Jo Bench

Last updated

Jo-Anne Bench
Tuska 20130628 - Bolt Thrower - 27.jpg
Background information
Genres Death metal
Instrument(s) Bass guitar
Years active1986–present
Labels Metal Blade
Website http://www.boltthrower.com

Jo-Anne Bench is a death metal bassist from Leamington Spa, England, [1] who is best known as the bassist for Bolt Thrower. She has performed on all of the band's albums, but not on any of their demos. [1] Noted for being one of few women in the extreme metal genre, Bench has been influential to a number of other female musicians in the genre. [2]

Bench joined the band in 1987, [1] shortly after Gavin Ward switched from bass guitar to guitar. [3] At the time, she was Ward's long-time girlfriend [4] and notable as one of a few female members in a commercially successful metal band. Bolt Thrower were active until 2016, when they decided to disband following the death of drummer Martin Kearns the previous year.

She contributed guest vocals (spoken word) on the track "Resurrected For Massive Torture" by The Project Hate MCMXCIX on the 2005 album "Armageddon March Eternal – Symphonies of Slit Wrists". [5]

Equipment [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tristania (band)</span> Norwegian gothic metal band

Tristania was a Norwegian gothic metal band formed in 1996 by Morten Veland, Einar Moen and Kenneth Olsson. Tristania's music is usually classified as Gothic metal with death influences, due to its strong tie and legacy within the gothic metal history. Their songs largely dealt with dark and sentimental topics, including depression, sadness, suicide, love, absence, and anger.

Sinergy was a Finnish/Swedish heavy metal band started in 1997 by American musician Kimberly Goss. The idea for a "balls-out female-fronted metal band" was first formed when Kimberly Goss of Dimmu Borgir met Jesper Strömblad of In Flames whilst on tour in 1997.

Fleshcrawl is a German death metal band formed in Illertissen, Bavaria, in 1987. Their most recent album, Into the Catacombs of Flesh, was released in 2019 under Apostasy Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolt Thrower</span> English death metal band

Bolt Thrower was a British death metal band from Coventry. They formed in 1986 and released their first album with Vinyl Solution in 1988. The band then shifted to a new record label, Earache Records, soon becoming one of the best selling bands on that label. Their last label was Metal Blade Records. The band had a succession of members, and had toured Europe, the United States, and Australia. Over the course of their 30-year career, Bolt Thrower released eight studio albums, three EPs, one live album, three compilation albums and two demos. Their albums have sold over 100,000 copies in the United States as of 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Kearns</span> Musical artist

Martin Kearns was an English drummer, specializing in death metal, known for his association with Bolt Thrower since 1994. He joined the band at age 17 after playing in several local bands in Coventry, playing anything from metal to reggae, having been playing pub gigs since the age of 14.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gavin Ward (musician)</span> Musical artist

Gavin Ward is one of the two founding members of the now disbanded Bolt Thrower. He started out as the bass player early on in the band in 1986, and so can be heard on the first demo. For the second demo, he switched to playing lead and rhythm guitar. He plays lead and rhythm guitar on all albums, save Mercenary and Honour - Valour - Pride; there he plays solely rhythm guitar. Ward was also one of the lyricists of the band. Bolt Thrower disbanded in 2016, a year after the death of their drummer Martin Kearns.

<i>In Battle There Is No Law!</i> 1988 studio album by Bolt Thrower

In Battle There Is No Law! is the debut album by British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was recorded at Loco studios by Andrew Fryer, and mixed at Clockwork by Alan Scott. It was released on Vinyl Solution as Sol 11 on 20 June 1988, and re-released on Vinyl Solution as Sol 11 in 1992, with a different album sleeve. The album was again re-released in 2005 with the old album sleeve restored. The sound of the album dominantly featured characteristics of grindcore, with lyrics socio-politically charged as the members had roots in hardcore punk, and created a sound that was heavily influenced by their roots.

<i>Realm of Chaos</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Bolt Thrower

Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness is the second studio album by British death metal band Bolt Thrower, released on 28 October 1989. It was recorded at Loco Studios in April 1989 and engineered by Tim Lewis. It was mixed at Slaughterhouse Studios in July 1989 and engineered by Colin Richardson. It is produced by Bolt Thrower and Digby Pearson. The cover artwork was produced by Games Workshop. The whole album is closely tied to Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 game background and Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness was the title of a gaming book by Games Workshop released in 1988.

<i>War Master</i> 1991 studio album by Bolt Thrower

War Master is the third album by British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was recorded at Slaughterhouse studios in September 1990 and produced by Bolt Thrower and Colin Richardson. It was released on Earache Records: Mosh 29 in 1991.

<i>The IVth Crusade</i> 1992 studio album by Bolt Thrower

The IVth Crusade is the fourth studio album by British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was recorded at Sawmill Studios in August 1992 and produced by Bolt Thrower and Colin Richardson. The album was engineered by John Cornfield and mixed at Fon studios. It was also engineered by Alan Fisch and Steve Harris. It was released through Earache Records as Mosh 70 in 1992. The album title comes from the Fourth Crusade and the capturing of Constantinople. The cover artwork is a painting from Eugène Delacroix, showing "The Entry of the Crusaders in Constantinople".

<i>...For Victory</i> 1994 studio album by Bolt Thrower

...For Victory is the fifth album by British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was recorded at Sawmill studios in 1994, produced by Colin Richardson and Bolt Thrower. A limited edition contains a live CD titled Live War.

<i>Mercenary</i> (album) 1998 studio album by Bolt Thrower

Mercenary is the sixth album by the British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was recorded at Chapel Studios, Lincoln, England, December 1997 to January 1998. The album was produced by Bolt Thrower and Ewan Davis. It was released on Metal Blade Records in 1998.

<i>Honour – Valour – Pride</i> 2001 studio album by Bolt Thrower

Honour – Valour – Pride is the seventh album by the British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was recorded and mixed at Sable Rose Studios in Coventry, June to September 2001. It was produced by the band and Andy Faulkner, and was released on Metal Blade Records in 2001. Honour – Valour – Pride is the only full length Bolt Thrower album not featuring Karl Willetts and the first with Martin Kearns on drums.

<i>Who Dares Wins</i> (album) 1998 compilation album by Bolt Thrower

Who Dares Wins is a compilation of various rare Bolt Thrower tracks from EPs and other sources: Tracks 1–4 are from the Cenotaph EP, tracks 5–8 are from the Spearhead EP and the tracks 9 and 10 are from the same session as "...For Victory", previously released on "Rareache" and the Japanese version of ...For Victory. It is released on Earache Records, Mosh 208 on 14 September 1998. The cover art is also taken from the Spearhead EP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Dorrian</span> British singer (born 1968)

Lee Robert Dorrian is an English singer, best known as a former member of grindcore band Napalm Death and later frontman of doom metal band Cathedral.

<i>Those Once Loyal</i> 2005 album by Bolt Thrower

Those Once Loyal is the eighth and final studio album by British death metal band Bolt Thrower, released on 11 November 2005 by Metal Blade Records. Recorded with producer Andy Faulkner at Sable Rose Studios in Coventry, England, it was the first Bolt Thrower album since Mercenary (1998) to feature vocalist Karl Willetts, who rejoined the band in November 2004.

The Project Hate MCMXCIX is a Swedish death metal band with influences from electro-industrial music.

Believer is an American technical thrash metal band from the late 1980s and early 1990s, that plays a hybrid of thrash and progressive metal. Believer is known for its innovative use of symphonic elements in thrash metal, featuring some of the earliest examples of symphonic metal. Their lyrics deal with topics of philosophy, theology and social issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich Ward</span> American guitarist

Richard Park Ward, also known by his stage name The Duke, is an American guitarist best known as a founding member of Stuck Mojo and as lead guitarist of heavy metal band Fozzy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heavy metal bass</span>

Heavy metal bass is the use of the bass guitar in the rock music genres of heavy metal and hard rock. The bassist is part of the rhythm section in a heavy metal band, along with the drummer, rhythm guitarist and, in some bands, a keyboard player. The prominent role of the bass is key to the metal sound, and the interplay of bass and distorted electric guitar is a central element of metal. The bass guitar provides the low-end sound crucial to making the music "heavy". The bass plays a crucial role in heavy metal and a more important role than in traditional rock."

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Band members". Bolt Thrower FAQ. Retrieved 17 June 2007.
  2. Kelly, Kim (22 September 2016). "No Guts, No Glory: How Bolt Thrower's Jo Bench Inspired a Generation of Metal Musicians". Vice. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  3. "Biography". boltthrower.com. Retrieved 17 June 2007.
  4. "Issue No 8". Maelstrom. Archived from the original on 10 May 2005. Retrieved 17 June 2007.
  5. "Deadtide". deadtide.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2006. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  6. "Band Members". boltthrower.com. Retrieved 17 June 2007.