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Drowning Pool

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

Drowning Pool
Background information
OriginDallas, Texas, United States
GenresAlternative metal, nu metal, post-grunge, hard rock
Years active1996 (1996)–present
LabelsWind Up Records, Eleven Seven Music
MembersC.J. Pierce
Stevie Benton
Mike Luce
Jasen Moreno
Past membersDave Williams
Jason Jones
Ryan McCombs
Websitewww.drowningpool.com

Drowning Pool is an American alternative metal band, formed in Dallas, Texas in 1996. The band was named after the 1975 film of the same name. Since its formation, the band has consisted of guitarist C.J. Pierce, bassist Stevie Benton and drummer Mike Luce, as well as a revolving cast of vocalists. The band's current vocalist is Jasen Moreno.

After the release of their debut album, Sinner, original vocalist Dave Williams was found dead on August 14, 2002[3] from a heart disease. Jason Jones, who replaced Williams in 2003, recorded one album, Desensitized, but left in 2005 due to musical differences.[3] Ryan McCombs of Chicago based metal band SOiL later replaced Jones and released two albums, Full Circle and Drowning Pool.[3] However, McCombs left the band in 2011 to rejoin SOiL.[3] Jasen Moreno was announced as Ryan McCombs' replacement in 2012 and the band went on to release Resilience in 2013.

History

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 all changed in 1999 with the arrival of vocalist Dave Williams.[4]

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.[5][6][7]

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."[8]

Jason Jones era (2003–2005)

After Williams' death, the band decided to carry on and so began searching for a new singer.[9] Many were considered, such as Ben Schigel of Switched, Vince Mullins of Haji's Kitchen, and Robb Flynn of Machine Head.[10] In 2003, the band decided on Jason 'Gong' Jones to replace Williams[11] 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, and it was publicly announced on June 14, 2005 that Jones had departed from the band, due to "irreconcilable differences".[12]

Ryan McCombs era (2006–2011)

Drowning Pool's third singer Ryan McCombs, performing live with the band at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska on November 6, 2010.

The band announced that their replacement singer would be formally announced at Ozzfest in Dallas, where the band did a one-off performance on the main stage. On July 20, 2005, the website SMNNews[13] revealed that Ryan McCombs, then former singer of SOiL, was the new singer. The band initially wanted McCombs to join Drowning Pool as the replacement of Dave Williams, nearly two years prior.[14] In spring of 2006, the band announced that they had parted ways with Wind-up Records.[15] In October 2006, a new song "No More" was announced to be released on the Saw III soundtrack, their first song (besides a re-recorded version of "Rise Up") with McCombs.[16] The band signed a new deal with Eleven Seven Music[17] and also announced a new management company, Tenth Street Entertainment.[18]

The band's third album, Full Circle, was released on August 7, 2007. Two songs on the album were produced by Funny Farm Records, owned by Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx and former Beautiful Creatures guitarist DJ Ashba. The remaining songs were produced by Ben Schigel at the Ohio-based Spider Studios.[19] The band then toured with Saliva in North America and also Sick Puppies and Seether in support of the album.[20][21] Later in the year, work on a fourth album was announced.[22]

On March 3, 2009, the band released a live album, Loudest Common Denominator, which featured acoustic versions of "Shame" and "37 Stitches" from Full Circle.[23]

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

Jasen Moreno era (2012–present)

In July 2012, Jasen Moreno, from The Suicide Hook, was announced to be the band's new singer.[28] On August 14, the 10th anniversary of Dave Williams' death, the band released a song in tribute of him, their first with Moreno titled "In Memory Of...".[29] Two further singles were released with Moreno, "Saturday Night" in November 2012,[30] and "One Finger and a Fist" in December 2012, before the band released their fifth album, Resilience, on April 9, 2013.[31]

Controversy and military use of "Bodies"

The band has faced some controversies and criticism due to the misinterpretation of the lyrics to their most well-known song "Bodies". In 2011, the song was associated with the 2011 Arizona shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.[32] Shortly after the shooting, the band made a statement addressing the link: "We were devastated this weekend to learn of the tragic events that occurred in Arizona and that our music has been misinterpreted. 'Bodies' was written about the brotherhood of the moshpit and was never about violence." The band also added: "For someone to put out a video misinterpreting a song about a moshpit as fuel for a violent act shows just how sick they really are. We support those who do what they can to keep America safe. Our hearts go out to the victims and their families of this terrible tragedy".[32]

"Bodies" was used consistently by interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay detention camps in 2003, and 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.[33][34][35]

On December 9, 2008, bassist Stevie Benton was quoted by the Associated Press as considering it an honor that the U.S. military was using the band's music to torture captured prisoners.[36] On December 13, 2008, he issued an apology on the band's MySpace page about his comment on musical torture, stating his comment had been "taken out of context."[37]

Musical style and influences

Drowning Pool's style has been considered heavy metal,[38][3][39] alternative metal,[40] hard rock,[38][41] nu metal[38][3][42] and post-grunge.[43][44] The band's influences include Bathory, Metallica, Anthrax, Testament, Slipknot, Alice in Chains, SOiL, Opeth, Soundgarden, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Motley Crue, Beatles and Pantera.[33][45][46] The band also have been influenced by black metal and death metal.[46]

Personnel

Timeline

Discography

Main article: Drowning Pool discography

References

  1. ^ "Flyleaf + Drowning Pool Announce Co-Headline Tour". Artist Direct.
  2. ^ "MusicMight :: Artists :: FLESH PARADE". MusicMight. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Drowning Pool, Have They Finally Hit thr Floor?". Thrash Magazine. May 27, 2012.
  4. ^ MusicMights :: Artists :: DROWNING POOL
  5. ^ "Blabbermouth.Net – Drowning Pool Singer Found Dead". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  6. ^ http://www.vdh.state.va.us/medexam/index.htm
  7. ^ "Blabbermouth.Net – Upate: Drowning Pool Frontman Died From Heart Disease". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  8. ^ "Top-5 metal songs that will blow your mind – Music". NewsPakistan.PK. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  9. ^ "Blabbermouth.Net – Drowning Pool Begin Singer Search, Cite AC/DC Inspiration". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  10. ^ [1][dead link]
  11. ^ "Blabbermouth.Net – Drowning Pool Announce New Singer, Audio Clip Posted Online". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  12. ^ "Drowning Pool Singer Quits | News @". Ultimate-guitar.com. June 15, 2005. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  13. ^ http://www.smnnews.com/index.php?subaction=showcomments&id=1121888017&archive=&start_from=&ucat=&
  14. ^ "Blabbermouth.Net – Manager: Drowning Pool Have New Singer Lined Up". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  15. ^ "Blabbermouth.Net – Drowning Pool Part Ways With Wind-Up Records". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  16. ^ ""Saw III" Movie Soundtrack". Rebecca Murray. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
  17. ^ "Drowning Pool Confirms New Album Title – Feb. 26, 2007". February 26, 2007.
  18. ^ "DROWNING POOL Revamps Fan Experience". Bloomberg. October 2, 2008.
  19. ^ "DROWNING POOL: 'Full Circle' Pushed Back To August – June 27, 2007". Blabbermouth. June 27, 2007.
  20. ^ "Drowning Pool Announce Tour With Saliva". Komodo Rock.
  21. ^ Drowning Pool in Dubuque – Eventful
  22. ^ "Saliva, Drowning Pool together again". Livedaily.com. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  23. ^ 1:53 PM. "Drowning Pool Announces Live Album Release Date – in Metal News". Metal Underground.com. Retrieved March 14, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ "DROWNING POOL Guitarist C.J. PIERCE Talks Gear (Video) – Oct. 19, 2010". Blabbermouth. October 9, 2010.
  25. ^ "Drowning Pool Set Release Date – TuneLab Music – Everything Rock". Tunelab.com. February 24, 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  26. ^ "Blabbermouth.Net – Drowning Pool, Ex-Nonpoint Members Join Forces In Voodoo Corps". Legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  27. ^ "Drowning Pool Announce Departure Of Ryan McCombs :: Rock Access – Rock News". Rockaccess.net. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  28. ^ "Drowning Pool Recruits The Suicide Hook Singer". BlabberMouth.
  29. ^ "Drowning Pool Stream "In Memory Of…"". Rockaccess.net. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  30. ^ "Drowning Pool Unleash 'Saturday Night' Video". Loudwire.com. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  31. ^ "Drowning Pool Introduces New Singer On 97.1 The Eagle Radio Station". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  32. ^ a b "Drowning Pool respond to Arizona shooting link with their song 'Bodies'". NME. IPC Media. January 11, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
  33. ^ a b "Military Life". Militarymoney.com. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  34. ^ "Musicians Protest Use of Music at Gitmo". CBS News. October 22, 2009.
  35. ^ "Welcome to". Michaelmoore.com. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  36. ^ Selsky, Andrew (December 9, 2008). "Musicians protest use of songs by US jailers". Associated Press. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
  37. ^ "Drowning Pool official MySpace blog(Stevie Bentons Apology". Blogs.myspace.com. December 14, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  38. ^ a b c "Drowning Pool". Tim Grierson.
  39. ^ Craig Harris. "Drowning Pool". Allmusic.
  40. ^ "Drowning Pool – gig review". Metal and Beyond. March 21, 2012.
  41. ^ Johnny. "Desensitized – Drowning Pool". Allmusic.
  42. ^ "Drowning Pool". Rhapsody. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  43. ^ "Drowning Pool". Michian Entertainer.
  44. ^ "Drowning Pool Loudest Common Denominator". Hard Rock Haven. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  45. ^ Craig Cummings (November 6, 2008). "Dallas-based Drowning Pool to play Toys for Tots Bash | Lubbock Online | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal". Lubbock Online. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  46. ^ a b "INTERVIEW WITH DROWNING POOL GUITARIST C.J. PIERCE". Manchester Rocks. February 22, 2013.
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