The Razor Skyline
Encyclopedia
The Razor Skyline is a San Francisco, United States–based goth/industrial band.
With the release of Journal of Trauma in 1996, the band set off on a west coast tour to support the album playing shows with Switchblade Symphony
, Sunshine Blind and even A Flock of Seagulls
, among others finishing the tour at Convergence 3 in San Francisco.
As the band started work on their second album in 1997, artistic differences saw Karen Kardell leaving the band. The_gun and ioejekta auditioned several singers to find a replacement, including Debra Fogarty (who later formed Diva Destruction
) SeVerina X Sol (who went on to be in Fockewolfe, Diva Destruction
and finally Cylab) before deciding on Charlotte Shai and moving the band to San Francisco. The band began recording their 2nd CD with Mark27 who had played with Assemblage 23
, Dead Language and later Sunshine Blind. 4 singles were recorded - Exit Zero, Torture Chamber, Vespertine and One Night in Bangkok which featured the_gun singing in Russian.
However, the magic of the original duo was missing and Karen Kardell and the_gun reconciled and decided to work together again, replacing ioejekta on electronic percussion with newcomer Onyx. Fade and Sustain was released in 1999 and the band set off on a midwest/east coast tour with Bella Morte
. During this time, the band also had songs appear in 2 movies - the documentary "Sex, Death and Eyeliner" and the German horror movie " Demonium
".
In 2002 the band recorded its 3rd Album The Bitter Well in Seattle with M.o. Jackson (who later went on to be in Numberiklab, the project that wrote the theme to the TV show NCIS). The album was released in 2003.
Shortly after the release of The Bitter Well, the band went on hiatus and the_gun formed Flatline Transmissions who recorded a 6 song self released EP and played shows on the west coast including shows with Faith and the Muse, Snog and a reformed Specimen.
Karen Kardell eventually decided to give up singing to pursue other interests and in 2009 Miska Kazda (who was the vocalist for Dalet-Yod) was brought in as the new voice of TRS. The band's first four singles "Vittoria", "Sahara", "This City Never Sleeps" and "View of Paradise" for their new album "Dark Water Oasis" were produced by Jon Klein of Specimen
/Siouxsie and the Banshees. The album is expected to be released in the Fall of 2011.
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/razor-skyline-p214414
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Razor+Skyline,+The
History
Formed in Seattle in 1994, the band began life as Journal of Trauma and consisted of members Karen Kardell and the_gun. The chemistry was instant and the songs and shows quickly followed. It took less than a year and a half for the band (now a 3 piece with the addition of ioejekta on electronic percussion) to be signed to the C.O.P. International label and have their first CD recorded. However, the internet brought the band to the attention of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma who threatened to sue for copyright infringement as they published a medical periodical of the same name. The band changed their name to the more appropriate moniker of The RaZor Skyline but were allowed to use Journal of Trauma for their debut album. In a 1999 interview, the_gun said he chose the name The RaZor Skyline when he looked up at the night sky to see the stars but found they were blocked by the buildings, lights, telephone wires, etc. There were only a few slices of the sky in between these man made structures and he felt the skyline was like a razor, "slicing the sky into pieces."With the release of Journal of Trauma in 1996, the band set off on a west coast tour to support the album playing shows with Switchblade Symphony
Switchblade Symphony
Switchblade Symphony was a San Francisco, United States–based band which was formed in 1989 by composer Susan Wallace and vocalist Tina Root. They released their first album in 1995 on the Cleopatra Records label...
, Sunshine Blind and even A Flock of Seagulls
A Flock of Seagulls
A Flock of Seagulls are an English New Wave band originally formed by brothers Michael "Mike" Score and Alister "Ali" James Score , with Frank Maudsley , Michael Kuby , H.J...
, among others finishing the tour at Convergence 3 in San Francisco.
As the band started work on their second album in 1997, artistic differences saw Karen Kardell leaving the band. The_gun and ioejekta auditioned several singers to find a replacement, including Debra Fogarty (who later formed Diva Destruction
Diva Destruction
Diva Destruction is an American darkwave project. It was formed by singer/songwriterDebra Fogarty in 1998.-History:Diva Destruction was formed in 1998 by Debra Fogarty. Shortly after, Diva Destruction signed to German music label Alice In... of the Dark Dimensions label group...
) SeVerina X Sol (who went on to be in Fockewolfe, Diva Destruction
Diva Destruction
Diva Destruction is an American darkwave project. It was formed by singer/songwriterDebra Fogarty in 1998.-History:Diva Destruction was formed in 1998 by Debra Fogarty. Shortly after, Diva Destruction signed to German music label Alice In... of the Dark Dimensions label group...
and finally Cylab) before deciding on Charlotte Shai and moving the band to San Francisco. The band began recording their 2nd CD with Mark27 who had played with Assemblage 23
Assemblage 23
Assemblage 23 is an electronic act from the United States, currently based in Seattle. It was founded in 1988 by Tom Shear who writes the music and lyrics and does the recording himself.-1980s–1990s :...
, Dead Language and later Sunshine Blind. 4 singles were recorded - Exit Zero, Torture Chamber, Vespertine and One Night in Bangkok which featured the_gun singing in Russian.
However, the magic of the original duo was missing and Karen Kardell and the_gun reconciled and decided to work together again, replacing ioejekta on electronic percussion with newcomer Onyx. Fade and Sustain was released in 1999 and the band set off on a midwest/east coast tour with Bella Morte
Bella Morte
Bella Morte is a gothic band that was formed in 1996 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They also incorporate elements of metal, darkwave, deathrock, alternative, and synthpop. The name is Italian for "beautiful death."...
. During this time, the band also had songs appear in 2 movies - the documentary "Sex, Death and Eyeliner" and the German horror movie " Demonium
Demonium
Demonium is a 2001 horror film by German director Andreas Schnaas and stars Andrea Bruschi, Joseph Zaso, and Charlotte Roche.-Plot:The film tells the tale of a group of friends who meet at the sprawling estate of a recently-deceased relative. While attending the reading of his will, they are killed...
".
In 2002 the band recorded its 3rd Album The Bitter Well in Seattle with M.o. Jackson (who later went on to be in Numberiklab, the project that wrote the theme to the TV show NCIS). The album was released in 2003.
Shortly after the release of The Bitter Well, the band went on hiatus and the_gun formed Flatline Transmissions who recorded a 6 song self released EP and played shows on the west coast including shows with Faith and the Muse, Snog and a reformed Specimen.
Karen Kardell eventually decided to give up singing to pursue other interests and in 2009 Miska Kazda (who was the vocalist for Dalet-Yod) was brought in as the new voice of TRS. The band's first four singles "Vittoria", "Sahara", "This City Never Sleeps" and "View of Paradise" for their new album "Dark Water Oasis" were produced by Jon Klein of Specimen
Specimen
A specimen is a portion/quantity of material for use in testing, examination, or study.BiologyA laboratory specimen is an individual animal, part of an animal, a plant, part of a plant, or a microorganism, used as a representative to study the properties of the whole population of that species or...
/Siouxsie and the Banshees. The album is expected to be released in the Fall of 2011.
Discography
- Full-length albums
- Journal of Trauma, 1996
- Fade and Sustain, 1999
- The Bitter Well, 2003
- Compilations
- COP Compilation, COP International, 1996
- Infiltrate and Corrupt, COP International, 1997
- Diva X Machina, COP International, 1996
- Sound-Line Vol 3, Sideline Records, 1997
- Silicon Warfare, Arts Industria, 1998
- Diva X Machina 2, COP International, 1998
- Newer Wave 2.0, 21st Circuitry, 1998
- Hex Files Vol. 3, NovaTekk, 1998
- Songs for Marius, Final Exit, 1998
- Diva X Machina 3, COP International, 2000
- Only Sorrow, 2000
- Sex, Death and Eyeliner the soundtrack, Dark Future Music, 2000
- The Broken Machine, Vitamin Records, 2001
- Trinity Vol. 1, Darkcell Digital Music, 2002
- Dark Awakening Vol. 3, COP International, 2004
- State of Synthpop, A Different Drum, 2005
Sources
http://www.nme.com/artists/the-razor-skylinehttp://www.allmusic.com/artist/razor-skyline-p214414
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Razor+Skyline,+The