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The Gauntlet: Illuminati, The |
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Taking their name from the shadowy secret society purported to control the world, in only one short year THE ILLUMINATI have risen to accolades from fans, critics and artists alike. Formed in the fall of 2002, the Toronto trio have honed their unique brand of psychedelic hard rock, supporting A-list international artists such as ALICE COOPER, ANDREW W.K., UK superstars THE DARKNESS, and NASHVILLE PUSSY.
When guitarist Les Godfrey and bassist Nick Sewell left their previous project TCHORT in August of 2002, the garage-metal band of nearly 10 years had played with practically every heavy band that came through town - from the trippy sludge of KYUSS, to the shrieking metal fury of KING DIAMOND - and everyone in between. Born a week apart apart in December of 1975, Godfrey and Sewell had a vision for the new band they wished to form. Citing what would later become a mantra for the project - Godfrey coined the phrase 'Instant Gratification' to describe the band's desire to embrace musical exploration but with a simple and understandble delievery that was free of 'prog' indulgence. Completing the line-up for the new project was long time friend and colleague Jim Gering on drums. Having shared a stage with the likes of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and CLUTCH drumming for feline rockers Nice Cat, Gering's manic stomp completed the band's look and sound. This was to be a band of ILLUMINATI, the enlightened, the initiated. It would be a forum for players who were just as sick of lame stage shows as they were of late 90's stoner-rock ambivalence.
Wasting no time, THE ILLUMINATI exploded on to the scene with what Now Magazine called a "blistering" 16 minute EP recorded by noted producer Ian Blurton (The Weakerthans, Lowest Of The Low, Tricky Woo). The 6 song affair garnered critical praise to match their fierce reputation as a live band, causing the Montreal Mirror to dub them 'the rock kings from T-Dot.' The self-titled offering will be re-released April 20th, 2004 with bonus live material via Indiestructable Records/Maple/Universal in Canada and available in Europe through Dogbreath/Sound Pollution.
But just as their self-titled debut will be hitting stores, THE ILLUMINATI are ready to unleash the best Canadian guitar record in years - THE ILLUMINATI: ON BORROWED TIME. The 12 song opus finds the ILLUMINATI doctrine of musicality fully realized - profound and melodic compositions hurled headlong into visceral, sleazy 3 minute rock epics. Having completed production (again with Blurton at Chemical Sound), the band is currently shopping ON BORROWED TIME for a summer release.
Given the esoteric origins of their name, it's fair to say that symbolism has been a powerful force for THE ILLUMINATI. For starters, everyone in the band is left-handed. Even stranger, all three members play their instruments 'right-handed'. Consider the sacred, equilateral geometry of a pyramid implied by the band's three members. Even the musical influences at play read like a conspiracy novel, a multi-layered political intrigue drawing parallels at each turn.
Melodic and exploratory, yet fast and mean, THE ILLUMINATI offer a refreshing return to musical virtuosity - conjuring wild specters of rock ?n roll's greatest legacies. Sneaky details like moments of metal-blues fusion and impeccably written noodley jazz codas recall a time before today's genre-bound constraints. As any mystic will tell you, there are no coincidences. It is time to return to a sense of wonder. It is time for THE ILLUMINATI.
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