Stormzone

Last updated

Stormzone are a heavy metal band from Northern Ireland formed in 2004. The band's current line-up consists of vocalist John "Harv" Harbinson, bassist Graham McNulty, guitarists Steve Moore and Dave Shields, and drummer Davy Bates.

Contents

The band have, to date, released four studio albums on SPV Records, three albums on Metal Nation Records, and one on Metalapolis Records. The band have enjoyed considerable success, playing major rock festivals such as Sweden Rock. Firefest, Z-Rock, Raismes Fest and Wacken Open Air, as well as performing extensively across the UK and Europe. Their releases and performances have been met with general critical acclaim from publications such as Classic Rock . Two albums have had covers designed by renowned fantasy artist Rodney Matthews, with more recent albums featuring artwork by John Harbinson himself.

Other notable activities for the band have included performing as George Lynch's band, the "Lynch Mob", and supporting Y&T, White Lion, Tesla, Stryper, Sebastian Bach and Saxon. [1]

Initially beginning as a studio-only band crafting keyboard-driven AOR style rock, culminating in the release of the well-received Caught In The Act, [2] [3] Stormzone have taken a distinctive turn in recent years, focusing on a more guitar-heavy, NWOBHM style classic metal sound, with power metal influences. This re-invention of the band's sound has seen them enjoy considerable success, starting with a record contract with SPV/Steamhammer Records, and later with Metal Nations Records, under the management of Jess Cox (Neat Records/ original Tygers of Pan Tang vocalist), [4] and then with German label Metalapolis Records [5] in 2020.

Early history

Stormzone were formed as a studio project in 2004, by current and founding vocalist John "Harv" Harbinson. Harbinson had previously enjoyed success in bands such as No Sweat, Den of Thieves (who enjoyed considerable and continuing success in the Japanese rock market), Fastway, and a brief tenure in Sweet Savage. Beginning life as a new creative outlet for Harbinson after a brief break from the rock industry, Harbinson set about recruiting session musicians: drummer Julian Watson, bassist Pete Macken, keyboardist Stephen Prosser (who would later find success as keyboardist for Queen tribute-act Flash Harry), and guitarist Keith Harris, who would continue to work with Harbinson through all subsequent incarnations for the band.

After a tenure with this line-up, which saw the release Caught In The Act, Harbinson decided as a side project to join an Iron maiden tribute band formed by Steven Doherty and Stephen Stranaghan. He joined bassist Graham McNulty, guitarists Steven Doherty and Stephen Stranaghan and brought along long-term bandmate Keith Harris. During rehearsals, the band decided to compose some original material, which led to the realisation of Stormzone's current incarnation as a functioning live band.

In 2008, current drummer Davy Bates replaced Glenn Gray as a stand-in for the "Firefest" festival in Nottingham, England, which led to a permanent slot within the band's line-up. Following extensive live success in Europe, the band decided to record a new album in the vein of their rapidly evolving classic metal style, having already caught the attention of rock industry producer/DJ Neal Kay, (famed as the man who discovered Iron Maiden) who consequently agreed to co-produce the resulting album, 2010's Death Dealer.

Later history

Following Death Dealer and a subsequent live tour supporting Tesla, and an appearance at 2009's Sweden Rocks Festival guitarist Steve Doherty left the band due to family commitments. He was replaced by 21-year-old guitarist Chris Polin, who had been known to the band due to his presence in Belfast metal band Sorrowfall. Six weeks after Doherty's departure, the band were back onstage, supporting Y&T in a sold-out show in Stormzone's home-town of Belfast.

After the departure of Chris Polin in early 2011, Steve Moore joined the band. Having played previously with Riff Master General and Fireland, he has toured with the likes of Kreator and DragonForce and has appeared on, and engineered, several albums.

After supporting Stryper on the Spanish leg of their 2011 European tour, the band played the W.E.T. stage at Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany. They then set about recording their third album Zero To Rage, which was released by SPV/Steamhammer in November 2011. It was produced by Steve Moore at FireMachine Studio in Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Three Kings was released in September 2013 on Metal Nation Records. An official video for the title track was recorded in August 2013. [6]

After several tours in the UK and Ireland with Saxon, [7] and appearances at Sonisphere Festival and Bloodstock Open Air in 2014, the band recorded their fifth album Seven Sins, again produced by Steve Moore at FireMachine Studio. The album is currently available via Metal Nation Records. [8]

The band recorded a further album Lucifer's Factory on Metal Nations before moving to German label Metalapolis Records for their most recent album Ignite The Machine in 2020.

Members

Equipment

Discography

Caught in the Act (2007)

Death Dealer (2010)

Zero To Rage (2011)

Three Kings (2013) [9]

Seven Sins (2015) [8]

Lucifer's Factory (2018) [10]

Ignite The Machine (2020) [11]

Related Research Articles

Battleaxe are an English heavy metal band from Sunderland. As one of the bands of the new wave of British heavy metal scene, they started out with the name Warrior and morphed into Battleaxe in early 1981. The band consisted of Dave King (vocals), Brian Smith (bass), Steve Hardy (guitar), and Ian Thompson (drums). After playing around the area and honing their craft, they entered the recording studio to make a demo called "Burn This Town". In doing so, they garnered the attention of Roadrunner Records, and the result was their first album, Burn This Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vardis</span> English rock band

Vardis are an English three-piece hard rock, boogie rock and heavy metal band from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, who enjoyed hits between 1978 and 1986, and reformed in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sodom (band)</span> German thrash metal band

Sodom is a German thrash metal band from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1981. They have gone through many lineup changes, leaving bassist/vocalist Tom Angelripper as the only constant member. The band is currently composed of Angelripper, guitarists Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik and Yorck Segatz, and drummer Toni Merkel. Along with Kreator, Destruction and Tankard, Sodom has been referred to as one of the "Big Four" of Teutonic thrash metal. Sodom heavily influenced the German black metal scene. In addition, the band is regarded as a pioneer of early death metal. Mike McPadden wrote that the most Venom-blackened of German "Three Kings", Sodom further merged thrash and death metal into a wicked and decadent sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pro-Pain</span> American metal band

Pro-Pain is an American heavy metal band based in New York City, formed in 1991 by vocalist and bassist Gary Meskil and drummer Dan Richardson, both former members of Crumbsuckers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiko Loureiro</span> Brazilian guitarist

Pedro Henrique "Kiko" Loureiro is a Brazilian guitarist. He has been a member of several heavy metal bands, including Angra and Megadeth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fastway (band)</span> British hard rock band

Fastway were a British hard rock band formed in 1982 by former Motörhead guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke and UFO bassist Pete Way.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Smyth</span> American guitarist

Steve Smyth is an American musician who is the guitarist for metal band One Machine.

SinDizzy was a Christian metal band co-founded by former Stryper members Oz Fox and Tim Gaines. The band was founded in the mid-1990s after Stryper had disbanded. Its members included young drummer John Bocanegra and lead guitarist Bobby MacNeil. Bass player Tim Gaines described their sound as "a cross between [the] Stone Temple Pilots and Nirvana".

<i>Dogs of War</i> (album) 1995 studio album by Saxon

Dogs of War is the twelfth studio album by the heavy metal band Saxon, released in 1995. It's the last album with Graham Oliver, before he's fired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vicious Rumors</span> American power metal band

Vicious Rumors are an American power metal band, originally formed in 1979 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was conceived by founder and guitarist/vocalist Geoff Thorpe, and has been actively recording and touring worldwide since their full-length recording debut in 1985. The band is signed to the Germany-based label SPV/Steamhammer.

<i>You Are Here</i> (UFO album) 2004 studio album by UFO

You Are Here is the seventeenth studio album by the British hard rock band UFO, released in 2004 by the German record label SPV/Steamhammer. This is the first album with the new band members, Vinnie Moore and Jason Bonham, who replaced the long-time guitarist Michael Schenker and drummer Aynsley Dunbar.

<i>The Monkey Puzzle</i> (UFO album) 2006 studio album by UFO

The Monkey Puzzle is the eighteenth studio album by the British hard rock band UFO. It was released on 25 September 2006 in Europe and a day later in the United States. It also marks the return of founding drummer Andy Parker to the band and the last to feature founding bassist Pete Way.

<i>The Natives Are Restless</i> 1985 studio album by Hawaii

The Natives Are Restless is the third and last studio release by the American speed metal band Hawaii and the only one to feature guitarist Tom Azevedo, formerly of Honolulu band Rat Attack.

<i>Calling the Wild</i> 2000 studio album by Doro

Calling the Wild is the seventh solo album by German hard rock singer Doro Pesch. It was released in 2000, in two different editions for the European market and the American one. For this release, Doro changed labels again, having signed contracts with SPV/Steamhammer for Germany and with Koch Records for the USA. Calling the Wild was the first album published in the US after the eponymous one in 1990. The US edition contains also remixed tracks taken from the previous Doro album Love Me in Black. "Love Me Forever" is a cover of Motörhead's song from the album 1916 of 1991. "White Wedding" is a cover of Billy Idol's hit single of 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juan Garcia (guitarist)</span> Cuban-American guitarist (born 1963)

Juan Garcia , also known as Juan of the Dead, is a Cuban-American guitarist. He is perhaps best known as the guitarist for the thrash metal bands Agent Steel and Evildead and the power metal/speed metal band Abattoir. Garcia is also the rhythm guitarist of Body Count.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hammercult</span>

Hammercult was an Israeli-based thrash metal band, founded in 2010. The band is regarded as the leading extreme metal band of the Israeli metal movement in the 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Youngblood</span> Musical artist

Thomas Youngblood is an American metal guitarist, songwriter, and founding member of power metal band Kamelot.

<i>Zero Days</i> (album) 2017 studio album by Prong

Zero Days is the twelfth studio album by American heavy metal band Prong. It was released on July 28, 2017 through Steamhammer/SPV record label. The record was produced by the band's guitarist/vocalist Tommy Victor and longtime collaborator Chris Collier, the latter also engineering the album.

Hittman is an American heavy metal band from New York, originally active from 1984 to 1994 and again since 2017.

References

  1. ↑ "The Official Website of Stormzone :: Heavy Metal from Northern Ireland - Stormzone". Stormzone.tv. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  2. ↑ "RevelationZ Magazine - Your Heavy metal and Hard Rock resource". Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 February 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ↑ "BLABBERMOUTH.NET - STORMZONE to Release 'Death Dealer' in April". Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  5. ↑ "News: Stormzone sign to Metalapolis".
  6. ↑ "Stormzone 'Three Kings' Exclusive Official Promo HD". YouTube. 12 August 2013. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  7. ↑ Moore, Daniel (16 February 2014). "Somewhere In Time : Saxon, 53 Degrees Preston (15/02/14) Review". Somewhereintimemusic.blogspot.com. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Ireland's STORMZONE To Release Seven Sins Album In July; Artwork Revealed". BraveWords.com. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  9. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ↑ "News: Artwork for Lucifer's Factory - Stormzone". Stormzone.tv. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  11. ↑ "News: New album artwork - Ignite the Machine".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.