Ilium (band)
Encyclopedia
Ilium is a melodic power metal
band from Newcastle
, Australia
. The band have released five full-length albums to date.
ist Jason Hodges and original vocalist Mark Snedden formed the band as Iliad in 1998 having previously played together in Oracle in the early 1990s. This embryonic version of the band also included former Oracle guitarist Kris Arendse and the final Oracle bassist Michael Noonan, as well as drummer David Pearson. With the introduction of Adam Smith (also formerly of Oracle) on guitar, the band changed its name to Ilium. Recording soon began on an eponymous EP with Dungeon vocalist and guitarist Lord Tim producing and supplying backing vocals in 2002 with Michael Noonan on bass guitar
but he soon left and Smith completed bass tracks for the recording, with yet another former Oracle member Matthew Woodland joining the band shortly before its release. The EP gained the attention of several notable labels, including Sentinel Steel boss Denis Gulbey, with Italian
label Adrenaline's metal label Steelheart signing the band for the release of their debut. Also to be known that Adam Smith is the heart of this band. Adam writes the music and the vocal whilst Jason Hodges does not a lot but takes all of the glory.
Lord Tim
producing and Steve Moore playing drums
. The album was released on 18 December 2003. It contained the track "Incipience: Beowulf
Defeats Grendel
", part one of a proposed trilogy centred around the Beowulf legend. (Parts 2 and 3 are on the forthcoming third release.) Another song, "The Celestial Sphere", later became the subject of Ilium's first video clip. After the recording of the album, Peter Gilchrist became the band's bassist, with drummer David Walmsley joining shortly thereafter.
While the first album awaited release, the group announced plans to begin recording its next two album concurrently but Snedden left the band in July due to family and financial restraints. Lord Tim was recruited in his place, originally in a temporary capacity to complete the recording sessions although this arrangement now appears to be permanent. Gilchrist and Walmsley both left Ilium at the end of 2003, Gilchrist recorded the demos for the songs but the bass on the album was played by Smith, with Walmsley completing the drum duties on the album before exiting the band. During this album Tim's vocal style, which was more in tune with pivotal members Smith and Hodges' vision for the band than his predecessor's, help Ilium garner considerable international praise, whilst the production duties were taken over largely by Smith and Hodges. Late in 2004, Gilchrist and Walmsley rejoined Ilium, and Gilchrist's 15 year old son Corey was also drafted into the group on keyboards, with his ample vocal talents slated to provide extra body to Ilium in the live arena. Corey Gilchrist had been a contestant on the TV talent and reality show Australian Idol
and twice has reached the top 100, but was cut before having a chance to go before the public.
. Before any further plans could be made, however, Corey Gilchrist was hit by a train in October 2005 and had his foot amputated as a result, devastating all members of the band. This also forced both he and his father out of the band. The younger Gilchrist recovered and again featured on Australian Idol, getting into the semi-finals.
Permian Dusk was released in November 2005. The album won a particularly strong review from German
metal magazine Rock Hard!, which gave it a score of 9.5/10 and led to reviewer Wolfram Kueper claiming it to be the best power metal album of 2005. Ilium produced a video clip for the track "Chloroform Divinity" from this album.
keyboardist Kaspar Dahlqvist, a former member of bands including Dionysus, Stormwind
, Treasureland and Circle II Circle, had joined the Ilium line-up, though personal issues have meant that he is unable to continue with the band.
In November 2007, Lord Tim announced his departure from Ilium.
The release of Ageless Decay in June 2009 brought outstanding reviews from the metal music scene in Europe. The album features vocals by New Yorks Mike DiMeo which takes this band's music to places they have never been before. Surprisingly the band is largely unknown in its home country of Australia.
Significant changes for the album Ageless Decay are the artwork by Dimitar Nikolov and the mixing and mastering by Tommy Hansen. The team of Hodges and Smith continue to gain attention to their songwriting abilities. Ageless Decay is distributed by Escape Music.
In July 2010 the band announced that they were working on their fifth album Genetic Memory, as well as writing for a separate project entitled 'Enviro-Metal' (which will feature international guest musicians in order to raise money for wildlife protection programmes). The Genetic Memory album was released in August 2011.
produced by FanVision & Vida Production in cooperation with Ilium band, and in acting, written and directed by Diego Vida and composed by Ilium band with Lyrics by Jason Hodges and music by Adam Smith and voice by Mike DiMeo will be available for free on the web for promoting the new Rainbow Warrior
ship.
Power metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
band from Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The band have released five full-length albums to date.
Founding
GuitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist Jason Hodges and original vocalist Mark Snedden formed the band as Iliad in 1998 having previously played together in Oracle in the early 1990s. This embryonic version of the band also included former Oracle guitarist Kris Arendse and the final Oracle bassist Michael Noonan, as well as drummer David Pearson. With the introduction of Adam Smith (also formerly of Oracle) on guitar, the band changed its name to Ilium. Recording soon began on an eponymous EP with Dungeon vocalist and guitarist Lord Tim producing and supplying backing vocals in 2002 with Michael Noonan on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
but he soon left and Smith completed bass tracks for the recording, with yet another former Oracle member Matthew Woodland joining the band shortly before its release. The EP gained the attention of several notable labels, including Sentinel Steel boss Denis Gulbey, with Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
label Adrenaline's metal label Steelheart signing the band for the release of their debut. Also to be known that Adam Smith is the heart of this band. Adam writes the music and the vocal whilst Jason Hodges does not a lot but takes all of the glory.
Sirens Of The Styx
Ilium then began recording the debut album Sirens Of The Styx with Dungeon'sDungeon (band)
Dungeon was a melodic power metal/thrash metal band based in Sydney, Australia, considered by some sources as one of Australia's leading metal bands...
Lord Tim
Lord Tim
Lord Tim is the professional name of Australian musician Tim Ian Grose. Based in Wollongong, New South Wales, he is best known as the founder of the heavy metal band Dungeon. The band started in 1989, released several albums, and was considered one of the leading metal bands in Australia...
producing and Steve Moore playing drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. The album was released on 18 December 2003. It contained the track "Incipience: Beowulf
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
Defeats Grendel
Grendel
Grendel is one of three antagonists, along with Grendel's mother and the dragon, in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf . Grendel is usually depicted as a monster, though this is the subject of scholarly debate. In the poem, Grendel is feared by all but Beowulf.-Story:The poem Beowulf is contained in...
", part one of a proposed trilogy centred around the Beowulf legend. (Parts 2 and 3 are on the forthcoming third release.) Another song, "The Celestial Sphere", later became the subject of Ilium's first video clip. After the recording of the album, Peter Gilchrist became the band's bassist, with drummer David Walmsley joining shortly thereafter.
While the first album awaited release, the group announced plans to begin recording its next two album concurrently but Snedden left the band in July due to family and financial restraints. Lord Tim was recruited in his place, originally in a temporary capacity to complete the recording sessions although this arrangement now appears to be permanent. Gilchrist and Walmsley both left Ilium at the end of 2003, Gilchrist recorded the demos for the songs but the bass on the album was played by Smith, with Walmsley completing the drum duties on the album before exiting the band. During this album Tim's vocal style, which was more in tune with pivotal members Smith and Hodges' vision for the band than his predecessor's, help Ilium garner considerable international praise, whilst the production duties were taken over largely by Smith and Hodges. Late in 2004, Gilchrist and Walmsley rejoined Ilium, and Gilchrist's 15 year old son Corey was also drafted into the group on keyboards, with his ample vocal talents slated to provide extra body to Ilium in the live arena. Corey Gilchrist had been a contestant on the TV talent and reality show Australian Idol
Australian Idol
Australian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive...
and twice has reached the top 100, but was cut before having a chance to go before the public.
Permian Dusk
David Walmsley again left Ilium as Permian Dusk was being mastered and was replaced by Dungeon's Tim YatrasTim Yatras
Tim Yatras is an Australian musician and composer, best known as a writer of several J-pop songs, as well as a former member of Wollongong based heavy metal band, Lord, and creator of the Black Metal/Rock/Trance act Germ.-Biography:...
. Before any further plans could be made, however, Corey Gilchrist was hit by a train in October 2005 and had his foot amputated as a result, devastating all members of the band. This also forced both he and his father out of the band. The younger Gilchrist recovered and again featured on Australian Idol, getting into the semi-finals.
Permian Dusk was released in November 2005. The album won a particularly strong review from German
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...
metal magazine Rock Hard!, which gave it a score of 9.5/10 and led to reviewer Wolfram Kueper claiming it to be the best power metal album of 2005. Ilium produced a video clip for the track "Chloroform Divinity" from this album.
2006-present
The group has since released their third album Vespertilion,which has already received strong reviews, with Rock Hard! magazine again rating it very highly. In November 2006, it was announced that SwedishSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
keyboardist Kaspar Dahlqvist, a former member of bands including Dionysus, Stormwind
Stormwind
"Stormwind" is a 1984 single released by the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. It was the third single from their album Wings of Tomorrow. The B-side is "Dreamer"-Personnel:*Joey Tempest − lead vocals, keyboards*John Norum − guitars, background vocals...
, Treasureland and Circle II Circle, had joined the Ilium line-up, though personal issues have meant that he is unable to continue with the band.
In November 2007, Lord Tim announced his departure from Ilium.
The release of Ageless Decay in June 2009 brought outstanding reviews from the metal music scene in Europe. The album features vocals by New Yorks Mike DiMeo which takes this band's music to places they have never been before. Surprisingly the band is largely unknown in its home country of Australia.
Significant changes for the album Ageless Decay are the artwork by Dimitar Nikolov and the mixing and mastering by Tommy Hansen. The team of Hodges and Smith continue to gain attention to their songwriting abilities. Ageless Decay is distributed by Escape Music.
In July 2010 the band announced that they were working on their fifth album Genetic Memory, as well as writing for a separate project entitled 'Enviro-Metal' (which will feature international guest musicians in order to raise money for wildlife protection programmes). The Genetic Memory album was released in August 2011.
2012 Greenpeace Music Video
2012 a new song named Greenpeace Music Video dedicated to GreenpeaceGreenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
produced by FanVision & Vida Production in cooperation with Ilium band, and in acting, written and directed by Diego Vida and composed by Ilium band with Lyrics by Jason Hodges and music by Adam Smith and voice by Mike DiMeo will be available for free on the web for promoting the new Rainbow Warrior
Rainbow Warrior
-Vessels:*Rainbow Warrior , a former fishing trawler, acquired by Greenpeace in 1978.**Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior, by French intelligence operatives in 1985....
ship.