- Seth Luzier (2002-2004) Keyboards, Samples, Etc.
- Tyler Lambert (2003) Upright and Standard bass
Influences
Roadside Monument, Today Is The Day, Mr. Bungle, Built To Spill, Shudder To Think,Karp, Scaterd Few, The Violet Burning, Melvins,Blenderhead, Fugazi, Quicksand, Hum, Bauhaus, Sunny Day Real Estate, Keith Green, Stryper...etc...
Sounds Like
ALBUM REVIEWS -
THE HEART IS A TWO HEADED SPERM (1998)
Takehold Records is the undisputed leader of the underground in my book, and records like this one are exactly why. Tantrum Of The Muse is AMAZING. As far as creativity (and the execution of it) goes, they join only a handful of gutsy bands that have a truly original sound (virgin black, primus, Ani Defranco, Eva O). The record starts off with this "back and forth yelling," between some girls ("I'm not singing this, who's singing?") and I assume the band ("I am"). Aptly titled "Do Not Hurt Luddle" this tune will have you yelling right along! The record is also riddled with different samples of what sounds like 1960's public service announcements, that are absolutely ridiculous! The song that caught me most is called "My depression outfit" and it is dedicated to all those who have lost a friend or family member to cancer. It is mainly the sound of a thunderstorm with some piano intertwined and some speaking in the distant background. What I really appreciate about this song is that they really capture it. Having lost a family member to cancer, I really felt this song, even before I knew what it was written for (believe it or not). This is one of the many things that separates Tantrum Of The Muse from other bands, there thought process. They let this song be a feeling, instead of making it a complicated piece of artistry or force lyrics into it. Highlights are "The Devil's House Of Techno," " Jesus Standing Behind The Entertainment," and "My Depression Outfit," but all of these songs are amazing. If you are a fan of music that is original and non-commercial, and you do not have this CD, you are truly missing one of the great ones.
CD Grade: A++++++
Cover Art Grade: A- - 1340mag.com
There is little good trying to describe this band. The best thing to do is to go to their website and check their mp3's. I will attempt a description...You can break Tantrum down into the unique ideas and concepts that form the lyrics, samples, pianos, and just plain weird stuff. The rest can pretty much be summed up as a roller coaster ride! Overall, TOTM are amazing and it's no wonder that this album could be the band to take music to the next level - Takehold Records
This is absolutely amazing. Why haven't these guys gotten more attention? This three piece from Pennsylvania plays chaotic, off-time, quirky metal that goes from insane metallic noise to quiet eerie parts in a flash. The vocals vary from bloodcurdling screams to oddly sung vocals and the percussion is ever changing and innovative. Throw in some bizarre samples and piano and there you have a sound somewhat comparable to Today Is The Day mixed with Shellac with a little Mr. Bungle. - Lumberjack-Online.com (lumberjack distribution)
This is harder to review than a Pink Floyd record, because like Pink Floyd, there are not many points of reference that I can use.The band released this 12- song CD themselves (it was going to be on SOFA). Though it is self released, the sound quality is excellent. Onto the actual music. Imagine a blend of insane metal, hardcore, lots of dialog samples, among breakdowns in which the singer actually sings. I know, that sounds like emo...trust me, this is NOT emo! I got this CD two weeks ago and put off writing this review because i was so baffled as to describe it. While the many different paces, and tempos, and the fact that the singer didn't just scream every single song really turned me off at first. I like something more predictable. Then I started emailing with Stephen, the singer (for interview) and began to get a better understanding of just what the band was trying to accomplish and I found a real respect for the songs and the very unorthodox lyrics which in many places tackle a subject that most "Christian" bands wont touch with a four hundred foot pole - they are very introspective. I guess you could call this release "experimental metal". I think that would be very fair. This definitely stands out as one of the must unique releases I have EVER heard. - The Crucial Times Street Zine Issue 13 - 1999
IF ANYONE HAS A REVIEW OF THE HEART ALBUM, THAT IS NOT ON THE WEBSITE, PLEASE SEND IT TO US, AND WE POST IT.
Reviews of Tantrum Of The Muse's 2nd album...
MODERNMU$ICK(2000!) (2000, Takehold Records)
Never have I been so excited listening to an album for the first time since Faith No Mores' Angel Dust. Tantrum of the Muse is just that kind of a band. One by one the tracks would go by and you'd hear with your eyes wide open. You sit and wait for some off-beat, syncopated, drum pattern underneath incredible bass lines and guitar noises. This is an album of pure rock. Just as Mike Patton would move from awesome melodies one measure then screech at the moon the next, Stephen shows many sides and paints pictures for you in only the way he can. "You'll smell like the ocean/ Using your backside to breath/ More dead than life itself/ You smell like the sea" This is not a hardcore album, or an emo-core, melodic, post punk whatever. This is a great rock CD that dips into chapters of the heavy and burden filled and still comes up for air at nights end. - Buzzgrinder.com
Here we have the highly anticipated sophomore effort from one of the best bands in all of music. Tantrum Of The Muse. These guys just get better, taking life as it is handed to them and translating it into honest music and lyrics that we have all felt but were to afraid to say out loud. The new album musically is a lot different then "The Heart is a 2 Headed Sperm".This has a more aggressive approach musically, it's not as quirky as their first release. This album flows smoothly from beginning to end. The CD starts off with an amazing rally cry called "went to hell", by the end of the song you will be screaming the chorus "so I move on/the water is alive/try and stop me" at the top of your lungs. You can feel the passion all through this record and "went to hell" is where at all begins. The highlight on this CD (if you can justify just one song as a highlight) is "10-10-99/$screw the Christian industry" (that's right baby, we'll not only print the title, we'll say it's an awesome song)! in which the band challenges Christian bookstores, who are notorious for deciding what is "Christian" and what is not, the stores to "try and sell this!" This album is much more "mature" sounding than the first and I think a lot of metal fans will want to pick this CD up. The CD goes out with another great song called "Send Them The Cow" which is borderline death metal, especially vocally. Bass Player Jim Settle provides the vocals for "Send Them The Cow" and he sounds like a young Steve Rowe of Mortification fame (remember the first 2 Mortification albums when Steve sounded great? That's the Steve I'm referring to.)This CD is a can't miss buy. It will challenge you and scare you and let you know you are not alone, all at the same time. A great CD by a great band, I wish the Christian market could be as honest as these guys are, so many good things could come of it.....
CD Grade: A+
Cover Art Grade: A+ - 1340mag.com
Hands down this is one of the best Metal based albums to be released in quite a while. I'm not much of a hardcore/metal fan, but some of the songs on this album are just amazing. Although these guys would not really be considered a straight up metal band, they do have quite a bit of a metal influence. Another influence seems to be indie rock (like Built to Spill and Modest Mouse). On this release the band has found that perfect balance between melodic indie rock, and extremely creative and unique metal. I think what pulls me into this band is that they have something to say, their definitely creative and unique, yet they can also hold a melody (unlike many metal/hardcore bands that just seem to want to scream really loud). Overall the guitar riffs are stellar, the bass lines are amazing, and the drumming is very tight. Probably the only downside is that the production isn't the greatest, although not terribly bad either. Another interesting aspect of this release are some of the sound clips and the lyrical content. Like I said these guys have a lot to say, and it generally has to do with modern day Christianity, more specifically the Christian music industry as featured on the song "10-10-99/$Screw the Christian Industry -Too much focus on what will sell, market God, get rich quick, liars, whores, hypocrites, thieves, all in the family of God. Try and sell this, when they try to take your life, fall on their knife. - Decapolis.com - Review 1
This is probably my favorite heavy record of the year. Tantrum of the Muse have successfully blended ideas from different genres and combined them into a sound all their own. There's parts that are thrashy (ALA metal kings Believer), crazy (ALA Today is the Day), and just plain weird (ALA Mr. Bungle) but never does it sound just like the aforementioned bands. Tantrum knows how to control the chaos, and when to keep things pretty or ugly. A lot of bands in the hardcore/metal/whatever genre try to make things crazy but don't have the technical proficiency to pull it off. These guys know how to play and they easily blow those other bands out of the water. This album is essential for all those who like their heavy music slightly off the beaten path. - Decapolis.com - Review 2
When Tantrum of the Muse's first record came out a big deal was made about how they were innovative, blending Built to Spill type indie-rock with metal, but since this is a sophomore effort there is no need to dwell on that. With a heavy emphasis on the metal side of things, Tantrum of the Muse is definitely one of the most interesting bands I've heard playing metal influenced music. Whereas most heavy bands just seem to fall into a formula of repeat riff, repeat riff over and over again with screaming lyrics that just give you a headache, Tantrum sticks a big middle finger to convention in any sense. Modern Music 2000 continues into somewhat confrontational ground, sarcastically sticking the middle finger to the "Christian industry," and candy-coated religion. In between tracks there are often sound bytes that mention masturbation, religion, and one in particular a segway into a song where a pastor asks his congregation to turn their hymnals to song 302, called "Screw the Music Industry." The segways help make sense out of the songs, especially when the lyrics are almost impossible to make out. The word kill is used a number of times on the record, including a song where the word kill is connected to religion, and a quirky Modest Mouse sounding number asking a question about a serial killer. What is interesting to note is that with all its sarcasm and almost self-indulgent attempts at pissing people off, the record is more than just a novelty, proving Tantrum of the Muse to be a band that, like or not, won't be going away any time soon. - Decapolis.com - Review 3
These guys are lunatics. The lyrics make no sense. They are musical geniuses (or is that geniuii)? and their liner notes claim the bearded man as their best friend (no not Mike Kirsch...JESUS)! Before your knees jerk at their Christian-ness, you should realize these aren't songs about cramming the Good book down your throat. And although I mentioned that the lyrics are indecipherable in an "At the drive-in" kind of way, they do seem to focus on ridding the world of corporate trash, pornography and possessed swine. Musically TOTM sounds like what would happen if Rush and Helmet met at the Masters of Metal showdown and birthed a three-headed rock opera composer. - www.lumberjack-online.com (lumberjack distribution)
Tantrum of the muse are freedom fighters. It takes a lot of conviction to play the kind of music the way these guys do. Never give in!!!! - Steve Austin (Today Is The Day)
Reviews of Tantrum Of The Muse's 3rd release...
The Downtrodden And The Sidhe - EP (2001, Burning Records)
Tantrum of the Muse has been a staple in my cd player for a couple of years now. I consider them to be one of innovators in the world of music today! At long last the live Tantrum hits the world and it was so worth the wait! I have never seen Tantrum live but this cd makes me drool in anticipation! There are 7 songs here, 6 live songs and "The Lyre and The Pipe" ( a leftover from the "modernmu$ick" record). The cd opens with Cliffy Huntington introducing the band and then the band ripping through "The Devil's House of Techno", "Chiroptera Armada", Conestoga Cougars, "For The Birds", and "Fatigued". The cd is full of a raw energy that is not usually captured on cd, the band just sounds like chaos put together exactly right. In "Fatigued" Stephen Sarro sounds like he is going to burst into tears and then like his head is going to explode as he screams , "Don't return to me!" and "I'm your bastard son!". "The Lyre and The Pipe" is a great bonus to the cd and I have to wonder how it got left off "modernmu$ick"?! It has a thrash sorta feel to it that fits nicely with a song like "Send Them The Cow". In short - there isn't much to say, you need to get this if you are a fan of original music played by a great band and delivered with raw passion. If you like The Backstreet Boys you will probably hate this. This could be my album of the year already. Buy it at www.burningrecords.com
Album Grade - A +
Cover Art Grade - A +
Key Song - "Fatigued" -1340Mag.com
TOTM was a powerhouse of creative and vibrant art-rock, based out of Lancaster County Pennsylvania, whose thought provoking noise, has been stirring the troops in the music scene from 1998-2004, arguably one of the most challenging bands of the late 1990s, with a sound that turned heads and grabbed the attention of hard music listeners across the globe inspiring some of the well known musicians you know and love today. TOTM's sound was an overwhelming mix of prog-rock, jazz, hardcore and new wave, with doom/death metal, and noise. Those who were there sharing the stage with TOTM, or were a part of the hardcore music scene of the late 90s, will remember and appreciate the brilliant work of Tantrum Of The Muse. Lyrically, they were a very conflicted project, and Stephen's lyrics were all over the emotionally dark spectrum. Being Christians who wanted to play REAL music to a REAL music fan, they never got the respect, and attention, nor did they get the interpretation that they deserved!
A history...
TOTM got its beginning in 1998, when founding member Stephen Mark Sarro (guitar, vocals) recruited long time school friend, Udrick Wise (drums), to help in creating a studio project they had, into a live band. Asking their hometown friend Jason Stauffer (bass) to play with them, they put together a couple songs and played one show, when they were offered a record deal from the now defunct SOFA RECORDS (Philadelphia, PA), who happened to catch the band's very first performance. Since the band was so young, there were only 4 songs written at the time, and bassist Jason was not a permanent member. Stephen agreed to record a full length for SOFA, so he and Udrick quickly wrote more songs,and entered the studio without a bassist in the spring of 1998, to make the debut album, with Stephen recording everything but drums. The result of the sessions brought the critically acclaimed, THE HEART IS A 2 HEADED SPERM. The record brought an abundant amount of fresh air into the art-rock,punk underground.
After finishing the record, they met and befriended Jim Settle, who then, was asked to fill in for bass duties. TOTM was told by SOFA that they could keep the record, but the label was ending, so the band released the CD themselves (DIY) and focused on playing live, hitting the stage as often as possible, as well as touring to support the CD. In 1999, Birmingham, Alabama's Takehold Records, signed TOTM, re-releasing the bands debut album, and gave it a proper packaging and distribution deal. TOTM gathered a rapid fan base, and it was then that the band spread like a virus throughout the east coast, and eventually around the whole country, even gathering fans outside the USA.
In 2000, TOTM entered the studio, and completed their 2nd full length, titled, MODERNMU$ICK(2000)! On its June release, the band spent the entire summer touring the album.Modernmu$ick(2000) was hailed by critics, as well as the record buyers. Like the first album, this record's musical chemistry was unique and heartfelt. Rick's freak-out style of drumming,mixed with Jim's melodic fret less bass work and Stephen's detuned, and cryptic style of guitar playing brought overwhelming results. Stephen's lyrics and voice demand an intimacy with the audience, which only can be said about few vocalists today!
In 2001, the band continued to travel and play, and eventually both full lengths were sold out. Takehold Records, soon sold rights to the mighty Tooth and Nail Records, and the band chose to split ways with the label. With a much needed break, TOTM had some personal problems, which led to them taking time off. Jim moved to Florida, while Udrick joined the tooth and nail recording band THE HUNTINGTONS. Stephen recorded a solo album called "Sympathy For The Living" while in FL staying with Jim (That album would not see the light of day until 2004 on Jim's very own TekiPyro Records) To keep the ball rolling, TOTM released "The Downtrodden & The Sidhe", an EP made of a live concert recording, and 2 missing tracks not released previously. The band never managed to get back to what it was and fizzled out for over a year.
In 2003,Stephen re-assembled TOTM with Udrick returning to the drums, and newcomers, Seth Luzier adding keyboards, and samples, and Tyler Lambert, one of the East Coast's best bassists!! Jim eventually moved back to the area, and was put back in place with the band. The reuniting of TOTM showed the band tighter than ever.
"The biggest challenge, says Stephen, was writing keyboard parts for the old songs. We added the keys mainly because we need them to pull off the next step in our evolving sound, but we used keys on certain songs on both of our albums and never played those parts live, plus i felt we could really add more to the old songs anyway, but my main concern was to fill up the old songs and add more life to them, all the while, making sure the songs still had the fire they had before. So I think we successfully did that. The songs are much much more interesting, and yet still seem to flow the same way, and this give the listener a sample of how things are going to be done in the future songs." (Quote from 2004)
After months of playing together again, similar problems with the band and its members leaked back into the fold. Udrick claimed that "It just didn't feel right to be in TOTM now" and quit, suddenly. Devastated...the remaining band scrambled to find a drummer. With no luck...they felt it was time to just put it to rest. Stephen took the band's break up to press in 2004, and everybody remained good friends!
So then... WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Stephen Mark Sarro - Shortly after the band's 2004 demise, Stephen met and married his best friend Sara. He currently lives in Lancaster County, PA working full time as a painter, and is writing new music to eventually be played in Unteachers (his new band)
Udrick Wise - Currently he is working full time in an office job in Exton, PA. He is playing music with friends here and there, and is playing in Unteachers with Stephen.
Jim Settle - Jim is happily married to his best friend Deann, and lives in CA, where he works in remodeling, various musical projects, he remains active in his church, and runs a men's poker night from his home.
Seth Luzier - Seth lives in Baltimore MD, and is currently working at a pristine company, as a layout artist. He is currently dating Stephen's wife's sister, and just might be Stephen's brother-n-law someday. Seth was playing in Unteachers, with Stephen. He can be found playing in 2 bands."Logos" and "King Cloud"
A 10 Year Anniversary is HERE for Tantrum Of The Muse. Stephen and Udrick plan on posting a bunch of stuff on myspace to commemorate the work they have done, and hope to include the others at some point. If anything else happens, you can find it here!
You loonies are simply the greatest metal band ever. If only Christian music was exploring innovation like you, instead of just striving to become derivative contrivances of their secular counterparts... So yeah. You rock.
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