Drowning Pool | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
Genres | |
Discography | Drowning Pool discography |
Years active | 1996–present |
Labels | |
Members |
|
Past members |
|
Website | drowningpool |
Drowning Pool is an American rock band formed in Dallas, Texas, in 1996. The band was named after the 1975 film The Drowning Pool . [1] Since its formation, the band has consisted of guitarist C.J. Pierce, drummer Mike Luce and bassist Stevie Benton, as well as a revolving cast of vocalists.
After the release of their debut album, Sinner (2001), original vocalist Dave Williams was found dead on August 14, 2002, [2] from heart disease. Jason Jones, who replaced Williams in 2003, recorded one album, Desensitized (2004), but left in 2005 due to musical differences. [2] Ryan McCombs of Chicago-based band SOiL, later replaced Jones and released two albums, Full Circle (2007) and Drowning Pool (2010), making it the first time Drowning Pool had not switched singers after just one album. [2] However, McCombs left the band in 2011 to rejoin SOiL. [2] Jasen Moreno was announced as McCombs' replacement in 2012, and the band has recorded three albums with him: Resilience (2013), Hellelujah (2016) and Strike a Nerve (2022). This makes Moreno the band's first lead singer to perform on three albums. The band continued performing with Moreno until McCombs returned in March 2023.
Drowning Pool formed in Dallas, Texas, in 1996. Guitarist C.J. Pierce and drummer Mike Luce formed Drowning Pool after relocating from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Dallas. There, they found and recruited bassist Stevie Benton. For a few years they stuck to performing as an instrumental trio, but this all changed in 1999 with the arrival of vocalist Dave Williams. [3] After recording a demo, Drowning Pool hooked up with Sevendust which got Drowning Pool in touch with Hed PE and Kittie. After touring with these bands, Drowning Pool got their demos enough radio play to get signed by Wind-up Records. The band made music with producer Jay Baumgardner. [4]
Drowning Pool rose to fame with their debut album and played at the Ozzfest in 2001. [4] Their 2001 debut album Sinner was certified platinum within six weeks. [5] A number of songs from the album were featured at various WWE events that year, and three tracks would be included on the soundtrack for the Funimation dub of Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge in early 2002.
On August 14 that year, Dave Williams was found dead inside his tour bus. [1] He died from an undiagnosed heart condition, now known to be cardiomyopathy. [6] [7] [8] When asked if the band had any unreleased songs, according to a 2002 Blabbermouth article, drummer Mike Luce replied that "only 3-4 songs were done, including one called "Heroes," which is a tribute to dead rock musicians such as Layne Staley. I don't know if we will ever release them." [9]
In 2003, Jason 'Gong' Jones replaced Williams as Drowning Pool's vocalist [10] and the band released the album Desensitized in 2004. Despite the success of the album's lead single, "Step Up," the album was not nearly as successful as Sinner, and it was publicly announced on June 14, 2005, that Jones had departed from the band, due to "irreconcilable differences". [11]
The band announced that their replacement singer would be formally announced at Ozzfest in Dallas, where the band did a one-off performance on the main stage. On July 20, 2005, the website SMNNews [12] revealed that Ryan McCombs, then former singer of SOiL, was the new vocalist. The band initially wanted McCombs to join Drowning Pool as the replacement of Dave Williams, nearly two years prior. [13] In spring of 2006, the band announced that they had parted ways with Wind-up Records. [14] In October 2006, a new song "No More" was announced to be released on the Saw III soundtrack, their first song (besides a re-recorded version of "Rise Up") with McCombs. The bands recorded version of "Rise Up", was used as the theme song for WWE SmackDown from September 30, 2004 – September 26, 2008. [15] The band signed a new deal with Eleven Seven Music [16] and also announced a new management company, Tenth Street Entertainment. [17] The band's third album, Full Circle , was released on August 7, 2007. Two songs on the album were produced by Funny Farm Records, owned by Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx and former Beautiful Creatures guitarist DJ Ashba. The remaining songs were produced by Ben Schigel at the Ohio-based Spider Studios. [18] The band then toured with Saliva in North America and also Sick Puppies and Seether in support of the album. [19] [20]
Later in the year, work on a fourth album was announced. [21] On March 3, 2009, the band released a live album, Loudest Common Denominator , which featured acoustic versions of "Shame" and "37 Stitches" from Full Circle . [22] The band finished recording their self-titled album with producer Kato Khandwala at House of Loud in New Jersey. [23] It was the first studio album in the band's history not to feature a change of vocalist from the preceding album. The album's first single "Feel Like I Do", was released as a free download on their official website, and the album was released on April 27, 2010. [24] On November 7, 2011, C.J. Pierce and Mike Luce announced a new project with former Nonpoint members Zach Broderick and Ken McMillan titled Voodoo Corps. [25] In November 2011, McCombs left the band to reunite with SOiL for touring and a new album. The band, now once again without a singer, began writing new material for a fifth studio album while holding vocalist auditions. [26]
In July 2012, Jasen Moreno, from The Suicide Hook, was announced to be the band's new vocalist. [27] On August 14, the 10th anniversary of Dave Williams' death, the band released a song in tribute of him, their first with Moreno titled "In Memory Of...". [28] Two further singles were released with Moreno, "Saturday Night" in November 2012, [29] and "One Finger and a Fist" in December 2012, before the band released their fifth album, Resilience , on April 9, 2013. [30] On September 10, the band announced that they would celebrate the thirteenth anniversary of Sinner with a U.S. tour starting from October 22, in which they plan to dig deep into the songs from their debut album. [31] Drowning Pool released a reissue of their album "Sinner" called the "Unlucky 13th Anniversary Edition" in 2014. [32]
The band signed to eOne Music in August 2015. [33] On October 13, it was announced the band's sixth album titled Hellelujah would be released January 22, 2016, via eOne Music with producer Jason Suecof; [34] the date was later postponed to February 5. "By the Blood" was released as the first single from the album. [35]
On May 17, 2016, the band announced that they would be taking part in the Make America Rock Again super tour on select dates throughout the summer and fall 2016. The tour featured other artists who had success throughout the 2000s, including Trapt, Saliva, Saving Abel, Crazy Town, 12 Stones and Tantric, Fuel, Puddle Of Mudd and P.O.D. [36]
In December 2017, it was reported that Drowning Pool had begun writing their seventh studio album. In an interview with 97.1 The Eagle, guitarist C.J. Pierce stated, "We're working on new songs right now, which is awesome. We're working on tunes for the next record. We have a bunch of stuff on the plate. Everybody's brought amazing stuff, material. The thing with this is just to try and go through and see what we're gonna do on the next record. So we'll hash out all the ideas and songs and then start narrowing it down. So it's nice to have more than enough to go through." [37] The band began recording their new album in February 2019. [38] Within the next three years, there had been no news regarding the state of the album. On February 16, 2022, Drowning Pool announced Strike a Nerve as the name of their seventh studio album, which had already been completed by early 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic meant that its release date was then postponed. [39]
Prior to the release of Strike a Nerve, Drowning Pool embarked on the North American tour Brothers in Arms with Ill Niño and (hed)p.e. in early 2022, [40] and during this tour, they played two tracks from the upcoming album: "Strike a Nerve" and "Hate Against Hate". [41] On August 5, 2022, the band announced the album would be released on September 30. [42]
On March 16, 2023, the band announced that Ryan McCombs (while continuing his vocal duties with SOiL) has rejoined, replacing Moreno. This marks his return to the band, since leaving in 2011. [43] [44] The band also planned to release new music with McCombs before the end of 2023; however, this did not happen. [45]
The band has faced some controversies and criticism due to the alleged misinterpretation of the lyrics to their most well-known song "Bodies". In 2011, the song was associated with the assassination attempt of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. [46] Shortly after the shooting, the band made a statement addressing the link: "We were devastated this weekend to learn of the tragic events that occurred in Arizona and that our music has been misinterpreted. 'Bodies' was written about the brotherhood of the moshpit and was never about violence." The band also added: "For someone to put out a video misinterpreting a song about a moshpit as fuel for a violent act shows just how sick they really are. We support those who do what they can to keep America safe. Our hearts go out to the victims and their families of this terrible tragedy". [46]
"Bodies" was used consistently by interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay detention camps in 2003, and was consistently played over a 10-day period in 2006 during interrogations of Mohamedou Ould Slahi while he was "exposed to variable lighting patterns" at the same time. [47] [48]
Drowning Pool's style has been considered alternative metal, [49] [50] hard rock, [51] [52] post-grunge [53] and nu metal, [54] [55] as well as being part of the new wave of American heavy metal. The band's influences include Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Anthrax, Testament, Slipknot, Alice in Chains, SOiL, Opeth, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Black Sabbath, Slayer, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Mötley Crüe, the Beatles, Pantera, Sepultura and Suicidal Tendencies. [47] [56] [57]
Current members
| Former members
|
Timeline
David Wayne Williams was an American singer best known as the original lead vocalist for the rock band Drowning Pool.
Saliva is an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1996. Saliva released their self-titled debut album in 1997 through Rockingchair Records, a label owned and operated by Mark Yoshida. The release was recorded and produced by Bill Pappas at Rockingchair Studios.
Timothy S. "Ripper" Owens is an American heavy metal singer who currently performs with KK's Priest, Spirits of Fire, the Three Tremors and A New Revenge. He first gained attention as the lead singer of Judas Priest and then Iced Earth. He took the nickname "Ripper" from the Judas Priest song "The Ripper" during his time in the tribute band British Steel.
Sinner is the debut studio album by the American rock band Drowning Pool, released on June 5, 2001, by Wind-up Records. It is considered to be the band's most popular album, being certified platinum in the same year that it was released. This was due at least in part to "Bodies" which remains the band's most well-known song. This is the only studio album by the band to feature original lead singer Dave Williams. While touring in support of Sinner, he died on August 14, 2002, from cardiomyopathy. The album debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200 chart. Drowning Pool released a reissue of the album called the "Unlucky 13th Anniversary Edition" in 2014. The album was put at no. 25 on Metal Descent's list "The 25 Best Alternative Metal Albums". Their songs "Mute", "Told You So", and "Reminded" were featured on Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge.
Sevendust is an American alternative metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1994 by bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and guitarist Clint Lowery joined the group. Following a few name changes, the members settled on the name Sevendust and released their self-titled debut album on April 15, 1997, which sold only 310 copies in its first week but ultimately achieved gold certification through touring and support from their label, TVT Records.
Soil is an American rock band that was formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1997. After some independent releases, the band was the first rock group signed to J Records and achieved mainstream success with their major label debut, Scars, in 2001. The J Records second album, Redefine, was released in 2004 and the band embarked upon a worldwide tour to follow. In late 2004, frontman Ryan McCombs left the group. He would go on to become the new vocalist of Drowning Pool the following year.
TNT is a Norwegian heavy metal band from Trondheim, formed in 1982. The band has released fourteen studio albums, three EPs and four live albums while going through numerous lineup changes since its formation. Guitarist Ronni Le Tekrø is the only consistent member of the band. TNT has sold between 4–5 million albums worldwide as of 2016.
Jason "Gong" Jones is an American musician, singer and songwriter. Originally a tattoo artist, he was the frontman and vocalist of rock band Drowning Pool from 2003 to 2005, providing vocals for the band's 2004 album Desensitized after Dave Williams's death. He is the lead vocalist with the band AM Conspiracy. He is currently also involved in a side project called Scumbag Allstars.
Brent Muscat is an American musician best known as the guitarist of glam metal band Faster Pussycat.
Redefine is the third studio album by American rock band Soil. It was released on March 23, 2004 via J Records. Redefine was Soil's final album with vocalist Ryan McCombs before he left the band in October that year. He would later rejoin the band in 2011. It was also Soil's last release through J Records after the band was dropped following the Sony/BMG merger.
Ryan McCombs is an American musician best known for being the vocalist of rock bands Soil and Drowning Pool.
Sonic Syndicate was a Swedish metalcore band from Falkenberg. They were originally influenced by Swedish melodic death metal bands such as In Flames and Soilwork, as well as American metalcore bands like Killswitch Engage and All That Remains.
Daren Jay Ashba is an American musician, guitarist, songwriter, record producer, and graphic designer. He was the lead guitarist of Sixx:A.M. He is also known for his work with hard rock bands BulletBoys, Beautiful Creatures and Guns N' Roses. He has worked with various artists including Mötley Crüe, Drowning Pool, Marion Raven, Aimee Allen and Neil Diamond. He is the CEO of Ashba Media.
Andrew Freeman is an American rock singer and guitarist who has played for a number of bands, including hard rock guitarist George Lynch's Lynch Mob. Freeman is currently the frontman for the hard rock supergroup Last in Line, composed of former members of Dio.
Drowning Pool is the fourth studio album by American rock band Drowning Pool. It was released on April 27, 2010. It is the band's first album not to feature a different singer, as Ryan McCombs remained with Drowning Pool after their 2007 album Full Circle, although this album ended up being the last album to feature him, as he left the band in 2011 to rejoin his previous band SOiL. McCombs eventually rejoined Drowning Pool in 2023.
This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 2010.
Resilience is the fifth studio album by American rock band Drowning Pool. It was released on April 9, 2013, and is the first Drowning Pool album recorded with vocalist Jasen Moreno. The album was also made available for download from iTunes and in MP3 format on Amazon.
Nevermore was an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1991. The band has been inactive since 2011, due to personal issues between the band members. Vocalist Warrel Dane died in December 2017, ending hopes of a reunion.
Hellelujah is the sixth studio album by American rock band Drowning Pool, and is the second album recorded with vocalist Jasen Moreno. It was released on February 5, 2016 by Entertainment One Music and was produced by Jason Suecof. "By the Blood", the first single from the album, was released on November 19, 2015, while the album artwork was revealed the following day. The album was recorded throughout 2015. Three singles were released before the album's release: "By the Blood", "Snake Charmer" and "Hell to Pay".
Strike a Nerve is the seventh studio album by American rock band Drowning Pool. The album was released on September 30, 2022, by T-Boy and UMe. It is the final Drowning Pool album recorded with vocalist Jasen Moreno before his departure in 2023. The album was announced August 5 along with the release of lead single "Mind Right". Second single "Choke" was released August 26, and third single "A Devil More Damned" released September 24. Strike a Nerve is the first studio album from Drowning Pool since Hellelujah (2016), making it the longest gap between two studio albums. The album also marked the first time in the band's history that they had recorded three studio albums with the same singer, Jasen Moreno, who appeared on Hellelujah and its 2013 predecessor Resilience.