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Your Divine Tragedy. In a music world that struggles to define itself, and has no remorse in killing the legacy left behind by those who have walked prior, thrives a band that can no more be categorized into one of music’s sub-genres than live inside the simple title of “Rock”. While Your Divine Tragedy does, in fact, play within the realm of rock music, the layers that live within each individual song, as well as their extensive song catalogue, vary from the leftist, artsy territory of prog-rock (Dream Theatre / Rush), to guitar-driven rock (Thrice / Finch / Avenged Sevenfold). The band is comprised of four primary members: Todd – vocals, rhythm guitar, Patrick – lead guitar, Jeff “The Doom” – bass guitar, and ATK – drums. The band functions as a sum of all its individual parts. Each of the members have different styles and influences, and this creates the unique sound that is Your Divine Tragedy. Todd, as a vocalist and lyricist, strives to break away from ‘typical’; bringing back the days when music had meaning. His strong perspectives vividly rouse mere stories to life. Classically trained in voice, and versed in Shakespeare, this feisty front man’s stage performance packs a power-punch. With the help of his band mates he rockets the energy of every riff into the stratosphere. Truly a rock star in every sense of the word, Todd will make sure that no audience leaves any show wanting anything other than another performance. Patrick, the lead guitarist, has no problem writing licks that will be caught in your head for days. At the same time, Patrick unlike many guitarists today has the ability to play the hell out of his guitar like the rock legends of old. He has a doctorate-level understanding of music theory and classical composition and this clearly comes through in his playing within the band. From his catchy rhythm guitar licks to his shredding solos, Patrick is truly leading the way back to a time when the guitar ruled the world. Jeff provides the foundation for which Your Divine Tragedy’s musical rhythm is based. Jeff grew up in an atmosphere of metal and grunge, which is obvious in his bass playing. He holds down tones that underlie and create the mood of the song with each note. The platform for which the band’s songs begin is slated within the notes that Jeff juggles with his thunderous presence. ATK hits things. His drums have become a sanctuary from the powers that be. His rock-jazz trained style mixed with the hard rock that runs through his veins makes for a holistic approach that has been seen in the likes of Neil Pert or Danny Carey. Switching back and forth between complex and straight ahead rock driven beats, depending on the feel of the song, sets ATK apart from the drummers that deem it necessary to stick to one or the other. ATK literally creates the intensity of the song. He is YDT’s pump; it’s heartbeat. Jeff and Todd have been playing in bands together since they were in high school. They’ve been through drummers, bassists and guitarists. In college they met up with Patrick, who had been in a band that performed with Jeff and Todd’s band. Todd and Jeff recruited Pat immediately knowing that he would be a key element in their future. Then, while roaming the halls of a dorm, Patrick heard ATK playing his drums in the basement, and as you can imagine, that’s all she wrote. Your Divine Tragedy lives for playing live. Walking onto the stage for the boys is like coming home. That is where they, and their music, shine. Their stage performance isn’t your typical show. Whether you’re watching a battle between Jeff and Todd, ATK lick his drum stick after a twirl, or Pat throw his guitar over his head and wail, there’s always something new at a YDT show. On any given night you may see Todd blow fire, or if you are really, really lucky, you may get to catch a rare glimpse of the YDT Gorillas. Your Divine Tragedy works outside of the norm to bring back a sense of pride in music. YDT is creating something pure and real and invites you to be a part of it. YDT leaves you with just one question…what is Your Divine Tragedy?