| Grade 8 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 11, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | 2002 | |||
| Studio | Rumbo Recorders; Canoga Park, CA | |||
| Genre | Nu metal, rap metal | |||
| Length | 42:54 | |||
| Label | Lava, Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Ross Hogarth | |||
| Grade 8 chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Grade 8 | ||||
| ||||
Grade 8 is the debut album by American nu metal/rap metal music group Grade 8. It was released on February 11, 2003 via Lava Records. The album failed to gain commercial success and resulted in Grade 8 being dropped from Lava.
Grade 8 features a pummeling rap metal style with thunderous, staccato riffing in B tuning and harshly delivered rapping. Songs contain chugging double bass as well as moody, atmospheric sections. Comparable to Machine Head's Burning Red , the album's style is largely characteristic of nu metal which had faded from mainstream popularity by 2003. Frontman Dustin Tooker explained, "It’s just an honest expression of how we feel. We wrote a record we’re huge fans of, just being music fans." [1]
Lyrically, Grade 8 contains aggressive prose of confrontation and perseverance. This is reflected in the liner notes photography which portrays various elements of a boxing ring in a dark and gritty fashion.
A cover of Rare Earth's 1971 hit "I Just Want to Celebrate" was also featured on Grade 8 as interpreted in their heavy, metallic fashion. It includes an additional rapped verse, similar to 3rd Strike's rendition of "Paranoid" released almost a year prior.
A music video was produced for the opening track, "Brick by Brick." It was posted online in May 2003 and found minimal airplay on Fuse TV. "Celebrate," a heavy cover of the Rare Earth hit, was released to radio on June 23 as a follow-up single. However, several tracks off the album garnered circulation on Muzak's satellite radio station, Power Rock. The song "Let 'Em Know" was also featured in the video game True Crime: Streets of LA .
The band joined Spineshank for a club tour schedule in the spring before taking a Second Stage slot on Ozzfest 2003. Suspicion rose, however, when Grade 8 and Depswa abruptly left the tour in mid August. Early reports cited an apparent loss of tour support funds which was not commented on by the bands' publicists. It was also noted that neither Grade 8 nor Depswa had managed to sell 10,000 copies of the latest albums upon leaving Ozzfest, suggesting that their record labels, unsatisfied with their commercial success, had discontinued their tour support. Both bands joined Chimaira for a few club shows in late August. [2]
Shortly after this, Grade 8 was dropped from Lava after bassist Tim Tooker and drummer Michael Blankenship were fired by frontman Dustin Tooker.
"Smoke N' Mirrors" appeared in the season 5 finale of The Sopranos .
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [3] |
The album was not received with particular enthusiasm. Robert L. Doerschuk of Allmusic noted "Get it Out" an AMG Track Pick and stated, "There's no doubt that grade 8 can pummel through a set of neo-metal material and, most likely, tear it up on-stage; the only question is why that may be all it takes to make it in a style whose rules are as rigid and unforgiving as those of even the most conservative genres."
Grade 8 did not manage to chart nor did its singles. When the band abruptly ended its Ozzfest schedule in mid August, Grade 8 had sold just under 10,000 copies which allegedly prompted Lava to pull tour funding.
All tracks are written by Ryan Tooker and Dustin Tooker except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Brick by Brick" | 3:14 | |
| 2. | "Headcase" | 3:50 | |
| 3. | "One Wish" | 4:11 | |
| 4. | "Adrenachrome" | 3:36 | |
| 5. | "Get It Out" | 3:21 | |
| 6. | "Empire Falls" | 4:40 | |
| 7. | "Let 'Em Know" | 3:35 | |
| 8. | "Chances" | 3:59 | |
| 9. | "Deal With It" | 2:44 | |
| 10. | "Frozen" | 3:18 | |
| 11. | "Smoke N' Mirrors" | 2:47 | |
| 12. | "Celebrate" | Dino Fekaris, Nicholas Zesses | 3:27 |
Nu metal is a subgenre of alternative metal that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu metal rarely features guitar solos or other displays of musical technique, and emphasizes rhythm with instrumentation that is heavily syncopated. Nu metal guitarists typically use seven-string guitars that are down-tuned to produce a heavier sound. Vocal styles are often rhythmic and influenced by hip hop, and include singing, rapping, screaming and sometimes growling. DJs are occasionally featured to provide instrumentation such as sampling, turntable scratching and electronic background music. Nu metal is one of the key genres of the new wave of American heavy metal.
Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer José Pasillas while enrolled in Calabasas High School and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppel; the latter two were eventually replaced by bassist Ben Kenney and DJ Kilmore, respectively. Nicole Row replaced Kenney in 2024.
Static-X is an American industrial metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1994. The line-up has fluctuated over the years, but was long-held constant with band founder, frontman, vocalist and rhythm guitarist Wayne Static until his death in 2014.
S.C.I.E.N.C.E. is the second studio album by American rock band Incubus. It was released on September 9, 1997, by Epic and Immortal Records. The album was certified gold by the RIAA, and is the second and final release to feature Gavin Koppel, who first appeared on the 1997 Enjoy Incubus EP. It has been occasionally considered the band's proper debut album, due to the nature of their independent release Fungus Amongus.
Believe is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Disturbed, released on September 17, 2002 via Reprise Records. Produced by the band and Johnny K, it focuses heavily on religious and spiritual themes inspired by recent tragedies. With greater emphases on melodic dynamics, it also demonstrates a broadening in the band's musical range compared to their 2000 debut The Sickness. Believe was the last studio album to feature original bassist Steve "Fuzz" Kmak before he was fired from the band in 2003.
Crazy Town is an American rap rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1995 by Bret "Epic" Mazur and Shifty Shellshock. Their 2000 single "Butterfly", reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and helped their debut album, The Gift of Game (1999), sell over 1.6 million units. Their follow-up album, Darkhorse (2002), failed to achieve the same level of success, contributing to the band's breakup in 2003.
Rap metal is a fusion genre which combines hip hop with heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, rapped vocals and sometimes turntables.
Nothingface was an American nu metal band from Washington, D.C., formed in 1994. Their best-known and most prolific line-up consisted of Matt Holt (vocals), Tom Maxwell (guitar), Bill Gaal (bass) and Chris Houck (drums). They disbanded in 2004, only to reform the following year, reuniting with Gaal and Houck, and then disband four years later. In 2017, Holt died from a degenerative disease.
Hed PE is an American nu metal band from Huntington Beach, California. Formed in 1994, the band is known for its eclectic genre-crossing style, predominately in the fusion of gangsta rap and punk rock it has termed "G-punk", but also for its reggae-fused music.
Adema is an American rock band from Bakersfield, California. The band formed in 2000 with members vocalist Mark Chavez, guitarist Tim Fluckey, guitarist Mike Ransom, bassist Dave DeRoo, and drummer Kris Kohls. After their first two albums, Adema, and Unstable, the band was plagued with years of conflict and lineup changes. Ransom left the band in 2003 followed by Chavez later in 2004 due to conflicts between themselves and other members of the band. Luke Caraccioli replaced Chavez in early 2005 for one album, Planets, but then left a few months later in late 2005. Vocalist Bobby Reeves and guitarist Ed Faris, both from the band Level, were recruited to join as well, but only released one album, Kill the Headlights in 2007, before entering a hiatus. The band's original lineup reformed in late 2009 and toured, but both Ransom and Chavez left again before any new music would be recorded. Fluckey took over lead vocals from 2011 to 2017. The lineup released an EP, Topple the Giants. In 2013 Ransom returned once again; Chavez rejoined the band again in March 2017, only to leave again in 2019. He was replaced by Ryan Shuck. The band continued performing with Shuck, releasing 2 singles and a 3 song EP until Feb 2024 when Shuck departed from the band.
Nonpoint is an American rock band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The band currently consists of vocalist Elias Soriano, drummer Robb Rivera, rhythm guitarist Rasheed Thomas, bassist Adam Woloszyn, and lead guitarist Jaysin Zeilstra.
Bury Your Dead is an American metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 2001. The current lineup is guitarist Chris Towning, lead vocalist Mat Bruso, drummer Mark Castillo, and bassist Aaron Patrick. To date, they have had eight releases: one EP, one live DVD (Alive), and six studio albums.
Jihad is the debut EP and release by American nu metal band Otep. It was released on June 19, 2001, by Capitol Records. It is the only Otep release to feature guitarists Traver Marsh and Dave "Spooky" Aguilera, who were fired from the band shortly after the EP's release.
Primer 55 was an American nu metal band which formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1997. The name originated from the combination of Primer, meaning "something that's unfinished", and 55, which refers to Interstate 55, "the road that drugs run on to get to Chicago through Memphis".
No One is the only studio album by Chicago nu metal band of the same name. It was released on August 14, 2001 via Immortal Records and produced by Johnny K who also worked with Chicago natives Disturbed and SOiL. Neither the band nor their debut release gained any widespread commercial attention, despite the album being classified under the once-popular nu and alternative metal genre. Two singles from No One were released in "Chemical" and "Down on Me" and received moderate radio play for a short time. The album was re-released by the band February 6, 2024 but the track listing appeared in a different order and alternate cover art.
Burning the Process is the major label debut album of alternative metal band Pressure 4-5, released on DreamWorks Records in 2001. It features 11 tracks, three of which were featured on a prior three-song sampler release and were re-recorded for this album. This would prove to be Pressure 4-5's first and only major label album, as the group disbanded in 2003.
Grade 8 was a four-piece nu metal band originating from New Jersey, U.S.
Depswa is an American alternative metal band from Modesto, California. The band released two studio albums, two EPs, and a compilation before entering an indefinite hiatus in 2011.
Two Angels and a Dream is the debut album by American rock band Depswa. It was released on June 3, 2003, via Geffen Records. Album sales were impressive despite the lack of promotion, with over 39,000 copies to date sold in the United States.
Neurotica was a heavy metal band, started around 1995 by singer Kelly Schaefer and guitarist Shawn Bowen. Performances in local clubs brought the band to the attention of AC/DC singer and Sarasota resident Brian Johnson, who helped them find a management deal and produced their debut album, Seed. The album was not a success, but the follow-up, Living in Dog Years, also produced by Johnson, and now featuring bassist Migwell Przybyl, was more impressive and earned the band a major-label deal with the WWF's SmackDown! Records.
