Briar Rose (band)
Encyclopedia
Briar Rose is a traditional heavy metal band from Swansea, Massachusetts
. The band's name is taken from the title of the variant story of Sleeping Beauty
by the Brothers Grimm
, Briar Rose. The idea of hiding beauty in darkness to protect it from a greater darkness appealed to the band.
.
1991 saw the release of the band’s debut album “Dark Tales of Optimism” that brought the band sales outside of the New England
area and into the United Kingdom
and Germany
. The rock magazine Kerrang!
reviewed their debut album. It noted in part, "The production has captured some of Briar Rose's hopes and aspirations with surprising clarity. The music is a surprisingly articulate grind core of early Iron Maiden
with just a hint of Black Sabbath
, and technically, mechanically there is nothing really on "Dark Tales of Optimism" that would offend the likes of Battlezone or Mercyful Fate
."
A tour of the UK was planned but was postponed as DeMello, Tylla & Simonin left the band to pursue other musical interests. The Blake II & Lorde followed through with the tour using hired musicians. Upon their return, they acquired drummer Ken Sirois. They recruited bassist Phil Richardson and guitarist Rodney Baker from their own road crew and set about writing and recording their second album “Win if You Can, Lose if You Must but Always Cheat”, originally titled “Backstabbed” after a song that would appear on the album. With Joe Moody again at the helm they began recording the album in Rhode Island
but had to abandon the recording due to the health of Lorde.
At this time, Sirois and Richardson departed as did Lorde who was no longer able to continue with the band. New members were acquired as Baker assumed Lorde’s position as lead guitarist and rhythm for the recording of the second album with Chris Bourque taking the bass position and Chris Longo behind the drums. The album was finished and distributed to many overseas labels who showed an interest in signing the band as well as Elektra Records
showing a somewhat renewed interest from a previously offered development deal. Ryan Rogers was brought in as the new rhythm guitarist.
The U.S. soon fell under the spell of Grunge
and this took its toll on the band. With the exception of Blake II all the members of the band departed to chase the new genre in 1994. Within that time, Blake II pursued musical styles in his Celtic music
heritage along the lines of folk rock and began a magazine publishing venture. It was through his working with overseas editors in 2000 that he learned the band had acquired a cult status and both albums were widely bootlegged. He also learned that the band were represented in books, magazines, and databases in other countries.
After requests for new material from overseas fans, he released “Detention”, a bootlegged styled recording of the band’s benefit show for a guitarist who passed on before his first rehearsal with them. Sales were good and Blake II continued with his publishing but the band would not take a back seat easily. He continued to get requests for new material and performances.
In 2007, he began reforming the band re-acquiring drummer Chris Longo and adding bassist Rick D’Ambra and borrowing guitarist Chris Reed and drummer Myles Lucier from Reflections Of Mortallity. Lucier would for a short time fill the rhythm guitar slot to be replaced by Mike Lepore. On June 23, 2007, the band returned to the stage at the Music For Middlesex 5 festival that had previously featured acts such as Aerosmith
, Boston
, New England
and The Fools
. It was a success and the reformed Briar Rose began work on a new CD minus Chris Reed who returned to his own band.
The first release from the band was a Halloween novelty track called “Devil on a Cell Phone”. In November that same year, they released their first “proper” song in 15 years in the form of “Hairy Eyeball”. Longo found himself unable to commit further to the band, and in 2008, was replaced by Randy Allen Arruda on drums and the band added Kevin MacIntyre as their lead guitarist. Arruda was at one time also a crew member and provided backing vocals on the band’s first album and was originally slated to be the new album's drummer but opted out to make the position available Longo. MacIntyre never made a full commitment to the band and was released. The remaining members continued on working on new material for a November 2008 recording session with Grammy nominated producer Chris Tsangarides
.
2008 also saw the release of two more singles from the band in the form of "Holy Fubar" on May 20 and "Imprisioned In Flesh" on June 22. The version of "Holy Fubar" that was released is an alternate take from the "Win If You Can, Lose If You Must But Always Cheat" sessions but does not contain the "toasterized digital surface noise" effect found on the original album version. "Imprisoned in Flesh" is a 46 second A cappella
cover of a track originally found on Cathedral
's album "The Ethereal Mirror
". The track was released for download with virtually no mention by the band.
On August 23, the band released an EP to its fan base called "Party Favor" that collected the previously released singles since 2007 and two new tracks. "Cry for Dawn" in an unfinished demo version and "I Call That True Love", a strange lo-fi rendition of a track previously recorded by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show
from their 1971 album "Doctor Hook and the Medicine Show".
Rock producer Chris Tsangarides described the reborn group as, "...[A] real band with some heavy duty tunes will be here for the recording of their new album during November."
October 29, 2008 saw the band release the second of what is to be a series of Halloween tracks in the form of an eerie rendition of Jim Stafford
's 1970s Top 40 classic "Swamp Witch". A four track recording performed entirely by Blake II in the band's rehearsal studio. It was on Halloween 2008 that the band left the USA for Kent, England to begin recording their third studio album "Roses Are Rare, Violence Is True". The album was produced, recorded, mixed and in places performed with the band by Chris Tsangarides who also assumed the role of "radio personality" Osiris Elektrikill while Blake II doubled the T. Rex
styled harmonies as Malaria Toxine on the track "Cry for Dawn" that also features a frustrated radio listener performed by drummer Arruda. Nine tracks were recorded for the album from the fourteen originally planned for it. Recording ran from November 1, 2008 to November 15, 2008.
The first of three proposed singles from the album was released on January 20, 2009. "Astral Groover" takes the form of a heavy 1970s influence with a modern approach. Along the lines of T. Rex
melding into Cathedral
while maintaining the band's own style and itentity. The middle of the track morphs into a cosmic jazz section featuring a sampled "explosion" from Steppenwolf
's "Earschplittenloudenboomer" track from that band's album "7
".
Swansea, Massachusetts
Swansea is a town in Bristol County in southeastern Massachusetts.It is located at the mouth of the Taunton River, just west of Fall River, 47 miles south of Boston; and 12 miles southeast of Providence, Rhode Island....
. The band's name is taken from the title of the variant story of Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault or Little Briar Rose by the Brothers Grimm is a classic fairytale involving a beautiful princess, enchantment, and a handsome prince...
by the Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
, Briar Rose. The idea of hiding beauty in darkness to protect it from a greater darkness appealed to the band.
Career
Formed in 1988 by vocalist Randy Blake II and guitarist Marcus Lorde after the demise of Brideshead, the duo retained the services of Kevin DeMello on drums and Roger Dumas on bass and formed the beginning of Briar Rose. Dumas would soon be replaced by Michael Tylla who initially was the band’s bassist before moving to rhythm guitar with the arrival of new bassist Josh Simonin. In 1988, they recorded their demo / EP “Briar Rose” with producer Joe Moody in Swansea, Massachusetts. They were Moody’s first heavy metal band who went on to produce acts like Vital RemainsVital Remains
Vital Remains is an American death metal band from Providence, Rhode Island formed in 1988.- History :Created in 1988 by guitarist Paul Flynn, Vital Remains' first line-up consisted of guitarist Butch Machado, vocalist Mike Flynn, bassist Tom Supkow, and drummer Chris Dupont. Searching for better...
.
1991 saw the release of the band’s debut album “Dark Tales of Optimism” that brought the band sales outside of the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
area and into the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The rock magazine Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
reviewed their debut album. It noted in part, "The production has captured some of Briar Rose's hopes and aspirations with surprising clarity. The music is a surprisingly articulate grind core of early Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
with just a hint of Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, and technically, mechanically there is nothing really on "Dark Tales of Optimism" that would offend the likes of Battlezone or Mercyful Fate
Mercyful Fate
Mercyful Fate was a Danish heavy metal band from Copenhagen. Initially active from 1981 to 1985, they reunited in 1992. The band went on hiatus again in 2000, when frontman King Diamond decided to continue his solo career...
."
A tour of the UK was planned but was postponed as DeMello, Tylla & Simonin left the band to pursue other musical interests. The Blake II & Lorde followed through with the tour using hired musicians. Upon their return, they acquired drummer Ken Sirois. They recruited bassist Phil Richardson and guitarist Rodney Baker from their own road crew and set about writing and recording their second album “Win if You Can, Lose if You Must but Always Cheat”, originally titled “Backstabbed” after a song that would appear on the album. With Joe Moody again at the helm they began recording the album in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
but had to abandon the recording due to the health of Lorde.
At this time, Sirois and Richardson departed as did Lorde who was no longer able to continue with the band. New members were acquired as Baker assumed Lorde’s position as lead guitarist and rhythm for the recording of the second album with Chris Bourque taking the bass position and Chris Longo behind the drums. The album was finished and distributed to many overseas labels who showed an interest in signing the band as well as Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
showing a somewhat renewed interest from a previously offered development deal. Ryan Rogers was brought in as the new rhythm guitarist.
The U.S. soon fell under the spell of Grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
and this took its toll on the band. With the exception of Blake II all the members of the band departed to chase the new genre in 1994. Within that time, Blake II pursued musical styles in his Celtic music
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
heritage along the lines of folk rock and began a magazine publishing venture. It was through his working with overseas editors in 2000 that he learned the band had acquired a cult status and both albums were widely bootlegged. He also learned that the band were represented in books, magazines, and databases in other countries.
After requests for new material from overseas fans, he released “Detention”, a bootlegged styled recording of the band’s benefit show for a guitarist who passed on before his first rehearsal with them. Sales were good and Blake II continued with his publishing but the band would not take a back seat easily. He continued to get requests for new material and performances.
In 2007, he began reforming the band re-acquiring drummer Chris Longo and adding bassist Rick D’Ambra and borrowing guitarist Chris Reed and drummer Myles Lucier from Reflections Of Mortallity. Lucier would for a short time fill the rhythm guitar slot to be replaced by Mike Lepore. On June 23, 2007, the band returned to the stage at the Music For Middlesex 5 festival that had previously featured acts such as Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, Boston
Boston (band)
Boston is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts that achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. Centered on guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Tom Scholz, the band is a staple of classic rock radio playlists...
, New England
New England (band)
New England was an American rock band that was mainly active from 1978-1982. The group was best known for the song, "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya", which received heavy radio exposure on Album-oriented rock stations and reached #40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1979...
and The Fools
The Fools
The Fools are a Massachusetts rock band best known for the party atmosphere of their live performances and tongue-in-cheek original songs, covers and parodies.-History:...
. It was a success and the reformed Briar Rose began work on a new CD minus Chris Reed who returned to his own band.
The first release from the band was a Halloween novelty track called “Devil on a Cell Phone”. In November that same year, they released their first “proper” song in 15 years in the form of “Hairy Eyeball”. Longo found himself unable to commit further to the band, and in 2008, was replaced by Randy Allen Arruda on drums and the band added Kevin MacIntyre as their lead guitarist. Arruda was at one time also a crew member and provided backing vocals on the band’s first album and was originally slated to be the new album's drummer but opted out to make the position available Longo. MacIntyre never made a full commitment to the band and was released. The remaining members continued on working on new material for a November 2008 recording session with Grammy nominated producer Chris Tsangarides
Chris Tsangarides
Chris Tsangarides is a British Grammy-nominated record producer, sound engineer, and mixer. He is best known for his work with many heavy metal bands, including Judas Priest, Anvil, Gary Moore, Thin Lizzy, Helloween, and Yngwie Malmsteen...
.
2008 also saw the release of two more singles from the band in the form of "Holy Fubar" on May 20 and "Imprisioned In Flesh" on June 22. The version of "Holy Fubar" that was released is an alternate take from the "Win If You Can, Lose If You Must But Always Cheat" sessions but does not contain the "toasterized digital surface noise" effect found on the original album version. "Imprisoned in Flesh" is a 46 second A cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
cover of a track originally found on Cathedral
Cathedral (band)
Cathedral are a doom metal band from Coventry, England. The group forged a link between early doom metal and a 1990s extreme metal aesthetic, making doom slower and heavier. Their debut album, Forest of Equilibrium, is considered a classic of the genre. They later on changed their doom style,...
's album "The Ethereal Mirror
The Ethereal Mirror
The Ethereal Mirror is the second full-length album by British doom metal band Cathedral. Released in 1993, this album sees the band experiment a wider scale of sound than on their debut album Forest of Equilibrium. The songs are not as doom-laden and grinding as on the first album...
". The track was released for download with virtually no mention by the band.
On August 23, the band released an EP to its fan base called "Party Favor" that collected the previously released singles since 2007 and two new tracks. "Cry for Dawn" in an unfinished demo version and "I Call That True Love", a strange lo-fi rendition of a track previously recorded by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show
Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show
Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show was an American pop, country and soft rock band, formed around Union City, New Jersey in 1967 as The Chocolate Papers. They enjoyed considerable commercial success in the 1970s with hit singles including "Sylvia's Mother", "The Cover of the Rolling Stone", "A Little Bit...
from their 1971 album "Doctor Hook and the Medicine Show".
Rock producer Chris Tsangarides described the reborn group as, "...[A] real band with some heavy duty tunes will be here for the recording of their new album during November."
October 29, 2008 saw the band release the second of what is to be a series of Halloween tracks in the form of an eerie rendition of Jim Stafford
Jim Stafford
James Wayne "Jim" Stafford is an American comedian, musician, and singer-songwriter, prominent in the 1970s. Stafford is self-taught on guitar, fiddle, piano, banjo, organ and harmonica....
's 1970s Top 40 classic "Swamp Witch". A four track recording performed entirely by Blake II in the band's rehearsal studio. It was on Halloween 2008 that the band left the USA for Kent, England to begin recording their third studio album "Roses Are Rare, Violence Is True". The album was produced, recorded, mixed and in places performed with the band by Chris Tsangarides who also assumed the role of "radio personality" Osiris Elektrikill while Blake II doubled the T. Rex
T. Rex (band)
T. Rex were a British rock band, formed in 1967 by singer/songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan. The band formed as Tyrannosaurus Rex, releasing four folk albums under the name...
styled harmonies as Malaria Toxine on the track "Cry for Dawn" that also features a frustrated radio listener performed by drummer Arruda. Nine tracks were recorded for the album from the fourteen originally planned for it. Recording ran from November 1, 2008 to November 15, 2008.
The first of three proposed singles from the album was released on January 20, 2009. "Astral Groover" takes the form of a heavy 1970s influence with a modern approach. Along the lines of T. Rex
T. Rex (band)
T. Rex were a British rock band, formed in 1967 by singer/songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan. The band formed as Tyrannosaurus Rex, releasing four folk albums under the name...
melding into Cathedral
Cathedral (band)
Cathedral are a doom metal band from Coventry, England. The group forged a link between early doom metal and a 1990s extreme metal aesthetic, making doom slower and heavier. Their debut album, Forest of Equilibrium, is considered a classic of the genre. They later on changed their doom style,...
while maintaining the band's own style and itentity. The middle of the track morphs into a cosmic jazz section featuring a sampled "explosion" from Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf (band)
Steppenwolf are a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent in the late 1960s. The group was formed in 1967 in Los Angeles by vocalist John Kay, guitarist Michael Monarch, bassist Rushton Moreve, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton after the dissolution of Toronto group The...
's "Earschplittenloudenboomer" track from that band's album "7
Steppenwolf 7
Steppenwolf 7 is an album by the band Steppenwolf, released in 1970, and their fifth studio recording for Dunhill Records. It is the first Steppenwolf album with new bass player George Biondo. While the album featured Steppenwolf's trademark rock and roll sounds, none of the songs were able to...
".
Studio albums
| Date of Release | Title | Label | Chart positions | US sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Briar Rose (EP) | SWP / Roaar Records Roaar Records Roaar Records is an independent record label based in Swansea, Massachusetts USA. The label was created in 2007 to handle new releases and back catalog of bands previously on Sleeping Wizard Productions. Its main genre is heavy metal music with a developing sister label, Vault Records, to handle... |
||
| 1990 | Dark Tales of Optimism | |||
| 1992 | Win If You Can, Lose If You Must But Always Cheat | |||
| 2000 | Detention (Live) | |||
| 2009 | Roses Are Rare, Violence Is True | Roaar Records Roaar Records Roaar Records is an independent record label based in Swansea, Massachusetts USA. The label was created in 2007 to handle new releases and back catalog of bands previously on Sleeping Wizard Productions. Its main genre is heavy metal music with a developing sister label, Vault Records, to handle... |
Singles
| Date of Release | Title | Label | Chart positions | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Hour of Midnight | SWP | ||
| Overtaker | ||||
| 1992 | The Biggest Little Word | 83 | Germany | |
| Backstabbed | SWP / Roaar Records Roaar Records Roaar Records is an independent record label based in Swansea, Massachusetts USA. The label was created in 2007 to handle new releases and back catalog of bands previously on Sleeping Wizard Productions. Its main genre is heavy metal music with a developing sister label, Vault Records, to handle... |
|||
| 2007 | Devil on a Cell Phone | Roaar Records Roaar Records Roaar Records is an independent record label based in Swansea, Massachusetts USA. The label was created in 2007 to handle new releases and back catalog of bands previously on Sleeping Wizard Productions. Its main genre is heavy metal music with a developing sister label, Vault Records, to handle... |
||
| Hairy Eyeball | ||||
| 2008 | Holy Fubar | |||
| Imprisoned In Flesh | ||||
| Swamp Witch | ||||
| 2009 | Astral Groover | 60 | USA | |
| Three Little Fishies | ||||
| Ravens on Roadkill | ||||
| Mistletoe Belt Buckle | ||||
| 2010 | Hail of Bullets | |||
| Mistletoe Belt Buckle: The Lounge Version | ||||
EP's
| Date of Release | Title | Label | Chart positions | US sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Briar Rose (EP) | SWP / Roaar Records Roaar Records Roaar Records is an independent record label based in Swansea, Massachusetts USA. The label was created in 2007 to handle new releases and back catalog of bands previously on Sleeping Wizard Productions. Its main genre is heavy metal music with a developing sister label, Vault Records, to handle... |
||
| 1991 | The Promotional Prostitution Tape | |||
| 2008 | Party Favor |
External links
- Briar Rose at MusicMight formerly Rockdetector
- Briar Rose at Rate Your MusicRate Your MusicRate Your Music is a metadata database where musical albums, EPs, singles, videos, bootlegs, and movies are rated and reviewed by users. This data is then used to generate recommendations for users and to create rated lists of albums...