ZP Theart

Last updated

ZP Theart
ZP Theart Live.jpg
ZP performing in 2009
Background information
Birth nameZP De Villiers Theart
Born (1975-05-27) 27 May 1975 (age 49)
Clanwilliam, Western Cape, South Africa
Genres Power metal, heavy metal, speed metal, hard rock, glam metal
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
Years active1999–present
Formerly of Skid Row, I Am I, DragonForce, Tank, Shadow Warriors, Pentakill
Website iamiofficial.com

ZP Theart [1] (born ZP De Villiers Theart, 27 May 1975) is a South African singer, songwriter and the former lead vocalist for the British power metal band DragonForce and American rock band Skid Row. Theart was also hired by Riot Games for the voice of Karthus in the songs "Deathfire Grasp" and "Last Whisper" by the metal band Pentakill. [2]

Contents

Early life and first bands

ZP Theart was born on 27 May 1975 in Clanwilliam, Western Cape, South Africa, and he grew up in Hazyview in the Eastern Transvaal (now the Mpumalanga province), on a banana and Lychee farm, and was raised there by his mother. [3] His older brother lived with him as well. He has stated that according to his mother, at the age of three years, he began to hold a tablespoon up to his mouth, pretending that it was a microphone, and singing to whatever was on the radio. He has stated that in his early childhood, he listened to artists such as Gé Korsten, Carika Keuzenkamp and Rina Hugo, but his older brother began to introduce him to other music cassette tapes that he had gotten from high school, some of them being A-ha, Alphaville, Depeche Mode and then one day, Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet , which is a favorite of Theart's. [3] "I loved the way he pronounced the words and the way he wrote", he said in an interview. [4] He then began to discover other favorite bands such as Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Skid Row. He stated that his two favorites were Bon Jovi and Skid Row. During his teen years, Theart fronted and played in many bands. Not all of them are known but one was a Pretoria-based band called Santaria which was active during the late eighties and early nineties. Some of the members were the current drummer of Cold Hand Chemistry, Robert Fick, ex-Strider guitarist Pierre Goosen, and Stefan Steyn. After Theart graduated high school, he moved away to London, England, seeking global popularity. In the late 1990s, Theart fronted a garage/hard rock band called Easy Voodoo. They released a demo in 1999 but shortly after its release, Theart left the band. In the early 2000s Theart worked as a shuttle bus driver for Edexcel, between Stewart House and Blundell Street.

DragonForce

ZP Theart with DragonForce at Ozzfest 2006 ZP Theart.jpg
ZP Theart with DragonForce at Ozzfest 2006

In late 1999, Theart began to put out advertisements at Thin Ice Studios, which were eventually responded to by former Demoniac guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman. Together, they formed a band called DragonHeart, but the name was later changed to DragonForce. The band recorded a demo in 2000 and the album Valley of the Damned in 2003 on Noise Records. The following year, another album Sonic Firestorm was released on the same label and a world tour followed. In 2005, Dragonforce signed to Roadrunner Records, and Inhuman Rampage was released in 2006, eventually going gold. In 2008, Theart's fourth and final album with the band, Ultra Beatdown, was released, and in 2009, another world tour followed. In 2010, Valley of the Damned and Sonic Firestorm were re-released with bonus DVDs, featuring live footage, interviews, and other things. Later that year, Theart left the band due to "insurmountable differences of musical opinion". [5] He has since stated that he does not regret his decision to leave. [6] [7]

Tank

Theart served as the touring vocalist for Tank in 2013, becoming an official member the following year. His only studio project with the band was Valley of Tears in 2015, being replaced with David Readman shortly after due to his transition into Skid Row. [8]

Skid Row

On 13 February 2016 Theart premiered as the touring vocalist for Skid Row. [9] The band continued to tour throughout 2016 with Theart as their frontman. Following a year of touring, on 14 January 2017, he was announced as their official lead vocalist. [10] However, on 23 March 2022, the band announced they had parted ways with the singer and named a replacement without giving many details about the separation. Following his departure from Skid Row, Theart entered an apparent hiatus, with both his personal website and the website of his band, I Am I, displaying a blank page with "Maintenance Mode" in their titles, [11] [12] as well the continuation of a prolonged absence from social media platforms.

I Am I

After leaving DragonForce, Theart founded his own band, I Am I, in which he sings lead vocals. The band has so far released one studio album, Event Horizon, which has been released on a USB format and CD. [6] [13]

Other projects

Before DragonForce, Theart was also briefly involved with hard rock band Easy Voodoo. During the first few years since DragonForce's inception, Theart and his bandmate Sam Totman recorded a demo under the name Shadow Warriors, and Theart recorded the vocals for the 2001 two track Power Quest demo album.

On September 13th, 2024 ZP returned to music for the first time since 2022 being chosen to collaborate with original Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di'Anno for a new version of "Wrathchild" featured on "The Book of the Beast" [14]

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DragonForce</span> British power metal band

DragonForce are a British power metal band from London. The band was formed in 1999 by guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman, and are known for their long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-themed lyrics and retro video game-influenced sound. The band themselves refer to their music as "extreme power metal".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Di'Anno</span> British heavy metal singer

Paul Andrews, better known by his stage name Paul Di'Anno, is an English heavy metal singer who was the lead vocalist for Iron Maiden from 1978 to 1981. In his post-Maiden career, Di'Anno has issued numerous albums over the years, as both a solo artist and as a member of such bands as Gogmagog, Di'Anno's Battlezone, Killers, Rockfellas, and more recently, Warhorse. Together with fellow Iron Maiden member Dennis Stratton, he joined Praying Mantis for the recording of their 1990 live album Live at Last.

<i>Valley of the Damned</i> 2003 studio album by DragonForce

Valley of the Damned is the debut studio album by British power metal band DragonForce. In 2000, while the band was still known as DragonHeart, a demo of the same name was recorded and sent to Noise Records, subsequently gaining the band a deal with the label. It was then re-recorded in late 2002 and released as a full-length studio album on 25 February 2003, following the band's obtainance of the deal with Noise and change in name to DragonForce. The album was set to be remastered and released with a bonus DVD on 24 September 2007, but was subsequently delayed and eventually released on 22 February 2010, along with the re-release of the band's second album, Sonic Firestorm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power Quest</span> English band

Power Quest were an English power metal band from Southampton. Prior to the band's retirement in 2023, the line-up consisted of keyboardist Steve Williams, drummer Rich Smith, vocalist Ashley Edison, guitarists Glyn Williams and George "The Kid" Karafotis, and bassist Bradley Edison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skid Row (American band)</span> American rock band

Skid Row is an American rock band formed in 1986 in Toms River, New Jersey. Their current lineup comprises bassist Rachel Bolan, guitarists Dave Sabo and Scotti Hill and drummer Rob Hammersmith. The group achieved commercial success in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with its first two albums Skid Row (1989) and Slave to the Grind (1991) certified multi-platinum, the latter of which reached number one on the Billboard 200. Those two albums also produced some of Skid Row's most popular hits, both in and outside of the United States, including "18 and Life" and "I Remember You", which peaked in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, and other charting singles such as "Youth Gone Wild", "Monkey Business", "Slave to the Grind", "Wasted Time", and "In a Darkened Room". The band's third album Subhuman Race (1995) was also critically acclaimed, but failed to repeat the success of its predecessors. Those three albums featured the band's "classic" lineup, which consisted of Bolan, Sabo, Hill, drummer Rob Affuso and frontman Sebastian Bach. The band had sold 20 million albums worldwide by the end of 1996. Amid rising tensions, Bach was fired and Affuso left Skid Row towards the end of that year, after which the band entered a three-year hiatus.

<i>Inhuman Rampage</i> 2005 studio album by DragonForce

Inhuman Rampage is the third studio album by British power metal band DragonForce, released first on 28 December 2005 in Japan, and 9 January 2006 elsewhere, through Victor Entertainment and Roadrunner Records, respectively. Its first single, "Through the Fire and Flames", has received rock radio and Fuse TV airplay, and has appeared as a playable track on the video games Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Rock Band 3, and Rocksmith 2014 Edition – Remastered. It is the band's first album to feature harsh vocals, which were recorded by Demoniac vocalist Lindsay Dawson; the album is also the last to feature bassist Adrian Lambert, who left the band in 2005 and was replaced by Frédéric Leclercq before the album's release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Solinger</span> American singer (1965–2021)

John Preston Solinger was an American singer known for being the lead vocalist of the hard rock/heavy metal band Skid Row from 1999 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Through the Fire and Flames</span> 2006 single by DragonForce

"Through the Fire and Flames" ("TTFAF") is a song by British power metal band DragonForce. The song is acclaimed as the most successful song by the band. The song was the lead single and opening track from DragonForce's third album, Inhuman Rampage. It is known primarily for its rapid twin guitar solos by Herman Li and Sam Totman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Ground and Pound</span> 2006 single by DragonForce

"Operation Ground and Pound" is a song by British power metal band DragonForce. It is the fourth track of the band's third album, Inhuman Rampage. The track was the second music video to be released by the band, although as with their previous single, "Through the Fire and Flames", the song is edited to reduce the running time to around 5 minutes compared to the album version of nearly 8 minutes.

<i>Ultra Beatdown</i> 2008 studio album by DragonForce

Ultra Beatdown is the fourth studio album by British power metal band DragonForce, released on 20 August 2008 in Japan through JVC and on 26 August 2008 worldwide through Roadrunner Records and Spinefarm Records. Ultra Beatdown was the band's last studio album to feature vocalist ZP Theart and their first to feature bassist Frédéric Leclercq.

"Revolution Deathsquad" is a song by British power metal band DragonForce. The song was released as the third and final single from their first major label album and third album overall Inhuman Rampage. It was first released via web streaming on their official MySpace profile in late 2006. A music video for the song was never made. The single was released for download on iTunes. The song is available as a download to play on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock alongside "Heroes of Our Time" and "Operation Ground and Pound". It is one of the band's heaviest songs, with screaming backing vocals, under a keyboard solo, a chugging, extreme-metal-oriented guitar, and a powerful, yet dark scream from vocalist ZP Theart toward the end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erik Grönwall</span> Swedish singer

Per Erik Magnus Grönwall is a Swedish hard rock and heavy metal singer. In 2009, he won the Swedish Idol reality television show, receiving several standing ovations from the jury for his performances over the course of the competition. His first single, "Higher", reached gold on digital downloads after only three days. His debut album, self-titled Erik Grönwall, was released just ten days after the finals and debuted at number one on the Swedish albums chart and was certified platinum. Both as a solo artist and band member, Grönwall has numerous top 40 hits.

<i>Twilight Dementia</i> 2010 live album by DragonForce

Twilight Dementia is the first live album by British power metal band DragonForce, released in Japan on 8 September 2010, the United Kingdom on 13 September and in the United States on September 14. The album was recorded in November and December 2009 during the United Kingdom leg of the Ultra Beatdown world tour, across nineteen different shows. The album features songs from all the band's previous albums. It is the last overall release to feature ZP Theart as the lead vocalist.

<i>The Power Within</i> (album) 2012 studio album by DragonForce

The Power Within is the fifth studio album by British power metal band DragonForce, released in April 2012. It is the first DragonForce album to feature vocalist Marc Hudson. "Cry Thunder" was released as downloadable content for Rock Band 3.

I Am I are an English heavy metal band led by former DragonForce vocalist ZP Theart. The band released their debut album Event Horizon in 2012, followed by two singles, one of which is a cover of John Farnham's "You're the Voice" and the other an original song titled "See You Again". Their sophomore album was expected to be released in November or December 2015, but as of October 2019 has not been released. Reasons for the as of yet 4 year delay to the release of their newest album are currently unknown however since ZP has been prioritising Skid Row it is presumed that this is the reason. Their website also currently displays a message that reads "IAMI new site coming soon".

<i>Maximum Overload</i> 2014 studio album by DragonForce

Maximum Overload is the sixth studio album by British power metal band DragonForce, which was released in Europe on 18 August 2014, and in North America the next day. Trivium vocalist Matt Heafy contributed backing vocals on three songs, including the album's first single, "The Game". The album was produced by Jens Bogren, marking the first time the band decided not to record in their own studio and with an outside producer. The album was released in three versions: standard physical or digital CD, special edition physical or digital CD, and vinyl.

<i>Event Horizon</i> (album) 2012 studio album by I Am I

Event Horizon is the debut studio album by British heavy metal band I Am I, released in 2012. The album was originally released on USB, then onto CD format, making I Am I the first heavy metal band ever to release an album only on USB first. The album has a few traces of the power metal sound of ZP's previous band DragonForce. The album has been described as "old school meets new school" by lead vocalist and co-writer ZP Theart. The album is quite melodic and a bit similar to the AOR of the 1970s and 1980s. The lyrics deal with human emotions, social life, and issues that people struggle with.

<i>Reaching into Infinity</i> 2017 studio album by DragonForce

Reaching into Infinity is the seventh studio album by British power metal band DragonForce, released on 19 May 2017. It is the band's first studio album to feature drummer Gee Anzalone and the last to feature longtime keyboardist Vadim Pruzhanov.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Gang's All Here (song)</span> 2022 song by Skid Row

"The Gang's All Here" is a song by American rock band Skid Row. It was released on March 25, 2022 as the first single from their sixth studio album of the same name and the first song to feature frontman Erik Grönwall following ZP Theart's dismissal from the band in March 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "ZP Theart – Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". Companies House, Government of the United Kingdom.
  2. ↑ "Pentakill Music" . Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  3. 1 2 Knijf, Markus (18 June 2012). "From Farm to 'Force and Beyond – An Interview with ZP Theart".
  4. ↑ Georgia Straight; lucas aykroyd (7 September 2006). "REPORT: OLD-SCHOOL DRAGONFORCE A UNITED NATIONS OF METAL". straight.com.
  5. ↑ Simon (9 March 2010). "Dragonforce part ways with ZP Theart". Kerrang! . Archived from the original on 6 July 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  6. 1 2 Childers, Chad (26 May 2012). "Former DragonForce Singer ZP Theart Does Not Regret Leaving Band". Loudwire . Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  7. ↑ Seymour, Jon (3 August 2012). "I AM I's ZP Theart: Exclusive Pre-Bloodstock Interview". Pure Rawk. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  8. ↑ Olivier (29 June 2017). "Tank announce lead vocalist David Readman to replace ZP Theart who is now with Skid Row". Sleaze Roxx. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "Video: SKID ROW Plays First Show With Ex-DRAGONFORCE Singer ZP THEART". 13 February 2016.
  10. ↑ "SKID ROW Officially Recruits Ex-DRAGONFORCE Singer ZP THEART, Prepares To Make New Record". 15 January 2017.
  11. ↑ "zptheart.com - Maintenance Mode" . Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  12. ↑ "I AM I - Maintenance Mode" . Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  13. ↑ Ouellette, Mary (22 April 2012). "Ex-Dragonforce Singer ZP Theart Returns With New Band I Am I". Loudwire . Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  14. ↑ "PAUL DI'ANNO Releases Lyric Video For New Version Of IRON MAIDEN's "Wrathchild" Feat. ZP THEART".
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.