Three Days Grace

Adam Gontier - lead vocals, guitar
Neil Sanderson - drums
Brad Walst - bass, vocals
Barry Stock - lead guitar

"At one point when we were on the road, I felt like I had a target on my back. I felt like there were a lot of things getting thrown at me that I had to deal with and I felt alone� I was the only one who could really understand myself." - Adam Gontier

On One-X, the follow up to Three Days Grace's 2003 self-titled debut, the band explores that sentiment with alarming honesty. A raw, confessional album, One-X finds frontman Adam Gontier delving into a sense of utter loneliness that ironically comes from being constantly surrounded by other people. One-X is simultaneously the story of Gontier's personal destruction on the road, and a universal tale of feeling like an outsider.

"From front to back, the lyrics of One-X explore the different problems I had. I felt singled out. I wanted to be normal and I just wanted someone, anyone to help me. At a point, I finally came to realize that no matter how singled out I felt, there were so many others out there like me. I realized, 'okay, I'm not alone'." - Adam Gontier

Part of learning he was not alone came from learning his band mates felt similarly isolated, dismayed with the falseness of life on the road.

"Being on tour can be strange sometimes," said bassist Brad Walst. "All these people around you seem to know you, but they really don't and you don't know them either, but you carry on as if you do. It's weird how you can still feel alone in a crowd of people. In fact the only ones we could really relate to were the true fans. They know what's going on inside your head because they are the ones that are hearing it in your music."

After two years on the road, the band was coming to terms with what they experienced. "The whole process tuned us into the phenomenon of urban isolation - being in a big city, where people are inches away, but you feel miles apart" said drummer Neil Sanderson. "We're used to the opposite, being from rural Ontario, where you're miles away physically, but you feel inches apart."

Oddly enough, the band escaped by isolating themselves again. Packing up, getting out of the city and moving into Ontario cottage country, the band eliminated all outside distractions to write One-X. "We basically wrote the record around a fire with acoustic guitars," said Walst. "It was all about getting back to our roots."

When the band emerged, they had a heavy, highly emotional album in hand. One-X is rife with anguish-fueled vocals, heavy beats and rough chords. Backed by the thunderous rhythm section of Neil Sanderson on drums and Brad Walst on bass, and the thrashing, urgent riffs of Barry Stock on guitar, One-X is a roller coaster ride through Gontier's psyche. Intensely honest, Gontier leaves nothing out; it sounds as if he's ripping pages from his journal.

"Pain" finds Gontier stubbornly adhering to the vices that hurt him, while letting in the voice trying to heal him. The almost sweetly melodic verses come from "someone telling me there's something wrong and you have to do something about it," says Gontier, while the grizzled choruses find him clinging to the pain.

"Animal I Have Become," the first single off One-X, is Adam's "realization that a change has to happen and you have to ask for help." With stomping bass lines backing him up, Gontier pleads, "Somebody get me through this nightmare / I can't control myself." It's also startlingly open, as he realizes the impact of revealing his lyrics: "So what if you can see / the darkest side of me."

"The road definitely got the better of us at times," said Sanderson, echoing the sentiment of "Animal I Have Become." "I know from my own point of view that you can kind of lose yourself out there and get caught up in the moment. It's just the lifestyle. I know Adam went through times when he would do anything to distance himself from the strangers around him. We were on a bit of a downward spiral out there but we pulled out of it."

While all of the tracks explore painfully personal struggles, "Never Too Late" was the hardest track for Gontier to write. Opening with a solitary guitar, which could easily signify loneliness, the track is instead the album's most optimistic song.

Adam admits, "It's the one that touches me the most when we play it live and when I listen to it now that the record's done, it still gives me shivers because it has so much to do with me. There's a sliver of hope in that song as well."

With lyrics like "Do you think there's no one like you / We are," "One X," the album's final song, is the one that Three Days Grace fans connect to the most. "It says you're not alone and there are lots of people out there like you," Gontier explains. "Having gone through these struggles, we are able to re-introduce ourselves and our music to our fans�It's time to let everyone else in on our lives over the last two years."

As we hear Gontier sing with his world-weary vocals at the end of the album, the band has developed a new sense of purpose; what started out as fear and pain has led to confidence and triumph.

"I need to figure out who's behind me," Adam sings in the album's final lines. "We are / We stand above the crowd."

The Foundation
After quitting the death metal act Ceremonial Oath in 1993, guitarist Oscar Dronjak formed HammerFall and soon asked his friend Jesper Strömblad to join him. Since this idea had existed in Oscar's mind for a while, the name, general direction and some music (such as the song "Steel Meets Steel") were already there. It was decided that HammerFall had to be forwarded on a project level, since both wanted to keep on with their other, freshly started, bands, Crystal Age and In Flames respectively. They enlisted the help of fellow metallers Niklas Sundin (guitar) and Mikael Stanne (vocals) of Dark Tranquillity, and Johan Larsson (bass guitar) from In Flames.


The formative years
The aim was to get together a couple of times each year, rehearsing to particitpate in a local music competition called "Rockslaget". Time went on, and Niklas and Johan were replaced by Glenn Ljungström (In Flames) and Fredrik Larsson (Crystal Age). Apart from the HammerFall tunes "Steel Meets Steel" and "HammerFall", the band performed the Pretty Maids classic "Red, Hot And Heavy" as well as the Alice Cooper 1987 metal icon "Freedom".


The turning point
Fast forward to 1996. For the first time, HammerFall advanced to the semi-finals of "Rockslaget" with "Steel Meets Steel", "Unchained" and the Judas Priest anthem "Breaking The Law". Amidst the celebration, it was discovered that vocalist Mikael was going to be unavailable at the time of the semi-finals. Hence, a new singer had to be brought in for this gig. After a bit of research, the name Joacim Cans came up. A phone call later, and they were in business. The cooperation with Joacim proved to be a success, and he was immediately sworn in as a permanent member of the HF clan. Though entering a strong performance in the competition, HammerFall never reached the finals; the band was edged out in the last minute by the judges, who perhaps feared the imminent and unavoidable rise of Heavy Metal once again to international prominence. However, a two-track live performance was recorded and sent on videotape to Roel van Reijmersdal of the Dutch label Vic Records. He marvelled over its contents and immediately offered HammerFall a deal. Consequently, the summer and fall of this, the Olympic year, was spent writing, rehearsing and perfecting the soon-to-be debut album, already entitled "Glory To The Brave".


The recording session
The songs recorded during sixteen fabulous November days were: "The Metal Age", "Unchained", "HammerFall", "Child Of The Damned", "Steel Meets Steel", "The Dragon Lies Bleeding", "I Believe", "Stone Cold" and "Glory To The Brave". All are original HammerFall tracks except "Child Of The Damned", which was the band's tribute to the far too unnoticed metal masters Warlord. The lyrics deal with topics ranging from sword wielding warriors and the travelling of dimensions, to paying homage to Heavy Metal and the losing of beloved ones. They are designed to complement the music and at the same time tell a story; quite simply to entertain the listener.


The rollercoaster ride begins
In January 1997, Oscar and Joacim decided that, in order to be able to give HammerFall no less than 100 %, a few line-up changes were necessary. Jesper and Glenn decided to continue full time with In Flames, and they were replaced by Patrik Räfling (who actually plays drums on the album) and Stefan Elmgren, both members of Joacim's previous band Highlander. Oscar and Fredrik's Crystal Age had ceased to exist a long time ago, but Fredrik also had another commitment: the thrash metal group Beyond, now called None, which he was reluctant to give up. He decided to stick around long enough for HammerFall to find a replacement, though. Shortly thereafter, the German label Nuclear Blast approached Vic Records and HammerFall, showing great interest. This encounter resulted in a licensed release of their debut CD and a four-album deal for the band, starting with the next record
The release preparations
Nuclear Blast wanted to launch HammerFall heavily onto the world, and in order to do that, they needed a visual aspect beside the musical. Therefore, two videos were recorded in the beginning of May 1997, to the songs "HammerFall" and "Glory To The Brave". The making of the videos took place in and outside the small Swedish town Mora, and was realized and supervised by Alfen Productions.

A promotion single with the tracks "Glory To The Brave" (radio/video edit), "HammerFall", "I Believe" and "The Dragon Lies Bleeding" was printed and distributed throughout the world. On the sleeve, it was falsely printed "Stone Cold" as the fourth song. This was a mistake, as the song appearing on the CD is in fact "The Dragon Lies Bleeding".

To do the music contained on the album justice, the legendary great Andreas Marschall (Running Wild, Blind Guardian, U.D.O.) was asked to paint the full-length album cover. He came up with the finished version a little over a week after his initial contact with the band, giving the HammerFall concept its finishing touches.

The month of May also saw the HammerFall line-up completed when Magnus Rosén joined on bass guitar. He is most famous for his work with Billionaires Boys Club and Keegan. Magnus is an extremely skilled bass bender and has proven to be a valuable addition to the rhythm section. As hard as it seemed to be to replace Fredrik, the HammerFall line-up finally was complete!


The initial response
Neither Nuclear Blast nor the band themselves could expect that a heavy metal band could get such exposure and raving reviews in the nineties, but it happened! "Glory To The Brave" was awarded Album Of The Month in both Rock Hard and Heavy Oder Was?, two of Germany's leading metal magazines, earning 10 out of 10 and 11 out of 12 respectively. The album entered the German Music Chart at position no. 38, the highest for a debut heavy metal album ever! All of Europe's major metal press almost unanimously praised the album, and the sales figures showed that the fans, too, loved HammerFall.


The first outings
In August, the band co-headlined an eight-show tour of Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands together with rock legends Raven, with Tank as opening act. The tour was hilariously dubbed Glory To Everything Louder, a spoof on "Glory To The Brave" and "Everything Louder Than Everything Else". The first HammerFall concert outside Swedish borders was at Wacken Open Air, in front of 12-14,000 fans. The tour was completed in at the Pop Komm festival in Cologne, at the Luxor. In front of a jam-packed house, the tour package got assistance from Virgin Steele and Lake Of Tears.

After spending three weeks at home, it was time to hit the road again, this time with long time hero Kai Hansen's Gamma Ray and the American band Jag Panzer. The tour package travelled through most Western European countries, and it was a complete success, from start to finish! On the second night, at the Heavy Oder Was? Festival (Bang Your Head II) in Tübingen, Germany, Andy Mück, formerly of Stormwitch, joined HammerFall in a rendition of the German cult band's "Ravenlord", to a rabid crowd reaction. The ending in Greece was also a memorable one, as the first show in Athens was sold out beforehand. The promotor decided to book another show the next day, and all in all 2,500 people saw HammerFall and Gamma Ray tear down the house two nights in a row! A great conclusion to a great tour!


The winter months
A new video of the song "Glory To The Brave" was made in August, and a CD-single was released. The release featured a radio version of the title track, a studio version of Stormwitch's "Ravenlord" - the first material ever recorded with this line up - and was supposed to include a remixed and remastered version of "I Believe", recorded at the Wacken Open Air. As it happens, Nuclear Blast made the tragic and unforgivable mistake of pressing the record with a rough mix of "The Metal Age" from Wacken. The second pressing of the CD-single featured the originally scheduled "I Believe", but the harm was already done.

During the fall, the album was also released in U.S.A. and Japan. Before long, the sales figure of "Glory To The Brave" was approaching 100,000 records worldwide! Who would have thought this a year ago? This capped off an unusually eventful year in the life of HammerFall.

The band got an early Christmas gift when the nominees for the annual Swedish Grammis Awards were announced. The impact of the band had not gone unnoticed, as HammerFall was nominated in Best Hard Rock Act. Although the award went to another band, the meaning of the all this is not to be overlooked: another victory for heavy metal was one simply by being nominated, once again bringing the music back to the forefront.

The New Year
The year of 1998 was kicked off with a short headline tour, supported by Belgian cult act Double Diamond. Five gigs were played in Belgium - a country not visited by HammerFall before - and the Netherlands. Shortly thereafter, the first HammerFall concert in Göteborg in six months was scheduled. It was organised by Rock Scene, and the 400+ tickets were sold out over a week before the show. The concert was recorded live to be used on an upcoming single. Before starting to concentrate on the follow up to "Glory To The Brave", a handful of Swedish shows were made, to overwhelming response.


The pressure is on…and delt with
The last couple of months had been sporadically used for song writing, but in February the real work started. The recording was sheduled to begin on April 27th, and the expectations would be sky high for the second full-length album from these guys. Once again written by Oscar, Joacim and Jesper, "Legacy Of Kings" lived up to every one of those expectations. On a side note, due to Jesper no longer being an active part of the band, his input in this album is considerably smaller, often reduced to just a riff or a melody. But all three wanted to continue writing together, to preserve the magic that made "Glory To The Brave" what is was.

Around 40 days was spent in Studio Fredman perfecting "Legacy Of Kings". It was hard work, but it paid off in the end. The result is a much more mature album than the first, both playing wise and in the structure of the songs. A large attention to detail was paid, from the overall sound to every little part of every song. The album was produced by Fredrik Nordström and Oscar Dronjak, with assistance from Joacim Cans on some vocal parts.


Festival frenzy I
Beginning with Dynamo Open Air (Holland) in May and ending with the Rock Hard Festival (Germany) in August, HammerFall made appearances on several festivals. Apart from the already mentioned, Karlshamns Rock Festival (Sweden) and Monsters Of Rock (Italy) in June, and Mind Over Matter (Austria) and With Full Force (Germany) in July are among worth mentioning. Bands that appeared at these festivals were: Rammstein, Dee Snider's S.M.F.'s, Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, Dream Theatre, Saxon, Stratovarius and countless others.


The second chart entry
On August 3rd, the first sample of what "Legacy Of Kings" would sound like was unleashed upon the world in the form of a single. The songs on the release were "Heeding The Call", a classic heavy metal track, "Eternal Dark", a Picture cover, and three of the live tracks recorded in Göteborg in January, showing the pure strength and power of a heavy metal concert. The single entered the German Singles Charts on position 48 and stayed on for three weeks, selling almost 20,000 copies in the process. Compare this with the Blind Guardian - one of the leading German bands - single "Mirror, Mirror", which entered the chart on pos. 44 but was nowhere to be found the next week, and you will begin to understand what an incredible breakthrough this was for HammerFall and Nuclear Blast!


More dreams come true
Like "Glory To The Brave", "Legacy Of Kings" was launched with a release party. This took place at Kåren, Göteborg, on September 19th, in conjunction with the Swedish Music Fair also happening that same weekend. In order to make this a very special night, some guest artists were invited. First up was AC, the former drummer of Running Wild and current Lacrimosa beat master, with whom the band performed the Rainbow anthem "Man On The Silver Mountain". For lifelong Accept fans - like the band themselves, for example - the next guest was truly unbelieveable; Mr. Udo Dirkschneider himself made an appearance, taking the mike on two Accept hymns, the fantastic "Head Over Heels" and the immortal "Balls To The Wall"! On the latter, Motörhead's Mikkey Dee on drums joined the ensemble. The party was concluded with a very special version of Judas Priest's "Breaking The Law", where all band members switched instruments with each other.


A flair for tributes
During the summer, the band was asked to participate on three different tribute albums, to three of their childhood heroes. Rock Hard and Century Media Records wanted to follow up their success with the "Judas Priest: Legends Of Metal" tribute albums from last year with one revering the great Ronnie James Dio. HammerFall recorded "Man On The Silver Mountain" from the first Rainbow album. Nuclear Blast will hit the world with two tribute albums, one for Accept and one for Helloween. "Head Over Heels" from "Balls To The Wall" and "I Want Out" from Keeper Of The Seven Keys part 2" was chosen for these releases. What better way to record a Helloween song, than in Hansen Studios? The session was booked for the beginning of October, and all three songs were recorded at the same time. To make their contribution something special, the band wanted to have a special appearance on each song. Being a major Cozy Powell fan, AC was once again asked to join the band for "Man On The Silver Mountain". Kai Hansen helped make "I Want Out" a very memorable version by singing a duet with Joacim and playing a little guitar, and "Head Over Heels" was recorded partly with Udo Dirkschneider on vocals, uniting the old and the new in heavy metal. Needless to say, this was an unforgettable experience for the five HammerFall members, and a great way of preparing for the upcoming tour.

The Templar World Crusade Part One
On October 15th, the band began their first world tour. The band had jumped the gun two weeks earlier, supporting Deep Purple in Copenhagen and Stockholm, but the 'real' premiere took place at die Markthalle in Hamburg, together with Primal Fear, Labyrinth and Pegazus. Not so surprisingly, the band were joined by Kain Hansen and Dirk Schlächter for an encore of "I Want Out", the first of only two times HammerFall has played the song live. This first leg of the tour went through Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, Holland and Belgium. After the last show, at the Longhorn in Stuttgart, it was off to the United States of America, for a five week, twenty-eight-show tour with labelmates Death. Judging from the amount of e-mails the band recieved from North America afterwards, and the sales figures in said territory, this tour was a huge success. It served its purpose; to expose the US citizens to what heavy metal is all about and how it is supposed to be performed.


The Templar World Crusade Part Two
After a short break for Christmas, it was Japan's turn, as HammerFall made four very well recieved shows in the Land of the Rising Sun in January. Going there was a rearkable experience for the band members, as the Japanese organisation was impeccable and the fans were very educated to the band's music. The cultural differences were huge but interesting, to say the least! The day after returning to Swedish shore, the band was scheduled to perform at a party held by Shure Brothers in Göteborg. Shortly before The Templar World Cusade began, HammerFall had agreed to an endorsement deal with the world famous company, who supplies its artists with microphones, among other things. The purpose of the party was to initiate the only two Swedish bands endorsed by Shure: HammerFall and Arvingarna, a very popular dance band.

No rest for the wicked they say, and so, with only three days passing since HammerFall returned from the Japanese shows, it was off on tour again. Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia, as well as the parts of Europe that was never visited in October/November, was up next. Countries such as Spain and France would definately not be forgotten on this Crusade for Heavy Metal, which was joined by Edguy and, for four selected swedish shows, the legendary U.D.O.! Unfourtunately, disaster struck at the end of the Swedish leg: Joacim caught a serious throat infection and was sidelined, unable to speak - let alone sing! To make matters worse, Magnus immediately caught the infection, and before the trip was over, most people on the bus had caught at least a minor version of the illness! During the second sold out show at Die Hafenbahn in Offenbach - thanks a lot, people, you rule! - half the crew were bedridden with the disease, hence no pyrotechnics. As is custom in this venue from hell, the temperature was at least 50° C, and Stefan, the latest casualty, valiantly defied common sense and performed that night. Sure, he had to go and throw up in the middle of the set, but no price is too big to pay in the name of heavy metal! The affected shows had to be postponed or, where that was impossible, cancelled. As it turned out, all but one gig was rescheduled at a later date. See you next time, Malmö, sorry for any inconvenience!

Inexplicably and highly regretfully, Greece was left out this time. The band still has no idea why it didn't materialise, but it might have something to do with local promotors not wanting to bring them over. If you want to see HammerFall in Greece on the next tour - rest assured that the band desperately want to return - tell your local promotor so at the next metal show you attend.


The South American Adventure; The Templar World Crusade Part Three
As March neared its end, Magnus, Joacim, Oscar and tour manager AC allowed themselves four short days of vacation on the beautiful brazilian west coast, before the rendevouz with the rest of the crew in Sao Paolo. Two regular shows and one acoustic were scheduled, and all that had been said about South American audiences proved to be true! The fans were absolutely crazy and the atmosphere was fantastic! This continued in the other two countries visied on this continent, Chile - where HammerFall headlined a festival in front of over two thousand fans, after Deicide had cancelled - and Argentina - where the stage was a good three metres high and created the feeling the band was playing for a bunch of hungry lions - and HammerFall went home after yet another successful crusade.

Domestic difficulties are overcome
The touring before the festival season was almost over when HammerFall sat down and discussed the future commitments and attitudes within the band. It was mutually agreed that, since Patrik no longer had the drive and desire that burned so bright inside the others, he should step down and let someone else accept the responsibility of being a member of a Heavy Metal Force such as this. Anders Johansson, a good friend of Magnus', was asked to fill the void left by Patrik, first only as a temporary replacement over the summer. As it turned out, the atmosphere with Anders in the band was exceptional and all parties wanted a continuation. In August 1999, Anders was offered a permanent position and promptly accepted. His professionalism, easy going and humorous attitude is a welcome addition to the HammerFall ranks. The HF Family was whole again.

Anders is most famous for the work he did in Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force during the latter half of the Eighties, but Anders has participated on over 100 albums throughout his illustrious career. One of them was Billionaires Boys' Club (1993), where the other members were Magnus Rosén, Jörg Fischer and Marc Boals. Along with his brother Jens (of Stratovarius fame), Anders has released many records on their label Heptagon Records, mainly focusing on the fusion side of things, a trait inherited to them by their father, Jan Johansson, a very famous swedish jazz pianist.


The last of the tributes
After doing only two shows with Anders behind the drums, it was time to record yet another tribute song. A Swedish label that was planning a tribute album to Swedish heavy metal had approached the band. Now, how could anyone pass on that opportunity? The choice was easy and would fit HammerFall like a glove: "Run With The Devil" from the 1983 Heavy Load classic "Stronger Than Evil". As now is par for HammerFall and tribute recordings, some of the members of the covered band were asked to do guest appearances. The track was recorded in Thunderload Studio - owned and operated by the Wahlquist brothers (Heavy Load strongmen) - the very same studio "Run With The Devil" was originally recorded in back in 1983. Talk about nostalgia!


Festival Frenzy II, The Templar World Crusade Part Four
For three months, HammerFall made festival appearances virtually every weekend. It started off weird, with a gig in the very north of Sweden, where it still was extremely cold at night. When the band arrived, the ceiling in the tent they were supposed to be playing in was too low for explosives. At this stage, pyrotechnics is an essential part of the bands live performance, wherefore the desicion to remove the ceiling directly above the stage was taken. This had two effects: first, the pyros could be used, and secondly, it was well below the freezing point.The band all had their difficulties in keeping the hands and feet warm enough to move, few things are as hard as playing when you can't feel your fingers! In Offenbach it was too hot, now too cold. Will they ever be satisfied?

Countries such as Spain (Eurometal '99), Italy (Gods Of Metal), Sweden (Sweden Rock Festival, Hultsfredsfestivalen), Denmark (Roskildefestivalen) and Germany (Bang Your Head IV) were visited by HammerFall during the warmer months of the year, culminating with Wacken Open Air in August. The Templar World Crusade was celebrated with an end-of-tour party in Göteborg together with local fun favourites Jävlar Anamma. This concluded ten hectic but fun-filled months of almost non-stop travelling, taking the band through almost twenty countries on four different continents.


Video and single
Nuclear Blast - for reasons unexplained - decided to nix the idea of a Helloween tribute album, but HammerFall already had their version recorded and ready. The band felt that this cooperation between the old and the new in heavy metal was too interesting for the fans to be left forgotten, and so the single "I Want Out" came about. Featuring "At The End Of The Rainbow", "Man On The Silver Mountain" and a multimedia track (the first video of "Glory To The Brave"), the single was intended to be low priced as thanks to the fans for sticking with the band. That was not always the case, however, as middlemen everywhere often saw a way of making some easy cash and priced the single as a mini-CD. Despite that, "I Want Out" did well and got a favourable reception from most who heard it. A HammerFall home video had been in the works for the last six months, and was now finally ready. It was dubbed "The First Crusade", dealing with the period between May 1996 and September 1998. The segments between the video clips were shot on location at the release party for "Legacy Of Kings, which was the last clip featured on the tape. The release has been met with nothing but great reviews and is destined to be followed by a sequel.

The catching-your-breath period
As things settled down, the members ejoyed spending time with their families, while the song writing for the next album began. During fall and winter, such tracks as "Living In Victory" and "Destined For Glory" was churned out, but it wasn't until a creative/vacation trip to the Canary Islands when the process was sped up. Down there, such soon-to-be HammerFall classics as "Templars Of Steel" and "Renegade" were finished. A preproduction in JM Studio, where Stefan used to work, was recorded to get a better grip on how the tracks should be laid out in the studio.


The all-important third album
Meanwhile, arrangements had been made to work with legendary producer Michael Wagener (Accept, Ozzy Osbourne, Skid Row, Alice Cooper and many, many more) for the next recording session, to keep continuing to improve the band's sound. Working with Fredrik Nordström had been a great experience, but there was an unspoken mutual feeling that both sides had reached as far in their working relationship as they would come at this point in time. In order to shake things up and avoid taking the easy and familiar way out, the band opted to venture new pastures in Nashville, Tennessee, the home of Wagner and his WireWorld Studios. Some amazing eight weeks later, "Renegade" was finshed and ready to be unleashed onto the world. The recordings in Nashville went exceptionally smooth and due to the awesome atmosphere in the studio this was a very non-stressed recording.


Doubts from the outside
"Renegade" was met with some unwarranted sceptisism because of Michael's Wagener's involvement and the mistrust of people within the industry who obviously didn't believe in the band's ability to deliver. Even Nuclear Blast, who had stood so firmly behind HammerFall ever since the first recording, displayed a certain amount of initial sceptisism towards the new release. That didn't affect the promotion going into the launch, as it was the biggest so far for both band and label. Granted, "Renegade" didn't sound like a carbon copy of the previous outings, but that was the whole point: to break away from the established mold and create something new. Hopefully better, definitely not worse - but decidedly different.


Video clip, TV break-through
During the summer months, HammerFall and director Roger Johansson together with brilliant video production company Tussilago, had recorded a promotional clip for what had been altered at the last second into the first single from "Renegade", the song with the same title (previously, "Templars Of Steel" was peged as the single). It had a major effect on TV-audiences all over Sweden when aired on the chart show Voxpop. Beating out Eminem, Madonna, Magnus Uggla (legendary Swedish pop phenomenom selling over 100,000 albums regularly), "Renegade" was voted #1 an ultimate three weeks in a row. Iron Maiden had done the same thing with "Out Of The Silent Planet" about six months before, but it still came as a surprise to virtually everyone - the band included - when HammerFall repeated that metal triumph. This whole incident clearly showed that there was a need for metal on TV since the charts were 100% decided by fans phoning in. Despite this it would take several years before producers would really take notice. Not even the season finale of Voxpop, where HammerFall and Iron Maiden cleaned house by occupying spots #1 and 2, served as a wake up call to those in charge. The people had spoken, but it would take a while before those in charge would listen.


Launch is spelled s-u-c-c-e-s-s
Early rumblings were that "Renegade" would chart high in Sweden, potentially as high as Top 3. This belief manifested itself quickly in the Swedish distributors' minds, but was a bit harder for the band to evnision, choosing the pessimistic route rather than the optimistic so as not to be disappointed. The signing tour through Sweden helped facilitate this dream a little, however, as it was a resounding success with lines of fans stretching around the corners of the building in every city. Sure enough, as the chart positions for week 42 were released by GLF, HammerFall trounced on top of that list with Madonna, Mark Knopfler, Eminem and all others safely underneath. To celebrate this monumental and historic event for band and label alike, the Swedish distributors MNW wanted to release another single, "Always Will Be". A video was quickly recorded one November night in an industrial area in Göteborg, using mainly the same crew as last time. Directed by Roger Johansson, this clip featured the band performing and acting as vampires with a beautiful computer animated intro signed Tussilago of a bat majestically sweeping in over the New York skyline. As good as the video was, everything was a bit rushed to get the record out before Christmas, resulting in a somewhat forgettable release.

On the road at last
January 10th, 2001, marked the beginning of the band's second world tour, with a sold-out show in Lisebergshallen, Göteborg. A proposed U.S. tour in the autumn had fallen through, so this would be the first show since the end-of-tour party in August 1999, not counting a secret warp-up gig at Torarica in Lerum a few days before. The effects of the TV success were evident, as the show was close to being sold out beforehand. This was especially cool considering this venue held more than double the capacity of any venue HammerFall had previously played in Göteborg. Drawing from the album artwork of a castle in ruins, the stage was set up as one, complete with draw bridge and destroyed pillars. Entering the stage to the low, pulsating hum of "Templars Of Steel", the band members could only be vaguely made out in the moving lights as the drawbridge slowly lowered itself, until the front of the stage exploded in a wall of fireworks. A seven week-long tour with Virgin Steele and Freedom Call followed, as well as two weeks in South America in March and lots of festivals in the summer, totalling around 60 shows.


The Crusade ends in gold
All accounted for, despite the mentioned early hesitation, "Renegade" was a resounding success. Earning HammerFall its first gold album (selling over 40,000 copies in Sweden alone) and firmly establishing the band's legacy as the most popular metal act since the glory days of Europe, there's no denying the impact of "Renegade". The gold album was celebrated with a rare acoustic appearance at CD-Specialisten in Göteborg in October and a big Halloween party a couple of days later, finishing off the Crusade for now.


Further chronicling the career
Almost immediately afterwards, preparations for the sequel to "The First Crusade" was initiated. During the course of the many recording sessions and tours the band had undertaken in the last couple of years, a huge collection of video footage had been accumulated. An early outline of the contents quickly showed that this would be an immense project. The home footage was divided chronologically beginning with the recordings in Hansen Studios in October 1998 and ending with the gold album party in November 2001, with the flagship of the release being four songs recorded at Wacken Open Air the same year. The real gems lie in the personal archive of the band, though. Events and persons such as a Japanese kimono-party, crazy Brazilians at a signing session, Chuck Schuldiner (R.I.P.) and Michael Wagener makes this release a unique look into the band's life on the road as well as in the studio creating another chapter in the ongoing saga of the Templars of Steel.


Back to the drawing board
This peroid was not only marked by the video chronicles which would later get the name "The Templar Renegade Crusades", but also of intense song-writing. As is the case after any longer period of time without gigs, Oscar and Joacim had already put together a couple of songs for the next album. Among the early ones were "Trailblazers", Hero's Return" and "Riders Of The Storm", but within the first couple of months of 2002 the full eleven tracks were completed. Some of these, such as "Hearts On Fire" dated all the way back to '99, whereas for example "Crimson Thunder" were written at the very last minute. In fact, Magnus, Anders and Stefan hadn't even heard the song before going into the studio to record! Another preproduction in JM Studio took place in April, and the producer of the upcoming album recordings even put in a little visit, getting to know the guys he would be working with. His name was Charlie Bauerfeind, responsible for such well-produced albums as Blind Guardian's "Nightfall In Middle-Earth" and "A Night At The Opera", Heaven's Gate's "Living In Hysteria", Gamma Ray's "Land Of The Free" and Helloween's "The Dark Ride", but he has also worked with such different artists as Sisters Of Mercy and Alannah Myles. A versatile guy to say the least, but also one who knows his metal.


The follow-up
This proved to be a split recording session, with the drums recorded in Holland, the bass in Germany and the rest to be done on Tenerife. The reason for this was that Charlie wanted to use Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum near Amsterdam to get a great drum sound. He had been there before, and was confident that these studios could get the job done. After all, if they worked for Queensrüche, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, they most likely would be adequate for HammerFall! Five expensive but highly productive May days were spent there, with exceptional result. Three days in the Blind Guardian studio in Krefeld, Germany, was all it took to lay down the bass. Then, it was off to Tenerife. Thanks to Charlies work ethic, the well prepared musicians and the tremendous reception and welcome everyone received from the owners of the studio, Mr. and Mrs. Deris, this session was both the easiest, smoothest and the most relaxed so far. The band even finished ahead of schedule, something previously unheard of in this business! The result was "Crimson Thunder", the fourth studio album from HammerFall.

Initial response
At the very end of the recordings but before the mix and mastering, a listening session for the press was held. Accompanying everyone in the studio was also the winner of the Name-the-Warrior contest held on www.hammefall.net, Christoph Lutz, who came up with a well-fitting name for HammerFall's mascot and defender of heavy metal: Hector.

The people who were in attendance all seemed to enjoy what they heard, and some even expressed relief over the production not being similar to "Renegade", oddly enough. Charlie had managed to come up with a much heavier sound better adjusted to the songs written for this album, which were all more powerful and catchy than ever before. And this sentiment seemed to be shared by reviewers everywhere, as "Crimson Thunder" got favourable reviews in magazine after magazine. As is now par for the course, a single was released some six weeks before the album, and chosen for this was "Hearts On Fire". A good selection, it would turn out, as the video - once again masterfully done by Roger Johansson and Tussilago - dominated the chart program replacing Voxpop, Spin, again occupying the no. #1 spot for the maximum three weeks.


Idiots everywhere
In early August, the plan was to record the video for "Hearts On Fire". The weekend before the recordings, Joacim was in a well-known rock club in Göteborg having a drink with his girlfriend, just like he has on so many occasions during the past seven or eight years. For no other reason than the fact that Joacim represented the music of HammerFall, he was viciously attacked - ambushed, cowardly enough - with a beer glass to the side of the skull. The perpetrator immediately fled the scene, leaving Joacim lying unconscious in a pool of his own blood. A master plastic surgeon sowed him up so well that the physical scars are barely visible today. But they are definitely showing in the video, which was postponed only a week. There is no stopping the metal force!


The updated art of Blizzard
The band had returned with a new flavour, a new album and a new cover artist: Samwise Didier. Another collaboration with Andreas Marshall, while a given to be great, would feel like falling back on the safe and obvious at a time when the band wanted to explore new avenues. Samwise, who is one of the people responsible for the art in the million-selling PC game series Diablo and Warcraft, was the man to help them with that. He created two paintings, one for the single and one for the full-length album. Both featured a new character in the HammerFall pantheon, a yet nameless adversary to Hector. The single sees this foe being born out of a lake of fire, the album displays the two in full combat. Samwise had come through in a big way, and the refreshing aura of the whole release helped propel the band to before-unseen levels.


Crusading America once more
Setting sails even before "Crimson Thunder" was released in the U.S., a five-week tour with Dio and King's X was undertaken in November/December 2002. The experience proved to be a most valuable one, despite the fact that the tour manager disappeared afterwards with all the band's money, adding losses of over $25,000 to the touring account.

Many were the times when fans, after watching HammerFall play, waited outside the tour bus - which frequently served as the band's dressing room - proclaiming: "Dio's great, but I have seen him a million times. It was you I came to see!". Such a response was evident throughout the majority of the gigs, where the audience really seemed to appreciate what they saw and heard in spite of not having heard the music before. All in all, a tremendous victory for heavy metal in the U.S.A. and for HammerFall, having gone throught the fire and prevailed yet again.


On stage effects in Europe
After a well-deserved and much needed Christmas break, the European leg of the Crimson Crusades was scheduled to begin, on January 11th. The place was Halle Gartlage in Osnabrück and the excitement was clearly in the air, for fans and the band alike. This would be HammerFall's biggest tour to date, both in terms of stage show and number of people in attendance. To top the drawbridge used last time, the band and booking agency had come up with a special drumriser, moving up and down using hydraulic tenchniques. When in its highest position, two doors would create a way out on stage for the band members to come through in a carefully planned entrance. First, "Lore Of The Arcane" would set the tone for the intro, with Hector coming out holding his hammer high and slamming it down on an anvil right in the front of the stage. This set off a series of explosions in the ceiling, causing the black front drop to fall to the floor and reveal the landcape from the "Hearts On Fire" single, complete with actual spiked skulls on poles throughout the stage. When Magnus, Stefan and Oscar - Anders was already several meters in the air - had made their separate entrances through the doors in the drum riser, the whole stage virtually exploded when twelve pyrotechnical devices went off simultaneously at the first note of "Riders Of The Storm".

The machinery for the drum riser was heavy as shit - two lifters weighing in excess of 100 kg each! - but well worth it (for the band, at least, seeing as how they never had to lift it…); it worked perfectly, creating a great introduction to the guys and the show. Which apart from the natural energy and audience participation, also featured snow (in "Glory To The Brave") and pyro-shooting guitars ("HammerFall") to end the evening. All of this was captured on film for a live-album and -DVD release, but more on that later on.

The Crimson Crusades continues…
A two-week break followed, then it was off to Japan for four shows with friends and metal mates Nocturnal Rites. An exhausting but fantastic week featuring a heralded return to Japanese shores, as people seemed to be anxious to see the bands perform. Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico was next. Coming back to South America on every tour is something the band looks forward to very much, and this proved to be their best outing in that territory so far. Bigger crowds, better venues and more extatic fans than ever before gave this tour a Grade-A stamp. Summer time was spent doing festivals, as usual, among them The Bang Your Head festival in Balingen, Germany, the Masters Of Rock in Vizovice, Czech Republic and Metal Mania in Villarrobledo Albacete, Spain. Playing with bands such as Iron Maiden, Slayer, Dio, Twisted Sister, Stratovarius and U.D.O., the summer was spent with like-minded holding the metal rebel banners high.


… and concludes prematurely
The plan was to end the Crimson Crusades - now ten months in the making - with two shows in Sweden and one in England (only the band's second ever). Especially the first Swedish one was highly anticipated, as it was during a street-festival in the band's hometown Göteborg and 15,000 people were expected. Then, disaster struck. Oscar was enjoying the beautiful summer waether on his motorcycle, when he suddenly crashed into a non-moving left-turning vehicle in the road. Breaking his left arm and sustaining several minor injuries, it is still felt that he was very lucky, as these sort of crashes more often than not lead to significally worse results. Needless to say, the remaining three shows booked had to be cancelled, much to the chagrin of fans everywhere and the band, who hates to disappoint, hates it with a vengeance. But the severity of the incident gave no one a choice, unfortunately.


Involuntary liesure time
A previously discussed two-week Christmas tour also had to be scrapped, and everyone found themselves turning to other matters while Oscar recovered. Joacim started working on his solo album and had a baby in the process, Stefan concentrated on getting that pilot license he had coveted for so long and Magnus and Anders continued working on their different projects. Meanwhile, Oscar focused on getting back in playing-shape again, something which wasn't a given immediately after the ten-hour operation. Great doctors and physical rehab instructors together with a lot of rest and later hard work proved successful, however, and he was able to pick up the guitar again in November. Just in time for the 20th anniversary for the legendary Rockfabrik in Ludwigsburg, Germany, in fact. Anders, Joacim and Oscar went down to join the celebration. Together with guys from Helloween, Gamma Ray, Pretty Maids and a host of others, HammerFall helped wish the rock club a happy anniversary, may it be followed by at least another 20 years!


One Crimson Night
The Göteborg show on February 20th, 2003, was forever immortalized when "One Crimson Night" was launched after the end of the tour. Released as a CD and DVD, there were small but vital changes to the products. Besides the obvious, the DVD featured translations of Joacim's in-between-songs talks to seven different languages and a 15-minute bonus feature documentary called "On The Road". In order to make also the CD more attractive, three songs recorded on the South American adventure on the Crimson Crusades were included as bonus tracks. The cover for the CD was again masterfully drawn by Samwise Didier, and for the DVD some great pyro live shots of the stage bathing in explosives was used. The booklet for both versions was filled with live photos from the long and great world tour just completed, making this release worthy for Templars everywhere.


The future
Together with the fans, HammerFall had proved that heavy metal music was still alive and well in the ninetiesand into next millennium. Now, it's time to turn our eyes even further. What lies ahead? What territories are there to explore, what worlds are there to conquer? Who knows what tomorrow will bring? HammerFall do know, however, that none of this and nothing that happens in the future is possible without you, the true heavy metal fan! You are deeply thanked and invited to once again join in letting the world know that A METAL HEART IS HARD TO TEAR APART! The victory march for heavy metal has only begun!

Godsmack

The Boston-based alternative metal group Godsmack originally comprised vocalist Sully Erna (a devout Wiccan), guitarist Tony Rambola, bassist Robbie Merrill and drummer Tommy Stewart. After debuting in 1997 with All Wound Up, Godsmack signed with Universal, who in 1998 reissued the LP as a self-titled effort with a handful of new tracks; at that point Stewart — who'd left the group in mid-1997 and was replaced by drummer Joe D'Arco — returned to the lineup on a permanent basis. The band's audience built slowly but surely, and Godsmack was certified gold in 1999, the same year the group was invited to join the Ozzfest tour; by the next year, it had sold over three million copies, thanks to hit singles like "Whatever" and "Keep Away." In 2000, the group again played Ozzfest, and released their second proper album, Awake, that fall. In January 2001, Awake earned the band a Grammy nomination for "Best Rock Instrumental Performance" for the song "Vampires," and by March, it had sold two million copies. Hot on the heels of their continuing success, their single "I Stand Alone" propelled the hype of the movie The Scorpion King in March 2002. As the single maintained Godsmack's strong presence at modern rock radio into the summer, founding member Tommy Stewart left the band in June. The David Bottrill-produced (Peter Gabriel, Tool, Mudvayne) album, Faceless, appeared in April 2003. It also marked the debut of ex-Amen drummer Shannon Larkin. The all-acoustic Other Side arrived in spring 2004.

Hoobastank
(also colloquially referred to as "Hooba" or "Who The Stank") is a rock band best known for their crossover hit "THE REASON" (2003) and by their continued success in the modern rock market.

Early Carrer
Hoobastank formed in the Los Angeles County suburb Agoura Hills in 1994. According to drummer Chris Hesse, vocalist Doug Robb had known guitarist Dan Estrin for some time before competing against him in a high school battle of the bands competition and subsequently, they decided to form a band.[1] They then recruited Markku Lappalainen and Hesse to form Hoobastank, which at the time was spelled Hoobustank (pronounced the same way as "Hoobastank"). In an interview with Launch Yahoo!, Doug Robb said the name had no particular meaning: "You're going to ask me what it means. It doesn't mean anything. And it's really cool, it's one of those old high school inside-joke words that didn't really mean anything."[2] Rob Bourdon, Mike Shinoda, and Brad Delson of Linkin Park attended the same high school, Agoura High School, as the members of Hoobastank.

Hoobastank started playing gigs in their local area, the band started out in Cobalt Cafe along with Linkin Park, Incubus, Avenged Sevenfold and others. They recorded their first full-length self-released album in 1998 called They Sure Don't Make Basketball Shorts Like They Used To. It featured a unique saxophone section headed by Jeremy Wasser, who executive produced said album and recorded the Summer Romance saxophone solo on Incubus' S.C.I.E.N.C.E. album. By this stage, Hoobastank had developed a strong reputation in Southern California. This attracted interest from Island Records, who subsequently signed the band in 2000. The band's reputation continued to grow on tours with the similar sounding band Incubus.

They covered a variety of songs, such as Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" and Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun."

Career success
Hoobastank released their self-titled debut in November 2001. The first single was "Crawling in the Dark" which was a breakthrough hit reaching #68 on the Billboard Hot 100, #3 on the modern rock chart, #7 on the mainstream rock chart[3] and #1 on an MP3.com download chart in early 2002. The second single "Running Away" was even more successful reaching #44 on the Billboard Hot 100, #2 on the modern rock chart, #9 on the mainstream rock chart and #3 on the MP3.com download chart. The Hoobastank album went platinum on the back of these hits and reached #25 on the Billboard 200 album charts and #1 on the Billboard Heatseeker chart. The album also achieved recognition internationally with the band touring in Europe and Asia in support of the record. "Remember Me" the third single was a moderate hit reaching #23 on the modern rock charts and #9 on the mainstream rock charts. The band also made a song titled "Losing My Grip" for the soundtrack of the movie The Scorpion King.

The band entered the studio in 2003 with producer Howard Benson who has produced records by P.O.D., Blindside, Cold and The Crystal Method. However, recording was disrupted for a month when Dan Estrin was seriously injured in a freak minibike accident in August. Estrin had recovered by October and the band headed off on a Nokia Unwired Tour with the All-American Rejects and Ozomatli in November.

Their second album The Reason was released in December 2003.It showcased a harder-edged vocal performance from Robb.The single "Same Direction" was made available for download on the band's website. Doug Robb says on the band's website: "A lot of it is about asking questions or questioning all that people see. It's not all about religion. "Out of Control" is about that and about opening your eyes after being blinded by being devoted to anything."[4] "Same Direction" would reach #9 on the US modern rock chart, #16 on the mainstream rock chart and #16 on a composite world modern rock chart (based on the US, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Canada and Australia).A year later, the Let It Out DVD collected the band's videos.

The title track was released as a single in the first half of 2004. It became a massive hit reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100,[5] #1 on the US and world modern rock charts, #1 on a world airplay chart in May 2004 and #10 in Australia. The song was also played during the final episode of Friends

In Canada, it spent 20 weeks at the top, setting a new record for most weeks at No. 1.

The Reason received a new lease of life on the US album charts, reaching #3 on the Billboard 200.

The band's international profile was increased by a support slot on Linkin Park's Meteora world tour in early 2004.

Their third album Every Man for Himself was released in May 2006 and debuted at #12 on the Billboard chart. Three singles, "If I Were You", "Inside Of You" and "Born To Lead" have been released so far, all of which have fared poorly on the Rock charts. Despite this, the album has been certified Gold. On a 2005 co-headlining tour with Velvet Revolver, the band received a chilly reception from some audiences and rumors of a feud between Robb and VR frontman Scott Weiland were soon filling Internet message boards. "If I Were You," addressed the whole affair,[6] Dougg later said in an interview with MTV News online that he has nothing against Scott or any other member of Velvet Revolver [7]

As of early 2007, Hoobastank toured in America, Asia, Australia and South Africa.

The band went out to tour South Africa late April/early May for two days. They are now back in the states, working on their fifth album which is rumoured to come out late 2007, early 2008.



Band members
-Douglas Robb - Lead vocals and rhythm guitar
-Dan Estrin - Lead guitar and backing vocals
-Josh Moreau - Bass guitar and backing vocals
-Chris Hesse - Drums and percussion

Former members
-Markku Lappalainen - Bass guitar (1997-2005)
-Jeremy Wasser - Saxophone (Basketball Shorts only)
-Derek Kwan - Saxophone (1997-1999)

Killswitch Engage have not merely become standard-bearers for GENERATION HEAVY. With The End of Heartache, the standard has been pushed aside. Trampled. Heavy music is, once again, re-ignited by a band unafraid to rewrite the rules of the game.

It's all happening just as they've become reenergized themselves, with new blood in the band, critical raves that soar above mere hackneyed "acclaim" and a hard-earned reputation as one of the genre's best live acts (stemming from awe-inspiring showings on last summer's Ozzfest second stage and the fall of 2003's MTV2 Headbangers Ball tour). "(Ozzfest) was definitely an experience," wisecracking guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz says with typical understatement. "I got a wicked farmer's tan and was drunk by noon most days. The response was so good, it was stupid!" "You never get used to the fans' chanting, it's amazing and embarrassing at the same time," new vocalist Howard Jones relays with genuine humility. "You just want to call your Mom and be like, 'Listen!'"

Alive or Just Breathing, the band's Roadrunner debut was called, "more addictive than crack cocaine that's been smothered in nicotine AND drenched with chocolate” by CMJ New Music Report and was a signpost on the band's musical journey toward their third release, The End of Heartache. The high-flying guitar histrionics and unbridled rage on Alive's track, “My Last Serenade” was balanced by soaring choruses and a clear handle on melody that the band takes steps further on the new album.

The title track is an unabashed monster of a song, different than anything the band has ever written. Its epic drive nearly crosses the border into power-ballad territory. "Rose of Sharyn" is an anthem that's heavy in the most non-traditional of senses, building with dynamic energy into a crescendo with a chorus that is perhaps The End of Heartache's biggest reward. "When Darkness Falls," heard during the closing credits of "Freddy Vs. Jason," was the first song Jones ever wrote with the band and falls right into place on The End Of Heartache. With "Breathe Life" he delivers a heartfelt optimism that really makes the track 'pop' with, "breathe life/ for you are not alone/ breathe life/ inside your heart of stone."

The current version of Killswitch is rounded out by original members Mike D (bass) and Joel Stroetzel (guitar) and new drummer Justin Foley. Foley comes to the band via Jones and his other current project (Blood Has Been Shed). All the members of this band bring to it a respectability and integrity that collectively has made a mark on bands throughout the heavy music scene. Bands like THRICE cite Killswitch as an influence in their liner notes, guitarist Teppei Teranishi saying “I remember I wrote both those riffs on days I drove to practice listening to Killswitch Engage… it shows I guess,” referring to his band's track “Under A Killing Moon”.
Mike D designed the album's cover, which proved to be the guiding force for the band's songwriting. "The covers of all the albums are just reflections of my everyday life," he says. "I had this idea when my personal life was at its lowest point. I worked and reworked many times over, but it was mostly finished last April. We used it as inspiration for the lyrics rather than the other way around."

On The End of Heartache, Howard Jones makes it abundantly clear that he was the best choice to take the frontman slot, thereby enhancing the band. “Howard shines as a frontman and that in turn gives the rest of us in the band a bit more confidence," Adam declares. "Now there can be more antics and stupidity on stage!" Their newly brewed chemistry was put to the test during the album's grueling recording sessions, during which Adam did double duty - already a well-established producer in addition to his axe-wielding duties he took on the reigns behind the board. "It's the hardest thing to do because I'm playing too, it's a real roller coaster," Adam says.

"Writing this record was much more stressful than the last," Stroetzel adds. "Trying to write and tour at the same time was a major chore. On the other hand, the line-up changes made me excited to see how this record would unfold. I'm really psyched about what Justin and Howard have brought to the table."

All of which amounted to a Killswitch Engage mission statement more powerful than any the bands members had ever imagined. And one that's sure to further entrench their place at the center of the burgeoning new movement of down-to-earth bands that have shed the pretensions of heavy metal's checkered past while embracing everything positive and powerful the genre has ever offered. "You always want people to enjoy it, whether they're the kids who are beating the crap out of each other, the ones in the back nodding their heads or just the casual listener," Jones concludes. "But first and foremost, we wanted an album that WE were happy with. And we've made it."

Twin brothers Benji and Joel (born 3/11/79) grew up in a lower middle-class family in the town of Waldorf, Maryland—“the middle-of-nowhere suburbs," says Benji.

"Ours was definitely a dysfunctional family situation,” he admits, “but luckily me and Joel always had each other. When things started to fall apart, we just got into music." The twins' older brother Josh turned them on to influential albums by Rancid, Minor Threat, the Cure, the Smiths, and many more.

Benji began teaching himself guitar at 16; Joel gravitated towards lead vocals. "Right away, Joel and I started thinking up songs," Benji recalls. "We'd go straight to our room after school, singing and playing for hours every day."

After Paul (bass) and Billy (guitar) joined, Good Charlotte took their name from a children's book and played their first gig in a neighbor's basement for an audience of 20. "We only played our own songs—we weren't good enough to learn anyone else's songs!"

The brothers dedicated themselves to their music, although they had almost no money for equipment and no connections in the industry. They cut their first demo, wrote their own bio, and began mailing packages off to a list of record companies obtained from a magazine.

"I wrote this letter saying, we're Good Charlotte and if you sign us now it will be a lot cheaper than if you wait!" recalls Benji. "Our ignorance was kind of a blessing. We couldn't be discouraged by knowing too much about how the business really works."

Benji and Joel graduated high school in June 1997, and for a graduation present the twins’ mother presented them with a pair of open airline tickets to California. "Some of our favorite bands like Green Day had started out at this East Bay club called 924 Gilman Street. So when we graduated, that summer we made a pilgrimage to visit the club. We'd never even been on a plane before, but we have an aunt in Berkeley who let us crash with her."

The brothers returned to Maryland, newly inspired and more determined than ever. They left home and moved to Annapolis, played many more shows both electric and acoustic, and worked "all kinds of shitty jobs—I've had over 30 of them," says Benji. "It was a struggling time in our lives, but it was also a great time. It's good to be hungry sometimes."

When Billy joined on second guitar, Good Charlotte was complete. The band won a local contest, and their song "Can't Go On" was included on a sampler of area talent. They attracted the interest of a manager, and Lit offered a support slot on a series of sold-out East Coast dates.

"We had no money, no transportation, and no way to do the gigs. Our mom was living in like a shed on a neighbor's property, and the only thing she really owned was a mini-van. She said, you guys take the mini-van to play the shows and I'll catch rides or walk to work. That just shows you how she's been there for us the whole time."

"By the time we played New York with Lit, in December 1999, all the labels turned out. We signed our deal in May 2000, in the studio where we were recording, and the album Good Charlotte (Epic) came out in September."

By then, the quintet was on the road non-stop. Three months of dates with MXPX segued into the 2001 W.A.R.P. tour, then into more gigs up until Christmas Day (off), followed by still more gigs including a trip to Australia and New Zealand (where their debut went platinum). Through this intensive roadwork, Good Charlotte built an avid fan base—and MTV took notice, giving extensive airplay to the band’s videos for "Little Things," "Motivation Proclamation," and "Festival Song." At this writing (August 2002), Benji and Joel are hosting MTV’s "All Things Rock," which airs Monday through Thursday after 11 PM (ET).

Honesty is the thread that runs through every song on The Young and The Hopeless and binds Good Charlotte to their devoted fans. "I don't think we're better than any other band," says Benji, "although I do think we're more sincere, more real, than some of them. We want to be judged for what we're really doing, not put in a genre with a bunch of other bands with which we have nothing in common."

"We have a lot more to say than some of the bands we're compared with, and I hope people will hear it on this album. The kids that we were, five years ago—I just want to give those kids something to help them through the day."

I'm super-flamboyant, super-happy, and super-pissed-off," understates Papa Roach frontman Coby Dick. "I'm off the hook at shows. I've done stupid things where our lawyer was going, 'You can't be doing that!' but I've also hugged a million kids. How Nirvana was when they came out - that new edge of giving kids a release of emotions - that's how I hope people connect with Papa Roach's music. I want to cause every emotion in people. I want them to fight, to fuck; I want to bring out their violence, their sadness, and their happiness." Singer-Songwriter Dick, Guitarist Jerry Horton, Bassist Tobin Esperance, and Drummer Dave Buckner acheive Dicks estimable goals with INFEST.

Produced by Jay Baumgardner (whose worked with Coal Chamber and System of a Down), Papa Roach's major label debut "is about dealing with everyday struggle,"according to Dick, whose lyrics for songs like "Broken Home," "Never Enough," "Binge," "Thrown Away," and "Last Resort," infest's first radio track are intensely personal and darkly seductive. Inspired from everything from Divorce ("Broken Home"), struggles with alcohol ("Binge"), Attention Deficit Disorder ("Thrown Away"), and suicide. ("Last Resort") Dick tends to write in the first person. "I deal a lot with the line between good and evil. And I tiptoe down that line myself," he confesses.

"I have a side that's responsible, a part that knows right from wrong, and I have my punk rock, 'fuck everything' side." Says Horton of the band's sound; "We lean more towards hip hop, punk and funk, and we also have a rock influence, but we're not really rap-core. The songs have a pop structure, and they're very melodic, with a lot of layers and orchestration." For his part, Dick listens to hardcore bands, digs underground hip hop, played clarinet in his High Schools prize-winning wind ensemble and names Faith No Mores Mike Patton as one of his biggest influences.

Press raves, too, bare out Papa Roach's diverse approach. Las Vegas City Life praised the quartet for it's "surprising moments of vulnerability and sensitivity in it's cathartic opera-core, [Dick] sounding almost pleading in the world weary voice of youth betrayed"; the publication also informed, "Papa Roach stakes out it's territory" (May 20, 1999). Sacramento's News & Review, meanwhile voted the band "most likely to show up Rage Against the Machine at their own gig" (June 3, 1999), and the San Jose Mercury News commended the foursome's "sheer urban grit" and Dick's "randy, alluring and apocalyptic" vocals (Aug. 5, 1999). Not bad for a kid who began "playing" music in his garage with "garbage cans and baseball bats" (and who later moved out while still in high school and began working at an airforce base hospital to support himself).

Growing up in the Northern California town of Vacaville - for the moment best known as the onion capital of the world. P-Roach, as their legion of fans call them, formed in high school (Horton did not attend school with the others; he met them via an ex-girlfriend who was a P-Roach fan.) At the teens' first gig, a 1993 school talent show, Dick's mom overheard a judge mutter, "I hope they don't quit their day jobs." The band improved by leaps and bounds, however, and was soon selling out 300-500 seat venues (some of which would have required fake IDs had the band members been patrons). Despite their youth, the members of Papa Roach brought a wealth of experience to their developing sound.

Buckner, a Los Angeles native whose first instrument was violin, was taking drum lessons from a 70-year-old female jazz drummer by the time he reached junior high. He quickly made first chair in concert band but shortly thereafter got his first drum kit (for Christmas) and proclaimed: "I'm sick of this school band crap - I wanna play rock 'n' roll!" His next move? "I sat down with [Led Zeppelin's] Physical Graffiti and a set of headphones and went to work." He says of his influences: "I remember being three years oldand listening to [Pink Floyd's] The Wall on car rides with my Mom. Later I would kick it at my aunt and uncle's with Suicidal Tendencies and Metallica on vinyl. My friends in grade school got me into Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys, and junior high was all about classic rock. In high school, I was into a whole range of stuff, from John Coltrane to Fugazi.

That's when I discovered all the great and beautiful music that isn't part of the mainstream. I've kept my mind open since then. Esperance - who joined P-Roach at 13 - grewup watching his Dad play bass. "He got me my first bass when I was 10, " he recalls. His fingers blistered from the heavy bottom end he provides P-Roach, Esperance continues: "I had friends who were into jazz and reggae, and I took those and lumped them together. My Mom and I would listen to the same jazz music, or the Doors, or Duke Ellington. Then I had my punk rock category. He confirms that Papa Roach's music takes a similarly melting-pot tack, commenting: "People put us in the rap-rock category. I don't care what they call us, but we definitely do it differently from anyone out their right now."

Though Infest is Papa Roach's major-leagues bow, the band has been spewing music to the masses via CD for several years. Their first recording adventure was 1995's Caca Bonita, whcihc was followed by Old Friends From Young Years. "That's what the future is, " Dick says of the title. "We wanna have longevity, and by putting that idea in the cosmos - it's sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy." Two more independent CD's also issued on the band's Onion Hardcore Recordings, built on the momentum: 1998's 5 Tracks Deep (which featured the song "Revenge" [formerly "Revenge In Japanese"], heard on an episode of MTV's "Road Rules") and 1999's "Let 'Em Know". Cranking these out at a steady pace did not keep P-Roach rom the stage, however.

On the contrary, the band gigged steadily all over California - sometimes mounting as many as 14 shows a month - with acts like Kid Rock, Static-X, Incubus, Bad Brains and other such compadres on The Warped Tour. One of the questions most frequently aimed at the band concerns their moniker. It seems Buckner had a CD by jazz musician Pancho Sanchez called Papa Gato. The title struck a chord with Dick, whose grandfather's last name was Roatch - he was "Papa Roatch" to his family.

Still, according to Dick: "For the longest time, it's had nothing to do with my grandpa. We drew up this cockroach logo because we wanted to avoid the weed thing. Weed's okay, but it's not what we're about; we're kinda like the cockroach that can survive anything - we're tough, warrior soldier band. We get out there and put the work in." The band also takes pride in their familial orientation. "We're a team," Dick insists. "Some bands are like, 'We just fired our guitar player.' We don't do that shit; we don't fire people. We're family - you get booted out!" Esperance concurs: "We get along better than most any other band in the world. If you were to hang out with us, you'd wonder what the hell was wrong with us. We're constantly laughing, then getting in arguments, telling each other to fuck off, then we're best friends again in the next minute. We can't really agree on a whole lot, except the music and the band. We're real different people, but P- Roach is where we come together.

And come together they do, especially in a live setting. They're pretty goodat getting the audience to join together with the band: At any given show, the fans are onstage and airborne nearly as much as Papa Roach. The four piece has incited this mania over and over, headlining major clubs from San Francisco to Los Angeles, playing more than 400 shows since 1993. Despite such seasoning, Infest represents the beginning of this young band's journey. As the title track promises, these Roach's are "coming to infest." Those who prefer enlightenment to escapism will surely want to invest. "Pop music like Britney Spears is existence in the dark," Dick argues. "Its' candy. I don't want to escape reality - I want to go deeper into it."

In the small Northern California town of Vacaville, four high school friends, Jacoby Shaddix, Jerry Horton, Dave Buckner, and Will James, decided to start a band. In 1993, they became Papa Roach, a band whose influences included prominent Bay Area acts such as Faith No More and Primus. Papa Roach quickly rose to the top of the Vacaville music scene with their blending of hip-hop, groove-funk, and hardcore.
After a couple of years of playing coffeehouses, pizza joints, and keg-parties, they were headlining such places as the Cactus Club in San Jose, the Cattle Club in Sacramento, and the Berkeley Square in Berkeley.

Due to the antics of unpredictable Shaddix, and the raw power supplied by the band in live performances, Papa Roach captured the attention of younger audiences. In turn, kids showed their appreciation for the band by faithfully attending all the band's shows. In these early years, Papa Roach was able to support the Deftones on two shows, and have bands such as Incubus, Snot, Far, Human Waste Project, Downset and Fu Manchu open for them.

In the summer of 1996, while realizing athat they had something special, Papa Roach decided to make changes necessary to reach the next level. First, the band replaced bass player Will James because his commitment to church summer camp that would have prevented the band from practicing and playing any shows over the summer. Papa Roach did not have to go far to find their new bass player. Tobin Esperance, who was only 16 years old and who had been a roadie for Papa Roach since age 13, readily became the new bass player. Second, the band hired a manager, Bret Bair, to help them with bookings, promotions, and merchandising. With a new bass player and management in place, Papa Roach decided to enter the studio to record a full-length CD.

"Old Friends From Young Years" was recorded for $700 at E.S.P. Studios in Pittsburg, California, and was subsequently released in February of 1997. The CD contains 13 tracks, including the songs "Orange Drive Palms", and "Liquid Diet". Without any push from the band or management, many smaller independent and college radio stations in Chico, Davis, San Jose, Sacramento, and the Bay Area added Papa Roach to their playlists. To the bands' surprise, Papa Roach charted number one as Cal-State Sacramento's most requested band for five consecutive weeks. Papa Roach celebrated the release of their first album with several CD release shows. The Vacaville CD release show was attended by 700 kids, while CD release shows in Berkeley and Sacramento were attended by 400 and 300 kids, respectively.

Papa Roach's emerging popularity did not escape the eyes and ears of promoters, who started booking the band as a support act on many larger national shows. In March of 1997, Papa Roach played main support to Suicidal Tendencies in front of 1,000 people in Sacramento. They also either headlined or supported many of today's up and coming acts in the aggressive rock genre, including Incubus, Snot, Far, Human Waste Project, (hed) p.e., Sevendust, WIll Haven and Powerman 5000. Papa Roach has also played Southern California on a frequent basis, and is now becoming a regular at such reknowned clubs as the Troubador in Hollywood, and Soma in San Diego.

In April 1998, Papa Roach released "5 Tracks Deep", and E.P. containing five songs which sold 1,000 copies within the first month after its release. This CD exemplifies the natural growth in musicianship and song-writing ability within band since "Old Friends From Young Years" was recorded 18 months earlier. The songs "Revenge in Japanese" is a perfect example of the Papa Roach trademark sound where hip-hop verses lead to a catchy radio-friendly chorus. This results in a song with both energy and emotion that will attract diverse crowds of people.