The Damned Things
Encyclopedia
The Damned Things are a heavy metal
supergroup
consisting of Joe Trohman
and Andy Hurley
of Fall Out Boy
, Scott Ian
and Rob Caggiano
of Anthrax
, Keith Buckley
of Every Time I Die
and Josh Newton
formally of Every Time I Die
The band's name is inspired by the lyrics in Ram Jam
's '70s version of "Black Betty
".
The band played their debut show at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, New York on June 1, 2010 and their first UK show in London at Heaven on June 10. They also played on the second stage at the Download Festival
on June 13, 2010, and on the Helvíti stage at the Copenhell Festival on June 12, 2010. The first single "We've Got a Situation Here" was released on iTunes
on October 25, 2010. Songs "Ironiclast" and "We've Got a Situation Here" were released together as a 7" vinyl
and CD single on November 26, 2010, through Metal Club stores. On October 21, 2010, The band released the song "Friday Night (Going Down In Flames)" via their Facebook
and Myspace
, as well as their debut album's artwork.
On November 29, 2010, the band released the song "Little Darling" for free streaming through AbsolutePunk.net
.
The band's debut album Ironiclast
was released on December 14, 2010 through Island Records
. Guitarist Joe Trohman
has mentioned that for the album, the band was aiming for a blues
-oriented, riff
-oriented heavy
/classic rock
sound, and combining elements from their own bands, going for a traditional hard rock
sound combined with the heavier aspects of Anthrax
and Every Time I Die
and the hook-laden choruses of Fall Out Boy
. Trohman has mentioned such bands as Thin Lizzy
and Led Zeppelin
as having influence on the record. In an interview in December 2010, guitarist Joe Trohman confirmed that Josh Newton
of Every Time I Die
had joined the band as a full-time bassist.
The band was confirmed to play the Download Festival 2011. In May it is confirmed that the band's second single will be, "Friday Night (Going Down In Flames)".
The band was also confirmed to play the Hellfest 2011. They were scheduled to also play the Australian Soundwave Revolution festival in September–October 2011, but the festival was cancelled and in its place is the band played on the Australian Counter-Revolution mini-festival.
A previously unreleased song by the band, entitled "Trophy Widow", was released on the soundtrack of the video game Batman: Arkham City, on October 4, 2011, while the game was released two weeks later, on October 18.
Singles
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
consisting of Joe Trohman
Joe Trohman
Joseph Mark Trohman is an American musician. He is best known as the guitarist of the Chicago-based pop punk band Fall Out Boy, as well as the lead and rhythm guitarist for heavy metal supergroup The Damned Things.-Early life:...
and Andy Hurley
Andy Hurley
Andrew John Hurley is an American musician and drummer. He is best known as a member of the Chicago-based rock band Fall Out Boy. Prior to Fall Out Boy, Hurley played in several different bands. He is currently the drummer in the heavy metal supergroup The Damned Things with Fall Out Boy guitarist...
of Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
, Scott Ian
Scott Ian
Scott Ian Rosenfeld , better known by the stage name Scott Ian, is an American musician, best known as the rhythm & lead guitarist for the heavy metal band Anthrax. Ian is also the guitarist and a founding member of the crossover thrash band Stormtroopers of Death...
and Rob Caggiano
Rob Caggiano
Robert Caggiano is an American guitarist and producer best known as the lead & rhythm guitarist of the Heavy Metal band Anthrax. His first professional band was Boiler Room that formed in 1996. The band caught the attention of Roadrunner Records after an opening slot for Orgy in 1999...
of Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
, Keith Buckley
Keith Buckley
Keith Buckley is the lyricist and vocalist for the metalcore band Every Time I Die and the heavy metal supergroup The Damned Things.-Family:...
of Every Time I Die
Every Time I Die
Every Time I Die is a metalcore band from Buffalo, New York, formed in 1998. Their musical style is rooted in technical hardcore with strong southern metal and mathcore elements, and is also characterised by their cryptic, bitingly sarcastic lyrics. The band announced on July 14, 2008 that they had...
and Josh Newton
Josh Newton
Josh Newton was the bass player for Every Time I Die until the 12th October 2011. He is also the singer and guitarist of The Great Fire of Sixteen Sixty Six...
formally of Every Time I Die
Every Time I Die
Every Time I Die is a metalcore band from Buffalo, New York, formed in 1998. Their musical style is rooted in technical hardcore with strong southern metal and mathcore elements, and is also characterised by their cryptic, bitingly sarcastic lyrics. The band announced on July 14, 2008 that they had...
The band's name is inspired by the lyrics in Ram Jam
Ram Jam
Ram Jam was an American 1970s rock band, best known for their 1977 hit single, "Black Betty".The band members were Bill Bartlett , Pete Charles , Myke Scavone , and Howie Arthur Blauvelt . Also, Jimmy Santoro, who toured with the band in support of their debut album, joined on guitar for the...
's '70s version of "Black Betty
Black Betty
"Black Betty" is a 20th century African-American work song often credited to Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter as the author, though the earliest recordings are not by him. Some sources claim it is one of Lead Belly's many adaptations of earlier folk material; in this case an 18th century marching...
".
History
The first seeds for the band were planted around 2008, when guitarists Joe Trohman and Scott Ian met and began writing music together. They invited Keith Buckley, Rob Caggiano and Andy Hurley soon after.The band played their debut show at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, New York on June 1, 2010 and their first UK show in London at Heaven on June 10. They also played on the second stage at the Download Festival
Download Festival
The Download Festival is a three day rock music festival held annually at Donington Park, England . It usually takes place in June...
on June 13, 2010, and on the Helvíti stage at the Copenhell Festival on June 12, 2010. The first single "We've Got a Situation Here" was released on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on October 25, 2010. Songs "Ironiclast" and "We've Got a Situation Here" were released together as a 7" vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
and CD single on November 26, 2010, through Metal Club stores. On October 21, 2010, The band released the song "Friday Night (Going Down In Flames)" via their Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and 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....
, as well as their debut album's artwork.
On November 29, 2010, the band released the song "Little Darling" for free streaming through AbsolutePunk.net
AbsolutePunk.net
AbsolutePunk is a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate . The website mainly focuses on artists who are relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it has been known to feature artists who have eventually achieved crossover success, including Fall...
.
The band's debut album Ironiclast
Ironiclast
Ironiclast is the debut album the American heavy metal supergroup The Damned Things. The album was released on December 14, 2010 internationally and a day later in North America. The supergroup includes Joe Trohman and Andy Hurley of Fall Out Boy, Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano of Anthrax and Keith...
was released on December 14, 2010 through Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
. Guitarist Joe Trohman
Joe Trohman
Joseph Mark Trohman is an American musician. He is best known as the guitarist of the Chicago-based pop punk band Fall Out Boy, as well as the lead and rhythm guitarist for heavy metal supergroup The Damned Things.-Early life:...
has mentioned that for the album, the band was aiming for a blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
-oriented, riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
-oriented heavy
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
/classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
sound, and combining elements from their own bands, going for a traditional hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
sound combined with the heavier aspects of Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
and Every Time I Die
Every Time I Die
Every Time I Die is a metalcore band from Buffalo, New York, formed in 1998. Their musical style is rooted in technical hardcore with strong southern metal and mathcore elements, and is also characterised by their cryptic, bitingly sarcastic lyrics. The band announced on July 14, 2008 that they had...
and the hook-laden choruses of Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
. Trohman has mentioned such bands as Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...
and Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
as having influence on the record. In an interview in December 2010, guitarist Joe Trohman confirmed that Josh Newton
Josh Newton
Josh Newton was the bass player for Every Time I Die until the 12th October 2011. He is also the singer and guitarist of The Great Fire of Sixteen Sixty Six...
of Every Time I Die
Every Time I Die
Every Time I Die is a metalcore band from Buffalo, New York, formed in 1998. Their musical style is rooted in technical hardcore with strong southern metal and mathcore elements, and is also characterised by their cryptic, bitingly sarcastic lyrics. The band announced on July 14, 2008 that they had...
had joined the band as a full-time bassist.
The band was confirmed to play the Download Festival 2011. In May it is confirmed that the band's second single will be, "Friday Night (Going Down In Flames)".
The band was also confirmed to play the Hellfest 2011. They were scheduled to also play the Australian Soundwave Revolution festival in September–October 2011, but the festival was cancelled and in its place is the band played on the Australian Counter-Revolution mini-festival.
A previously unreleased song by the band, entitled "Trophy Widow", was released on the soundtrack of the video game Batman: Arkham City, on October 4, 2011, while the game was released two weeks later, on October 18.
Current members
- Keith BuckleyKeith BuckleyKeith Buckley is the lyricist and vocalist for the metalcore band Every Time I Die and the heavy metal supergroup The Damned Things.-Family:...
– lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
(2009–present) - Joe TrohmanJoe TrohmanJoseph Mark Trohman is an American musician. He is best known as the guitarist of the Chicago-based pop punk band Fall Out Boy, as well as the lead and rhythm guitarist for heavy metal supergroup The Damned Things.-Early life:...
– leadLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
& rhythm guitars, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(2009–present) - Andy HurleyAndy HurleyAndrew John Hurley is an American musician and drummer. He is best known as a member of the Chicago-based rock band Fall Out Boy. Prior to Fall Out Boy, Hurley played in several different bands. He is currently the drummer in the heavy metal supergroup The Damned Things with Fall Out Boy guitarist...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
(2009–present) - Rob CaggianoRob CaggianoRobert Caggiano is an American guitarist and producer best known as the lead & rhythm guitarist of the Heavy Metal band Anthrax. His first professional band was Boiler Room that formed in 1996. The band caught the attention of Roadrunner Records after an opening slot for Orgy in 1999...
– lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals (2009–present) - Scott IanScott IanScott Ian Rosenfeld , better known by the stage name Scott Ian, is an American musician, best known as the rhythm & lead guitarist for the heavy metal band Anthrax. Ian is also the guitarist and a founding member of the crossover thrash band Stormtroopers of Death...
– rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2009–present) - Josh NewtonJosh NewtonJosh Newton was the bass player for Every Time I Die until the 12th October 2011. He is also the singer and guitarist of The Great Fire of Sixteen Sixty Six...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(2010–present)
Discography
Studio albums- IroniclastIroniclastIroniclast is the debut album the American heavy metal supergroup The Damned Things. The album was released on December 14, 2010 internationally and a day later in North America. The supergroup includes Joe Trohman and Andy Hurley of Fall Out Boy, Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano of Anthrax and Keith...
(2010)
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak Positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Main. | |||
| 2010 | "We've Got a Situation Here" | 25 | Ironiclast Ironiclast Ironiclast is the debut album the American heavy metal supergroup The Damned Things. The album was released on December 14, 2010 internationally and a day later in North America. The supergroup includes Joe Trohman and Andy Hurley of Fall Out Boy, Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano of Anthrax and Keith... |
| 2011 | "Friday Night (Going Down in Flames)" | — | |