Manmade God
Encyclopedia
Manmade God was an American hard rock
band from San Francisco. They gained prominence in 2003, touring with various mainstream acts and releasing one self-titled album in late summer. The group disbanded the following year, however, with the departure of its vocalist and an apparent split with their record label, American Recordings.
in 2001, Manmade God featured both its guitar
ist Craig Locicero and drummer
Steve Jacobs. The new project was joined by bassist
James Walker and filled out when Locicero came across a newspaper ad by Pann, a singer on the verge of ending his attempts at music success. The guitarist reflected, "Before Pann joined, we were more of a finger painting experiment; it never felt like a band. Pann just made all the difference, having direction and emotion."
Within two weeks of formation, Manmade God debuted at the Boomerang Club and played elsewhere in the San Francisco Bay
area. They soon met Stone Temple Pilots
drummer Eric Kretz
who was impressed enough to produce their 3-song demo. While playing, the group soon realized they were not ready to showcase for major labels yet and continued recording. Their material caught the attention of Brian Joseph Dobbs who helped record their next demo at The Plant Studios in Sausalito, California
.
According to Locicero, "Every management company wanted us; major labels were knocking themselves over to get to us." The demos with Dobbs gained response from American Recordings and prompted a private showcase with label head Rick Rubin
. Manmade God signed in to American in October 2002 and soon began working on their self-titled debut with Dobbs as producer and Rubin as executive producer.
in spring. Throughout the summer, Manmade God toured across the US with established acts such as Adema
, Powerman 5000
, Ra, Spineshank
, Taproot
, and Type O Negative
.
Initially set for a July 29 release, Manmade God finally hit shelves on August 26, 2003.
Locicero alleged years later that the delay was because the head of both Columbia
and Island Records
had "turned out" during the recording of Manmade God.
The album gained both positive and mixed reception; Robert L. Doerschuk of Allmusic offered a 3/5 rating and proclaimed, "Throughout their eponymous album, they hammer and thrash with a ponderous intensity. This has been familiar territory since Led Zeppelin
trashed its first private jet
." IGN
's Dave Doray gave a meager 5/10 rating, noting how it "just doesn't introduce us to anything new" while comparing the vocals to Chris Cornell
and bass to Tim Commerford
. However, positive response was given to the musical interplay on various tracks. Melodic.net and MetalSucks.net offered stronger support with the latter calling it "tremendous" and describing Pann's vocal performance as "a soulful, gritty version of Filter
’s Richard Patrick
."
Manmade God was compared stylistically to classic groups like The Doors
, Led Zeppelin
, and Black Sabbath
. It was frequently said to have drawn heavily from the more contemporary grunge
outfits Soundgarden
and Stone Temple Pilots
while owing credit to then-active supergroup
Audioslave
. The album boasted one single
, "Safe Passage," which reached #36 on the Billboard
's Mainstream Rock Tracks
.
In December, the band headlined KSJO
's Homegrown concert at The Edge in Palo Alto
. Eric Kretz stood in for an allegedly injured Steve Jacobs for half of the show where Pann expressed to the crowd his disenchantment with the band's lack of exposure, spouting, "You guys are the first to know who we are, 'cause no one knows who we are." In addition to performing nearly every track from their debut album, Manmade God also played a new song entitled "Awakening" which Pann wryly noted would be on the band's next record if they make it that far.
Manmade God toured into the following year but continued experiencing turbulence with their label. While performing with Soil in March, the band's touring support was pulled, further frustrating its members.
when, a week later, Pann left Manmade God. In a 2011 interview, Locicero reflected that, despite its promising future, Manmade God was "a victim of bad timing" because of label issues causing their album's delay. He elaborated:
Locicero added that while his decision may not have been the right one at the time, it allowed him to work on other projects in the future that Manmade God would have prevented.
In April 2004, shortly after the demise of Manmade God, fellow California group Systematic also disbanded. It was reported soon after that Systematic frontman Tim Narducci was forming an as of yet unnamed group with the former guitarist, drummer, and bassist of Manmade God. Narducci had in fact been friends with Locicero since the age of 15 and the two bonded through a common passion for heavy metal
. The new group officially named itself Spiralarms and played their first concert together at The Pound in San Francisco on June 5. Referring to himself as Manmade God's new frontman, Narducci explained, "We changed our name due a number of reasons, mostly political, but most importantly the sound. . . It's much different then what those guys [Manmade God] were doing before and much different even for myself." He also enthusiastically reported to have written sixteen complete songs with his new band.
In early 2005, Walker suffered a shoulder injury that necessitated his removal from the group. This allowed the introduction of former Stone Temple Pilots
drummer Eric Kretz
who helped Spiralarms record their debut album. By 2007, Locicero would be the only ex-Manmade God member to remain in Spiralarms and would also be back with the reunited Forbidden. Spiralarms would now include drummer Chris Kontos (ex-Machine Head
and Testament
), bassist Chris Lombardom, and keyboardist Brad Barth.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band from San Francisco. They gained prominence in 2003, touring with various mainstream acts and releasing one self-titled album in late summer. The group disbanded the following year, however, with the departure of its vocalist and an apparent split with their record label, American Recordings.
Early years (2001-2002)
Formed upon the hiatus of ForbiddenForbidden (band)
Forbidden is a thrash metal band from the San Francisco Bay Area. Formed in 1985 as Forbidden Evil, the group was founded by Russ Anderson and Craig Locicero, who are both permanent members. Since their formation, Forbidden have broken up and reformed twice with numerous line-up changes...
in 2001, Manmade God featured both its guitar
Guitar
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 Craig Locicero and drummer
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 ....
Steve Jacobs. The new project was joined by bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
James Walker and filled out when Locicero came across a newspaper ad by Pann, a singer on the verge of ending his attempts at music success. The guitarist reflected, "Before Pann joined, we were more of a finger painting experiment; it never felt like a band. Pann just made all the difference, having direction and emotion."
Within two weeks of formation, Manmade God debuted at the Boomerang Club and played elsewhere in the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
area. They soon met Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....
drummer Eric Kretz
Eric Kretz
Eric Kretz is an American musician and producer, known as the drummer for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots, one of the most successful rock bands of the 1990s and early 2000s that reunited in 2008. He has also played for Talk Show, and most recently Spiralarms...
who was impressed enough to produce their 3-song demo. While playing, the group soon realized they were not ready to showcase for major labels yet and continued recording. Their material caught the attention of Brian Joseph Dobbs who helped record their next demo at The Plant Studios in Sausalito, California
Sausalito, California
Sausalito is a San Francisco Bay Area city, in Marin County, California, United States. Sausalito is south-southeast of San Rafael, at an elevation of 13 feet . The population was 7,061 as of the 2010 census. The community is situated near the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, and prior to...
.
According to Locicero, "Every management company wanted us; major labels were knocking themselves over to get to us." The demos with Dobbs gained response from American Recordings and prompted a private showcase with label head Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
. Manmade God signed in to American in October 2002 and soon began working on their self-titled debut with Dobbs as producer and Rubin as executive producer.
Manmade God (2003-2004)
The band toured heavily the following year, playing alongside doubleDriveDoubledrive
The band, doubleDrive , was a rock band from Atlanta, Georgia.-Biography:Originally called MK Ultra, doubleDrive arrived on the music scene in their hometown of Atlanta in late 1996...
in spring. Throughout the summer, Manmade God toured across the US with established acts such as Adema
Adema
-2003–2004: Unstable, Mark Chavez's and Mike Ransom's departure:Adema's second album, Unstable, was released by Arista in August 2003. It was produced by Howard Benson, whose credits also include producing albums with P.O.D., Hoobastank and Cold....
, Powerman 5000
Powerman 5000
Powerman 5000 is an American Metal band formed in 1991. Through the span of over two decades, the group has released several albums and gained their highest commercial success with 1999's science fiction themed Tonight the Stars Revolt!...
, Ra, Spineshank
Spineshank
Spineshank is an American Grammy-nominated alternative metal band. The band has sold over 540,000 records, and has released 3 studio albums.-Formation, Roadrunner Records years :...
, Taproot
Taproot (band)
Taproot is a four-piece rock group from Ann Arbor, Michigan. They are most known for their hit single "Poem" , as well as a number of other singles from 2000 to the present.-Pre-formation:...
, and Type O Negative
Type O Negative
Type O Negative was a gothic metal band from Brooklyn, New York City. The band also incorporated elements of doom metal and thrash metal. Their dramatic lyrical emphasis on themes of romance, depression, and death resulted in the nickname "The Drab Four"...
.
Initially set for a July 29 release, Manmade God finally hit shelves on August 26, 2003.
Locicero alleged years later that the delay was because the head of both Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
and Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
had "turned out" during the recording of Manmade God.
The album gained both positive and mixed reception; Robert L. Doerschuk of Allmusic offered a 3/5 rating and proclaimed, "Throughout their eponymous album, they hammer and thrash with a ponderous intensity. This has been familiar territory since Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
trashed its first private jet
Dassault Falcon
The Dassault Falcon is a family of business jets, manufactured by Dassault Aviation.Aircraft include:* Dassault Falcon 10 Scaled down Falcon 20...
." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Dave Doray gave a meager 5/10 rating, noting how it "just doesn't introduce us to anything new" while comparing the vocals to Chris Cornell
Chris Cornell
Chris Cornell is an American rock musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Soundgarden and as the former lead vocalist for Audioslave. He is also known for his numerous solo works and soundtrack contributions since 1998...
and bass to Tim Commerford
Tim Commerford
Timothy Robert Commerford , also known by his various monikers/stage names is the bassist/backing vocalist for American alternative metal band Rage Against The Machine and the now-defunct supergroup Audioslave.-Biography:Tim Commerford was born on February...
. However, positive response was given to the musical interplay on various tracks. Melodic.net and MetalSucks.net offered stronger support with the latter calling it "tremendous" and describing Pann's vocal performance as "a soulful, gritty version of Filter
Filter (band)
Filter is a rock group formed in 1993 in Cleveland by singer Richard Patrick and guitarist/programmer Brian Liesegang. Filter has released five studio albums, the most recent being The Trouble with Angels, which was released on August 17, 2010....
’s Richard Patrick
Richard Patrick
Richard Patrick is an American rock musician. He is the frontman for the band Filter, a founding member of the supergroup Army of Anyone, and has served as a touring guitarist for Nine Inch Nails....
."
Manmade God was compared stylistically to classic groups like The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, and 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...
. It was frequently said to have drawn heavily from the more contemporary 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...
outfits Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
and Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....
while owing credit to then-active supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
Audioslave
Audioslave
Audioslave was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of former Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello , Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk...
. The album boasted one single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Safe Passage," which reached #36 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock Tracks
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...
.
In December, the band headlined KSJO
KSJO
KSJO is a commercial radio station in San Jose, California, and broadcasts to the San Francisco Bay Area on 92.3 FM. KSJO currently airs a Chinese format branded as "92.3 KSJO".-History:...
's Homegrown concert at The Edge in Palo Alto
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
. Eric Kretz stood in for an allegedly injured Steve Jacobs for half of the show where Pann expressed to the crowd his disenchantment with the band's lack of exposure, spouting, "You guys are the first to know who we are, 'cause no one knows who we are." In addition to performing nearly every track from their debut album, Manmade God also played a new song entitled "Awakening" which Pann wryly noted would be on the band's next record if they make it that far.
Manmade God toured into the following year but continued experiencing turbulence with their label. While performing with Soil in March, the band's touring support was pulled, further frustrating its members.
Disestablishment and formation of Spiralarms
Having their touring support removed proved to be the last strawStraw that broke the camel's back
The idiom the straw that broke the camel's back is from an Arabic proverb about how a camel wearing shoes is loaded beyond its capacity to move or stand. This is a reference to any process by which cataclysmic failure is achieved by a seemingly inconsequential addition...
when, a week later, Pann left Manmade God. In a 2011 interview, Locicero reflected that, despite its promising future, Manmade God was "a victim of bad timing" because of label issues causing their album's delay. He elaborated:
- "That alone wouldn’t have been a problem, but it was because it took so goddamn long that our singer just completely imploded in the process. He had somewhat of a meltdown. He wasn’t really much of a people person beforehand, so when we were out on the road, he started to get miserable and made all of us miserable. It’s sad because he is so talented. The songs that I was writing and the vocals that we were putting together were really special. It was just such a shame, but it was becoming so difficult for me that I literally one day said 'I’m done, I quit. I don’t want to do this with this guy.'"
Locicero added that while his decision may not have been the right one at the time, it allowed him to work on other projects in the future that Manmade God would have prevented.
In April 2004, shortly after the demise of Manmade God, fellow California group Systematic also disbanded. It was reported soon after that Systematic frontman Tim Narducci was forming an as of yet unnamed group with the former guitarist, drummer, and bassist of Manmade God. Narducci had in fact been friends with Locicero since the age of 15 and the two bonded through a common passion for heavy metal
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...
. The new group officially named itself Spiralarms and played their first concert together at The Pound in San Francisco on June 5. Referring to himself as Manmade God's new frontman, Narducci explained, "We changed our name due a number of reasons, mostly political, but most importantly the sound. . . It's much different then what those guys [Manmade God] were doing before and much different even for myself." He also enthusiastically reported to have written sixteen complete songs with his new band.
In early 2005, Walker suffered a shoulder injury that necessitated his removal from the group. This allowed the introduction of former Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....
drummer Eric Kretz
Eric Kretz
Eric Kretz is an American musician and producer, known as the drummer for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots, one of the most successful rock bands of the 1990s and early 2000s that reunited in 2008. He has also played for Talk Show, and most recently Spiralarms...
who helped Spiralarms record their debut album. By 2007, Locicero would be the only ex-Manmade God member to remain in Spiralarms and would also be back with the reunited Forbidden. Spiralarms would now include drummer Chris Kontos (ex-Machine Head
Machine Head (band)
Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by Robb Flynn and Adam Duce. There have been 4 member changes since their inception. The current lineup of the band comprises Flynn , Duce , ex-Vio-Lence guitarist Phil Demmel ,...
and Testament
Testament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
), bassist Chris Lombardom, and keyboardist Brad Barth.
Band members
- Pann - vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
- Craig Locicero - guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- James Walker - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Steve Jacobs - drumsDrum kitA 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 ....
Chart performance
| Single | Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock Tracks Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue... |
Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Safe Passage" | 36 | Manmade God |
External links
- [ AllMusic Guide - Manmade God]