Cam Pipes Shane Clark Justin Hagberg Ash Pearson Nick Cates
Past members
Jay Watts Geoff Trawick Rich Trawick Bobby Froese Sunny Dhak Matt Wood Brian Redman Alexei Rodriguez Jamie Hooper Byron Stroud Steve Ericson (touring) Aaron "Boon" Gustafson (touring) Matt C (touring) Pete Griffin
The group began when Jamie Hooper, Sunny Dhak, Bobby Froese, Geoff Trawick, and Rich Trawick got together for a one-off reunion show for an old group of theirs and decided to continue under a new moniker. Steve Bays, keyboard player for Hot Hot Heat, heard the band's first demo and suggested having Cam Pipes overdub some clean vocals on it.[4][5] Pipes overdubbed additional vocals to what became the band's first EP, Sect of the White Worm, and became a permanent member.[6]
Their debut album, Battlecry Under a Wintersun, was recorded in 2002 and released with Teenage Rampage Records and Fashion Before Function. It was later remastered and re-released by the band under their own label, Minion Music. The album had moderate underground success in the Canadian market, ranking on national college radio charts and winning Metal Album of Year at the 2002 Canadian Independent Music Awards.[citation needed] The band gained international exposure when its UK distribution label had them support The Darkness.[7] This exposure drew critical attention and acclaim in the underground metal scene. They signed with Roadrunner Records in 2004.
Advance and Vanquish 2004–2005
In 2004, Geoff Trawick and Rich Trawick left due to personal differences with the rest of the band and professional differences with Roadrunner Records. Matt Wood of Vancouver doom/sludge/noise band Goatsblood and Brian Redman replaced them. After recording the band's second album, Advance and Vanquish, Dhak and Froese left the band. Wood was replaced with Alexei Rodriguez. Dhak, Froese, Wood, and Mike Payette founded the band Pride Tiger.[8]
The band wrote their third studio album, Fire Up the Blades, in Tacoma, Washington, and performed their new songs at various places in Washington. By December 2006, they were recording at Vancouver's Armoury Studios, with Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison as producer.[11] A demo of "Goatrider's Horde", recorded in Seattle in the spring of 2006, was available for streaming on Roadrunner's official website, and a demo of "Night Marauders" appeared in the fifth Battle Metal compilation album, The Final Conflict, released in 2007 in issue 161 of the UK magazine Metal Hammer.[12] In 2006, Redman left the band (he died in 2009, at age 31) and bassist Nick Cates replaced him.
The band toured the United States during January and February 2007 in support of Cradle of Filth[13] with The 69 Eyes and, in March, toured the UK with Biomechanical opening for them.[14] On March 22, 2007, the band was confirmed to play the second stage at Ozzfest.[15]
Before the release of Fire Up the Blades, the band stressed the album would be "darker, tighter and more dangerous" than their Roadrunner Records debut.[16] "This album is heavily influenced by low quality beer, bong rips and listening to black metal in the dark", said Hooper. "It doesn't sound blatantly black metal, it still sounds like us. But it's a faster, more intense version of us."[17]
Fire Up the Blades was released in Japan on May 28, 2007, and worldwide on June 26, 2007. It reached No. 147 on the Billboard charts in the U.S.[18]
During the 2007 Ozzfest Tour, Hooper experienced throat problems and was unable to sing.[19] He did not perform on the Ozzfest tour or the Operation Annihilation tour, and quit the band in 2008. Hagberg took over harsh vocals.
At the 2007 Hard Rock Hell festival in the UK, drummer Alexei Rodriguez got in a fight with Saxon drummer Nigel Glockler. The fight left Glockler with broken glasses and a black eye. Security guards intervened and put Rodriguez in hospital with a broken elbow. 3 Inches of Blood fired Rodriguez, apologized for his behaviour, and replaced him with Ash Pearson (of Sound Of the Swarm and Just Cause).
Here Waits Thy Doom 2009–2011
Without Hooper, 3 Inches of Blood's fourth album, Here Waits Thy Doom, was their first not to feature any original members. It reached No. 195 on the US Billboard charts.[20]
The song "Beware The Preacher's Daughter" features all four members of fellow Canadian metal band Bison B.C. (James Farwell, Dan And, Masa Anzai and Brad MacKinnon) singing gang vocals on the chorus.
3 Inches of Blood was featured in Rockstar's Mayhem Festival 2010, and the band released a music video for the song "Silent Killer".[21]
Long Live Heavy Metal
On March 26, 2012, the band released their final album, Long Live Heavy Metal.[22] CAN No.92[23][24] They toured the US and the UK and opened for Metallica in Vancouver in August. In 2013, they toured with Goatwhore, Death Angel, Revocation (who Pearson would subsequently join), and Battlecross, among others.[25]
Breakup and reunion show
3 Inches of Blood playing Manitoba Metalfest in 2024
On June 2, 2015, the band announced it would disband following two final shows on November 7 and 8 at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver.[26] Pearson joined Revocation.[27]
On September 12, 2023, the band announced they reunited to perform its first show in nine years at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver on January 13, 2024.[28] This show was originally intended to be a one-off,[29] but shortly after its announcement, one show set to take place the day before at the Commodore Ballroom was added. An additional third show was added for January 14, 2024.
On May 10, 2024, the band headlined a sold-out Day 1 of Manitoba Metalfest at the Park Theatre in Winnipeg.
3 Inches of Blood was scheduled to perform at France's Hellfest on June 20, 2025.
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