Urn (band)
Encyclopedia
Urn is a gothic
/ folk metal
band based out of the Chicago
land area.
Charles while attending college had been working in commercial radio upon his graduation and
was heavily involved in two bands, with URN being very much a death metal incarnation (Dominic was not the singer however).
URN would play heavily in the “rust-belt” area having done many shows in the metal scene and
opened for a couple of national acts as part of local festivals sponsored by larger rock radio
stations.
Around the same time, he also had a gothic-rock band called
Sacrosanct.
Sacrosanct and had also worked along with Ed Douglas,(who later went on to found Midnight
Syndicate) on several endeavors. Due to an unforeseen accident in 1996, the one member suffered an injury that sidelined URN for
an indefinite period at the time. It was essentially the end of that line-up and Dominic found
work playing lead guitar for a couple of national acts, most notably of these was for The
Electric Hellfire Club.
This incarnation of URN began back in 2000, while Dominic was still an active member of the
Electric Hellfire Club. For the most part, despite his great experience with the EHC, he felt it was
time again for him to pursue his own thing. Teaming up with some of his friends and musical students at the
time, he somewhat made a hybrid of the two bands and Thomas Thorn urged him to use the URN
moniker once again.
After fulfilling EHC tour obligations, URN then went out on two tours in 2001 once in the spring
with the Babylonian Tiles and then in the fall with Gossamer which had been affected by the
events of September 11.
The band recorded and released a maxi-single called “Consecrated Ashes” to assist in touring for
2002 and sold out the 500 copies of the self-release.
In 2003, the band followed up that release with the “Desecrated Ashes” EP and was met with great success and acclaim. The album received strong airplay support via college and internet stations all through the United States as well as in Mexico and Canada. URN has also done a several simulcasts with internet radio stations such as IPM Radio and Metal Works Radio.
URN signed with Rotting Corpse Records in the fall of 2005 and released their full-length LP “Dancing with the Demigods” with major chain-store distribution through Century Media, Synergy Distribution and Azure Green in July 2006. The album has received rave reviews in many major trade magazines such a Pit Magazine, Explicitly Intense, New Witch, Dark Realms, The Ninth Gate, Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles, and many more.
As a result, URN toured extensively throughout the United States and Canada and in the process shared the stage with honored acts such as Moonspell, Type O Negative, To/Die/For, Katatonia, Virgin Black, Trouble, Bella Morte, Novembers Doom, Celtic Frost, Bile, Daylight Dies, Impaler, Seraphim Shock, The Dave Brockie Experience, The Dayglo Abortions and many notable others.
The band has also appeared at many high-profile conventions throughout North America such as Ancient Ways in Chicago, KiNvention North in Kitchener, Endless Nights in New Orleans, Radio Active in Detroit, GenCon in Indianapolis, The International Body Art Expo in Columbus, Paganstock in Michigan, Doomsday Metal Festival in Milwaukee and the Long Black Veil in New York.
URN has through their ongoing collaborations with artists of other mediums such actor Don Henrie,
appearing in URN’s video for their “Shadow Dancer” single which was nationally distributed to many media channels and is available on the album as well.
The band has since released their second full-length LP in 2009 on Rotting Corpse Records entitled "Scribings of a Forgotten Soul". With it's release, URN took to the road once again in support of the new album, playing all over North America, including tour dates with Tarja
, Finntroll
, The Eternal (band)\The Eternal, Swallow the Sun
, Katatonia
, Blackguard, and Lividity.
• Official MySpace
• Official N1M Website
• Rotting Corpse Records
Gothic metal
Gothic metal or goth metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the aggression of doom metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music...
/ folk metal
Folk metal
Folk metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. As the name suggests, the genre is a fusion of heavy metal with traditional folk music...
band based out of the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
land area.
Members
Current members- Dominic St. Charles - Lead Vocals, Guitar
- Christopher Lorton - Guitar
- Julian Umberger - Bass, Death and Backing Vocals
- Tracy DeMarco - 36 & 30-string Harp, Female Vocals, Keyboards and Synths
- Jenna Scifres - Violin
- Nick Kapka - Drums and Percussion
Discography
- Consecrated Ashes (Maxi-single) (2001) — Self Release, USA
- Desecrated Ashes (EP) (2003) — Self Release, USA
- Dancing With The Demigods (2006) — Rotting Corpse Records, USA
- Scribings of a Forgotten Soul (2009) — Rotting Corpse Records, USA
Compilation appearances
- Primal River Valley (Compilation) (2004) — Latex Records, USA
- Raw Aggression III (Compilation) (2006) — Rotting Corpse Records, USA
History
URN actually has its beginnings as far back as 1994 in Cleveland, OH. Founder Dominic St.Charles while attending college had been working in commercial radio upon his graduation and
was heavily involved in two bands, with URN being very much a death metal incarnation (Dominic was not the singer however).
URN would play heavily in the “rust-belt” area having done many shows in the metal scene and
opened for a couple of national acts as part of local festivals sponsored by larger rock radio
stations.
Around the same time, he also had a gothic-rock band called
Sacrosanct.
Sacrosanct and had also worked along with Ed Douglas,(who later went on to found Midnight
Syndicate) on several endeavors. Due to an unforeseen accident in 1996, the one member suffered an injury that sidelined URN for
an indefinite period at the time. It was essentially the end of that line-up and Dominic found
work playing lead guitar for a couple of national acts, most notably of these was for The
Electric Hellfire Club.
This incarnation of URN began back in 2000, while Dominic was still an active member of the
Electric Hellfire Club. For the most part, despite his great experience with the EHC, he felt it was
time again for him to pursue his own thing. Teaming up with some of his friends and musical students at the
time, he somewhat made a hybrid of the two bands and Thomas Thorn urged him to use the URN
moniker once again.
After fulfilling EHC tour obligations, URN then went out on two tours in 2001 once in the spring
with the Babylonian Tiles and then in the fall with Gossamer which had been affected by the
events of September 11.
The band recorded and released a maxi-single called “Consecrated Ashes” to assist in touring for
2002 and sold out the 500 copies of the self-release.
In 2003, the band followed up that release with the “Desecrated Ashes” EP and was met with great success and acclaim. The album received strong airplay support via college and internet stations all through the United States as well as in Mexico and Canada. URN has also done a several simulcasts with internet radio stations such as IPM Radio and Metal Works Radio.
URN signed with Rotting Corpse Records in the fall of 2005 and released their full-length LP “Dancing with the Demigods” with major chain-store distribution through Century Media, Synergy Distribution and Azure Green in July 2006. The album has received rave reviews in many major trade magazines such a Pit Magazine, Explicitly Intense, New Witch, Dark Realms, The Ninth Gate, Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles, and many more.
As a result, URN toured extensively throughout the United States and Canada and in the process shared the stage with honored acts such as Moonspell, Type O Negative, To/Die/For, Katatonia, Virgin Black, Trouble, Bella Morte, Novembers Doom, Celtic Frost, Bile, Daylight Dies, Impaler, Seraphim Shock, The Dave Brockie Experience, The Dayglo Abortions and many notable others.
The band has also appeared at many high-profile conventions throughout North America such as Ancient Ways in Chicago, KiNvention North in Kitchener, Endless Nights in New Orleans, Radio Active in Detroit, GenCon in Indianapolis, The International Body Art Expo in Columbus, Paganstock in Michigan, Doomsday Metal Festival in Milwaukee and the Long Black Veil in New York.
URN has through their ongoing collaborations with artists of other mediums such actor Don Henrie,
appearing in URN’s video for their “Shadow Dancer” single which was nationally distributed to many media channels and is available on the album as well.
The band has since released their second full-length LP in 2009 on Rotting Corpse Records entitled "Scribings of a Forgotten Soul". With it's release, URN took to the road once again in support of the new album, playing all over North America, including tour dates with Tarja
Tarja
Tarja is a Finnish name. It may refer to*Tarja Turunen, a Finnish singer*Tarja Cronberg, a Finnish politician*Tarja Halonen, a Finnish politician and President of Finland *Tarja , a 2004 album by German neofolk group Sonne Hagal...
, Finntroll
Finntroll
Finntroll is a folk metal band from Helsinki, Finland. They combine elements of black metal and folk metal. Finntroll's lyrics are mostly in Swedish, the only exception being the song "Madon Laulu" on Visor Om Slutet...
, The Eternal (band)\The Eternal, Swallow the Sun
Swallow the Sun
Swallow the Sun is a Finnish melodic death / doom metal band.- Biography :Swallow the Sun was formed in early 2000 by Juha Raivio, joined soon by Pasi Pasanen came along . They rehearsed a couple of songs, one of them being "Through Her Silvery Body" which would end up on their first demo,Out of...
, Katatonia
Katatonia
Katatonia is a Swedish metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström .-1991-1993:The early Katatonia releases, such as the EP Jhva Elohim Meth.....
, Blackguard, and Lividity.
Tours
- Fall 2009 with Lividity - CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- Spring 2009 with TarjaTarjaTarja is a Finnish name. It may refer to*Tarja Turunen, a Finnish singer*Tarja Cronberg, a Finnish politician*Tarja Halonen, a Finnish politician and President of Finland *Tarja , a 2004 album by German neofolk group Sonne Hagal...
and The Eternal - North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas... - Summer 2007 with To/Die/ForTo/Die/ForTo/Die/For is a gothic metal band from the town of Kouvola in southeast of Finland, assembled in 1993 as a hard rock band under the name Mary-Ann. In 1999, they decided to change their musical style to gothic metal, changing their band name as well...
and Virgin BlackVirgin BlackVirgin Black is an Australian band that combines gothic-doom and symphonic metal influences. Signed to The End Records and Germany's Massacre Records , the band has released 4 albums and 1 EP...
- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - Spring 2007 with Nocturnal Divinity, Nanochrist, Aerocar Model Four - CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- Summer/Fall 2006, headining tour - United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- Fall 2004 - United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- Fall 2003 - United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
/CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... - Spring 2003, headining tour - United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- Spring of 2001 with the Babylonian Tiles - North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
/CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... - Fall of 2001 with Gossamer - North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
/CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Videos
- Shadow Dancer - Urn worked in collaboration with Don HenrieDon HenrieDon Henrie, also known as "The Vampire Don" is best known for his role in the Sci-fi Channel reality show Mad Mad House, which first aired March 4, 2004. Prior to this, he worked nights as a micro electronics engineer in San Diego....
from the Sci-fi ChannelSci Fi Channel (United States)Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
's Mad Mad HouseMad Mad HouseMad Mad House is a 2004 reality television series about a group of ten contestants competing for $100,000. The contestants live together in a house inhabited by another group of people known as the alts...
for the band's first music video, "Shadow Dancer." Don Henrie plays a classic Anne RiceAnne RiceAnne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
-style vampire who seduces the band's keyboardist and vocalist Sophia, turning her into a vampire by the end of the music video.
- Reckoning Hour - Urn completed work for the single "Reckoning Hour" with Liquid Productions in October 2009. Liquid Productions have also worked with other major acts such as Novembers DoomNovembers DoomNovembers Doom is a death/doom metal band from Chicago, Illinois. They are currently signed to The End Records. Novembers Doom is one of the earliest U.S. death/doom metal bands that are still active today along with Evoken and Rigor Sardonicous....
. The video illustrates, within the storyline of the album, the court room scene with the story's protagonist (played by St. Charles) being found guilty and receiving a prison sentence for his crime. The single appears on the album "Scribings of a Forgotten Soul", released in autumn of 2009 on Rotting Corpse Records.
External links
• Official Urn Website• Official MySpace
• Official N1M Website
• Rotting Corpse Records