, often typeset as SOiL, is an American rock
band that formed in Chicago
, Illinois
in 1997.
Soil's success came in 2001 when Pat Lynch of Orlando
rock radio station WJRR
, played the demo of "Halo" in heavy rotation. A major label bidding war erupted, the band chose J Records
(a division of RCA Records
). Music industry legend Clive Davis
, responsible for signing such acts as Pink Floyd
and Bruce Springsteen
, signed the band, and stated that "you're gonna be my only rock band for now. You're going to be a priority, and I want to break this band".
act Oppressor
, joined by guitarist of another death metal act Broken Hope
- as a side project to their other bands. Ryan McCombs was later recruited for vocal duties.
The original lineup of the band was Ryan McCombs (vocals), Shaun Glass (guitar) (ex-Broken Hope, currently of the band Dirge Within), Tom Schofield, Tim King, and Adam Zadel (all three ex-Oppressor). McCombs left in 2004 after the band departed from their label (J Records
), to be with his family and later join Drowning Pool, and Glass in 2007, citing personal and musical differences. McCombs was replaced with vocalist AJ Cavalier, also of Diesel Machine.
Soil's first three releases, Soil
(EP
), El Chupacabra
(EP) and their debut album Throttle Junkies
, failed to break the band into the mainstream. It was around this time that all the members of Soil left their other bands to focus on Soil as their main project.
The band experienced their greatest success with Scars (released September 11, 2001). Their success was helped by singles such as "Halo" and "Unreal".
In 2004, the band parted company with J Records after disappointing album sales of their second major album Redefine. Shortly after, vocalist Ryan McCombs
announced his departure from the group. New York
-based vocalist AJ Cavalier was introduced on November 15, 2004 as McCombs' replacement. On July 20, 2005, McCombs was confirmed to be the new singer for Drowning Pool.
On September 21, 2005, Soil signed with New York-based independent label DRT Entertainment
. Their album True Self
was released on May 2, 2006. The album leaked onto P2P
and BitTorrent sites on March 4, almost two months before its official release.
On October 20, 2009 the album Picture Perfect
was released via Bieler Bros Records worldwide, except in Europe, where it was released by AFM Records. Picture Perfect was produced by Johnny K (Disturbed, Staind), Ulrich Wild (Deftones, Incubus) and Soil, with Dave Fortman (Mudvayne, Evanescence) handling mixing duties. The first single from this album was "Like It Is". In January 2010, "The Lesser Man" was announced as the second single.
On Friday, July, 23, 2010, vocalist A.J. Cavalier, and drummer Tom Schofield announced their departure from the band.
Vocalist Jordan Lee and drummer Mike Tignino were announced as fill-ins for scheduled live dates.
The band reunited with original vocalist Ryan McCombs for a 12-date co-headlining UK tour with Puddle of Mudd
in October 2011 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Scars album.
Former Staind drummer, Jon Wysocki, also joined Soil for the 2011 UK Tour.
Sony Music UK has announced that the SOiL "Scars" album has been certified silver in the UK with sales in excess of over 60,000 units.
Former members
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band that formed in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
in 1997.
Soil's success came in 2001 when Pat Lynch of Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
rock radio station WJRR
WJRR
WJRR — branded 101one — is a commercial radio station located in Maitland, Florida broadcasting to the Orlando, Florida area. The station mainly airs an Active Rock playlist....
, played the demo of "Halo" in heavy rotation. A major label bidding war erupted, the band chose J Records
J Records
J Records was an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment, and was distributed through the RCA Music Group.-Company history:...
(a division of RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
). Music industry legend Clive Davis
Clive Davis
Clive Davis is an American record producer and music industry executive. He has won five Grammy Awards and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. From 1967 to 1973 he was the President of Columbia Records. He was the founder and president of Arista Records from 1975...
, responsible for signing such acts as Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
and Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, signed the band, and stated that "you're gonna be my only rock band for now. You're going to be a priority, and I want to break this band".
History
Soil was originally formed in 1997 by three of four members of death metalDeath 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....
act Oppressor
Oppressor
Oppressor was a technical death metal band from Chicago, Illinois, which formed in 1991 and finished in 1999. They released three albums. Three of the band's members went on to form alternative metal band Soil.-History:...
, joined by guitarist of another death metal act Broken Hope
Broken Hope
Broken Hope was an American death metal band that was founded in 1988. They were known as an accomplished mid-paced style death metal band with low-pitched growling vocals...
- as a side project to their other bands. Ryan McCombs was later recruited for vocal duties.
The original lineup of the band was Ryan McCombs (vocals), Shaun Glass (guitar) (ex-Broken Hope, currently of the band Dirge Within), Tom Schofield, Tim King, and Adam Zadel (all three ex-Oppressor). McCombs left in 2004 after the band departed from their label (J Records
J Records
J Records was an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment, and was distributed through the RCA Music Group.-Company history:...
), to be with his family and later join Drowning Pool, and Glass in 2007, citing personal and musical differences. McCombs was replaced with vocalist AJ Cavalier, also of Diesel Machine.
Soil's first three releases, Soil
SOiL (EP)
Soil is the debut EP from the Chicago metal band Soil. According to vocalist Ryan McCombs, this release was referred to by the band as "the worm disc." The tracks "Broken Wings" and "She" would be featured again on a second EP, El Chupacabra, in 1998...
(EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
), El Chupacabra
El Chupacabra (album)
El Chupacabra is an EP by the heavy metal band Soil. The name of the EP refers to a mythical Puerto Rican beast, and literally means "goat-sucker" in Spanish...
(EP) and their debut album Throttle Junkies
Throttle Junkies
Throttle Junkies is the debut album by the Chicago-based music group Soil. The album was released on May 18, 1999 via the now defunct MIA Records. It featured tracks previously released on the band's EPs Soil and El Chupacabra. Not long after the album's release, MIA folded...
, failed to break the band into the mainstream. It was around this time that all the members of Soil left their other bands to focus on Soil as their main project.
The band experienced their greatest success with Scars (released September 11, 2001). Their success was helped by singles such as "Halo" and "Unreal".
In 2004, the band parted company with J Records after disappointing album sales of their second major album Redefine. Shortly after, vocalist Ryan McCombs
Ryan McCombs
Ryan McCombs is a heavy metal vocalist. From 1997 to 2004 he was the vocalist of the hard rock band Soil. Since 2005, however, McCombs has served as the vocalist for Drowning Pool.-1997-2004: Soil:...
announced his departure from the group. New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
-based vocalist AJ Cavalier was introduced on November 15, 2004 as McCombs' replacement. On July 20, 2005, McCombs was confirmed to be the new singer for Drowning Pool.
On September 21, 2005, Soil signed with New York-based independent label DRT Entertainment
DRT Entertainment
DRT Entertainment is a New York City based independent record label founded in 2003 by Derek Shulman, Ron Urban and Theodore "Ted" Green. It is now solely owned by Derek Shulman....
. Their album True Self
True Self
True Self is fourth album by the Chicago-based music group Soil. It was released in the US on May 2, 2006 via DRT Entertainment. This is the band's first album with new vocalist AJ Cavalier. True Self leaked onto P2P and BitTorrent sites on March 4, almost two months before its official release...
was released on May 2, 2006. The album leaked onto P2P
Peer-to-peer file sharing
P2P or Peer-to-peer file sharing allows users to download files such as music, movies, and games using a P2P software client that searches for other connected computers. The "peers" are computer systems connected to each other through internet. Thus, the only requirements for a computer to join...
and BitTorrent sites on March 4, almost two months before its official release.
On October 20, 2009 the album Picture Perfect
Picture Perfect (Soil album)
Picture Perfect is an album by SOiL, released October 20, 2009.The album was released by Bieler Bros. Records worldwide, except in Europe, where it was released by AFM Records...
was released via Bieler Bros Records worldwide, except in Europe, where it was released by AFM Records. Picture Perfect was produced by Johnny K (Disturbed, Staind), Ulrich Wild (Deftones, Incubus) and Soil, with Dave Fortman (Mudvayne, Evanescence) handling mixing duties. The first single from this album was "Like It Is". In January 2010, "The Lesser Man" was announced as the second single.
On Friday, July, 23, 2010, vocalist A.J. Cavalier, and drummer Tom Schofield announced their departure from the band.
Vocalist Jordan Lee and drummer Mike Tignino were announced as fill-ins for scheduled live dates.
The band reunited with original vocalist Ryan McCombs for a 12-date co-headlining UK tour with Puddle of Mudd
Puddle of Mudd
Puddle Of Mudd is an American rock band from Kansas City, Missouri, USA. To date the band has sold over 7 million albums, and have had a string of #1 mainstream rock singles in the United States. Their major-label debut Come Clean has sold over 5 million copies...
in October 2011 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Scars album.
Former Staind drummer, Jon Wysocki, also joined Soil for the 2011 UK Tour.
Sony Music UK has announced that the SOiL "Scars" album has been certified silver in the UK with sales in excess of over 60,000 units.
Band members
Current members- Adam Zadel – 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...
(1997–present) - Tim King – BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1997–present) - Ryan McCombsRyan McCombsRyan McCombs is a heavy metal vocalist. From 1997 to 2004 he was the vocalist of the hard rock band Soil. Since 2005, however, McCombs has served as the vocalist for Drowning Pool.-1997-2004: Soil:...
– Vocals (1997–2004, 2011–present) - Jon Wysocki - Drums (2011–present)
Former members
- Shaun Glass – Guitar (1997–2007)
- A. J. Cavalier - Vocals (2004–2010)
- Tom Schofield – Drums (1997–2010)
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Ind. Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
|||||||||||||
| 1999 | Throttle Junkies Throttle Junkies Throttle Junkies is the debut album by the Chicago-based music group Soil. The album was released on May 18, 1999 via the now defunct MIA Records. It featured tracks previously released on the band's EPs Soil and El Chupacabra. Not long after the album's release, MIA folded...
|
— | — | — | |||||||||||
| 2001 | Scars
J Records J Records was an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment, and was distributed through the RCA Music Group.-Company history:... |
193 | — | 150 | |||||||||||
| 2004 | Redefine
|
78 | — | 93 | |||||||||||
| 2006 | True Self True Self True Self is fourth album by the Chicago-based music group Soil. It was released in the US on May 2, 2006 via DRT Entertainment. This is the band's first album with new vocalist AJ Cavalier. True Self leaked onto P2P and BitTorrent sites on March 4, almost two months before its official release... DRT Entertainment DRT Entertainment is a New York City based independent record label founded in 2003 by Derek Shulman, Ron Urban and Theodore "Ted" Green. It is now solely owned by Derek Shulman.... |
— | 21 | 171 | |||||||||||
| 2009 | Picture Perfect Picture Perfect (Soil album) Picture Perfect is an album by SOiL, released October 20, 2009.The album was released by Bieler Bros. Records worldwide, except in Europe, where it was released by AFM Records... Bieler Bros. Records Bieler Bros. Records is an independent record label based out of Florida, USA.-History:Bieler Bros. Records was formed in January 2002 by brothers Aaron and Jason Bieler... |
— | — | — | |||||||||||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | |||||||||||||||
Extended plays
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Soil SOiL (EP) Soil is the debut EP from the Chicago metal band Soil. According to vocalist Ryan McCombs, this release was referred to by the band as "the worm disc." The tracks "Broken Wings" and "She" would be featured again on a second EP, El Chupacabra, in 1998...
|
| 1998 | El Chupacabra! El Chupacabra (album) El Chupacabra is an EP by the heavy metal band Soil. The name of the EP refers to a mythical Puerto Rican beast, and literally means "goat-sucker" in Spanish... |
| 2003 | Pride EP
|
Singles
| Year | Title | US Main. |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | "Halo Halo (Soil song) "Halo" is the first single off groove metal band Soil's second studio album, Scars. The video is filmed in a rundown house, lit by lamps and sunlight through boarded-up windows... " |
22 | 74 | Scars |
| 2002 | "Unreal" | 31 | 113 | |
| "Breaking Me Down" | — | — | ||
| 2004 | "Redefine" | 11 | 68 | Redefine |
| 2006 | "Give It Up" | — | — | True Self |
| "Let Go" | — | — | ||
| 2009 | "Like It Is" | — | — | Picture Perfect |
| 2010 | "The Lesser Man" | 24 | — | |
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | ||||
External links
- http://www.myspace.com/soil
- http://www.facebook.com/soilmusic