Masters of Reality is an American rock band formed in 1981 by frontman Chris Goss and guitarist Tim Harrington in Syracuse, New York, United States. They took the name for the band from a misprinted label of the third Black Sabbath album.[1] Goss has remained the only constant band member.
Frontman Chris Goss started out with a band covering heavy 1970s rock acts (New York Dolls, Aerosmith, David Bowie, Blue Öyster Cult, Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin) and writing his own songs since circa 1975. After getting into punk rock for a while (performing at CBGB in 1978), he didn't play guitar for a few years, instead preferring electronic music like Kraftwerk and becoming a club DJ.[2]
In 1981 Goss and Tim Harrington started to make experimental home recordings with lo-fi, cheap and/or borrowed equipment that included a Sanyo boombox Rhythm Ace drum machine, a Korg, synthesizers and a Fender Vibroverb amp. The rhythm tracks of synths and a beat recorded on cassette would be played back to "overdub" vocals, guitar, more synthesizers, et cetera. They considered Manson Family as a name for their act, but never actually used it for their performances.[3] They played regularly at CBGB with a sound reminiscent of Suicide[4] or somewhat like how Nine Inch Nails or Marilyn Manson would sound in the 1990s.[2]
Early original songs included "Building the Kingdom", "Voodoo Doll", "Metal Entity", "Cash", "Anchor", "Stones in Every Field" and "Doraldina's Prophecies".[citation needed]
Masters of Reality grew into a four-piece with the addition of Googe (bass) and Vinnie Ludovico (drums) and developed a sound with less electronics and more heavy blues rock with influences like Black Sabbath, Cream, Led Zeppelin and King Crimson. A demo tape reached producer Rick Rubin who went to see a live show in late 1986 and then signed the band to Def Jam.[4] Rubin brought out the blues rock character of the band[2] Rubin quit Def Jam but took the band with him to his new Def American label, before their self-titled debut album was eventually released in 1989.[4]
Goss got frustrated with the band while touring the debut album. He quit the tour after Matt Dike invited him to come to Los Angeles and to get signed to his Delicious Vinyl label. They bought the rights from Rubin and released a newly sequenced version of the album with Doraldina's Prophecies as an extra track.[4]
In 1992 Goss and Googe resurfaced, now with Ginger Baker (formerly of Cream) on drums. The new album Sunrise on the Sufferbus spawned a Top 10 rock chart hit with the single "She Got Me (When She Got Her Dress On)". An album cut sometimes used by American radio shows when they have a British guest is "T.U.S.A.", a rap by Baker describing the inability of Americans to make a proper cup of tea.[citation needed] Baker left the band after a few years and was replaced by Victor Indrizzo (of Circus of Power and Samiam).
Masters of Reality recorded the song "Climb Inside My World" for a 1994 Ren & Stimpy episode entitled "Jerry the Bellybutton Elf". The song was written by Steve Mellor who also wrote the episode in which it appeared.[citation needed]
Masters of Reality recorded a full studio album entitled The Ballad of Jody Frosty for Epic that was scheduled to be released in 1995, but it was shelved. One song appeared on the live album How High the Moon (1997) and some of the studio recordings were released on Give Us Barabbas (2004). The full album was eventually leaked online in 2004.[5]
Masters of Reality were quiet for several years as Goss was occupied producing music for other bands.[6] However, the band did appear at Johnny Depp's Viper Room night club in 1997 for a two-night stand, and a resultant live album, How High the Moon featured Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland on "Jindalee Jindalie".
"Masters Of Reality will always be a project with alternating lineups. (...) I can't afford paying people to tell they're in the band." – Chris Goss in 2002[7]
Monster Magnet is an American rock band, founded in Red Bank, New Jersey in 1989 by Dave Wyndorf, John McBain (guitar) and Tim Cronin. The band has 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.
Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and African rhythms and pioneered both jazz fusion and world music.
Ancient is a Norwegian black metal band from Bergen, formed in 1992. The band released six full-length albums released by Metal Blade Records to date and a variety of mini-albums, EPs and special releases. Ancient used to have the classic raw black metal sound, similar to Darkthrone's works. Beginning with The Cainian Chronicle, they moved towards a more Nordic/atmospheric black metal sound, akin to Emperor and a cleaner production. After a period of turmoil concerning their line-up, they went on to add gothic-style instruments such as violins, a female vocalist, and synthesizers to their music.
Chris Goss is an American record producer and musician. Best known for producing records for Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age, he is regarded as an important figure in the development of stoner rock and desert rock genres. Goss is also the lead singer and guitarist of the hard rock band Masters of Reality.
To/Die/For are a gothic metal band from the town of Kouvola in southeast of Finland, originally assembled in 1993 as a hard rock band under the name Mary-Ann. In 1999, they decided to change their musical style to gothic metal, changing their band name as well. The band disbanded in April 2009, but reformed in July 2009, and played their final concert at John Smith Festival in Finland on 22 June 2016. They reformed once again in early 2020.
Impellitteri is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles formed and led by guitarist Chris Impellitteri, singer Rob Rock, and bassist James Amelio Pulli. The band has sold millions of albums worldwide.
In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy is a 1997 album by American singer Pat Boone in which Boone covers hard rock and heavy metal songs in a jazz/big band style. Boone promoted the album by appearing in leather clothing. He succeeded in propelling Metal Mood onto the Billboard record charts, but it did not please some of his older, longtime fans who considered the heavy metal genre in bad taste, or worse. The album has since become somewhat popular as a joke gift to metal fans although some serious sites have given it good reviews on its own merits. The album featured guest appearances from well-known rock musicians such as Ronnie James Dio and Ritchie Blackmore.
Masters of Reality is the debut album by the band of the same name, Masters of Reality, originally released in January 1989 on Def American. Due to the artwork on the cover, the original release is sometimes referred to as The Blue Garden.
"A Touch of Evil" is a song by the English heavy metal band Judas Priest, from their 1990 album Painkiller. The record was released as the second single from the album via Columbia Records label.
Sunrise on the Sufferbus is the second studio album by American rock band Masters of Reality, released in 1992.
How High the Moon: Live at the Viper Room is the first live album of the American rock band Masters of Reality, released in 1997.
Welcome to the Western Lodge is the third studio album by the American rock band Masters of Reality, released in 1999.
Deep in the Hole is the fourth studio album of the American rock band Masters of Reality, released in 2001.
Flak 'n' Flight is the second live album by American rock band Masters of Reality, released in 2003.
Give Us Barabbas is the fifth studio album of the American rock band Masters of Reality, released in 2004.
We is a Norwegian rock band from Oslo founded in 1992.
"Jet City Woman" is a song by heavy metal band Queensrÿche. First appearing on their 1990 album Empire, it was released as a single in May 1991 in the US, and August 1991 in Europe.
Josh Homme is an American rock musician who has released 18 studio albums and collaborated with over 25 different artists. He started playing guitar in the 1980s and formed a band with Palm Desert, California schoolmates John Garcia and Brant Bjork, initially under the name Katzenjammer, then Sons of Kyuss, and later shortened to simply Kyuss. The band released an EP called Sons of Kyuss (1990) when Homme was 16 years old, before going on to record four critically acclaimed studio albums and a greatest hits release without breaking through to mainstream success. After the breakup of the band in 1995, Homme considered abandoning his music career, but was persuaded by vocalist Mark Lanegan to join the Screaming Trees on tour as second guitarist.
Pine/Cross Dover is the sixth studio album by American rock band Masters of Reality. It was released in 2009. The album consists of two halves; tracks 1–5 make up "Pine", and tracks 6–11 make up "Cross Dover".
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