Steel Prophet
Encyclopedia
Steel Prophet is an American
power metal
band led by the founder and main writer Steve Kachinsky.
. The group's initial lineup consisted of Kachinsky on guitar, Gary Stocking on vocals, Wayne Faircloth on bass, and Harry Blackwell on drums; Blackwell's father was jazz
drummer Ed Blackwell
. Blackwell and Stocking left the group late in the 1980s; J.T. Tarascio joined on drums shortly before Kachinsky moved the group to California
in 1988. Following the move Kachinsky and Trascio reconstituted the group with bassist Vince Dennis, singer Scott Lindsenbardt, and guitarist Domenic Chavira. Lindsenbardt was quickly replaced by Nick Mantis, who was himself replaced by Rick Mythiasin; Chavira left the group soon after, to be replaced by Jon Paget.
In 1990 they released a demo album Inner Ascendance, after which time Paget left; Horacio Colmenares replaced him on guitar. This demo received great praise in the US metal underground scene over years. The very progressive style of music reminded metal fans of the critically acclaimed first three albums of the band Fates Warning
(in their John Arch
era). The success eventually led the band to release their first full length album. It was called The Goddess Principle and was released in 1995. I contained completely new songs; no demo song was re-used on it. One year later, in 1996, the band released an EP called Continuum. Following this, Tarascio and Colmenares departed, and drummer Pete Parada and guitarist Jon Pons joined.
In 1997, the band released their second studio album called Into the Void (Hallucinogenic Conception). The style of music changed in a way that most of the complex song structures were replaced by simpler structures, now resembling a style that's more of a mixture between (more) Iron Maiden
and (less) early Fates Warning
. Steve Kachinsky often said in interviews that the change of style was a way to make the music more accessible to live audiences.
After largely favorable reviews, they signed with Nuclear Blast
. In early 1999, Steel Prophet released their third studio album Dark Hallucinations. The album, mainly consisting of concept songs that followed the storyline of Ray Bradbury
's dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451
, was very well received, earning top ratings in metal magazines all over the globe. Musically, the style again changed a bit more towards Iron Maiden
, losing a bit of complexity in favor of speed and power. In early 2000, the band released their fourth studio album Messiah which took the style of the previous album but took it to new, more melodic and more experimental levels. The album was also very well received; even better than the previous one.
In September 2000, the band re-released their demo Inner Ascendance for the first time on CD, together with various cover songs. This release was called Genesis.
Pete Parada left the group in 2000, and Karl Rosqvist joined on drums; later that year Jon Pons departed, with Jim Williams replacing him on guitar. By the end of 2000, the band already had their next studio album completely written and pre-produced - but because they didn't want to put out a third release in one year, they decided to release Book Of The Dead in early 2001. This album had still the same style of music as the previous two albums, but was also packed with references of the first album The Goddess Principle. Two of the new songs use the same short intros as two songs on the debut album and the slow instrumental song Ruby Dreams (Fear And Hope) from the debut album appeared in a re-recorded and rearranged version. The album also got largely favorable reviews.
In 2002, the band released their sixth studio album Unseen. The album title was a reference to a song the band had on their album Messiah. Receiving mostly moderate reviews, the album wasn't a success. Most reviewers noticed a change of pace and a lack of exciting songs on the new album. Unseen also was the first Steel Prophet release that didn't have a booklet. Steve commented on this, saying they wanted to make the album feel more like a classic Gatefold
Vinyl
album without lyrics, only in CD format.
Due to creative differences, vocalist Rick Mythiasin left the band in December 2002, intending to concentrate completely on his German/American band-project Taraxacum
. In the process of making the album Unseen, Band leader Steve Kachinsky didn't want vocalist Rick Mythiasin to use his characteristic high-pitched voice on the album anymore and Rick Mythiasin himself said that the song writing process didn't involve the whole band but mostly band leader Steve Kachinsky, leading to an uncomfortable atmosphere within the band. Those were the reasons for Rick to leave the band.
In 2004, new vocalist Nadir D`Priest joined the band. Soon after that, they released their seventh and last studio album Beware through Nightmare Records. The album received generally favorable reviews even though the style of music was changed a bit by D'Priest's vocal style, bringing a slight glam rock vibe into the music.
Half a year later, Steve Kachinsky announced that they once again changed their vocalist. It was announced that Bruce Hall, vocalist of the band Agent Steel
, was the new vocalist for Steel Prophet. Yet, no new material was recorded with him and no live shows were played either.
In March 2007, Steve Kachinsky announced that Rick Mythiasin rejoined the band. On May 4th, 2008, the new song Trickery Of The Scourge, with Rick as vocalist, was uploaded to the official Steel Prophet MySpace site. It was also announced that plenty of new songs were being recorded.
The 2008 release The Shallows Of Forever by Steel Legacy Records consists of very old recordings from a time before the band had even released their first demo Inner Ascendance.
In February 2011, Steve Kachinsky announced on the official Steel Prophet internet forum that the band has got 8 songs ready and will start recording the new album when another 6 songs will be done. The album will contain a new metal version of the fun-song Oleander that was the outro of their 2001 album Book Of The Dead.
Guitar
Bass
Drums
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
power metal
Power metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
band led by the founder and main writer Steve Kachinsky.
History
The band started in the middle of the 1980s in Middletown, ConnecticutMiddletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated as a town under its original Indian name, Mattabeseck. It received its present name in 1653. In 1784, the central...
. The group's initial lineup consisted of Kachinsky on guitar, Gary Stocking on vocals, Wayne Faircloth on bass, and Harry Blackwell on drums; Blackwell's father was jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
drummer Ed Blackwell
Ed Blackwell
Ed Blackwell was an American jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana, known for his extensive work with Ornette Coleman....
. Blackwell and Stocking left the group late in the 1980s; J.T. Tarascio joined on drums shortly before Kachinsky moved the group to California
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...
in 1988. Following the move Kachinsky and Trascio reconstituted the group with bassist Vince Dennis, singer Scott Lindsenbardt, and guitarist Domenic Chavira. Lindsenbardt was quickly replaced by Nick Mantis, who was himself replaced by Rick Mythiasin; Chavira left the group soon after, to be replaced by Jon Paget.
In 1990 they released a demo album Inner Ascendance, after which time Paget left; Horacio Colmenares replaced him on guitar. This demo received great praise in the US metal underground scene over years. The very progressive style of music reminded metal fans of the critically acclaimed first three albums of the band Fates Warning
Fates Warning
Fates Warning is an American progressive metal band, formed in 1982 by vocalist John Arch, guitarists Jim Matheos and Victor Arduini, bassist Joe DiBiase, and drummer Steve Zimmerman in Hartford, Connecticut. Fates Warning has experienced numerous line-up changes...
(in their John Arch
John Arch
John Arch is an American progressive metal singer of partial Native American descent, most notable for his work with his band Fates Warning.-Fates Warning:...
era). The success eventually led the band to release their first full length album. It was called The Goddess Principle and was released in 1995. I contained completely new songs; no demo song was re-used on it. One year later, in 1996, the band released an EP called Continuum. Following this, Tarascio and Colmenares departed, and drummer Pete Parada and guitarist Jon Pons joined.
In 1997, the band released their second studio album called Into the Void (Hallucinogenic Conception). The style of music changed in a way that most of the complex song structures were replaced by simpler structures, now resembling a style that's more of a mixture between (more) Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
and (less) early Fates Warning
Fates Warning
Fates Warning is an American progressive metal band, formed in 1982 by vocalist John Arch, guitarists Jim Matheos and Victor Arduini, bassist Joe DiBiase, and drummer Steve Zimmerman in Hartford, Connecticut. Fates Warning has experienced numerous line-up changes...
. Steve Kachinsky often said in interviews that the change of style was a way to make the music more accessible to live audiences.
After largely favorable reviews, they signed with Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic...
. In early 1999, Steel Prophet released their third studio album Dark Hallucinations. The album, mainly consisting of concept songs that followed the storyline of Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
's dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451
Fahrenheit 451
Fahrenheit 451 is a 1953 dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury. The novel presents a future American society where reading is outlawed and firemen start fires to burn books...
, was very well received, earning top ratings in metal magazines all over the globe. Musically, the style again changed a bit more towards Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, losing a bit of complexity in favor of speed and power. In early 2000, the band released their fourth studio album Messiah which took the style of the previous album but took it to new, more melodic and more experimental levels. The album was also very well received; even better than the previous one.
In September 2000, the band re-released their demo Inner Ascendance for the first time on CD, together with various cover songs. This release was called Genesis.
Pete Parada left the group in 2000, and Karl Rosqvist joined on drums; later that year Jon Pons departed, with Jim Williams replacing him on guitar. By the end of 2000, the band already had their next studio album completely written and pre-produced - but because they didn't want to put out a third release in one year, they decided to release Book Of The Dead in early 2001. This album had still the same style of music as the previous two albums, but was also packed with references of the first album The Goddess Principle. Two of the new songs use the same short intros as two songs on the debut album and the slow instrumental song Ruby Dreams (Fear And Hope) from the debut album appeared in a re-recorded and rearranged version. The album also got largely favorable reviews.
In 2002, the band released their sixth studio album Unseen. The album title was a reference to a song the band had on their album Messiah. Receiving mostly moderate reviews, the album wasn't a success. Most reviewers noticed a change of pace and a lack of exciting songs on the new album. Unseen also was the first Steel Prophet release that didn't have a booklet. Steve commented on this, saying they wanted to make the album feel more like a classic Gatefold
Gatefold
A gatefold is a type of fold used for advertising around a magazine or section, and for packaging of media such as vinyl records.- LP covers :...
Vinyl
Vinyl
A vinyl compound is any organic compound that contains a vinyl group ,which are derivatives of ethene, CH2=CH2, with one hydrogen atom replaced with some other group...
album without lyrics, only in CD format.
Due to creative differences, vocalist Rick Mythiasin left the band in December 2002, intending to concentrate completely on his German/American band-project Taraxacum
Taraxacum
Taraxacum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. They are native to Eurasia and North America, and two species, T. officinale and T. erythrospermum, are found as weeds worldwide. Both species are edible in their entirety...
. In the process of making the album Unseen, Band leader Steve Kachinsky didn't want vocalist Rick Mythiasin to use his characteristic high-pitched voice on the album anymore and Rick Mythiasin himself said that the song writing process didn't involve the whole band but mostly band leader Steve Kachinsky, leading to an uncomfortable atmosphere within the band. Those were the reasons for Rick to leave the band.
In 2004, new vocalist Nadir D`Priest joined the band. Soon after that, they released their seventh and last studio album Beware through Nightmare Records. The album received generally favorable reviews even though the style of music was changed a bit by D'Priest's vocal style, bringing a slight glam rock vibe into the music.
Half a year later, Steve Kachinsky announced that they once again changed their vocalist. It was announced that Bruce Hall, vocalist of the band Agent Steel
Agent Steel
Agent Steel is an American speed metal band from Los Angeles, California that was formed in 1984 by singer John Cyriis ,and drummer Chuck Profus. The band released two full length albums, and one EP before disbanding in 1988...
, was the new vocalist for Steel Prophet. Yet, no new material was recorded with him and no live shows were played either.
In March 2007, Steve Kachinsky announced that Rick Mythiasin rejoined the band. On May 4th, 2008, the new song Trickery Of The Scourge, with Rick as vocalist, was uploaded to the official Steel Prophet MySpace site. It was also announced that plenty of new songs were being recorded.
The 2008 release The Shallows Of Forever by Steel Legacy Records consists of very old recordings from a time before the band had even released their first demo Inner Ascendance.
In February 2011, Steve Kachinsky announced on the official Steel Prophet internet forum that the band has got 8 songs ready and will start recording the new album when another 6 songs will be done. The album will contain a new metal version of the fun-song Oleander that was the outro of their 2001 album Book Of The Dead.
Discography
- Inner Ascendance (1990)
- The Goddess Principle (1995)
- Continuum EP (1996)
- Into the Void (Hallucinogenic Conception) (1997)
- Dark Hallucinations (Nuclear BlastNuclear BlastNuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic...
, 1999) - Messiah (Nuclear BlastNuclear BlastNuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic...
, 2000) - Genesis (Nuclear BlastNuclear BlastNuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic...
, 2000) - Book of the Dead (Nuclear BlastNuclear BlastNuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic...
, 2001) - Unseen (Nuclear BlastNuclear BlastNuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic...
, 2002) - Beware (Nightmare Records, 2004)
- The Shallows Of Forever (Steel Legacy Records, 2008)
Current
- Rick Mythiasin - Vocals (New Eden, Redemption, Taraxacum)
- Steve Kachinsky - Guitars
- Horacio Colmenares - Guitars (New Eden)
- Vince Dennis - Bass (Body Count, Obscene Gesture)
- Jimmy Schultz - Drums (New Eden)
Former
Vocals- Nadir D'Priest (London, D'Priest)
- Bruce Hall (Agent Steel)
- Nick Mantis
- Scott Lindsenbardt
- Gary Stocking
Guitar
- Jimmy Williams (Vindikation)
- John Pons
- Horacio Colmenares (New Eden, Axehammer)
- John Paget
- Domenic Chavira
- Pete Skermetta
- Vince Dennis (Body Count, Obscene Gesture)
Bass
- Glenn Cannon (Hellion)
- Wayne Faircloth
- Vince Dennis (Agent Steel)
Drums
- Gene McEven (Neil Turbin)
- Karl RosqvistKarl RosqvistKarl Rosqvist , also p.k.a. Karl Rockfist is a Swedish/ Finnish drummer who has been mostly active in the American music scene. He played in the Swedish metal band Sorg in the early to mid 90s....
(Sorg (Swe), Vindikation, DanzigDanzig (band)Danzig is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey. The band serves as a musical outlet for the singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig. Danzig can be seen as the third stage in Glenn Danzig's musical career, preceded by the horror punk bands The Misfits and Samhain...
, The Chelsea SmilesThe Chelsea SmilesThe Chelsea Smiles are a hard rock/sleaze rock band formed in 2004 featuring guitarist Todd Youth , Karl Rosqvist of Danzig, Steel Prophet, Skye Vaughan-Jayne of Bullets and Octane, Johnny Martin and RJ Ronquillo....
) - Pat Magrath (Prototype (US), Killing Culture)
- Pete ParadaPete ParadaPeter "Pete" Parada is an American drummer who has been a member of several notable musical acts. Parada's drumming career began in 1996 when he joined Steel Prophet and recorded one album with them a year later. Subsequently he joined Face to Face and Saves the Day, and in 2007 became the new...
(Engine, HalfordHalfordHalford may refer to:Places:*Halford, Shropshire, England*Halford, Warwickshire, England*Halford Island, Nunavut, CanadaPeople:* Alison Halford , Welsh former senior police officer and politician...
, Face to Face) - John Tarascio
- Harry Blackwell
- Kevin Cafferty
- Steve Aresco