This article needs additional citations for verification .(October 2024) |
Holy Grail | |
---|---|
Also known as | Sorcerer (founding name) |
Origin | Pasadena, California, U.S. |
Genres | Heavy metal |
Years active | 2008–2022 |
Labels | Nuclear Blast, Prosthetic |
Members | James Paul Luna Tyler Meahl Blake Mount Eli Santana Donald Penn |
Past members | James J. LaRue Eric Harris Alex Lee |
Website | holygrailofficial |
Holy Grail is an American heavy metal band from Pasadena, California, formed in 2008.
Holy Grail was formed in 2008 as Sorcerer by singer James Paul Luna, lead guitarist James J. LaRue and drummer Tyler Meahl, all ex-members of White Wizzard. [1] [2] They recruited rhythm guitarist Eli Santana and bassist Eric Harris (formerly of Skeletonwitch) to complete the lineup. Before Holy Grail recorded their first extended play, bassist Blake Mount replaced Harris. [3]
In 2009, the band released their first EP, Improper Burial , on Prosthetic Records. They went on to release their first full-length album, Crisis in Utopia , in 2010, to critical acclaim. [4] The cover art for Crisis in Utopia was created by Andrei Bouzikov. [5]
The band toured heavily from 2009 to 2012 in support of their first album. In November 2009, they supported 3 Inches of Blood and Saviours on a North American tour. In April 2010, they supported Amon Amarth on their North American tour. In June, they performed at the UK's Download Festival. In July 2010, bassist Jessie Sanchez took Blake Mount's place in the band; in October of that year, Mount returned to the band Marcel and Sanchez left. In August, the band performed at Germany's Wacken Open Air Festival. They then began their third North American tour, supporting Exodus.
In October 2010, the band parted ways with LaRue, replacing him with guitarist Ian Scott for the next few months. [6] Scott's first performance with the band took place at Japan's Loud Park Festival. In December, the band toured North America for the fourth time, this time supporting Blind Guardian. In February 2011, the band toured North America again, supporting Eluveitie alongside 3 Inches of Blood. In March, the band embarked on a headlining tour of the UK, supported by Revoker.
In April 2011, the band parted ways with Scott, replacing him with guitarist Alex Lee (formerly of Bonded by Blood). The band then began its first headlining tour of North America, with support from Cauldron in the US (Holy Grail supported Cauldron on Canadian dates). In September, they toured North American again, this time supporting Toxic Holocaust. They released their second EP, Season's Bleedings, in December 2011.
In February 2012, the band performed at Australia's Soundwave festival. In March, they supported Saviours on another North American tour, including a performance at Austin's South by Southwest festival. In May, they supported DragonForce on their North American tour, alongside Huntress. In June, they supported Valient Thorr on their North American tour, alongside Royal Thunder. In October 2012, they supported Hellyeah on their North American tour.
The band's second full-length album, Ride the Void , was released on January 22, 2013. It was released in North America by Prosthetic Records and in Europe by Nuclear Blast. [7] Shortly after the release of Ride the Void, the band embarked on the Metal Alliance Tour, with Anthrax headlining, along with Exodus, Municipal Waste, High on Fire, and Shadows Fall.
Sometime in 2022, James Paul Luna left the band and formed the band Intranced.
While the band's sound is rooted in traditional heavy metal of the 1980s, their music also contains modern metal elements. Rock Hard 's Boris Kaiser compared Holy Grail to Trivium, 3 Inches of Blood, Sanctity, and DragonForce. [8] AllMusic described the band as playing traditional or retro heavy metal with thrash influences. [9] The band's lyrics deal with death, terror and other typical metal themes. [9]
Frontman Luna described Holy Grail as "a modern band with a new twist of old-school metal with death metal riffs, modern breakdowns, and power-metal singing". [10]
Current members
Former members
Touring members
Anthrax is an American thrash metal band from New York City, formed in 1981 by rhythm guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker. The group is considered one of the leaders of the thrash metal scene from the 1980s and is part of the "Big Four" of the genre, along with Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer. They were also one of the first thrash metal bands to emerge from the East Coast. The band's current lineup consists of Scott Ian, drummer Charlie Benante, bassist Frank Bello, vocalist Joey Belladonna and lead guitarist Jonathan Donais. Anthrax's lineup has changed numerous times over their career, leaving Ian as the only constant member of the band. Ian and Benante are the only two members to appear on all of Anthrax's albums, while Bello has been a member of Anthrax since 1984, replacing Lilker.
Zachary Phillip Wylde is an American musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and as the founder, lead guitarist, lead singer, songwriter and producer of the heavy metal band Black Label Society.
The Black Dahlia Murder is an American melodic death metal band from Waterford, Michigan, formed in 2001. Their name is derived from the 1947 unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short, often referred to as Black Dahlia. Currently, the band consists of lead vocalist Brian Eschbach, bassist Max Lavelle, drummer Alan Cassidy, and guitarists Brandon Ellis and Ryan Knight. The Black Dahlia Murder has undergone various lineup changes, with Trevor Strnad and Eschbach remaining the only constant members, until the former's death in 2022, which then saw Eschbach take over lead vocals and Knight replacing him on rhythm guitar.
Amon Amarth are a Swedish melodic death metal band from Tumba, formed in 1992. The band take its name from the Sindarin name of Mount Doom, a volcano in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. Their lyrics mostly deal with Viking mythology and history, and so they have been sometimes erroneously labeled "Viking metal", although the band prefers the term melodic death metal.
Byzantine is an American heavy metal band from Charleston, West Virginia, that was formed in 2000. As of March 2016, the band consists of frontman and co-founder Chris "OJ" Ojeda, Brian Henderson (guitar), Matt Bowles (drums) and Ryan Postlethwait (bass). The band has released three studio albums on Prosthetic Records along with two independent albums. Byzantine is known for its unique sound and modern, "forward thinking" musical style which explores different musical territories and song structures.
Týr is a Faroese folk metal band. They have been characterised as one of "the islands' two most successful metal bands". Their subject matter revolves almost entirely around Viking lore, mythology, and history, taking their name from Týr, the god of war in Norse religion.
God Forbid is an American metalcore band formed in East Brunswick, New Jersey in 1996. Initially breaking up in 2013, they have been semi-active since reuniting in 2022.
Volbeat are a Danish rock band formed in Copenhagen in 2001. They play a fusion of rock and roll and heavy metal. Their current line-up consists of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Michael Poulsen, drummer Jon Larsen, and bassist Kaspar Boye Larsen. The band is signed to Dutch label Mascot Records and has released eight studio albums and one DVD. Their second album Rock the Rebel/Metal the Devil received platinum status, and their 2010 release Beyond Hell/Above Heaven was subject to widespread international critical acclaim, receiving triple platinum in Denmark and Austria, double platinum in Sweden, platinum in Canada, 5x Gold in Germany, and gold in both Finland and the United States. Volbeat's most recent studio album, Servant of the Mind, was released in 2021.
Versailles is a Japanese visual kei symphonic metal band formed in 2007 by vocalist Kamijo and guitarist Hizaki. After recruiting bassist Jasmine You, drummer Yuki and guitarist Teru, they performed their first show on June 23. Their key characteristics are their Rococo-esque costumes, dueling guitars and heavy but melodic arrangements. The group gained a significant worldwide following soon after forming as their debut EP Lyrical Sympathy (2007), released by Kamijo's own label Sherow Artist Society, received a simultaneous European release and they performed in Europe and the United States the following year. Their first full-length album, Noble released in 2008, was also released in North America in 2009.
Trap Them was an American hardcore punk band formed in Salem, New Hampshire in 2001. They released five studio albums and five EPs, including a split EP with Extreme Noise Terror.
Alestorm are a Scottish heavy metal band formed in Perth, Scotland in 2007. Their music is characterised by a pirate theme, and as a result, they have been dubbed a "pirate metal" band by many critics and their fanbase. The group currently consists of lead vocalist/keytarist Christopher Bowes, bassist Gareth Murdock, drummer Peter Alcorn, keyboardist/harsh vocalist Elliot Vernon and guitarist Máté "Bobo" Bodor.
Animals as Leaders is an American instrumental progressive metal band from Washington D.C. Since 2012, the band has consisted of Tosin Abasi, Javier Reyes, and Matt Garstka (drums), having originated in 2007 as a solo project by Abasi. They are a prominent band within the djent scene. Prosthetic Records released the band's eponymous debut album in 2009. They have since released the albums Weightless (2011), The Joy of Motion (2014), The Madness of Many (2016), and Parrhesia (2022).
White Wizzard is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 2007. They have released one EP and four albums: Over the Top released in 2010, Flying Tigers released in 2011, The Devil's Cut released in 2013, and Infernal Overdrive released 2018. Throughout the band's history, it has undergone numerous lineup changes, with only Jon Leon remaining a stable member of the band. The end of the band was announced by Jon Leon in April 2018, however, he announced that he was reassembling the band in March 2019.
Bonded by Blood is an American thrash metal band, named after Exodus' debut album Bonded by Blood. Like its labelmates Evile, Gama Bomb, and Municipal Waste, Bonded by Blood is part of the thrash metal revival movement. The band was founded in mid-2005 by vocalist Jose Barrales, who with the help of friends completed the band's original lineup with guitarist Alex Lee, guitarist Juan Juarez, bassist Ruben Dominguez, and drummer Carlos Regalado.
Oracles is a Belgian melodic death metal band formed by the couple Sven de Caluwé and Miri Milman and featuring members from Israel, Netherlands, Greece and the US. On 13 March 2014, the band had announced an indefinite hiatus and disbanded after a messy divorce between Sven and Miri, but reformed in December 2014 as Oracles, with Sanna Salou, from Dimlight, on vocals. In 2020, Miri Milman reformed System Divide, and released a new single.
Seven Kingdoms are an American power metal band from DeLand, Florida. The band was formed in DeLand in 2007 by guitarist Camden Cruz and vocalist Bryan Edwards, after they parted with their previous band, This Solemn Vow. The band has shifted lineups repeatedly, and currently includes guitarists Cruz and Kevin Byrd, drummer Keith Byrd, vocalist Sabrina Valentine, and bassist Aaron Sluss.
Skull Fist is a Canadian heavy metal band formed in Toronto.
Crisis in Utopia is the debut album of heavy metal band Holy Grail.
Ride the Void is the second album by Heavy Metal band Holy Grail released in 2013 in Europe through Nuclear Blast and in North America through Prosthetic Records
Seasons Bleedings is an EP by Holy Grail released in 2011 under Prosthetic Records.