Lions (band)

Last updated
Lions
Lions "Volume 1" era photo.jpg
Lions / Volume 1
Background information
Origin Austin, Texas, United States
Genres Hard rock, psychedelic rock, heavy metal
Years active2005 (2005)–2010
LabelsMaybe
MembersMatt Drenik
Austin Kalman
Jake Perlman
Mike Sellman
Past membersTrevor Sutcliffe

Lions (stylized as LIONS) were an American rock band from Austin, Texas, formed in 2005. The lineup consists of singer Matt Drenik, guitarist Austin Kalman and drummer Jake Perlman. Trevor Sutcliffe was Lions' bassist from their formation until his departure in 2009, where he was replaced by Mike Sellman. The band formed following the breakup of The Good Looks, the previous band of both Drenik and Perlman.

Contents

To date, Lions have released one studio album; No Generation (2007), and two EPs; Volume One (2006) and Let No One Fall (2009). Since 2007, their music has been licensed for television shows ( Sons of Anarchy and Californication ) as well as video games ( Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 ). The inclusion of "Metal Heavy Lady" in Guitar Hero III led to over 3,000 downloads of the song according to Nielsen SoundScan.

History

Formation and Volume One EP (2005–2007)

Matt Drenik and Jake Perlman were both members of the Austin-based rock band The Good Looks. [1] [2] When they later broke up in the middle of a summer tour, [1] Drenik was told by a club owner that he would keep a Fu Manchu support slot if he formed another band. [3] After renting out an open space above a bar, to write and practice, Drenik and Perlman began working with guitarist Austin Kalman and bassist Trevor Sutcliffe whose bands had also broken up. [3] They quickly formed a new group [1] [4] and, following a suggestion from Perlman, [5] named themselves Lions, due to a large lion head that covered a whole wall of open space where they practiced. [5] Lions went on to fulfill the support slots of The Good Looks [4] while their later shows gained the band some notoriety for their high-energy performances. [1]

To coincide with their appearance at SXSW '06, Lions recorded and released their debut EP Volume One in 2006. [1] [6] Reviewing the EP for Allmusic, Eduardo Rivadavia states that Lions "boldly attempts to straddle the hard rock decades" making comparisons to the bands ZZ Top, Queens of the Stone Age, Nebula and Fu Manchu. [7] He goes on to state that while "there's definite room for improvement" the EP "is a very promising first step [for the band]." [7]

No Generation (2007–2009)

The band soon gained record label attention from Rock Ridge Music and Roadrunner Records. [8] [9] Though Roadrunner helped to fund the recording of their debut album, they decided against signing the band. [8] [9] The band performed at SXSW '07, which led to the song "Metal Heavy Lady," from the Volume One EP, being licensed for use on the Activision game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock in 2007. [4] [10] [11] The song's inclusion on the game led to over 3,000 downloads according to Nielsen SoundScan. [10] The band were also contacted by FX to write the theme song for Sons of Anarchy , recording it with producer Matt Hyde. [9] Though "This Life" was chosen as the theme, Lions music was still used prominently in the show [10] [12] while they would later record a cover of the Bob Dylan song "Girl from the North Country" for the Sons of Anarchy: North Country - EP released in 2009. [13] The band's music was also licensed for use on the Showtime series Californication . [10]

When you put us next to Ozzy on a video game like that ... it makes our song become iconic in the little kid's mind. When people ask what kind of music do we play I say, "Well, we're in a hard rock band, but we are riff rock." Then, if they are still confused, I say, "Well, we were in Guitar Hero." Instantly, they understand exactly what is happening. [14]

—Drenik on the bands inclusion on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

Lions debut album No Generation was released independently on November 14, 2007, [15] with "Start Movin'" chosen as the first single. [10] The album received generally positive reviews upon release. Allmusic reviewer Eduardo Rivadavia states that while there are many positives on the album, "No Generation unfortunately lacks some of its predecessors' excitement and urgency, leaving listeners already aware of the band's potential hungering for more." [15] Reviewing the album for The Austin Chronicle , Austin Powell states that the album "offers tighter production, heavier hooks, and the grooves" though he describes the end of the album as "a draining experience." [16] Jordan Richardson of Blogcritics made comparisons to Soundgarden and Fu Manchu, stating that Lions "have come up with a heavy, bluesy, ultimately rewarding record." [17] In 2008, the band toured in support of the album, playing shows in the US supporting the Toadies and Local H, while "Start Movin'" was re-released to capitalize on the band's exposure from Guitar Hero III [9] [10] [18] The same year, the band gained some interest from Columbia Records, though no deal went through. [9]

Let No One Fall EP and recent events (2009–present)

In 2009, WWE used "Start Movin'" in promotional spots for SummerSlam 2009 and later included the song in the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 in-game soundtrack. [19] The band began working on new songs after deciding against using previous material. [9] The band entered pre-production of their new album in May and began recording in June with producer Chris "Frenchie" Smith. [9] It was during this time that bassist Sutcliffe departed the band and was replaced my Mike Sellman for recording. [9] Lions invited Scott Lucas of Local H to write with them, eventually writing the song "Screaming Out," while they were sent a demo from Vaden Todd Lewis, of the Toadies, that they reworked into "Poster Child." [9]

The resulting EP, entitled Let No One Fall, was released on November 23, 2009, in the UK through Maybe Records. [4] [9] [20] The EP received generally positive reviews. Reviewing the EP for Rock Sound , Tim Newbound stated that it was "a wicked slab of bare-bones rock." [21] Malcolm Dowe of Metal Hammer states that they "prove that grunge can be given a fresh twist, bringing in daubs of Velvet Revolver and [Queens of the Stone Age]." [22] Lions later supported Monster Magnet and Karma to Burn on their UK tour in December, [4] [9] making Let No One Fall available for free download to coincide with the tour. [20] Drenik also launched his side project Battleme, contributing the song "Burn This Town" to the second series finale of Sons of Anarchy as well as the series soundtrack Sons of Anarchy: Shelter - EP . [20] He would later, in 2010, contribute a cover of Neil Young's "Hey Hey, My My" for the Sons of Anarchy third series finale and soundtrack Sons of Anarchy: The King is Gone . In 2010, Lions performed at SXSW '10, [9] and later performed one show in Austin, Texas in October, with Drenik focusing on his side project Battleme stating "I'm guessing we'll do a lot of back-and-forth [between bands]." [23] Lions subsequently became inactive as Drenik shifted focus to Battleme.

Musical style and influences

In an interview with Spinner, Matt Drenik described the band's sound as "heavy riff-rock" that was "more in the hard rock vein than in the metal vein." [5] Guitarist Austin Kalman described Lions sound, in Total Guitar , as "the halfway point between straight rock 'n' roll and punk and metal." [24] Jason Bennett, if Nashville Scene , describes that band's music as "a ferocious blend of fuzz, sweat and riffs, with a slinky Southern groove holding it all together." [25] In an article for Billboard magazine, Katie Hasty states that Lions "[combine] '70s hard rock and psych elements ... with buzzing, stoner guitar rifts and Drenik's strong wail." [10] Houston Press writer Christopher Henderson states that "Lions are the Eagles of death metal, had they spent an entire adolescent summer with Black Flag's " In My Head ," or Wolfmother for people who drink domestic beer." [11] Eric Allen of Real Detroit Weekly has described the band's sound as "a heavy blend of metal, psychedelic and hard rock that would make the former torchbearers of the genre happy." [14]

Drenik has cited influences from Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, [5] while guitarist Kalman cites Sonic Youth, Elliott Smith, The Beatles and avant-garde jazz music as influences on his playing. [5] [24] The band have also seen their music compared to Queens of the Stone Age, ZZ Top, Soundgarden, AC/DC, Nebula and Fu Manchu among others. [4] [7] [15] [17] [21] [22]

Band members

Final Lineup
Former members

Discography

Studio albums

   Track listing (with duration in minutes): [26]

EPs

Related Research Articles

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a thick, monumental sound characterized by distorted guitars, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats and loudness.

Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive or declamatory vocals, distorted electric guitars, and dynamic drums. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard rock music was produced by the Kinks, the Who, the Rolling Stones, Cream, Vanilla Fudge, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. In the late 1960s, bands such as Blue Cheer, the Jeff Beck Group, Iron Butterfly, Led Zeppelin, Golden Earring, Steppenwolf, Deep Purple and Grand Funk Railroad also produced hard rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monster Magnet</span> American rock band

Monster Magnet is an American rock band. Hailing from Red Bank, New Jersey, the group was founded in 1989 by Dave Wyndorf, John McBain and Tim Cronin ; they have since gone through several lineup changes, leaving Wyndorf as the only constant member. Monster Magnet has released ten studio albums to date, and they are best known for their 1990s hits "Negasonic Teenage Warhead" and "Space Lord". The band has also been credited for developing and popularizing the stoner rock genre, along with Masters of Reality, Kyuss, Fu Manchu and Sleep.

Glam metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voivod (band)</span> Canadian heavy metal band

Voivod is a Canadian heavy metal band from Jonquière, Quebec. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Denis "Snake" Bélanger, guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour, drummer Michel "Away" Langevin and bassist Jean-Yves "Blacky" Thériault. The band has had numerous members changes throughout its 42-year career, with Langevin as the only consistent member. Their current line-up includes Langevin, Bélanger, Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain (guitar) and Dominic "Rocky" Laroche (bass).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anarchy in the U.K.</span> 1976 single by Sex Pistols

"Anarchy in the U.K." is a song by English punk rock band the Sex Pistols. It was released as the band's debut single on 26 November 1976 and was later featured on their album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. "Anarchy in the U.K." was number 56 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and is included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">After Forever</span> Dutch metal band

After Forever was a Dutch symphonic metal band with strong progressive metal influences. The band relied on the use of both soprano vocals and death growls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otep</span> American nu metal band

Otep is an American nu metal band. The band was formed in November 2000 in Los Angeles by frontwoman Otep Shamaya. The band is noted for their style of "art-house nu metal", and their strong political stances. Throughout the course of several lineup changes over the years, Shamaya has remained the only constant member in the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katatonia</span> Swedish heavy metal band

Katatonia is a Swedish heavy metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström. The band started as a studio-only project for the duo, as an outlet for the band's love of death metal. Increasing popularity led them to add more band members for live performances, though outside of the band's founders, the lineup was a constantly changing, revolving door of musicians throughout the 1990s, notably including Mikael Åkerfeldt of the band Opeth for a period. After two death/doom albums, Dance of December Souls (1993) and Brave Murder Day (1996), problems with Renkse's vocal cords coupled with new musical influences led the band away from the screamed vocals of death metal to a more traditional, melodic form of heavy metal music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bullet for My Valentine</span> Welsh heavy metal band

Bullet for My Valentine, often abbreviated as BFMV, are a Welsh heavy metal band from Bridgend, formed in 1998. The band is currently composed of Matthew Tuck, Michael Paget, Jason Bowld (drums) and Jamie Mathias. Former members include Michael Thomas, Jason James and Nick Crandle; the latter were on bass. They were formed under the name Jeff Killed John and started their music career by covering songs by Metallica and Nirvana. Jeff Killed John recorded six songs which were not released; two of these tracks were reworked later in their career as Bullet for My Valentine. A change of style from that of Jeff Killed John led the band to change their name. In 2002, the band secured a five-album deal with Sony BMG. The band has stated that their music is influenced by classic metal acts such as Metallica, Iron Maiden and Slayer. The band is part of the Cardiff music scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sword</span> American heavy metal band

The Sword was an American heavy metal band from Austin, Texas. Formed in 2003, the band was composed of vocalist and guitarist John D. Cronise, guitarist Kyle Shutt, bassist Bryan Richie and drummer Santiago "Jimmy" Vela III for most of its tenure. Originally signed to Kemado Records, the group released their debut album Age of Winters in 2006, the material for which had been largely written by Cronise prior to the band's formation. Gods of the Earth was released two years later, giving the group its first entry on the US Billboard 200 chart when it reached number 102.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaden Todd Lewis</span> American musician

Vaden Danger Todd Lewis is an American musician best known as the vocalist and guitarist for Toadies, an alternative rock band from Fort Worth, Texas. Lewis was also the lead vocalist and guitarist for the Dallas-based Burden Brothers. In July 2017, Lewis opened The Loop Artist Rehearsal Studios in Fort Worth.

The Rods are an American heavy metal band formed in 1980 by David "Rock" Feinstein [Born in 1947], Steven Starmer, and Carl Canedy. After the first album Starmer was replaced by Garry Bordonaro. Feinstein had first come to mainstream attention after playing in Elf with his cousin Ronnie James Dio. The Rods' sound differed considerably from Elf, adopting a more traditional heavy metal sound compared with the boogie-rock sound that Elf preferred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Tide</span> American heavy metal band

Black Tide was an American heavy metal band from Kendall, Florida. Formed in 2004, the band last consisted of Gabriel Garcia, Austin Diaz and Cody Paige (drums). They released their debut album, Light from Above, on March 18, 2008 through Interscope Records when Garcia was 15 years old. Their second album, Post Mortem, was released on August 23, 2011. Black Tide's EP Bite the Bullet was released on November 12, 2013 by InnerCat Music Group, a Miami-based boutique label. On October 16, 2015 band released their last album Chasing Shadows. On July 22, 2016 Garcia announced on his Instagram that the band is over and he is concentrating on his solo project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Black Box Revelation</span> Belgian band

Black Box Revelation is a Belgian garage rock band. It was formed in 2005 by vocalist and guitarist Jan Paternoster and drummer Dries Van Dijck. The band achieved great reviews with their debut Set Your Head on Fire and second album Silver Threats. In 2011, the band released their third album My Perception, including the hit singles "Rattle My Heart" and "My Perception".

The Eyes of a Traitor were an English metalcore band from Harpenden, Hertfordshire, formed in the summer of 2006. The band consists of vocalist Jack Delany, drummer Sam Brennan, guitarists Tim George and Matthew Pugh, and bassist Tom Hollings. There have been numerous line-up changes within the band, mainly due to members wishing to pursue education. According to the band, its name derives from a conversation the band members had whilst watching Star Wars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battleme</span> American singer-songwriter

Battleme is the stage name and band of Lions singer Matt Drenik, an American musician. It was started as a creative outlet to other projects Drenik was involved in during 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Drenik</span> Musical artist

Matt Drenik is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist.

The Forest Rangers is a roots rock band best known for songs from the TV series Sons of Anarchy. The music they created for the TV series was nominated 3 times for Emmy Awards, while it has won 2 HMMA awards and 1 OFTA television award. shaping the series and captivating audiences from 2008 until 2014.

Lo-Pan is an American hard rock band from Columbus, Ohio. The band has been praised for its "ability to write a driving, catchy rock song in a well-established aesthetic while still sounding original, vibrant and exciting," and for "performing heavy rock that's at once infectious and distinctly ambitious." Their most recent album, Subtle, was released in May 2019.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Lions Biography". Allmusic. All Media Guide (Rovi). Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  2. ↑ Gray, Christopher (July 8, 2005). "Trophy's Case". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  3. 1 2 Newbound, Tim, "Exposure: Lions", Rock Sound , pp. 26, 27, archived from the original on 2012-04-02, retrieved 2011-09-18[ better source needed ]
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Lions", Classic Rock , Future plc, p. 23, February 2010, archived from the original on 2012-03-27, retrieved 2011-09-18
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 C. Jones, Evan (July 8, 2005). "Lions Interview: SXSW 2010". Spinner. AOL . Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  6. ↑ Stevens, Darcie (November 9, 2006). "Caught 'Em in Autumn: Up against the wall, local scene". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  7. 1 2 3 Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Volume One Review". Allmusic. All Media Guide (Rovi). Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  8. 1 2 Gray, Christopher (May 18, 2007). "The Mouths that Roared". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Goldin, Dan (January 3, 2010). "Speaking LIONS and Battleme with Matt Drenik: An Exploding In Sound Exclusive". Exploding In Sound. Archived from the original on September 17, 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hasty, Katie (February 28, 2009), "Billboard Underground: Lions", Billboard , Prometheus Global Media, vol. 121, no. 8, p. 31, retrieved 2011-09-18
  11. 1 2 Henderson, Christopher (January 30, 2008). "Lions". Houston Press . Village Voice Media . Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  12. ↑ "I joked, 'TV is the new radio'", Classic Rock , Future plc, p. 36, September 2010, archived from the original on 2012-03-27, retrieved 2011-09-18
  13. ↑ "ANVIL, SCARS ON BROADWAY Guitarist Cover THE WHO For 'Sons Of Anarchy' EP". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. August 30, 2009. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  14. 1 2 Allen, Eric (June 23, 2009). "Lions: Metal Roars Back To Life". Real Detroit Weekly . Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  15. 1 2 3 Rivadavia, Eduardo. "No Generation Review". Allmusic. All Media Guide (Rovi). Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  16. ↑ Powell, Austin (November 16, 2007). "Texas Platters: Lions No Generation". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  17. 1 2 Richardson, Jordan (December 4, 2008). "Music Review: Lions - No Generation". Blogcritics . Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  18. ↑ "Lions Biography". Lionstheband.net. Archived from the original on 2011-10-22. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  19. ↑ "The music of SmackDown vs. Raw 2010". WWE. September 23, 2009. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  20. 1 2 3 Powell, Austin (December 4, 2009). "Off the Record". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  21. 1 2 Newbound, Tim (November 26, 2009). "Lions - Let No One Fall". Rock Sound . Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  22. 1 2 Dowe, Malcolm. "Lions - Let No One Fall". Metal Hammer . Archived from the original on 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  23. ↑ Powell, Austin (October 1, 2010). "Off the Record". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  24. 1 2 "Monitor: Lions", Total Guitar , Future plc, pp. 16, 17, January 2010, archived from the original on 2012-04-02, retrieved 2011-09-18
  25. ↑ Bennett, Jason (February 22, 2007). "Our Critics Picks". Nashville Scene . Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  26. ↑ Amazon.com page for Lions EP No Generation (Retrieved 15 April 2015)
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.