Drowning Pool

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This article is about the band. For their self-titled, fourth album, see Drowning Pool (album). For the Ross Macdonald novel, see The Drowning Pool. For the film, see The Drowning Pool (film).
Drowning Pool
Background information
Origin Dallas, Texas, United States
Genres Heavy metal, alternative metal, hard rock, post-grunge, nu metal
Years active 1996–present
Labels Wind Up Records, Eleven Seven Music
Associated acts VooDoo Corps, Soil, AM Conspiracy, The Suicide Hook
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 metal band from Dallas, Texas. Since its formation in 1996, the band has consisted of guitarist C.J. Pierce, bassist Stevie Benton and drummer Mike Luce, as well as a revolving cast of vocalists. Currently, this position is held by Jasen Moreno.

After the release of their debut album, Sinner, original vocalist Dave Williams was found dead on August 14, 2002[1] from a heart disease. Jason Jones, who replaced Williams in 2003, recorded one album, Desensitized, but left in 2005 due to musical differences.[1] Ryan McCombs of metal band SOiL later replaced Jones and released two albums, Full Circle and Drowning Pool.[1] However, McCombs left the band in 2011 to rejoin SOiL.[1] Jasen Moreno was announced as Ryan McCombs' replacement in 2012.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Early years (1996–1999)

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 changed in 1999 with the arrival of vocalist Dave Williams.

[edit] Dave Williams era (1999–2002)

The band rose to fame while playing along with Ozzy Osbourne during an Ozzfest tour. Their 2001 debut album Sinner was certified platinum within six weeks. On August 14, 2002, Williams was found dead inside his tour bus. He died from an undiagnosed heart condition, now known to be cardiomyopathy.[2]

A spokesperson for the Northern District of the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner[3] said he suffered from a form of heart disease.[4] Many of their songs are featured in the Dragon Ball Z soundtracks. 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."[5]

[edit] Jason Jones era (2003–2005)

After Williams' death, the band tried to carry on and so began searching for a new singer.[6] Many were considered, such as Ben Schigel of Switched, Vince Mullins of Haji's Kitchen, Robb Flynn of Machine Head and many others.[7] But in 2003, the band decided on Jason 'Gong' Jones to replace Williams[8] and released the album Desensitized in 2004. During this era, the band also experienced a considerable shift in visual style: rather than the dark, grimacing, anti-social demeanor seen with Williams as the frontman, they shifted toward rock star vanity and sex appeal. Despite the success of the album's lead single, "Step Up," the album was not nearly as successful as Sinner. Jones' departure from the band was publicly announced on June 14, 2004, due to irreconcilable differences.[9]

[edit] Ryan McCombs era (2006–2011)

The band announced that the new 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[10] received word from close sources that Ryan McCombs, then former singer of SOiL, was to be the new singer. According to their manager, McCombs was "really good," and someone the band had wanted when they first set out to replace original vocalist Dave Williams nearly two years prior.[11]

In spring of 2006, the band announced that they had parted ways with Wind-up Records.[12] In October 2006, the new song "No More" was announced to be released on the Saw III soundtrack, their first track (besides the second version of "Rise Up") with McCombs on vocals.

On February 26, 2007, the band announced it signed a new deal with Eleven Seven Music.[13] It was also confirmed that the band would have a new management company, Tenth Street Entertainment.

The band's third album, Full Circle, was released on August 7, 2007 and met with moderate success. 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 tracks were recorded with producer Ben Schigel at the Ohio-based Spider Studios.

In January 2008, the band members announced that they would be touring North America as special guests of Saliva.[14] On July 26, 2008, in Dubuque, Iowa, the band played at the Dubuque County Fair alongside the bands Sick Puppies and Seether.

In September 2008, McCombs said in a statement that the band would be recording its next album after it finished touring with Saliva.[15] According to an article from the El Paso Times, the band had written material for its upcoming album, and it would be in the recording studio following the holidays.

On December 9, 2008, Benton was quoted by the Associated Press as considering it an honor that the U.S. military was using the band's music to bother captured prisoners.[16] On December 13, 2008, Benton issued an apology on the band's MySpace page about his comment on musical torture, stating his comment had been "taken out of context".[17]

On March 3, 2009, the band released a live album, Loudest Common Denominator, which featured two bonus tracks of acoustic versions of "Shame" and "37 Stitches".[18]

According to a blog posted by the band members on the website SMNNEWS, they hinted at having six songs already completed, and they just needed to finish the other half of the album. McCombs dropped teasers of possible titles to two of the songs, "L.O.M.L" and "Regret".[19] Guitarist C.J. Pierce also said he was bringing back some effects used on debut album Sinner, but not on the previous two albums.[19]

The band finished recording their fourth album album with Kato Khandwala[20] producing at House of Loud in New Jersey. It was the first studio album in the band's history featuring the same vocalist as the album before it.

The first single off the band's self-titled album, titled "Feel Like I Do", became available as a free download on their official website, and the album was released on April 27, 2010.[21]

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.[22]

On November 29, 2011, it was announced that McCombs had left the band to rejoin SOiL on their European tour to promote the 10th anniversary of their Scars album and maybe even to record a new album with them. The band soon began writing new material for a fifth studio album whilst holding auditions to find their fourth vocalist. McCombs is the only vocalist for the band to have recorded more than one album with it.[23]

[edit] Jasen Moreno era (2012–present)

On July 11, 2012, as the band were scheduling summer tour dates and putting together their fifth record, they revealed their new lead singer to be Jasen Moreno, from The Suicide Hook.[24] On August 15, on the 10th anniversary of Williams' death, the band released their first single with Moreno titled "In Memory Of..." as a tribute to Williams.[25] On November 13, 2012, the band released the second single "Saturday Night" along with an accompanying music video.[26] On December 18, 2012, the band released the song "One Finger and a Fist" and made it available for free download on their official website for a limited time. Their fifth album, Resilience, is scheduled to be released on April 2, 2013.[27]

[edit] Controversy and military use of "Bodies"

The band has seen some controversies and criticism due to the misinterpretation of their lyrics to their song "Bodies". In 2011, the song was associated with the 2011 Arizona shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.[28] Recently 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".[28] The song has also been accused of but misinterpreted to 9/11. However it was used by the United States army to prepare for war.[29] A 19 year old named Joshua Cookie also killed his parents while he was playing the song. [29][30]

"Bodies" was used consistently by interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay detention camps in 2003. "Bodies" was consistently played over a 10 day period of time in 2006 during interrogations of Mohamedou Ould Slahi while he was "exposed to variable lighting patterns" at the same time.[29][31][32]

[edit] Musical style and influences

Drowning Pool's style has been considered heavy metal,[1][33][34] alternative metal,[35] hard rock,[33][36] nu metal[1][33][37] and post-grunge.[38][39] The bands influences include Bathory, Metallica's early work, Anthrax, Motley Crue, Beatles and Pantera.[29][40]

[edit] Personnel

Current members
Former members
Timeline

[edit] See also

Portal icon Alternative music portal
Portal icon Rock music portal

[edit] Discography

Main article: Drowning Pool discography

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Drowning Pool, Have They Finally Hit thr Floor?". Thrash Magazine. 27 May 2012. http://thrashmag.com/2012/05/27/drowning-pool-have-they-finally-hit-the-floor/.
  2. ^ "Blabbermouth.Net – Drowning Pool Singer Found Dead". Roadrunnerrecords.com. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=5440. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  3. ^ http://www.vdh.state.va.us/medexam/index.htm
  4. ^ "Blabbermouth.Net – Upate: Drowning Pool Frontman Died From Heart Disease". Roadrunnerrecords.com. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=6407. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  5. ^ "Top-5 metal songs that will blow your mind – Music". NewsPakistan.PK. http://www.newspakistan.pk/2012/01/05/Top-5-metal-songs-that-will-blow-your-mind-Music/. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  6. ^ "Blabbermouth.Net – Drowning Pool Begin Singer Search, Cite AC/DC Inspiration". Roadrunnerrecords.com. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=8766. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  7. ^ [1][dead link]
  8. ^ "Blabbermouth.Net – Drowning Pool Announce New Singer, Audio Clip Posted Online". Roadrunnerrecords.com. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=18470. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  9. ^ "Drowning Pool Singer Quits | News @". Ultimate-guitar.com. June 15, 2005. http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/drowning_pool_singer_quits.html. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  10. ^ http://www.smnnews.com/index.php?subaction=showcomments&id=1121888017&archive=&start_from=&ucat=&
  11. ^ "Blabbermouth.Net – Manager: Drowning Pool Have New Singer Lined Up". Roadrunnerrecords.com. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=38066. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  12. ^ "Blabbermouth.Net – Drowning Pool Part Ways With Wind-Up Records". Roadrunnerrecords.com. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=53031. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  13. ^ "Drowning Pool Confirms New Album Title – Feb. 26, 2007". February 26, 2007.
  14. ^ "Drowning Pool Announce Tour With Saliva". Komodo Rock. http://www.komodorock.com/tour-news/tour-dates/drowning-pool-announce-tour-with-saliva-200801163493.
  15. ^ "Saliva, Drowning Pool together again". Livedaily.com. http://www.livedaily.com/news/14948.html. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  16. ^ Selsky, Andrew (December 9, 2008). "Musicians protest use of songs by US jailers". Associated Press. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g64EuoVhuWIkenJw0OsqodF-EbnwD94VDHPG0. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
  17. ^ "Drowning Pool official MySpace blog(Stevie Bentons Apology". Blogs.myspace.com. December 14, 2008. http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=4989818&blogID=456111734. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  18. ^ 1:53 PM. "Drowning Pool Announces Live Album Release Date – in Metal News". Metal Underground.com. http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=41402. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  19. ^ a b "Drowning Pool Blog in From the Studio". SMNnews.com. February 2, 2008. http://www.smnnews.com/drowning-pool-blog-in-from-the-studio/. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  20. ^ http://brightmanmusic.com/?page_id=20
  21. ^ "Drowning Pool Set Release Date – TuneLab Music – Everything Rock". Tunelab.com. February 24, 2010. http://tunelab.com/2010/02/24/drowning-pool-set-release-date/. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  22. ^ "Blabbermouth.Net - Drowning Pool, Ex-Nonpoint Members Join Forces In Voodoo Corps". Legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com. http://legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=166963. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  23. ^ "Drowning Pool Announce Departure Of Ryan McCombs :: Rock Access – Rock News". Rockaccess.net. http://rockaccess.net/2011/11/29/drowning-pool-announce-departure-of-ryan-mccombs/. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  24. ^ "Drowning Pool Recruits The Suicide Hook Singer". BlabberMouth. http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=176621.
  25. ^ "Drowning Pool Stream "In Memory Of…"". Rockaccess.net. http://rockaccess.net/2012/08/15/drowning-pool-stream-in-memory-of. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  26. ^ "Drowing Pool Unleash 'Saturday Night' Video". Loudwire.com. http://loudwire.com/drowning-pool-saturday-night-video/. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  27. ^ "Drowning Pool Introduces New Singer On 97.1 The Eagle Radio Station". Blabbermouth.net. http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=177475. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  28. ^ a b "Drowning Pool respond to Arizona shooting link with their song 'Bodies'". NME. IPC Media. 2011-01-11. http://www.nme.com/news/drowning-pool/54507. Retrieved 2012-06-03.
  29. ^ a b c d "Military Life". Militarymoney.com. http://www.militarymoney.com/MilitaryLife/entertainment/tabid/110/itemId/1893/Default.aspx. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  30. ^ "Drowning Pool 'Devastated' Arizona Killer Played Its 'Bodies' Song". Billboard. 2001-08-25. http://www.billboard.com/new-releases/drowning-pool-devastated-arizona-killer-1004138572.story#/new-releases/drowning-pool-devastated-arizona-killer-1004138572.story. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  31. ^ "Musicians Protest Use of Music at Gitmo". CBS News. 2009-10-22. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/22/politics/main5409256.shtml.
  32. ^ "Welcome to". Michaelmoore.com. http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latest-news/rem-and-pearl-jam-campaign-close-guantanamo-bay. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  33. ^ a b c "Drowning Pool". Tim Grierson. http://rock.about.com/od/drowningpool/p/DrowningPool.htm.
  34. ^ Craig Harris. "Drowning Pool". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/drowning-pool-mn0000167762.
  35. ^ "Drowning Pool - gig review". 2012-03-21. http://www.metalandbeyond.com/2011/03/drowning-pool-gig-review.html.
  36. ^ Johnny. "Desensitized - Drowning Pool". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/desensitized-mw0000329258.
  37. ^ "Drowning Pool". Rhapsody. http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/drowning-pool.
  38. ^ "Drowning Pool". Michian Entertainer. http://www.michianaentertainer.com/articles/music/614-drowning-pool.
  39. ^ "Drowning Pool Loudest Common Denominator". Hard Rock Haven. http://hardrockhaven.net/online/2009/03/drowning-pool-loudest-common-denominator/.
  40. ^ Craig Cummings (2008-11-06). "Dallas-based Drowning Pool to play Toys for Tots Bash | Lubbock Online | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal". Lubbock Online. http://lubbockonline.com/stories/110608/fea_463143479.shtml. Retrieved 2013-02-04.

[edit] External links

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