XYZ (metal band)
Encyclopedia
XYZ is a hard rock
band, formed in the late 1980s. XYZ started off as the unofficial house band of "The Whiskey", a nightclub in Los Angeles
. The original members were, Terry Ilous (vocals), Bobby Pieper (guitar
s), Patt Fontaine (bass) and Joey Pafumi (drums). A tour of the US with Enuff Z'Nuff
and Alice Cooper
followed the success of their 1989 Enigma
released debut album, and they were signed by major label Capitol
for their second.
as their producer. Terry Ilous's vocal style on the band's first album was very similar to Dokken's. Ilous and Fontaine then recruited Mark Diglio (guitar
s) and Paul Monroe (drums) to record a debut album, produced by Don Dokken
. The album was released in 1989 and contained the hits "Inside Out" and "What Keeps Me Loving You". Videos for both songs received reasonable airplay, however, the album itself was not an overall success, managing to reach only #99 on the Billboard charts
. Single "Maggy" was used in the 1990 Dolph Lundgren
movie I Come in Peace
. The next album, Hungry
, released in 1991, had even less commercial success—not charting at all. Diglio and Monroe left the band and were replaced by Tony Burnett and Joey Shapiro, respectively. After the next tour was finished, band members went separate ways once again. They have reunited in various incarnations several times since then.
XYZ performed at Rocklahoma
Festival 2008.
, replacing Jack Russell.
Terry was recently interviewed by argentinean rock journalist Lucas H. Gordon, where the singer talked about a recent charity event called '80's Rockers for Japan' organized by Ilous to raise money for the Red Cross from Japan, to help victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
In the event many hard rock celebrities appeared like ex-Toto
Bobby Kimball
, Paul Shortino
, Rudy Sarzo
, Michael T. Ross
, John Payne
, Carmine Appice
, Vinnie Appice, Lorraine Lewis and others.
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...
band, formed in the late 1980s. XYZ started off as the unofficial house band of "The Whiskey", a nightclub 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...
. The original members were, Terry Ilous (vocals), Bobby Pieper (guitar
Guitar
The 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...
s), Patt Fontaine (bass) and Joey Pafumi (drums). A tour of the US with Enuff Z'Nuff
Enuff Z'nuff
Enuff Z'Nuff, pronounced "enough's enough," is an American glam rock band from Blue Island, Illinois. Founded by singer Donnie Vie and bassist Chip Z'Nuff, this Chicago area band is best known for their charting singles "Fly High Michelle" and "New Thing." Enuff Z'Nuff has continually recorded and...
and Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
followed the success of their 1989 Enigma
Enigma Records
Enigma Records was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. It was initially a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/distributor, which it split-off from in 1985 to become its own company...
released debut album, and they were signed by major label Capitol
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
for their second.
History
The band played clubs throughout the mid 1980s and first got a record deal in 1989 with Don DokkenDon Dokken
Donald Maynard Dokken is best known for being the lead singer and founder of the band Dokken. He is known for his vibrato-laden, melodic vocal style which has made him an influential figure in American heavy metal. After enjoying mainstream success with Dokken, he parted ways with the band in 1988...
as their producer. Terry Ilous's vocal style on the band's first album was very similar to Dokken's. Ilous and Fontaine then recruited Mark Diglio (guitar
Guitar
The 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...
s) and Paul Monroe (drums) to record a debut album, produced by Don Dokken
Don Dokken
Donald Maynard Dokken is best known for being the lead singer and founder of the band Dokken. He is known for his vibrato-laden, melodic vocal style which has made him an influential figure in American heavy metal. After enjoying mainstream success with Dokken, he parted ways with the band in 1988...
. The album was released in 1989 and contained the hits "Inside Out" and "What Keeps Me Loving You". Videos for both songs received reasonable airplay, however, the album itself was not an overall success, managing to reach only #99 on the Billboard charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
. Single "Maggy" was used in the 1990 Dolph Lundgren
Dolph Lundgren
Dolph Lundgren is a Swedish actor, director, and martial artist. He belongs to a generation of film actors who epitomise the movie action hero stereotype including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme.A graduate in chemical...
movie I Come in Peace
I Come in Peace
I Come in Peace is a 1990 science fiction action thriller feature film about a rule-breaking vice cop who becomes involved in the investigation of a number of mysterious drug-related murders on the streets of Houston, Texas. The film was directed by Craig R...
. The next album, Hungry
Hungry (XYZ album)
Hungry is the second studio album recorded by the metal band XYZ. The album was released on September 3, 1991. A music video was created for the song "Face Down in the Gutter," but issues arose concerning airtime on MTV due to the clothing of the women pictured.-Track listing:#"Face Down in the...
, released in 1991, had even less commercial success—not charting at all. Diglio and Monroe left the band and were replaced by Tony Burnett and Joey Shapiro, respectively. After the next tour was finished, band members went separate ways once again. They have reunited in various incarnations several times since then.
XYZ performed at Rocklahoma
Rocklahoma
Rocklahoma is an annual hard rock music festival held in Pryor, Oklahoma...
Festival 2008.
Recent Events
While XYZ is gaining success again in USA and Europe doing several festvals and shows, Terry Ilous is currently on vocals for Great WhiteGreat White
Great White is an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1978. The band gained popularity during the 1980s and early 1990s. The band released several albums in the late 1980s and gained airplay on MTV with music videos for songs like "Once Bitten, Twice Shy"...
, replacing Jack Russell.
Terry was recently interviewed by argentinean rock journalist Lucas H. Gordon, where the singer talked about a recent charity event called '80's Rockers for Japan' organized by Ilous to raise money for the Red Cross from Japan, to help victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
In the event many hard rock celebrities appeared like ex-Toto
Toto (band)
Toto is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The group currently consists of Joseph Williams , David Paich , Steve Porcaro , Steve Lukather , Mike Porcaro , and Simon Phillips . Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard...
Bobby Kimball
Bobby Kimball
Robert Troy "Bobby" Kimball is an American singer, best known as the longtime frontman of the rock band Toto.- Early life:...
, Paul Shortino
Paul Shortino
Paul Shortino is a singer who has sung for several bands, including Rough Cutt/The Cutt, Quiet Riot, Bad Boyz, and Shortino. He's recorded with JK Northrup as Shortino/Northrup. He's also recorded as a solo artist. He also did the theme song for Dr...
, Rudy Sarzo
Rudy Sarzo
Rudy Sarzo is a Cuban American hard rock/heavy metal bassist. Sarzo has played with many well known heavy metal acts including Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Manic Eden, Dio and Blue Öyster Cult.-Early life:...
, Michael T. Ross
Michael T. Ross
Michael T. Ross is a rock keyboardist, located in Hollywood, CA.In 2002, Michael joined as keyboardist for the group Hardline releasing " II", with special guest Neal Schon on Frontiers Records . A DVD was also released, headlining the 'Gods' Festival in the UK.In 2003, Ross joined "Angel"...
, John Payne
John Payne (singer)
John Payne is a British musician, best known as the lead singer and bassist of Asia from 1992 to 2006 and from June 2007 with ASIA Featuring John Payne....
, Carmine Appice
Carmine Appice
Carmine Appice is an American rock drummer of Italian background and is the older brother of drummer Vinny Appice by 12 years. He received a classical music training and was influenced by the jazz drumming of Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa early on...
, Vinnie Appice, Lorraine Lewis and others.
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak 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... |
||
| 1989 | XYZ
|
99 |
| 1991 | Hungry Hungry (XYZ album) Hungry is the second studio album recorded by the metal band XYZ. The album was released on September 3, 1991. A music video was created for the song "Face Down in the Gutter," but issues arose concerning airtime on MTV due to the clothing of the women pictured.-Track listing:#"Face Down in the... Capitol Records Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine... /EMI America |
— |
| 2003 | Letter to God
|
— |
| 2005 | Rainy Days
|
— |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Forbidden Demos
|
| 2008 | Best of XYZ
|
Live albums
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1995 | Take What You Can Live
|