Black Tusk | |
|---|---|
 Black Tusk in 2024 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | Sludge metal |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Season of Mist, Relapse, Hyperrealist, Wrecked Signal |
| Members | Andrew Fidler James May Derek Lynch Chris "Scary" Adams |
| Past members | Jonathan Athon Corey Barhorst |
| Website | blacktuskterror |
Black Tusk is an American sludge metal band from Savannah, Georgia, formed in 2005.
The band was formed in 2005, when its members were all living on the same street. [1] With the dissolution of Andrew Fidler's (guitars, vocals) and Jonathan Athon's (bass, vocals) crust punk band and James May's (drums, vocals) street punk band, Fidler and Athon went down the street to May's house and asked him if he wanted to play with them. [2] During the next few days they jammed continuously, and within a few months they had recorded the EP When Kingdoms Fall, which was released via Wrecked Signal. [3]
Two years later the band self-released their first full-length studio album, The Fallen Kingdom, followed by another a year later with Passage Through Purgatory, released through the local label Hyperrealist Records. [3] [4] In 2009, Black Tusk released a series of split albums with bands such as ASG, The Holy Mountain, and Fight Amp, before sign to Relapse Records in November. [5] The band released its debut for Relapse, Taste the Sin , in May 2010. [6]
Black Tusk is mostly associated with Baroness and Kylesa, for their shared hometown of Savannah, as well as for their sludge metal sound. [1] [4] The band is linked to Baroness' guitarist and vocalist John Dyer Baizley, who is also a painter and creates all of Black Tusk's artwork. [2]
On November 9, 2014, band member Jonathan Athon died due to injuries sustained from a motorcycle accident. [7] He was placed in a medically induced coma and, per his wishes, was pulled from life support after it was determined that he had irreparable brain damage.
On December 10, 2014, the band confirmed they would be touring with Black Label Society in early 2015, with Corey Barhorst filling in on bass duties, as well as confirmed they finished the recording of their next album prior to the death of Athon. [8]
Black Tusk announced their seventh album on April 14, 2024. 'The Way Forward' is their first album with long-time collaborator Chris "Scary" Adams as an official member. Scary contributed guitars and vocals. He also recorded, mixed and produced the album at his studio, Hidden Audio. Brad Boatright at Audiosiege did the mastering. Scary was joined by new bassist Derek Lynch, who bursts through the door on the lead single "Brushfire" with his first crack at doing heavy vocals.
"That's always been a thing in Black Tusk", Fidler said about how the band approaches vocals with a group mentality. "Derek said he'd never done heavy vocals before, so I was like, 'Well, here's the mic. Here's some words. Yell at it and see if you like it. I was blown away the first time he did it. It sounded good as fuck". [9]
Black Tusk's members describe their music as "swamp metal", a term that has been described by AllMusic as "the murkiest, dirtiest sludge to come out of Savannah since Kylesa". [6] The term is a reference to the climate of Savannah in relation to the music that the band create. [2] Reviewing the album, Taste the Sin , Pitchfork Media stated that the band's blend of hardcore punk and stoner metal "works to capitalize on the immediacy of its chosen genres and not to bend them into obscurity." [10] Black Tusk acknowledges its punk rock origins, but prefer not to cite a list of bands that influence them because they feel that it is ineffective since they are not "trying to emulate any one band's style or any one genre's sound." [2]
Albums
EPs
Splits
Other appearances
| Year | Title | Director | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Triumph of the Wolves" [11] | The Fallen Kingdom | |
| 2010 | "Red Eyes, Black Skies" [12] | Kevin Custer | Taste the Sin |
| 2013 | "In Days of Woe" [13] | Tend No Wounds | |
| "Truth Untold" [14] | Brad Kremer |
Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres. Both the music and the lyrics are intended to evoke a sense of despair, dread, and impending doom. The genre is strongly influenced by the early work of Black Sabbath, who formed a prototype for doom metal. During the first half of the 1980s, a number of bands such as Witchfinder General and Pagan Altar from England, American bands Pentagram, Saint Vitus, the Obsessed, Trouble, and Cirith Ungol, and Swedish band Candlemass defined doom metal as a distinct genre. Pentagram, Saint Vitus, Trouble and Candlemass have been referred to as "the Big Four of Doom Metal".
Sludge metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that combines elements of doom metal and hardcore punk. The genre generally includes slow tempos, tuned down guitars and nihilistic lyrics discussing poverty, drug addiction and pollution.
Neurosis is an American post-metal band from Oakland, California. It was formed in 1985 by guitarist Scott Kelly, bassist Dave Edwardson, and drummer Jason Roeder, initially as a hardcore punk band. Chad Salter joined as a second guitarist and appeared on the band's 1987 debut Pain of Mind and then Steve Von Till replaced him in 1989. The following year, the lineup further expanded to include a keyboardist and a visual artist. Beginning with their third album Souls at Zero (1992), Neurosis transformed their hardcore sound by incorporating diverse influences including doom metal and industrial music, becoming a major force in the emergence of the post-metal and sludge metal genres.
Integrity is a hardcore punk band originally from Cleveland, Ohio, but based in Belgium since 2003. It was formed in 1988 by lead vocalist Dwid Hellion.
Kirk Windstein is an American musician. He is the frontman, vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and sole constant member of the sludge metal band Crowbar. He is also a founding member of the heavy metal supergroup Down, playing guitar with them from 1991 to 2013 and later rejoining the band in 2020. In 2005, Windstein formed Kingdom of Sorrow with Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed. Their debut album was released in 2008. Windstein began his musical career in 1985 as a guitarist for a cover band called Victorian Blitz, and in 1988 joined a hardcore punk band called Shell Shock as a vocalist and guitarist.
Post-metal is a music genre rooted in heavy metal but exploring approaches beyond metal conventions while being related to and similar to post-rock. It emerged in the 1990s with bands such as Neurosis and Godflesh, who transformed metal texture through experimental composition. In a way similar to the predecessor genres post-rock and post-hardcore, post-metal offsets the darkness and intensity of extreme metal with an emphasis on atmosphere, emotion, and even "revelation", developing an expansive but introspective sound variously imbued with elements of ambient, noise, psychedelic, progressive, and classical music, and often shoegaze and art rock. Songs are typically long, with loose and layered structures that discard the verse–chorus form in favor of crescendos and repeating themes. The sound centres on guitars and drums, while any vocals are often but not always screamed or growled and resemble an additional instrument.
ASG is an American stoner rock/metal band signed to Relapse Records, originating from Wilmington, North Carolina. It is a four-piece band, with Jason Shi on vocals and guitar, Andy Ellis on bass, Scott Key on drums and Jonah Citty on guitar. The band has acquired an underground following, as a number of its songs have been featured in skateboarding, surfing, and snowboarding videos.
Kylesa is an American sludge metal band that was formed in Savannah, Georgia. Their music incorporates experimentalism with heavy riffs, drop-tuned guitars and elements of psychedelic rock. The group was established in 2001 by the former members of Damad, with the addition of guitar player Laura Pleasants who is from North Carolina.
Static Tensions is the fourth studio album by the American heavy metal band Kylesa, released on March 17, 2009, by Prosthetic Records. The artwork and layout was created by John Dyer Baizley of the band Baroness. Like its predecessor, Time Will Fuse Its Worth (2006), the record features two drummers.
Time Will Fuse Its Worth is the third full-length album by American sludge metal band Kylesa. It was released October 30, 2006 by Prosthetic Records.
Howl is an American sludge metal band from Providence, Rhode Island, formed in 2006. They released their debut album, Full of Hell, in May 2010.
Spiral Shadow is the fifth full-length album by American sludge metal band Kylesa, released by Season of Mist on October 25, 2010 in Europe and October 26, 2010 in the United States.
To Walk a Middle Course is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Kylesa. Released on March 22, 2005, by Prosthetic Records, it was produced by English record producer Alex Newport, who is known for his projects Fudge Tunnel and Nailbomb.
Taste the Sin is the third full-length album of the sludge metal band Black Tusk. It was released on May 25, 2010 through Relapse Records. It blends elements of sludge metal, stoner metal, thrash metal and hardcore punk combined with vocals by all band members to create a sound similar to Kylesa and Baroness, contributing to Savannah's Sludge music scene.
Red Fang is an American rock band from Portland, Oregon, formed in 2005. It is composed of guitarist and vocalist Bryan Giles, bassist and vocalist Aaron Beam, guitarist David Sullivan and drummer John Sherman. The band has released five studio albums: Red Fang (2009), Murder the Mountains (2011), Whales and Leeches (2013), Only Ghosts (2016) and Arrows (2021).
From the Vaults, Vol. 1 is a compilation album by American sludge metal band Kylesa, collecting previously unreleased tracks, alternate versions of released tracks and one new track. It was released on November 16, 2012 in Europe and November 20, 2012 in North America through Season of Mist. The collection features a newly recorded track titled "End Truth" as well as a cover of Pink Floyd's "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" and Buzzoven's "Drained".
Victims were a Swedish hardcore punk band, originally hailing from Nyköping, at the end of their career they were based in Stockholm. The final line-up consisted of lead vocalist and bass player Johan Eriksson, drummer Andy Henriksson, guitar player, vocalist Jon Lindqvist and guitar player Gareth Smith.
Whores is an American noise rock/sludge metal band based in Atlanta, Georgia. It currently consists of vocalist and guitarist Christian Lembach, bass guitarist Casey Maxwell and drummer Douglas Jennings Barrett. The band has released two records through Brutal Panda Records and is known for its "intensely cathartic live shows".
Downfall of Gaia are a German extreme metal band formed in 2008 by Dominik Goncalves dos Reis and Anton Lisovoj. Their current lineup is completed by drummer Michael Kadnar and guitarist Peter Wolff. Transforming their initial crust punk sound through the incorporation of black metal, doom metal, and post-rock influences, they have released five studio albums. The last four albums came out on Metal Blade Records.
Victoria Scalisi was an influential American punk, sludge, heavy metal vocalist and artist from Savannah Georgia. She passed away on August, 2nd 2017 at the age of 53 from colorectal cancer.
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