Steel Prophet - video clips, songs, albums online

85-'87: Steel Prophet started out in the mid-eighties in Middletown, Connecticut with Steve Kachinsky on guitars and Gary Stocking on vocals as the original founders. Drummer Harry Blackwell came on board briefly. The drummer that Harry had borrowed a kit from for an early video, John Tarascio, became the new drummer. Wayne Faircloth was the band's bassist at that time. A little after this Gary Stocking left the line-up and new vocalist was Dave Brooks, with whom the band recorded the track "In The Dream" for the 1987 Iron Tyrants Waging War compilation on World Metal Records. '88-'89: In 1988, Steve and John Tarascio moved to Los Angeles, California. Here they came across vocalist Scott Lindsenbard, guitarist Domenic Chavira and bassist Vince Dennis. This line-up didn't last long either, as Nick Mantis soon replaced Scott Lindsenbard. Nick Mantis came from a local band called Ascendence. Steve and Vince caught him at a backyard party in Ontario doing a version of Fates Warning's "Apparition". Fates Warning needed a singer at the time and so Steve recommended Nick to Jim Matheos. Steve, Vince, Nick and Bill Metoyer went down to Track Record in Hollywood one night to record a version of "Quietus" as an audition tape for Fates Warning, who in the end decided on Ray Alder and Steel Prophet got Nick. This lasted for awhile until Nick succumbed to speed addiction and the band decided Domenic's playing was not up to their standards. Jon Paget came in to replace Domenic and Rick Mythiasin (who was in Pantera for a few days in their post-glam, pre-thrash phase) was chosen as Nick's successor. '90-'97: This line-up quickly released the Inner Ascendance demo in 1990, which received major accolades in Europe and eventually led to an illegal bootleg of the tape on CD in 1992. The band performed regularly in the L.A. area, opening for Armored Saint, Manowar, Fates Warning, Candlemass, Saxon, {link Flotsam & Jetsam}, Sacred Reich, etc. and headlined their own shows as well. Eventually they decided to focus on recording and play out less. About this same time the band parted ways with Jon Paget and Horacio Colmenares replaced him as guitarist. The band signed a deal with the Foundations 2000 record company, but never did release anything with them. Steel Prophet recorded a ten song pre-production demo for Foundations 2000 on an eight-track tape recorder. This demo eventually became their first official album known as The Goddess Principle, which the Art of Music label in Germany picked up and released in 1995. Next was a five-song EP called Continuum, released in 1996, which featured the same line-up as The Goddess Principle. After Continuum was released, Steel Prophet parted ways with John and Horacio. Horacio went on to form the band New Eden. Steel Prophet added Jon Pons on guitar and Pete Parada (Gene Loves Jezebel/Face to Face/{link Engine},Halford) on drums. This line-up recorded and released Into the Void (Hallucinogenic Conception) in 1997. The record featured Agent Steel guitarist Bernie Versaille as a guest musician. '98-'99: The band signed a new record deal with Nuclear Blast Records in 1998 and released the critically-acclaimed Dark Hallucinations in the spring of 1999 with new drummer Pat McGrath (ex-{link Prototype}, Riot V, {link Killing Culture}). Guests on Dark Hallucinations included Roy Z. ({link Tribe of Gypsies}/Bruce Dickinson, Halford), Bernie Versaille (Agent Steel, Fates Warning, {link Engine}), and Joe Floyd ({link Warrior}). To support Dark Hallucinations, the band toured Europe with Gamma Ray, Edguy, the Roland Grapow Band, and also played the Wacken Open Air and Bang Your Head Festivals. '00: Kevin Cafferty came in as a temporary member to play drums on the band's next studio effort, Messiah, which was released in January 2000 with almost unanimous critical support. John Pons left shortly after the its release and was replaced by Jim Williams. Riding the momentum, Steel Prophet set about once again destroying the European live stage, this time with Lefay and {link Angel Dust} as well as hitting the festival circuit again. To keep fans at the boiling point, Genesis hit store shelves a mere seven months later, presenting fans with the entire Inner Ascendance demo plus cover songs of some of metal's most important pioneers: Accept, Iron Maiden, Metallica and Judas Priest. '01: After a quick flurry of releases, Steel Prophet took a little more time crafting their next album. With new drummer Karl Rosqvist and new guitarist Jim Williams, Steel Prophet entered Silver Cloud Studios with producer Joe Floyd ({link Warrior}) to record Book of the Dead. Upon its release, Steel Prophet finally hit the U.S. tour circuit supporting cult favorites Helstar with {link Reign of Terror} opening. The tour included a stop at Milwaukee Metalfest XV, Progpower 2, Utltrasound2001, and the Powermad festival. Book of the Dead featured the catchy opener "When Six Was Nine", the thrashy "Phobia", the ballad-esque "Burning Into Blackness" and the slightly progressive "Locked Out" to show the band's versatility and their desire to create each song as a unique experience. Book of the Dead presents ideas and sounds that at first seem incongruous, but with repeated listening, it slowly meshes into a cohesive unit of words, sounds and ideas. Book of the Dead is a collection of musical images: a recollection of the past, a comment on the present, and a harbinger of the future. '02: In February 2002, the same line-up once again entered Silver Cloud Studios with producer Floyd. While each recording has shown progression, Unseen contains the distilled essence of the previous releases while expanding the band's sound beyond the confines of traditional metal. The catchy opener "Truth", the mellow and dreamy (and almost playful) "Magenta" and the uplifting "Martyred" give the album an open, airy feel that brings light to the grittier numbers like serial killer-inspired "Killer's Confession", the anti-racist "Blackest of Hearts" and the sorrowful ballad "Among the Damned". Unseen is a virtual yin and yang of emotions. The underlying spiritual nature of the music makes it seem as if Steel Prophet is giving listeners a glimpse into something truly 'unseen'. Unseen seethes with passion and vitality, and Steel Prophet's undying hunger gives the songs on Unseen an underlying rawness and edge. The album balances its aggression and intensity, often politically-charged lyrics with dreamy '70s inspired melodies, easily creating the deepest listening experience Steel Prophet has ever delivered thus far. '03: After Unseen, the band parted ways with singer Rick Mythiasin - a 13 year old relationship had come to its end and it was time to move on for both parties. After a long search, the band finally announced the coming of new singer Nadir D'Priest, who already made himself a name throughout the late-eighties and the nineties with his involvement in LA's popular rock scene and the bands London and D'Priest. Nadir's vocal power fits right in with the Steel Prophet sound, and his delivery of the older material is without a doubt up to par with what fans expect from Steel Prophet. It's going to be exciting to see how the fans will take Nadir to their hearts, and it'll be very interesting to hear him perform on the upcoming Steel Prophet disc. Also new on board is guitarist Pete Skermetta, who steps into the band after Jim Williams left in late 2002. With the two new guys on board, a management deal with Danish-based Intromental Management, and having fulfilled their contract with Nuclear Blast, they were free to sign with any other good record company.