Drowning Pool

This article is about the band. For other uses, see Drowning Pool (disambiguation).
Drowning Pool

Drowning Pool performing in 2014.
Background information
Origin Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Genres
Years active 1996–present
Labels Wind-up, Eleven Seven Music, eOne Music
Associated acts
Website www.drowningpool.com
Members C.J. Pierce
Stevie Benton
Mike Luce
Jasen Moreno
Past members Dave Williams (deceased)
Jason Jones
Ryan McCombs

Drowning Pool is an American heavy metal band formed in Dallas, Texas in 1996. The band was named after the film The Drowning Pool.[2] Since its formation, the band has consisted of guitarist C.J. Pierce, bassist Stevie Benton and drummer Mike Luce, as well as a revolving cast of vocalists. The band's current vocalist is Jasen Moreno.

After the release of their debut album, Sinner (2001), original vocalist Dave Williams was found dead on August 14, 2002[3] from heart disease. Jason Jones, who replaced Williams in 2003, recorded one album, Desensitized (2004), but left in 2005 due to musical differences.[3] Ryan McCombs of Chicago-based heavy metal band SOiL later replaced Jones and released two albums, Full Circle (2007) and Drowning Pool (2010), making it the first time Drowning Pool had not switched singers after only one album.[3] However, McCombs left the band in 2011 to rejoin SOiL.[3] Jasen Moreno was announced as McCombs' replacement in 2012 and the band went on to release Resilience in 2013, followed three years later by Hellelujah.

History

Early years (1996–2001)

Drowning Pool formed in Dallas, Texas in 1996. Guitarist C.J. Pierce and drummer Mike Luce formed Drowning Pool after relocating from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Dallas. There, they found and recruited bassist Stevie Benton. For a few years they stuck to performing as an instrumental trio, but this all changed in 1999 with the arrival of vocalist Dave Williams.[4] After recording a demo, Drowning Pool hooked up with Sevendust which got Drowning Pool in touch with Hed PE and Kittie. After touring with these bands, Drowning Pool got their demos enough radio play to get signed by Wind-up Records. The band made music with producer Jay Baumgardner.[5]

Sinner and death of Dave Williams (2001–2002)

Drowning Pool rose to fame with debut album and played at the Ozzfest in 2001.[5] Their 2001 debut album Sinner was certified platinum within six weeks.[6] A number of songs from the album were featured at various WWF events that year, and three tracks would be included on the soundtrack for the Funimation dub of Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge in early 2002.

On August 14 that year, Dave Williams was found dead inside his tour bus.[2] He died from an undiagnosed heart condition, now known to be cardiomyopathy.[7][8][9] When asked if the band had any unreleased songs, according to a 2002 Blabbermouth article, drummer Mike Luce replied that "only 3-4 songs were done, including one called "Heroes," which is a tribute to dead rock musicians such as Layne Staley. I don't know if we will ever release them."[10]

Jason Jones and Desensitized (2003–2005)

In 2003, Jason 'Gong' Jones replaced Williams as Drowning Pool's vocalist[11] and the band released the album Desensitized in 2004. Despite the success of the album's lead single, "Step Up," the album was not nearly as successful as Sinner, and it was publicly announced on June 14, 2005 that Jones had departed from the band, due to "irreconcilable differences".[12]

Ryan McCombs, Full Circle and self-titled album (2005–2011)

Drowning Pool's third vocalist Ryan McCombs performing with the band in November 2010.

The band announced that their replacement singer would be formally announced at Ozzfest in Dallas, where the band did a one-off performance on the main stage. On July 20, 2005, the website SMNNews[13] revealed that Ryan McCombs, then former singer of SOiL, was the new vocalist. The band initially wanted McCombs to join Drowning Pool as the replacement of Dave Williams, nearly two years prior.[14] In spring of 2006, the band announced that they had parted ways with Wind-up Records.[15] In October 2006, a new song "No More" was announced to be released on the Saw III soundtrack, their first song (besides a re-recorded version of "Rise Up") with McCombs. The bands recorded version of "Rise Up", was used as the theme song for WWE SmackDown from September 30, 2004 – September 26, 2008.[16] The band signed a new deal with Eleven Seven Music[17] and also announced a new management company, Tenth Street Entertainment.[18] The band's third album, Full Circle, was released on August 7, 2007. Two songs on the album were produced by Funny Farm Records, owned by Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx and former Beautiful Creatures guitarist DJ Ashba. The remaining songs were produced by Ben Schigel at the Ohio-based Spider Studios.[19] The band then toured with Saliva in North America and also Sick Puppies and Seether in support of the album.[20][21] Later in the year, work on a fourth album was announced.[22] On March 3, 2009, the band released a live album, Loudest Common Denominator, which featured acoustic versions of "Shame" and "37 Stitches" from Full Circle.[23]

The band finished recording their self-titled album with producer Kato Khandwala at House of Loud in New Jersey.[24] It was the first studio album in the band's history not to feature a change of vocalist from the preceding album. The album's first single "Feel Like I Do", was released as a free download on their official website, and the album was released on April 27, 2010.[25] On November 7, 2011, C.J. Pierce and Mike Luce announced a new project with former Nonpoint members Zach Broderick and Ken McMillan titled Voodoo Corps.[26] In November 2011, McCombs left the band to reunite with SOiL for touring and a new album. The band, now once again without a singer, began writing new material for a fifth studio album while holding vocalist auditions.[27]

Jasen Moreno, Resilience, 13th anniversary of Sinner and Hellelujah (2012–present)

In July 2012, Jasen Moreno, from The Suicide Hook, was announced to be the band's new vocalist.[28] On August 14, the 10th anniversary of Dave Williams' death, the band released a song in tribute of him, their first with Moreno titled "In Memory Of...".[29] Two further singles were released with Moreno, "Saturday Night" in November 2012,[30] and "One Finger and a Fist" in December 2012, before the band released their fifth album, Resilience, on April 9, 2013.[31] On September 10, the band announced that they would celebrate the thirteenth anniversary of Sinner with a U.S. tour starting from October 22, in which they plan to dig deep into the songs from their debut album.[32] Drowning Pool released a reissue of their album "Sinner" called the "Unlucky 13th Anniversary Edition" in 2014.[33]

The band signed to eOne Music in August 2015.[34] On October 13, it was announced the band's sixth album titled Hellelujah would be released January 22 via eOne Music with producer Jason Suecof.[35] The date was later postponed to February 5.

On November 19, the band released new single from their Hellelujah album called "By the Blood".[36]

On May 17, 2016 the band announced that they will be taking part in the Make America Rock Again super tour on select dates throughout the summer and fall 2016. The tour will feature other artist who had success throughout the 2000s including Trapt, Saliva, Saving Abel, Crazy Town, 12 Stones and Tantric, Fuel, Puddle Of Mudd and P.O.D..[37]

Controversy and military's use of "Bodies"

The band has faced some controversies and criticism due to the misinterpretation of the lyrics to their most well-known song "Bodies". In 2011, the song was associated with the 2011 Arizona shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.[38] Shortly after the shooting, the band made a statement addressing the link: "We were devastated this weekend to learn of the tragic events that occurred in Arizona and that our music has been misinterpreted. 'Bodies' was written about the brotherhood of the moshpit and was never about violence." The band also added: "For someone to put out a video misinterpreting a song about a moshpit as fuel for a violent act shows just how sick they really are. We support those who do what they can to keep America safe. Our hearts go out to the victims and their families of this terrible tragedy".[38]

"Bodies" was used consistently by interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay detention camps in 2003, and was consistently played over a 10-day period in 2006 during interrogations of Mohamedou Ould Slahi while he was "exposed to variable lighting patterns" at the same time.[39][40][41] On December 9, 2008, bassist Stevie Benton was quoted by the Associated Press as considering it an honor that the U.S. military was using the band's music for "enhanced interrogation" of captured prisoners.[42] On December 13, 2008, he issued an apology on the band's MySpace page about his comment on musical torture, stating his comment had been "taken out of context."[43]

Musical style and influences

Drowning Pool's style has been considered heavy metal,[44] alternative metal,[45] hard rock,[46][47] post-grunge[48] and nu metal.[49][50] The band has also been influenced by black metal and death metal.[51] The band's influences include Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Anthrax, Testament, Slipknot, Alice in Chains, SOiL, Opeth, Soundgarden, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Mötley Crüe, the Beatles and Pantera.[39][51][52]

Band members

Current

  • C.J. Pierce – guitar, backing vocals (1996–present)
  • Mike Luce – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1996–present)
  • Stevie Benton - bass, backing vocals (1996–present)
  • Jasen Moreno – lead vocals (2012–present)

Former

Timeline

Discography

References

  1. ↑ "MusicMight :: Artists :: FLESH PARADE". MusicMight. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  2. 1 2 Joe D'Angelo (August 14, 2002). "Drowning Pool Singer Found Dead". MTV.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Drowning Pool, Have They Finally Hit the Floor?". Thrash Magazine. May 27, 2012. Archived from the original on April 13, 2013.
  4. ↑ "MusicMight :: Artists :: DROWNING POOL". Rockdetector.com. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
  5. 1 2 Dave Williams. "Dave Williams | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
  6. ↑ "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - November 21, 2015". RIAA. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
  7. ↑ "Blabbermouth.Net – Drowning Pool Singer Found Dead". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Office of Chief Medical Examiner". Vdh.state.va.us. 2014-11-17. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
  9. ↑ "Blabbermouth.Net – Update: Drowning Pool Frontman Died From Heart Disease". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Top-5 metal songs that will blow your mind – Music". NewsPakistan.PK. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  11. ↑ "Blabbermouth.Net – Drowning Pool Announce New Singer, Audio Clip Posted Online". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  12. ↑ "Drowning Pool Singer Quits | News @". Ultimate-guitar.com. June 15, 2005. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  13. ↑ "siN's Metal News | 'heavy METAL news'". SMNnews.com. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
  14. ↑ "Blabbermouth.Net – Manager: Drowning Pool Have New Singer Lined Up". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  15. ↑ "Blabbermouth.Net – Drowning Pool Part Ways With Wind-Up Records". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  16. ↑ ""Saw III" Movie Soundtrack". Rebecca Murray. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  17. ↑ "Drowning Pool Confirms New Album Title - Blabbermouth.net". Roadrunnerrecords.com. 2007-02-26. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
  18. ↑ "DROWNING POOL Revamps Fan Experience". Bloomberg. 2 October 2008.
  19. ↑ "DROWNING POOL: 'Full Circle' Pushed Back To August – June 27, 2007". Blabbermouth. 27 June 2007.
  20. ↑ "Drowning Pool Announce Tour With Saliva". Komodo Rock.
  21. ↑ "Drowning Pool in Dubuque, IA - Jul 26, 2008 12:00 AM". Eventful. 2008-07-26. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
  22. ↑ "Saliva, Drowning Pool together again". Livedaily.com. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Drowning Pool Announces Live Album Release Date – in Metal News". Metal Underground.com. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  24. ↑ "DROWNING POOL Guitarist C.J. PIERCE Talks Gear (Video) – Oct. 19, 2010". Blabbermouth. 9 October 2010.
  25. ↑ "Drowning Pool Set Release Date – TuneLab Music – Everything Rock". Tunelab.com. February 24, 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  26. ↑ "Blabbermouth.Net – Drowning Pool, Ex-Nonpoint Members Join Forces In Voodoo Corps". Legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  27. ↑ "Drowning Pool Announce Departure Of Ryan McCombs :: Rock Access – Rock News". Rockaccess.net. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  28. ↑ "Drowning Pool Recruits The Suicide Hook Singer". BlabberMouth.
  29. ↑ "Drowning Pool Stream "In Memory Of…"". Rockaccess.net. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  30. ↑ "Drowning Pool Unleash 'Saturday Night' Video". Loudwire.com. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  31. ↑ "Drowning Pool Introduces New Singer On 97.1 The Eagle Radio Station". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  32. ↑ Jeff, Cornell. "Drowning Pool Announce Unlucky 13th Anniversary 'Sinner' Tour Read More: Drowning Pool Announce Unlucky 13th Anniversary 'Sinner' Tour". Loudwire. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  33. ↑ "New LP by Drowning Pool: 13th Anniversary Reissue of "Sinner" On The Bicycle Music Company/Concord". Jam Magazine.
  34. ↑ "Drowning Pool Signs With E One Music, Begins Recording New Album". Blabbermouth.net. 2015-08-04. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
  35. ↑ "Drowning Pool To Release 'Hellelujuah' Album In January". Blabbermouth.net. 2015-10-13. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
  36. ↑ "New Song Premiere: Drowning Pool's 'By The Blood'". Blabbermouth.net. 2013-04-17. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
  37. ↑ "MAKE AMERICA ROCK AGAIN! - Make America Rock Again!".
  38. 1 2 "Drowning Pool respond to Arizona shooting link with their song 'Bodies'". NME. IPC Media. 2011-01-11. Retrieved 2012-06-03.
  39. 1 2 "Military Life". Militarymoney.com. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  40. ↑ "Musicians Protest Use of Music at Gitmo". CBS News. 2009-10-22.
  41. ↑ "Welcome to". Michaelmoore.com. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  42. ↑ Selsky, Andrew (December 9, 2008). "Musicians protest use of songs by US jailers". Associated Press. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
  43. ↑ "Drowning Pool official MySpace blog(Stevie Bentons Apology". Blogs.myspace.com. December 14, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  44. ↑ Craig Harris. "Drowning Pool". Allmusic.
  45. ↑ "Drowning Pool – gig review". Metal and Beyond. 2012-03-21.
  46. ↑ "Drowning Pool". Rock.about.com. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
  47. ↑ Carol Vernallis; Amy Herzog; John Richardson (2013). The Oxford Handbook of Sound and Image in Digital Media. Oxford University Press. p. 316. ISBN 9780199757640.
  48. ↑ "Drowning Pool Loudest Common Denominator". Hard Rock Haven.
  49. ↑ Sharpe-Young, Garry (2005). New Wave of American Heavy Metal. Zonda Books Limited. p. 124. ISBN 0-9582684-0-1.
  50. ↑ Knopper, Steve (November 2002). "Dave Williams: 1972–2002". Spin. 18 (11): 28. ISSN 0886-3032.
  51. 1 2 "INTERVIEW WITH DROWNING POOL GUITARIST C.J. PIERCE". Manchester Rocks. 22 February 2013.
  52. ↑ Craig Cummings (2008-11-06). "Dallas-based Drowning Pool to play Toys for Tots Bash | Lubbock Online | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal". Lubbock Online. Retrieved 2013-02-04.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Drowning Pool.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.