Travail was a Christian nu metal

Nu metal

Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...

 / rapcore

Rapcore

Rapcore is a subgenre of rap rock fusing vocal and sometimes instrumental elements of hip hop with punk rock .-History:...

 band based in the Dallas/Fort Worth

Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...

 area in Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

. Fronted by Matt Leslie, it had an intense following at Club 412, a local church-sponsored lounge and music venue located in southwest Fort Worth. Stylistic comparisons were often drawn between their sound and that of secular rock acts popular at the time such as Korn

Korn

Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...

. The band was signed on Pluto Records

Pluto Records

Pluto Records is a record label started in 1999 by Eric Shirey and Brian Cobbel. Since 2002, it has been owned and operated by Brian Cobbel and based near Dallas, TX. It is primarily known for punk, metal, and hardcore releases, although not exclusively...

 and then were picked up by national label Metro One. After releasing their second album, Beautiful Loneliness, on the Metro One label, Travail received a nomination for the 2001 Dove Awards in the Hard Music Recorded Song category. Before touring much under the new label, however, Travail broke up. Their most requested song, "Judge Me" is still a very popular song and the video for "Return" is still a popular video among those who enjoy the rapcore/nu metal genre.
Guitarist Aaron Wiese later joined the band Spoken

Spoken (band)

-Beginnings:Starting in 1996, Spoken quickly became a mainstay in their local music scene due to a relentless work ethic and performance schedule. Shortly after forming, Spoken was signed to their first record deal with Metro 1 Music, on which they released 3 LPs and a greatest hits compilation...

, but left in 2008.

Members Matt Leslie, Brian Hoover, Daniel McKay, and Duane Smith have started a new band with Travis Knight as their second guitarist. The new band is called "Southern Train Gypsy".

Members

• Brian Hoover - Guitarist
• Daniel McKay - Drummer
• Duane Smith - Bassist
• Matt Leslie - Vocalist

Former members

• Kyle Magnon - Guitarist
• Tim Bowman - Guitarist
• Aaron Weise - Guitarist
• Cliff Wright - Bassist

Discography

• 1999: Travail + Luti-Kriss (EP, Pluto Records
  Pluto Records
  Pluto Records is a record label started in 1999 by Eric Shirey and Brian Cobbel. Since 2002, it has been owned and operated by Brian Cobbel and based near Dallas, TX. It is primarily known for punk, metal, and hardcore releases, although not exclusively...
  
  , Review: HM Magazine)
• 1999: Travail (Pluto Records, Review: The Phantom Tollbooth)
• 2000: Beautiful Loneliness (Metro One, Reviews: The Phantom Tollbooth, Cross Rhythms)

External links

• Travail Fan Site (Myspace)