Cephalic Carnage are a grindcore/death metal band from Colorado, USA who have dubbed their sound "Hydrogrind" because of their appreciation for marijuana along with grindcore and death metal. The band was formed in 1992 by vocalist Leonard "Lenzig" Leal and guitarist Zac Joe but went on hiatus shortly after recording a demo tape. The band was resurrected in 1996 and Leal and Joe were joined by long-time mainstays Steve Goldberg (guitar) and John Merryman (drums). The band signed with Relapse Records in 2000. Although primarily a grindcore/death metal band, Cephalic Carnage have also experimented with doom metal, sludge, and metalcore (the latter as parody resulting in the song "Dying Will Be The Death Of Me" which appeared on 2005's "Anomolies" LP).
Formed in Denver, Colorado, United States Cephalic Carnage has set out to break down musical barriers by raising both the expectations and standards of extremity in heavy music. A unique musical hybrid, Cephalic Carnage thrives on integrating experimental aspects into their unique, forward-thinking style.
In 1998, the band released their debut album, ?Conforming To Abnormality? and instantly hit the road in support of the album. The band laid waste to metal fans nationwide with crushing sets at the Milwaukee Metalfest, Dallas Grindfest, March Metal Meltdown, Ohio Deathfest, and the November To Dismember, stopping at nothing to bring their futuristic sounds to the masses.
Soon following, Cephalic Carnage joined the Relapse Records family. The band's initiation consisted of joining labelmates Soilent Green, Today is the Day, Exhumed, and Nasum on the 1999 Relapse Records Contamination Tour.
In December 1999, Cephalic Carnage recorded their Relapse debut, ?Exploiting Dysfunction?. Shortly after, their U.S. tour with labelmates The Dillinger Escape Plan showcased some of extreme music's most forward-thinking and jaw-dropping live acts. Cephalic then amazed the crowd at the 2002 SXSW Festival in Austin, TX (alongside labelmates Mastodon and High on Fire, debuting new material in front of a crowd of unsuspecting music fans.
In 2002, the band unveiled 'Lucid Interval,' a high-impact dose of unique sounds combining various styles of heavy music with elements of jazz-fusion and an ultra-keen sense of progression. Recorded by longtime friend Dave Otero, ?Lucid?? accelerated their creativity while delivering a thought-provoking eye-opening to the musical status quo. Press accolades poured in upon the album's release (being described as ?insanely gifted? by AP) and the band hit the tour trail yet again.
Cephalic Carnage hit the road as part of the 2003 Relapse Records Contamination Tour (with labelmates Mastodon) before joining up with Shadows Fall, Unearth, and Hatebreed for U.S. treks. Cephalic finished off the 'Lucid Interval" World Tour with European runs with Exhumed and Macabre.
Upon returning home, Cephalic Carnage began writing for what would become the ?Anomalies' album. ?Anomalies? showed Cephalic?s skill for intermixing spine-tingling passages of hypersonic grindcore, slow motion doom metal and far-out rock and roll, beckoning listeners to enter their outlandish musical world.
With ?Anomalies?, Cephalic once-again made an impression upon the press world with terms such as ?progressive and pulverizing? (Revolver), ?challenging? (Rock Sound), and ?inventive? (Decibel) swirling around the album?s release in March of 2005.
?Anomalies? was backed by endless touring from the band. Touring that included headlining North American and European tours and appearances at Independence D Fest (Japan), SXSW, New England Metal and Hardcore Fest, and many more. Cephalic was in the company of the up-n-coming metal-elite during these tours including Mastodon, Shadows Fall, High on Fire, Origin, Strapping Young Lad, The Black Dahlia Murder and more.
The first music video from ?Anomalies?, for the track ?Dying Will Be The Death of Me?, also exposed the band in the TV medium for the first time ever. Appearances on worldwide music television shows, including MTV2?s ?Headbanger?s Ball?, the FUSE network's ?Metal Asylum?, and more, exposed the band to legions of new fans.
Winter of 2006 saw the band completing work on their own Denver based recording studio, creating a very nurturing home to incubate ideas for their brand new full-length, ?Xenosapien?. To record ?Xenosapien?, the band called upon Dave Otero once again to produce and engineer the record. ?Xenosapien?'s mind-bending, technical insanity/mastery collides head on with the band's brutal metal roots to form their most immediate, hard-hitting, and finest album to date.
?Xenosapien? is set for a May 2007 release date and sees these unconventional visionaries ready to lead metal well into the 21st century.
Cephalic Carnage:
Lenzig Leal: Vocals
Zac Joe: Guitar
John Merryman: Drums
Steve Goldberg: Guitar
Nick Schendzielos: Bass
Cephalic Carnage online:
www.CephalicCarnage.net
www.myspace.com/CephalicCarnage
www.purevolume.com/CephalicCarnage
1992
From Wikipedia:Cephalic Carnage is an American grindcore band formed in 1992 in Denver, Colorado. The band comprises vocalist Lenzig Leal, guitarists Steve Goldberg and Brian Hopp, drummer John Merryman and bassist Nick Schendzielos. Cephalic Carnage has released five studio albums and toured in North America, Europe and Japan.
Cephalic Carnage plays a technically proficient deathgrind style, experiments with other genres and incorporates songs of joke nature into their albums, such as parodies of black metal or metalcore. They refer themselves as "rocky mountain hydro grind".