Mt. Helium
| Mt. Helium | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The Apex Theory |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Genres | Alternative rock |
| Years active | 1999 — present |
| Labels | Dreamworks Records, TOYS.of.the.MASSES. |
| Associated acts | System of a Down, VoKee |
| Members | |
| Art Karamian David Hakopyan Sammy J. Watson |
|
| Past members | |
| Ontronik Khachaturian | |
Mt. Helium is an Armenian-American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, formerly known as The Apex Theory. The band has released three studio albums and three extended plays to date.
Contents |
[edit] History
The Apex Theory was formed in 1999 by Armenian-American Los Angeles musicians Ontronik Khachaturian, Art Karamian and David Hakopyan. Drummer Sammy J. Watson joined the band after they were unable to find a committed drummer.[1] The band released their first extended play, Extendemo, in 2000. The following year, they signed with DreamWorks Records,[2] releasing their second EP, The Apex Theory on October 9, 2001.[1] The band performed at the main stage during the 2001 Warped Tour,[3][4] and as co-headliners at the 2002 MTV2 tour.[1]
On April 2, 2002, the band released their debut album, Topsy-Turvy. It peaked at #6 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and #157 on the Billboard 200.[5] Months after the album's release, Khachaturian left the band,[2] and they began to audition new vocalists before deciding that Karamian would take over as the band's vocalist.[6][7] The band released an EP in 2004 entitled inthatskyissomethingwatching. After changing their name to Mt. Helium, the band released their second album, Faces as a digital download on June 3, 2008.[8]
[edit] Musical style
Mt. Helium's style has been predominately described as alternative rock. Former vocalist Ontronik Khachaturian described the band's sound as a "heavy Mediterranean groove".[1][9] Michigan Daily writer Sonya Sutherland wrote that "The Apex Theory combines a heavy drum support, melodic guitars and honey sweet vocals to provide an entertaining and emotional message."[9] The band's musical style was influenced by Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Near Eastern music.[9]
MTV News writer Jon Wiederhorn wrote that "the Apex Theory's multi-textured music [...] combines metal, prog-rock, Mediterranean music and even jazz. And the off-kilter rhythm, skittering drums, whirlpool guitars and aggressive vocals of 'Shhh ... (Hope Diggy)' are a perfect taster for the band's debut album".[10]
[edit] Band members
[edit] Current members
[edit] Former members
- Ontronik Khachaturian — vocals[6] (1999–2002)
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Random Bursts (2001)
- Topsy-Turvy (2002)
- Faces (2008)
[edit] Extended Plays
- The Apex Theory (EP) (2001)
- Inthatskyissomethingwatching (2004)
- Lightpost (2007)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f Wilson, MacKenzie. "Biography of The Apex Theory". Allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&=11:d9foxql0ldje~T1. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
- ^ a b Iannini, Tommaso (2003) "The Apex Theory" (in Italian) Nu metal Giunti pp. 22–23 ISBN 88-09-03051-6
- ^ MacDonald, Patrick (June 29, 2001). "Punk rock and extreme sports collide at Vans Warped Tour". The Seattle Times. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20010629&slug=vans29. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
- ^ Burr, Ramiro (September 7, 2002). "Apex Theory set for Ozzfest Quartet mixes hard rock, funk". San Antonio Express-News. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SAEC&p_theme=saec&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F5FA1A9991C7683&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
- ^ "Charts and awards for Topsy Turvy". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r564950. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
- ^ a b "For The Record: Quick News On Limp Bizkit, Wes Borland, Apex Theory, Coal Chamber, Rival Schools, Kiss & More". MTV News. November 19, 2002. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1458771/11192002/rival_schools.jhtml. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
- ^ a b "For The Record: Quick News On Mary J. Blige, Guided By Voices, Kid Rock, Elephant Man, Metallica, Billy Joel & More". MTV News. April 26, 2004. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1486602/20040426/blige_mary_j.jhtml. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
- ^ "ASIN: B001A660KW". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001A660KW/. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
- ^ a b c Sutherland, Sonya (November 12, 2001). "World music collides in Apex Theory". Michigan Daily. http://www.michigandaily.com/content/world-music-collides-apex-theory. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
- ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (March 1, 2002). "Apex Theory Offer 'Hope' To Metal — Diggy-Da". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1452687/20020228/apex_theory.jhtml. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
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