BAND HISTORY
After taking almost a ten year break from music, Doug Brem and Brad Lambrecht formed Play Dead in late 1998. What started
out as a cover band, morphed into a hard hitting, original metal band ,when Mike LeBeau and Jon Brem joined shortly thereafter . Play Dead spent all of 1999 writing music without a vocalist.
In early 2000 Bob Joker joined Play Dead,and had a short stint as the bands frontman. Shortly after Bobs release,
Ryan Lundgren (formerly of Gothic Groove) joined the band . He added a whole new range in vocal ability. Play Dead recorded their self titled cd in November of 2000. They had a steady run of shows in Milwaukee,and the surrounding areas in Wisconsin. They organized and performed at the 2 day "Death Denied" benefit for the late Chuck Schuldiner of Death/Control Denied.
Play Dead's sound started changing in early 2001. They were always known for blending many styles of metal , but the songs they were writing were getting heavier.
Play Dead went into Truly Intense studios in late 2001 and recorded the "Whispers In The Night" ep. This cd was a lot heavier than the previous cd,but still had the vocal harmonies,and progressive elements Play Dead had become known for. After numerous shows following the release of "Whispers", Play Dead wanted to expand the boundaries ,and technicality of their music , Jack Simchak was brought in as the third guitarist.
A few months later...due to directional differences , Ryan Lundgren and the band parted ways. In the months that followed, Play Dead unsuccessfully tried out vocalists. They couldn't find the combination of the voice they were looking for,and the stage presence to match. They then decided to keep the vocals within the existing members.
In January of 2003 Jon Brem moved from bass to vocals,and Jack Simchak moved from guitar to bass. Doug Brem was doing all the clean vocals ,as well as screaming the low end death metal growls from behind his drums . The sound was a huge departure from the earlier cd's. Punishing , Intricate , Emotional... described them well. They still did a few of the old songs live....but those songs were re-tooled to be heavy enough to make your heart stop. In April of 2003 they entered The Sound Cellar ltd.studio with the new lineup. They recorded a four song cd (Demo 2003). They spent the next few months playing successful shows in and around Wisconsin. The band was receiving great feedback about their new direction,and member changes. They received great reviews for the demo 2003 cd.The band also took fifth place in the Core Wars at Heavycore.
All the while they were writing new music unparalleled to anything they had done before. Songs like "We Are the Shadows (Hellraiser)","Funeral Of Mankind", "The Show" , and "Brown" were some of the most technical,and brutal songs they ever wrote.
They were planning on recording another cd in late December of 2003 . Then in January 2004 , the band unexpectedly broke up. Lack of desire for some and lack of dedication for others, as well as inner conflict played their parts in ending the band. They parted ways mostly on good terms. As far as them ever playing together again...who knows what the future holds.
Hey there, my band BLACK GARDEN just added another NEW song titled "Comfortably Wounded" and also if u haven't already, check out the whole set and tell us what u think(vocals will be added soon). Thank you for your time. Here's the link:
Just wanted to tell you that our singer Dani Nolden has just been nominated as the best singer in Brazil by Rock Brigade Magazine (the biggest and most important in Brazil, read by over 100.000 people), so please vote for her at http://www.rbnetstore.com.br/melhores/votacao_index.html on the category "Melhor Vocalista Nacional (Masculino e Feminino)"
You just have to write your name on "nome completo" and email address, and "endereço completo" is for your home address if you wanna be eligible for prizes from Rock Brigade, Nuclear Blast and lots more. Voting goes on until January 20. We are counting on you!
