Embers (band)
Encyclopedia
Embers is a dark ambient heavy metal
band with male and female vocals and a black metal influence from Oakland, California
.
Kelly and Steve are the former members of the political hardcore/metal band, Lesser of Two
, formed in 1990 and dissolved in 2002. Lesser of Two
put out 3 CDs, 2 7"s, and a discography.
Jerry Buchanan has played in a number of Bay Area bands over the last 15 years including Fields of Shit and Abandon featuring members from the seminal "East Bay hardcore" band Filth
. He also plays drums in a tribute band called I Yearn for Maiden.
Nine plays viola with over 15 years of experience and has performed with various artist including current Bay Area bands Rivers Run Black and Six Billion Dead. She now has only an occasional performance based relationship with Embers.
Lillian a classically trained pianist has not played keys in a band prior to Embers. She has been part of the SF punk scene for many years.
Timm has played guitar in Neoni Eagal, Background to Malfunction, and a number of other music projects over the years and is a vocalist for Embers.
Embers has been noted as one of a number of prominent San Francisco Bay Area
metal acts to feature women. The fact that three members of the band are female is notable due to the historic lack of female representation in heavy metal.
group. This is partially because Kelly Nelson and Steven DeCaprio's previous band Lesser of Two was an anarchist punk rock
band noted for their independent D.I.Y. ethic. This is also partially due to the radical lifestyle of the band members.
Guitarist, Steven DeCaprio is a squatter and housing rights activist featured in the movie Shelter: a squatumentary.
Drummer, Jerry Buchanan's project, I Yearn for Maiden has played numerous events and political actions in support of radical community projects including, in part, squatter's rights as well as defending People's Park by performing while activists resisted police while rebuilding a "free box".
Keyboardist, Lillian Phaeton is a former member of the board of directors of the California League of Conservation Voters
a major environmental organization.
and black metal
, but also have a unique melancholic sound similar to other Bay Area peers such as Ludicra
and Saros
.
Embers has received positive reviews for their music including Heathen Harvest
webzine, Profane Existence
magazine, and Decibel Magazine
.
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band with male and female vocals and a black metal influence from Oakland, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
History
Embers was formed in 2004 by Kelly Nelson on bass and vocals, Steven DeCaprio on guitar, and Jerry Buchanan on drums.Kelly and Steve are the former members of the political hardcore/metal band, Lesser of Two
Lesser of Two
Lesser of Two was a crust punk, crossover thrash, screamo and hardcore punk band which began in Florida in 1989 and relocated to Oakland, California in 1997. Lesser of Two disbanded in 2003.-History:...
, formed in 1990 and dissolved in 2002. Lesser of Two
Lesser of Two
Lesser of Two was a crust punk, crossover thrash, screamo and hardcore punk band which began in Florida in 1989 and relocated to Oakland, California in 1997. Lesser of Two disbanded in 2003.-History:...
put out 3 CDs, 2 7"s, and a discography.
Jerry Buchanan has played in a number of Bay Area bands over the last 15 years including Fields of Shit and Abandon featuring members from the seminal "East Bay hardcore" band Filth
Filth (band)
Filth is a hardcore punk band from East Bay, California.-Biography:Formed in the East Bay in 1989, from the ashes of Isocracy, the Vagrants, and Crimpshrine; Filth was a crustcore band that would help define the later "East Bay Hardcore" style...
. He also plays drums in a tribute band called I Yearn for Maiden.
Nine plays viola with over 15 years of experience and has performed with various artist including current Bay Area bands Rivers Run Black and Six Billion Dead. She now has only an occasional performance based relationship with Embers.
Lillian a classically trained pianist has not played keys in a band prior to Embers. She has been part of the SF punk scene for many years.
Timm has played guitar in Neoni Eagal, Background to Malfunction, and a number of other music projects over the years and is a vocalist for Embers.
Embers has been noted as one of a number of prominent San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
metal acts to feature women. The fact that three members of the band are female is notable due to the historic lack of female representation in heavy metal.
Ideology
Embers has been referred to as a Red and Anarchist Black MetalBlack metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
group. This is partially because Kelly Nelson and Steven DeCaprio's previous band Lesser of Two was an anarchist punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band noted for their independent D.I.Y. ethic. This is also partially due to the radical lifestyle of the band members.
Guitarist, Steven DeCaprio is a squatter and housing rights activist featured in the movie Shelter: a squatumentary.
Drummer, Jerry Buchanan's project, I Yearn for Maiden has played numerous events and political actions in support of radical community projects including, in part, squatter's rights as well as defending People's Park by performing while activists resisted police while rebuilding a "free box".
Keyboardist, Lillian Phaeton is a former member of the board of directors of the California League of Conservation Voters
California League of Conservation Voters
The California League of Conservation Voters is a nonpartisan lobbying and educational organization which focuses on environmental issues affecting California....
a major environmental organization.
Musical style
Embers blends punkPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
, but also have a unique melancholic sound similar to other Bay Area peers such as Ludicra
Ludicra
Ludicra was a metal band from San Francisco. They originally formed in 1998 as a quartet and later expanded to five members. Ludicra's sound has been described as black metal or as avant-garde metal. Influences include bands such as Darkthrone, Gorgoroth, Dødheimsgard, and Bethlehem, and genres...
and Saros
Saros (band)
Saros is a progressive death / doom metal band based out of San Francisco, California. The band was formed in 2004 and has released a demo and one full length . The album features the band's distinct epic song structure, melded to fast paced melodic riffing...
.
Embers has received positive reviews for their music including Heathen Harvest
Heathen Harvest
Heathen Harvest is an Internet publication devoted to music criticism, music news and interviews. Its focus is on underground and post-industrial music, including ambient, metal, folk, classical, gothic, industrial and various forms of experimental and avant-garde music.The site, which was...
webzine, Profane Existence
Profane Existence
The Profane Existence Collective is a Minneapolis-based anarcho-punk collective. Established in 1989, the collective publishes a nationally-known zine , as well as releasing and distributing anarcho-punk, crust, and grindcore music, and printing and publishing pamphlets and literature...
magazine, and Decibel Magazine
Decibel magazine
Decibel is a monthly heavy metal and extreme music magazine published by the Philadelphia-based Red Flag Media. Since October 2004, Decibel has featured a plethora of extreme metal bands and musicians. Its sections include Upfront, Features, Reviews, Guest Columns and the Decibel Hall of Fame...
.
Current members
- Steven DeCaprio - guitar
- Kelly Nelson - bass guitar and vocals
- Jerry Buchanan - drums
- Timm Kennedy - guitar and vocals
Discography
- 2007: Memoria In Aeterna
- 2009: Wrath (split album with Book of Belial)
- 2011: Shadows