Theocracy (band)
| Theocracy | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Athens, Georgia, USA |
| Genres | Power metal, progressive metal |
| Years active | 2002-present |
| Labels | Ulterium Records (Present), MetalAges Records (Past) |
| Website | Official Website |
| Members | |
| Matt Smith Shawn Benson Jonathan Hinds Val Allen Wood Jared Oldham |
|
| Past members | |
| Seth Filkins Josh Sloan Patrick Parris |
|
Theocracy is a Christian progressive power metal band founded in 2002 by Matt Smith of Athens, Georgia. The group originally started out as a one man project and all the instruments and vocals done on the debut album Theocracy were performed by Smith. The current lineup includes Smith along with Shawn Benson, Jonathan Hinds, Jared Oldham, and Val Allen Wood. Musically, the band mixes the power metal style of Edguy, Iced Earth, and Helloween with progressive influences from bands such as Dream Theater, Symphony X, Kansas and Rush.
The group performed at the ProgPower USA VII festival Pre-Party in Atlanta, Georgia. Live performances from the show of the songs "The Serpent's Kiss" and "Mountain" were included on the ProgPower VII DVD.[1] Their second album, Mirror of Souls, was released on Sweden's Ulterium Records and features cover artwork by Robert G. Wilson, Jr.[2] A song, "On Eagles Wings", which is on that album, can be heard on the bands official MySpace page.[3] Mirror of Souls was released on November 26, 2008 in Japan by Soundholic Records. The Japanese version contains the bonus track "Wages of Sin". The North American edition was released December 9, 2008. A picture disc LP was released through the record labels web store containing "Mirror of Souls", "Laying the Demon to Rest", "Absolution Day" and "The Wages of Sin". This LP was limited to 250 copies worldwide.
The band's latest album, As the World Bleeds, was released on November 21, 2011 in North America and on November 25, 2011 in Europe.[4]
Contents |
[edit] Band members
[edit] Current members
- Matt Smith - Lead Vocals
- Jonathan Hinds - Guitar, Backing Vocals
- Shawn Benson - Drums
- Val Allen Wood - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
- Jared Oldham - Bass, Backing Vocals
[edit] Note
Smith performed all lead and choir vocals, rhythm, lead, acoustic, and bass guitars, keys and orchestration on the self-titled album Theocracy
[edit] Former members
- Seth Filkins - bass, backing vocals
- Josh Sloan - bass, backing vocals
- Patrick Parris - bass, backing vocals
[edit] Discography
- Theocracy (MetalAges Records, 2003)
- Mirror of Souls (Ulterium (EU), Nightmare Records (US), 2008)
- As the World Bleeds (Ulterium (EU), Nightmare Records (US), 2011)
[edit] Christmas
Starting in the year 2003, the band has recorded and released one Christmas-themed song for free download to all members of their "Club of Souls" fan group, located on their official website.
-
- 2003: Christmas Medley
- 2004: Little Drummer Boy
- 2005: Deck the Joy (To the Halls)*
- 2006: Christmas Medley (2006 Remix)
- 2007: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
- 2008: Rudolph vs. Frosty*
- 2009: Angels From the Realms of Glory
- 2010: All I Want For Christmas*
- 2011: Christmas Medley (2011 Remix)
*songs originally written/arranged by 'Theocracy'
[edit] In media
Theocracy made an appearance on the cover of the January/December 2007 issue of Heaven's Metal magazine.[5] Matt Smith was also one of a select few musicians to appear in the "Metal Bible".[6]
[edit] External links
- Official Theocracy Home Page
- Official Theocracy Forums
- Official Theocracy Page at MySpace
- Theocracy at Metal Archives
