Mass Mental | |
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 Official band picture of Mass Mental by "The Universe is not Enough" (Pascal Brun and Marcel Szerdahelyi) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | United States |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | Zain |
| Members | |
| Past members | |
Mass Mental (also stylized as Mass Mental?) is an American rock band. It was formed in 1995 by former Suicidal Tendencies and current Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo and former Dub War and current Skindred singer Clive "Benji" Webbe. [1]
The band was formed when Webbe's band Dub War disbanded after a dispute with their record label, Earache Records, and Webbe had failed to persuade them to let him record a hip-hop solo album. [2] [3] Trujillo was working with Ozzy Osbourne at the time. He recruited Armand Sabal-Lecco as a second bassist and Brooks Wackerman on drums to perform on Mass Mental's only album, How to Write Love Songs, which had begun work in 1995 with producer Mark Dodson and a selection of other musicians. Mikey Demus of Skindred has also claimed that Roy Mayorga of Soulfly and Stone Sour also played on some tracks, as well as Whitfield Crane and Lynn Strait providing some vocals (believed to be Strait's last recording). [4] A music video was made for Speedmental, but was scrapped due to Brooks Wackerman's explicit lyrics.
The band spawned a studio album, How to Write Love Songs, and a live album in Tokyo both released in Japan only, [5] [6] before disbanding shortly afterwards. The band were briefly together in 2002 with Roy Mayorga on drums and spent time at the home studio of Jonathan Davis to record a follow-up with producer Tim Harkins, however nothing materialised.
The group members each went their separate ways, with Webbe forming "ragga metal" band Skindred who released six studio albums; Trujillo going on to join Metallica in 2003 where he remains to this day; and Brooks Wackerman working with Bad Religion, Tenacious D, Fear and the Nervous System, and, for a brief time in 2007, Korn. In 2012, an official Facebook page started, in which pictures from the recording sessions were posted as well as artwork and other things. A release of the "Santa Barbara" mixes of the album was scheduled and a concert in September was rumoured only to be cancelled due to each member's touring schedules. Despite this, Mass Mental has claimed that it is still an ongoing project. Trujillo and Wackerman have also been involved with Farmikos, led by Trujillo's former Ozzy Osbourne bandmate, guitarist Joe Holmes, although neither is an official band member.
After a surprise "instruMENTAL" show supporting Tenacious D in 2013, the group reunited for a series of shows in summer 2014, with Ken Schalk replacing Brooks Wackerman on drums due to Wackerman's other commitments. In preparation of the Warwick & Framus Open Day 2014 Mass Mental played a show at the legendary Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood on August 26, 2014. On September 6, 2014 the group headlined the Warwick & Framus Open Day 2014 in Markneukirchen, Germany. The next official show was at the Lollapalooza Chile festival in Santiago de Chile in March 2015. The touring lineup also included DJ C-Minus and ex-God Forbid guitarist Doc Coyle providing additional guitars.
In August 2015, the group posted images on their Facebook page of Trujillo and Sabal-Leco in the studio, working on a new album.
On March 12, 2016, the group performed at the London Bass Guitar Show at Olympia (London) with a number of special guests, including English bassist Mark King. They also released a limited run of 150 copies of How to Write Love Songs for the shows, with the remainder going up for sale online.
(known participants on "How to Write Love Songs" only, according to interviews and the band's Facebook page [7] )
Suicidal Tendencies are an American rock band formed in 1980 in Venice in Los Angeles, California, by vocalist Mike Muir. Muir is the only remaining original member of the band. Along with D.R.I., Corrosion of Conformity, and Stormtroopers of Death, the band is often credited as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash". Their current lineup includes Muir, guitarists Dean Pleasants and Ben Weinman, bassist Tye Trujillo and drummer Greyson Nekrutman. Notable musicians who have contributed to the band's studio or live activities include guitarists Rocky George and Mike Clark, bassists Louiche Mayorga, Robert Trujillo, Ra Díaz, Josh Paul and Stephen "Thundercat" Bruner, and drummers Amery Smith, Jimmy DeGrasso, Brooks Wackerman, David Hidalgo Jr., Thomas Pridgen and session musician Josh Freese.
Infectious Grooves is an American funk metal supergroup led by vocalist Mike Muir and initially a side project from his group Suicidal Tendencies. The current lineup also includes guitarists Dean Pleasants and Jim Martin, bassist Robert Trujillo, and drummer Brooks Wackerman. To date, the project released four albums between 1991 and 2000.
Roberto Agustín Miguel Santiago Samuel Trujillo Veracruz is an American musician who is the bassist for heavy metal band Metallica. He first rose to prominence as the bassist of crossover thrash band Suicidal Tendencies from 1989 to 1995, while also collaborating with Suicidal Tendencies frontman Mike Muir for funk metal supergroup Infectious Grooves. After leaving Suicidal Tendencies, he performed with Ozzy Osbourne, Jerry Cantrell, and heavy metal band Black Label Society. Trujillo joined Metallica in 2003 and is the band's longest-serving bassist. He was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Metallica in 2009.
Brooks Wackerman is an American musician. He is the current drummer of heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, which he joined in 2015. His first album with Avenged Sevenfold was The Stage (2016). He is most known as the former and longest-standing drummer of punk rock band Bad Religion.
Skindred is a Welsh band that fuses heavy metal with other genres, most notably reggae. Formed in Newport in 1998, they are well known for their energetic and involving live performances and have won several awards including "Best Live Band" at the 2011 UK Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards and the "Devotion Award" at the 2011 Kerrang! Awards.
Michael Allen Muir is an American singer who is the lead vocalist and the only sole continuous member of Los Angeles-based bands Suicidal Tendencies, Los Cycos, and Infectious Grooves. He has also released several solo albums under his nickname Cyco Miko. Muir's trademark is wearing bandanas, jerseys with the number 13, and hats with block-style letters that read "suicidal".
Mas Borracho is the fourth album by Infectious Grooves, released in 2000. The title, as written on the album, is "but drunk" in Spanish. However, it is most likely a misspell of "más borracho", meaning "more drunk" or "drunker".
Joe Holmes is an American heavy metal guitarist best known for his stint with Ozzy Osbourne between 1995 and 2001. He has also played with Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth and the L.A. band Lizzy Borden in addition to leading his own bands, Terriff, and currently, Farmikos.
Dub War are a four-piece metal band from Newport, Wales. Formed in 1993, the band's musical style is a mix of metal, punk, and reggae.
Babylon is the debut studio album by Welsh heavy metal band Skindred. The band was formed from members of the disbanded band Dub War, including leader Benji Webbe, and signed to RCA Records in 2002, who released the album on 3 July. The band felt that they were being treated poorly by the label, and left in 2004, signing with Bieler Bros. Records, who released the album internationally in association with Lava Records. Each version released featured a significantly altered track listing.
Clive John "Benji" Webbe is a Welsh singer, best known as the lead vocalist and synthesizer player for the reggae metal band Skindred. Aside from his main project, he is also active in Diamond Spider, Dub War, Mass Mental and his own solo project. He has featured on albums by Bullet for My Valentine, Soulfly, The Alarm, and Punk Rock Factory.
Shark Bites and Dog Fights is the third studio album by Welsh band Skindred, released in September 2009.
"Nobody" is a song by Welsh reggae metal band Skindred. The song was released as the first single from the band's debut album Babylon. "Nobody" peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 23 on its Modern Rock Tracks chart in 2004.
Union Black is the fourth album from Welsh reggae metal band Skindred. It was released on 25 April 2011 in the United Kingdom and on 1 July 2011 in Europe. The album is notable for featuring more usage of dubstep, hip hop and drum and bass elements than previous works.
Armand Sabal-Lecco is a Cameroonian bass guitarist, composer and multi-instrumentalist best known for playing bass-guitar on Paul Simon's The Rhythm of the Saint's tour in 1989. Sabal-Lecco has worked with Paul Simon, the Brecker Brothers, Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke, John Patitucci, Vanessa Williams and many others. Armand is one of the world's leading session artists and also the brother of drummer Félix Sabal Lecco.
How to Write Love Songs is the only studio album of the short lived rock supergroup Mass Mental? It was released solely in Japan, and has only gained attention worldwide due to internet uploads and imported CDs. A limited run was released in March 2016.
Jeff Killed John is an EP by Welsh heavy metal band Bullet for My Valentine, under their original name Jeff Killed John. This EP marks the last recorded material by the band before the name change, as well as the last with bassist Nick Crandle, before Jason James replaced him. Many song elements from this EP would be reworked into later tracks for Bullet for My Valentine music: "Routine Unhappiness" contains riff elements that would later become "Tears Don't Fall," with lyrical content that would appear on "10 Years Today;" "Nation2Nation" would eventually become the sampler track "Turn to Despair"; and "All These Things I Hate " is an early demo of the song of the same name that would eventually appear on Bullet for My Valentine's debut album The Poison. Skindred vocalist Benji Webbe, who performs guest vocals in "Nation2Nation", would also be featured in the song "Take It Out on Me" from Bullet for My Valentine's second album Scream Aim Fire.
Volume is the sixth studio album from Welsh rock band Skindred. It was released on 30 October 2015.
Big Tings is the seventh studio album from Welsh rock band Skindred. It was released on 27 April 2018.
Westgate Under Fire is the third studio album by Welsh ragga metal band Dub War, released on 5 August 2022 via Earache Records. It is the first album of new material by the band since Wrong Side of Beautiful in 1996.
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