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Artist description
The best combination of musical syles from the 80's and 90's brought up to date in a new style for the millenium. |
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Music Style
Heavy groove catchy melodic sh@# |
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Musical Influences
Alice in Chains, Saigon Kick, Godsmack, Dream Theatre, Janine Lindenmueller |
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Similar Artists
Alice in Chains, Saigon Kick, Godsmack |
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Artist History
Based in the New York's Hudson Valley, PANDEMIC is both a musical reflection of the past fifteen years and a glance into what will be.
Growing up on the likes of VAN HALEN and PRIEST the members of PANDEMIC learned to appreciate the power of melody early on in their respective lives, "A good hook in a song is very important for the song to stick in someones' mind" says Jim Sheehan.
As music progressed through the next decade the members of PANDEMIC
Each gravitated toward different musical styles, bringing these varied individual tasted to the table, creating a well rounded faction. "The many different musical tastes of the band is what makes the songwriting process unique and challenging" Tim Kopp points out.
Crossing several musical boundaries on ANGRY SKY their debut album for dbAggresive records/Dreamscapemusic group, the band shows real diversity
While maintaining their signature sound. Touching on modern day hard rock "Out of time" and "This is the life", prog rock "What I say, Well of souls"
And the album's title track, not the usual ballad "Best of me",
"The pain I see", Straight forward pop rock "Maybe you can tell me" and even including a tribute to prog rock kings Dream Theatre "Thy Majesty"
the quartet covers it all."There is so much music on this CD to reach out to just about anybody, If you like boy bands and singing live to a pre recorded CD however, this is not for you" says Erik Deitz.
Led by the incredible vocal range of lead vocalist, Tim Kopp and fiery lead guitarist Erik Deitz, the members of PANDEMIC have known each other for many years often playing bands together. After years of playing together Kopp and Deitz met bassist Jim Sheehan through a mutual friend that said he would be perfect for the new project. After working with a plethora of drummers-many who just could not make the cut or rehearsal most of the time-the trio happened upon Sam Torres. The band recognized the right piece of the puzzle was finally in place.
Working closely with veteran producer N.S. "Buck" Brundage www.couchcreative.com
(Fates Warning, Boysetsfire) The band members set about capturing the energy of the live show. "It was great to work with Buck, He knew exactly what we were about and what we needed to have a killer album" Sam Torres says. The album was mixed and mastered by Grammy award winning Phil Magnotti.
(Fates Warning, Mike Stern, Diana Ross, Al Dimeola) www.philmagnotti.com
Influences that are recognizable right away are CREED, GODSMACK, SAIGON KICK, DREAM THEATRE and ALICE IN CHAINS to name a few.
With the release of ANGRY SKY the bands pays tribute to their vast influences
But also adds their own impressive sound to the mix. So with the imminent demise of commercial sugar dance sync pop PANDEMIC is ready to spread to all area's of the musical world and leave their mark on music history.
PANDEMIC is:
Tim Kopp: Vocals, Keys
Erik Deitz: Guitars, Vocals
Jim Sheehan: Bass
Sam Torres: Drums
Contact: Erik Deitz 914-541-7596
Edeitz@hvc.rr.com
Edeitz21@aol.com
www.pandemicmusic.com
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Group Members
Tim Kopp: Vocals, Keys
Erik Deitz: Guitars, Vocals
Jim Sheehan: Bass
Sam Torres: Drums
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Instruments
Guitar, Bass, Drums, Bondage |
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Albums
Angry Sky |
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Press Reviews
Heavy Metal Resource
Some of you may be familiar with Town Cryer XXI. A great progressive outfit that was based out of New York and played a pretty solid progressive style. Well, with some member change as well as a new name, Pandemic, this band is really ready to go after the masses. Enter 'Angry Sky'. One of the early contenders for album of the year 2002. My jaw about hit the floor when I heard this disc. It has a more modern Godsmack type sound, but also incorporates a ton of melody. Sort of like slamming the melody of the 80's with the crunch of the 90's. Nothing is lacking here. The opener 'Out of time' sets the tone early and the ride the rest of the way is very memorable. Now to name my favorites on this disc is a bit hard due to the consistent nature. The album is solid all of the way. I'll give it a try anyway. I love the opener. The choruses are instantly memorable. Next up and maybe my most favorite is 'This is the life'. Also, 'Glitter' has an amazing vibe. Very melody driven and accessible. 'Angry Sky' has a bit of an Alice in Chains feel but not completely. It works well. 'Best of me' is cool with it's depth and laid back tempo. For the Progressive, 'Thy Majesty' is awesome. This tune will show you how musically inclined this band is. 'Well of Souls' is my absolute favorite of this disc. The thinking man's track. This tune is so balanced and sensible it's incredible. Very solid and effective.
Overall
To say this band is really good is an understatement.These guys are ready for the bigtime. They have put a lot of effort into this album and have hit the ball out of the park. I had to pry this one out of the player before it became a permanent fixture. One of 2002's heavy hitters for sure. Very complete and offers something for everyone. I have played this for people and have heard nothing negative about it I guess you know what comes next.... Very highly recommended and essential!!
PANDEMIC - Angry Sky (dbAggressive Records/Dreamscape Music Group)
Score: 4.5 out of 5
During the eight years that Metal Dreams has existed, I have rarely embraced a new band. I have either given a new act a middle of the road review or simply torn them to pieces. More specifically, I haven’t been impressed with bands that have modern overtones. Why? Well, I honestly don’t believe that the new acts that have come out in the last ten years are anywhere near as professional as those that arrived on the scene prior to 1992. Blame it on the ease of home recording or blame it on society’s general acceptance of sub-par musicians, but either way fresh bands with fresh ideas are few and far between. Pandemic may be the first band with a modern edge that has completely pulled me in. The band’s creativity is credited to the songwriting team of Erik Deitz (guitar) and Tim Kopp, the most impressive vocalist in the underground. These guys have come up with twelve distinct songs that will make fans of Alice In Chains and Saigon Kick drool with delight. Deitz nearly always has a memorable riff, while his short but bright leads prove that soloing is a necessity in today’s music, despite what all these no-name bands think. Interestingly, Deitz’s leads and rhythms are complete opposites. For instance, the rhythms found in “Out Of Time” are dark and menacing, while his leads are bright and airy, and this combination is what makes Pandemic’s music so interesting. Kopp’s melodic vocals take the band to the next level. Few bands possess a singer with a varied and emotional delivery of this magnitude. Bassist Jim Sheehan and drummer Sam Torres, who create a nice foundation, round out the group. Pandemic has two definite scorchers in “Glitter” and “Angry Sky” that just make you want to get out of your seat and do some damage. My only complaint is that I would like a few more of these on the disc because they’re so damn good at writing material like this. The dark acoustic “Best Of Me” is very reminiscent of Alice In Chains’ “I Stay Away,” while “Thy Majesty” is an interesting tribute of sorts to Dream Theater, touching on several of Theater’s album titles in the lyrics. Pandemic needs to be heard by the masses. “The Pain I See,” “Well Of Souls,” and “Best Of Me” would be huge on modern rock radio. Unlike most modern bands, Pandemic fuses the down-tuning and darkness of today with the melody of yesterday, paying tribute to both schools of thought. Most importantly, they understand what the hell a chorus is! Props to them. This is the way it should be done. Take a moment to download some song clips from their website. This band deserves your time. (Chris Dugan)
The band formerly known as "Towne Cryer 21" has returned with an updated sound and a new attitude. For those of your not aware of where TC21 was coming from, they were basically a Progressive Power Metal act that took a lot of their influences from 80's Metal. Now, they've taken their music a step further and have come up with a winning formula.
This is an indie-project, paid for by the band with very little outside influence, which makes this even more impressive. I can promise you that the production level is very high, you wouldn't know it's an independent project. Ironically, that was the main problem with the bands first CD, so they give them credit for realizing the problem and fixing it. What you have now is an album loaded with emotion built with blood and sweat.
As far as the bands sound goes, they have a nice mix of sounds. It's all on the heavy side, most of it is fairly dark as well. Vocalist Tim Kopp has a very melodic voice which keeps their sound from straying too far into the realm of depressing. I'd take his voice over Scott Stapp's any day, he's really developed a range that is unappreciated in the mainstream music world.
Erik Deitz's guitar sound is crunchy and thick and he brings so much more to the table than a lot of the major label bands due to his background in 80's Metal. He proves you don't have to shred like a maniac on every song to get your point across, his choice of rhythms and licks is very tasteful and as the songs vary on the album, so does he. For instance, "Glitter" which is an upbeat strait-forward rocker features a more playful approach. Then on songs like "The Pain I See" and "Well Of Souls" he reaches deeper and comes up with a more soulful sound. He really excels on this album, I can't wait to hear what he does next.
I really hate to use this lame cliche, especially since I hear it used by bands that have no right to, but there really is "something for everyone" here. The traditional Metalheads will like songs like "Angry Sky", "Out Of Time", and "Glitter" and the modern fans of bands like Staind will also find some stuff they can sink their teeth into. The bottom line is that this is an album that will most likely stand the test of time. I really hope this becomes more of the norm as they don't leave anyone who's a fan of Rock out of the mix.
ROCK AND A HARD PLACE MAGAZINE
www.rockhardplace.com
Album of the year on Heavy Metal Resource
#1 reviewed album of 2002 More Sugar Entertainment
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Additional Info
Produced by N.S. |
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Location
Newburgh, NY - USA |
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