Strongarm (band)
Encyclopedia
Strongarm was a five-piece Christian
metalcore
band, formed in Pompano Beach, Florida
.
Nick Dominguez - Guitar
Joshua Colbert - Guitar
Chris Carbonell - Drums
Chad Neptune - Bass
Jason Berggren - Vocals
Strongarm started in 1993 and under this line-up recorded two demos: first there was a 3 track nameless demo recorded at this guy Tony Bartoli’s house. It featured “Forgiven”, “Stand Together” (both re-recorded for Atonement) and the otherwise unreleased song “Unfold”. Shortly thereafter they recorded their second demo in a local studio with better production: a 4 track demo called “These Times That Try Men’s Souls” (featuring the songs “Count The Cost”, “Trials”, “Remaining” and “Strenghtened In Faith”. While recording this demo, Tooth & Nail Records
contacted Strongarm expressing interest in them (how they heard of them is still a mystery today). Strongarm sent over their whole demo, and Strongarm’s song “Count the Cost” appeared on Tooth & Nail’s first compilation album entitled “Helpless Amongst Friends” (P.O.D.
also appears on that). This demo, and Strongarm’s performance at Cornerstone Festival
that year, caught the attention of Tooth & Nail Records president Brandon Ebel who signed them. The original line-up remained the same for the release of their debut album “Atonement” in early 1995. Shortly after the release of this album there were personal differences in the band, and Nick (who went on to form Tension) and Chris were asked to leave the band by Jason. They were replaced by Bob Franquiz on guitar (formerly of the South Florida band Amboogalard which also included a member who went on to join Marilyn Manson) and Steve Kleisath
on drums (formerly of the Tampa band Pull). He also played in a band called Shai Hulud at the time; a band that had pretty much a similar sound. One of the reasons for this fact might have been that Joshua had played with Shai Hulud’s guitar player Matt Fox
around 1991 in a band called Planet X. They discovered that hardcore didn’t necessarily have to mean powerchords… they experimented with other kind of chord arrangements and melody that led to the sound that distinguished both Strongarm and Shai Hulud from the hardcore scene at the time.
Bob Franquiz - Guitar
Joshua Colbert - Guitar
Steve Kleisath - Drums
Chad Neptune - Bass
Jason Berggren - Vocals
Under this line-up Strongarm composed 5 of the 9 songs that appear on their 2nd album (“Advent of a Miracle”, “These Times That Try Men’s Souls”, “Increase”, “Supplication”, and “Measure of Consequence”).They also did a video for Tooth & Nail, a rare 7-inch record entitled “Trials” which includes an early version of the song ‘Increase’ (with an awesome sample of Darth Vader), and a summer tour. Eventually personal differences came to a head again, and Jason and Bob decided to leave Strongarm to pursue other interests. Although only 5 songs had been written for their next album, the remaining members decided to regroup and press on. Nick rejoined the band on guitar and they were looking for a while for a good singer; but finally they decided that drummer Chris would rejoin as well, and do the vocals. Strongarm continued on and finished work on their album “The Advent Of A Miracle” which was released in 1997. The line-up for this album was:
Nick Dominguez - Guitar
Joshua Colbert - Guitar
Steve Kleisath - Drums
Chad Neptune - Bass
Chris Carbonell - Vocals
They did several tours and finally announced their break-up in 1998 at their final show at Cornerstone Festival. This is what Steve Kleisath said about it in an interview:
As far as the reason Strongarm broke up people always wonder. It wasn’t any one thing; the commitment level needed wasn’t there anymore. Two of the guys were married, Chris and Josh, and they weren't available to tour. And just to write a whole new album for us takes a long time. We had a few ideas, actually had a few new songs, which will probably never be released. The time that it would take to do it and then know we wouldn’t be able to tour off it just wasn't worth it. We were supposed to go to Europe, and that fell through, which really took the wind out of our sails, we had planned it the summer before, and we were planning our whole lives around being gone for a month and that fell through at the last minute, like on our way to the airport. The promoter who set us up and also set us up with Zao and Living Sacrifice who were gonna meet us out there, he never sold the tickets, and that really let the wind out of our sails. That wasn't why we broke up, but at that point we sorta got the feeling “alright we’ve been around a while, I think we are in the twilight of the band.”
Soon after the band's breakup, Nick, Steve, Josh and Chad joined together to form a new band called Further Seems Forever
. The difference in the band's lineup from that of Strongarm was a vocalist named Chris Carrabba
who later went on to form a very popular solo project called Dashboard Confessional
. The musical direction had switched from hardcore to rock. The band still claimed to be Christian; however, due to the fact of constantly changing vocalists, ( additional vocalists include Jon Bunch and Jason Gleason ) the lyrical style of each album was completely different. The band had trouble maintaining a consistent lineup, and later broke up in 2005.
In 2000, Strongarm made a reunion appearance at Furnace Fest. It was the same line-up as it was when they broke up. On the song “Trials”, they had their friend and Shai Hulud
guitarist Matt Fox
on drums.
In July 2010, Blood and Ink Records
released Strongarm's, "Atonement" on vinyl. This was the first time this classic hardcore record was released on vinyl.
Christian hardcore
Christian hardcore refers to metalcore and hardcore punk bands that promote Christian beliefs. How these bands promote Christianity, and to what extent, varies between bands...
metalcore
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
band, formed in Pompano Beach, Florida
Pompano Beach, Florida
Pompano Beach ) is a city in Broward County, Florida, along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean just to the north of Fort Lauderdale. The nearby Hillsboro Inlet forms part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 99,845...
.
Biography
Strongarm came from South Florida. The band was the result of several local bands who had similar tastes in music and who were all Christians. Jason Berggren started Ikthus which included Chris Carbonell and Chad Neptune. Eventually Josh Colbert and Nick Dominguez joined forces with them when their band Endure broke up, which then became Strongarm (Endure had a song called “Together” which was covered by Strongarm and put as a hidden track on the Advent Of A Miracle CD). This was the original line up:Nick Dominguez - Guitar
Joshua Colbert - Guitar
Chris Carbonell - Drums
Chad Neptune - Bass
Jason Berggren - Vocals
Strongarm started in 1993 and under this line-up recorded two demos: first there was a 3 track nameless demo recorded at this guy Tony Bartoli’s house. It featured “Forgiven”, “Stand Together” (both re-recorded for Atonement) and the otherwise unreleased song “Unfold”. Shortly thereafter they recorded their second demo in a local studio with better production: a 4 track demo called “These Times That Try Men’s Souls” (featuring the songs “Count The Cost”, “Trials”, “Remaining” and “Strenghtened In Faith”. While recording this demo, Tooth & Nail Records
Tooth & Nail Records
Tooth & Nail Records is a record label founded by Brandon Ebel in the U.S. state of California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington, where it is situated today...
contacted Strongarm expressing interest in them (how they heard of them is still a mystery today). Strongarm sent over their whole demo, and Strongarm’s song “Count the Cost” appeared on Tooth & Nail’s first compilation album entitled “Helpless Amongst Friends” (P.O.D.
P.O.D.
Payable on Death is an American Christian metal band formed in 1992. The band's line-up consists of vocalist Sonny Sandoval, drummer Wuv Bernardo, guitarist Marcos Curiel, and bassist Traa Daniels. Their Christian faith is an important part of their music.They have released seven studio albums and...
also appears on that). This demo, and Strongarm’s performance at Cornerstone Festival
Cornerstone Festival
Cornerstone Festival is a Christian music festival put on by Jesus People USA and held annually around the 4th of July near Bushnell, Illinois. In a given year, many artists that play at Cornerstone also play at other events such as Creation Festival and mainstream festivals and tours such as the...
that year, caught the attention of Tooth & Nail Records president Brandon Ebel who signed them. The original line-up remained the same for the release of their debut album “Atonement” in early 1995. Shortly after the release of this album there were personal differences in the band, and Nick (who went on to form Tension) and Chris were asked to leave the band by Jason. They were replaced by Bob Franquiz on guitar (formerly of the South Florida band Amboogalard which also included a member who went on to join Marilyn Manson) and Steve Kleisath
Steve Kleisath
Steve Kleisath is an American musician. has been a drummer for PULL, Strongarm, Shai Hulud, Further Seems Forever, and En Masse.He is a professional poker player. and also the #5 Ms...
on drums (formerly of the Tampa band Pull). He also played in a band called Shai Hulud at the time; a band that had pretty much a similar sound. One of the reasons for this fact might have been that Joshua had played with Shai Hulud’s guitar player Matt Fox
Matthew Fox (musician)
Matt Fox is an American musician, founding member and a current lead guitarist for the hardcore punk band Shai Hulud and his side project Zombie Apocalypse....
around 1991 in a band called Planet X. They discovered that hardcore didn’t necessarily have to mean powerchords… they experimented with other kind of chord arrangements and melody that led to the sound that distinguished both Strongarm and Shai Hulud from the hardcore scene at the time.
Bob Franquiz - Guitar
Joshua Colbert - Guitar
Steve Kleisath - Drums
Chad Neptune - Bass
Jason Berggren - Vocals
Under this line-up Strongarm composed 5 of the 9 songs that appear on their 2nd album (“Advent of a Miracle”, “These Times That Try Men’s Souls”, “Increase”, “Supplication”, and “Measure of Consequence”).They also did a video for Tooth & Nail, a rare 7-inch record entitled “Trials” which includes an early version of the song ‘Increase’ (with an awesome sample of Darth Vader), and a summer tour. Eventually personal differences came to a head again, and Jason and Bob decided to leave Strongarm to pursue other interests. Although only 5 songs had been written for their next album, the remaining members decided to regroup and press on. Nick rejoined the band on guitar and they were looking for a while for a good singer; but finally they decided that drummer Chris would rejoin as well, and do the vocals. Strongarm continued on and finished work on their album “The Advent Of A Miracle” which was released in 1997. The line-up for this album was:
Nick Dominguez - Guitar
Joshua Colbert - Guitar
Steve Kleisath - Drums
Chad Neptune - Bass
Chris Carbonell - Vocals
They did several tours and finally announced their break-up in 1998 at their final show at Cornerstone Festival. This is what Steve Kleisath said about it in an interview:
As far as the reason Strongarm broke up people always wonder. It wasn’t any one thing; the commitment level needed wasn’t there anymore. Two of the guys were married, Chris and Josh, and they weren't available to tour. And just to write a whole new album for us takes a long time. We had a few ideas, actually had a few new songs, which will probably never be released. The time that it would take to do it and then know we wouldn’t be able to tour off it just wasn't worth it. We were supposed to go to Europe, and that fell through, which really took the wind out of our sails, we had planned it the summer before, and we were planning our whole lives around being gone for a month and that fell through at the last minute, like on our way to the airport. The promoter who set us up and also set us up with Zao and Living Sacrifice who were gonna meet us out there, he never sold the tickets, and that really let the wind out of our sails. That wasn't why we broke up, but at that point we sorta got the feeling “alright we’ve been around a while, I think we are in the twilight of the band.”
Soon after the band's breakup, Nick, Steve, Josh and Chad joined together to form a new band called Further Seems Forever
Further Seems Forever
Further Seems Forever is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Pompano Beach, Florida and disbanded in 2006. Over the course of their career the band experienced several lineup changes, resulting in a different lead vocalist performing on each of their three studio albums...
. The difference in the band's lineup from that of Strongarm was a vocalist named Chris Carrabba
Chris Carrabba
Christopher Ender Carrabba is the lead singer and guitarist of the band Dashboard Confessional, and is the vocalist for the American emo/indie rock band Further Seems Forever.-Biography:...
who later went on to form a very popular solo project called Dashboard Confessional
Dashboard Confessional
Dashboard Confessional is an American rock band from Boca Raton, Florida, led by singer-songwriter Chris Carrabba. The name of the band is derived from the song "The Sharp Hint of New Tears" from the debut album The Swiss Army Romance....
. The musical direction had switched from hardcore to rock. The band still claimed to be Christian; however, due to the fact of constantly changing vocalists, ( additional vocalists include Jon Bunch and Jason Gleason ) the lyrical style of each album was completely different. The band had trouble maintaining a consistent lineup, and later broke up in 2005.
In 2000, Strongarm made a reunion appearance at Furnace Fest. It was the same line-up as it was when they broke up. On the song “Trials”, they had their friend and Shai Hulud
Shai Hulud (band)
Shai Hulud is an American hardcore punk band with progressive metal influences, originally formed in Pompano Beach, Florida, the band later moved up to Poughkeepsie, New York....
guitarist Matt Fox
Matthew Fox (musician)
Matt Fox is an American musician, founding member and a current lead guitarist for the hardcore punk band Shai Hulud and his side project Zombie Apocalypse....
on drums.
In July 2010, Blood and Ink Records
Blood and Ink Records
Blood & Ink Records is a record label founded in Richmond, VA in the spring of 2002. The label has worked with such bands as Soul Embraced, Foreknown, and TEN 33, as well as helping launch careers for xLooking Forwardx, Blessed by a Broken Heart, Burden of a Day and With Blood Comes Cleansing...
released Strongarm's, "Atonement" on vinyl. This was the first time this classic hardcore record was released on vinyl.
Discography
- 1993: Strongarm (demo tape) (First Street Records)
- 1993: These Times That Try Men's Souls
- 1994: Division EP (Tooth & Nail RecordsTooth & Nail RecordsTooth & Nail Records is a record label founded by Brandon Ebel in the U.S. state of California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington, where it is situated today...
) - 1995: Trials EP (Tooth & Nail RecordsTooth & Nail RecordsTooth & Nail Records is a record label founded by Brandon Ebel in the U.S. state of California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington, where it is situated today...
) - 1995: Atonement (Tooth & Nail RecordsTooth & Nail RecordsTooth & Nail Records is a record label founded by Brandon Ebel in the U.S. state of California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington, where it is situated today...
) - 1997: The Advent of a Miracle (Tooth & Nail RecordsTooth & Nail RecordsTooth & Nail Records is a record label founded by Brandon Ebel in the U.S. state of California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington, where it is situated today...
)/(Solid State RecordsSolid State RecordsSolid State Records is a Christian record label, a division of Tooth & Nail Records. Unlike Tooth & Nail, Solid State signs hardcore and metal bands. Like Tooth & Nail, Solid State is primarily a Christian label. However, they have signed several bands that don't label themselves as Christian,...
)
External links
- http://www.toothandnail.com/artists/233/Strongarm/Band profile at Tooth & Nail recordsTooth & Nail RecordsTooth & Nail Records is a record label founded by Brandon Ebel in the U.S. state of California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington, where it is situated today...
website]. - Strongarm Tribute site
- [ Allmusic.com Strongarm profile]