A Covenant of Thorns | |
|---|---|
 Scott-David Allen (December, 2016) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Seattle |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | A Handful of Nothing |
| Members | Scott-David Allen |
| Website | Official site |
A Covenant of Thorns is a one-man electronic alternative project from the United States. Formed in Seattle, in 1992, by Scott-David Allen, the project is currently based in the upper Midwest, outside of Chicago.
After a string of smaller projects and bands, in 1992, Scott-David Allen moved from San Francisco to Seattle and began work on various songs with no real plan to release any of the material written. While attending art school, he formed A Covenant of Thorns.
Several years later, in 1998, at the urging of individuals who heard the songs, he released two six song EPs, A Covenant of Thorns 1 (October 1, 1998) and A Covenant of Thorns 2 (December 1, 1999). The two EPs were a mixture of digital and analogue 4-track recordings.
On May 1, 1999, after the initial success of the two EPs, the first full-length album, Hallowed & Hollow, was released. Consisting of eleven of the twelve songs from the first two EPs, the track Crown of Thorns was omitted due to the amount of space a CD could accommodate at the time. In 2010, the album was remastered and rereleased.
Five years later, on October 1, 2004, the follow-up, full-length album, If The Heavens Should Fall was released. Written and recorded during the passing of a new millennium and a move across country, the release was a reflective, personal and much more subdued offering.
After a decade of silence, The Fields of Flesh, a six track EP, was released on December 14, 2014. The release was noticeably more upbeat than If The Heavens Should Fall but still retained a slightly more modern, core A Covenant of Thorns sound. It was also the first time Allen mixed an ACoT release (a trend that has continued to present day).
On October 21, 2016, the six Track EP Forgotten was released. It was the first release to feature guitars and retained the upbeat feel of the previous EP.
September 22, 2017's Requiem was a dark introspective six song E.P. dealing with the passing of Scott-David Allen's father. Marked by intensely personal lyrics, the release explored death and those left behind.
December 14, 2018 brought the release of the third, full-length album, Shadows & Serenades. It was noticeably more upbeat than the previous release while still exploring darker themes.
December 18, 2020, the fourth full-length album, Black, was released. Exploring themes such as religion, love, loss and loneliness, it built upon the previous album, retaining its feel, while exploring new sounds and ideas; notably in the song Choke, which was a commentary on the treatment of women, from the Salem witch trials to current day.
Ashes, the fifth full-length album and ACoT's tenth release overall, was released on May 26, 2023. This album marked a noticeably harder direction with the inclusion of hard-hitting synth bass sounds and driving guitars.
According to Allen, the name A Covenant of Thorns symbolizes the contrast between everyday events:
Often, I tend to write based on an emotion or feeling. Similarly, the name "A Covenant of Thorns" was a combination of words that evoked a certain imagery and emotion. The name is somewhat conflicted and represents everyday struggles between opposites. [1]
It symbolizes the double-edged nature of any relationship, whether it is based on love, religion, friendship, etc. [2]
An extended play (EP) is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 15 to 30 minutes. An EP is usually less cohesive than an album and more "non-committal".
Jade Errol Puget is an American musician and producer, best known as the guitarist for the rock band AFI, the guitarist/writer for the straight edge hardcore band XTRMST, and the keyboardist/synthesizer operator for the electronic duo Blaqk Audio. Puget is vegetarian and straight edge.
Caliban are a German metalcore band from Essen. To date, they have released thirteen studio albums and two EPs, along with two split albums with Heaven Shall Burn.
Enslaved is a Norwegian extreme metal band formed by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson in Haugesund in 1991. They are currently based in Bergen. The band's lineup has changed many times over the years, with Bjørnson and Kjellson being the sole constant members. The current lineup also includes lead guitarist Arve Isdal, keyboardist/singer Håkon Vinje, and drummer Iver Sandøy.
Agalloch is an American extreme metal band from Portland, Oregon. Formed in 1995 by frontman John Haughm, they released five full-length albums, four EPs, two singles, one split single, two demos, four compilation albums and one live video album. They announced their disbandment in May 2016, but reunited in 2023.
Crimson Moonlight is a Swedish black metal band. The band was formed in the summer of 1997 with the mere intention of recording a primitive old school black metal demo and playing one show before breaking up. However, the breakup never happened, and they have since recorded two EPs and three full-length albums. They were previously signed to Rivel Records, currently to Endtime Productions. They have toured US twice, and have been featured in two metal documentary films.
Martin James Smith is an English vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and producer, best known as the frontman of the Christian rock and worship band Delirious?. He has been a solo artist since Delirious?' disbandment in 2009.
Bracket is an American rock band from Forestville, California formed in 1992. The lineup consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Marty Gregori, bassist and backing vocalist Zack Charlos, drummer Ray Castro, and guitarist and backing vocalist Angelo Celli, who replaced Larry Tinney in 1998. Bracket has issued numerous albums, EPs and singles since its inception, including many releases for Caroline Records and Fat Wreck Chords. Their sound could most easily be described as power pop influenced punk rock with a continued focus on vocal harmonies.[1][2][3]
Natalie Denise Walker is an American singer and songwriter from Indiana who first came to prominence as part of the group Daughter Darling. She later launched a solo career and released her first studio album, Urban Angel, in 2006, which was produced by the duo Stuhr. Walker's follow-up, With You, was released in 2008 and also featured production by Stuhr. She has since released the albums Spark (2011) and Strange Bird (2015). Walker also sings with the group Mouchette, with whom she has released two EPs and one full-length album.
Novembers Doom is an American death-doom band from Chicago, currently signed to Prophecy Productions. Along with Evoken and Rigor Sardonicous, Novembers Doom is one of the earliest American death-doom bands still active today.
Steinar Sverd Johnsen is a Norwegian keyboardist and composer. Sverd plays keyboards and synthesizers in Arcturus and was also the main composer for the band. He formed the band with Marius Vold (Mortem, Stigma Diabolicum of Thorns, and Jan Axel Blomberg of Mayhem in 1987, originally under the moniker Mortem. The band split up in April 2007, but reformed in 2011.
Malignus Youth was a hardcore punk band from Sierra Vista, Arizona, that was active from 1987–1994 and again from 1999–2001. They continue to play sporadic reunion shows through 2020.
Nation of Ulysses was a Washington, D.C.–based band formed in 1988, consisting of Ian Svenonius, James Canty, Steve Gamboa, Steve Kroner, and Tim Green. During the Nation of Ulysses' four years of activity, they released only two full-length albums: 13-Point Program to Destroy America in 1991 and Plays Pretty for Baby in 1992, both released on Dischord Records. After releasing Plays Pretty for Baby, the band began recording a third full-length album, but Steve Kroner separated from the band before recording was completed. The remaining quartet continued to record, but the group eventually dissolved before the record's completion. In 2000, six songs from those sessions, in addition to four new tracks recorded live, were compiled and released posthumously as The Embassy Tapes.
Juliet Nicole Simms, also known as Lilith Czar, is an American singer and songwriter.
E for Explosion is an American alternative rock/shoegazing band formed by former JamisonParker singer Jamison Covington after the group's breakup in 2005. The only two constant members of the band were Covington and his wife, Dai Britain Covington (keyboards). After undergoing a hiatus in 2013, the band self-released two EPs in 2020.
Ashes You Leave is a Croatian metal band formed in 1995 who is currently signed to Rock 'n' Growl Records. They have so far released two demos and six full-length studio albums.
Shadow Puncher is a death metal project that began in 2016 as a solo project of Max Kevin Ølstøren. The band began as a death metal/black metal project out of Trondheim, Norway, releasing demos with hand-drawn art. The band was signed to Nosral Recordings.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre is an American rock band led and started by Anton Newcombe. It was formed in San Francisco in 1990.
Tigercub are a three-piece rock band from Brighton, UK. The band are Jamie Stephen Hall, James Allix (drums) and Jimi Wheelwright (bass). Tigercub have released three EPs, the Hands EP (2013), Repressed Semantics (2015) and Evolve or Die (2017), and three full-length albums, Abstract Figures in the Dark (2016), As Blue as Indigo (2021) and The Perfume Of Decay (2023).
Vulvodynia is a South African deathcore band formed in 2014 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. The band's lineup currently consists of vocalist/guitarist Lwandile Prusent, guitarists Luke Haarhoff and Kris Xenopoulos and drummer Thomas Hughes. The band have currently released five studio albums with their latest being Entabeni released on July 5, 2024, through Unique Leader Records. They have also released three EPs and three split EPs. They are currently signed to Unique Leader Records.
| Authority control databases: Artists |
|---|
