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Phineas Gage is a Progressive Metal band influenced by a variety of bands and styles. Where does the name come from you
ask? Well in 1848, a railroad construction worker by the name of Phineas Gage was going about his business placing blasting
powder between the cracks of a large rock formation to make space for the railroad his crew were putting together. He
accidentally struck a spark against a rock with the iron rod he was using which set off the blasting powder and the rod was
launched through his head. Thankfully his wounds were not fatal, however, the majority of his brain’s le ...read more
Phineas Gage is a Progressive Metal band influenced by a variety of bands and styles. Where does the name come from you
ask? Well in 1848, a railroad construction worker by the name of Phineas Gage was going about his business placing blasting
powder between the cracks of a large rock formation to make space for the railroad his crew were putting together. He
accidentally struck a spark against a rock with the iron rod he was using which set off the blasting powder and the rod was
launched through his head. Thankfully his wounds were not fatal, however, the majority of his brain’s left frontal lobe was
destroyed which resulted in him losing the ability to inhibit his emotions. 160 years later, the case study was brought up in a
Psychology lecture attended by Tony Best. He was in the process of forming a band and decided to name it Phineas Gage,
due to the association with loss of inhibition.
After numerous changes the line-up stabilised in mid 2013. The fivesome began writing and rehearsing vigorously and within a
few months landed a gig at The Roadhouse in Manchester. They released their debut EP 'Pre-Emptive Strike' in early March
2014, described by Prog Metal Zone as ‘powerful, unique and exciting’ and by Echoes and Dust as ‘an accomplished affair’
with ‘great and diverse musicality’.
In the following months, the band began gigging around the North-West of the UK on a regular basis and played shows at
major venues, including Manchester Academy and The Picket in Liverpool, and supported the likes of Disperse, Red Seas Fire
and Kadinja. Gradually, new songs started taking form and the band decided to head back to the studio with Adam Steel of
Banter Media, the producer behind ‘Pre-Emptive Strike’, to record their new album ‘Locus’. The tracks were then sent to
Progressive Rock icon John Mitchell, who has worked with the likes of Architects, Enter Shikari and Funeral for a Friend, at
Outhouse Studios for mixing.
‘Locus’ was released on 30th October 2015 and, according to Prog Metal Zone, features ‘sick head-banging grooves and a
cool punkish energy that is very compelling’. Shortly after the album’s release, the band was selected as Band of the Day by
The Moshville Times who described ‘Locus’ as ‘eight tracks of creative metallic loveliness’ which ‘sews up sounds you wouldn’t
initially expect to work together into a very appealing package’.
The line-up as it stands consists of Karl Brannon on vocals, Liam Croft on guitar/backing vocals, Tony Best on guitar/backing
vocals, Martin O’Shea on bass and Mitch Goon on drums. Karl Brannon was the first of the current members to join Tony, with
a beastly growl and a soaring singing voice that complemented the music perfectly. Soon afterwards multi-talented Liam Croft
got involved, starting out on bass then moving over to guitar duties, adding a host of riff ideas to the mix in the process.
Finding a drummer was difficult due to the complex and fast-paced nature of some of the tracks but Mitch Goon made it look
easy! With an extensive history of playing in metal bands Mitch had no problems learning the songs and adding his own frantic
flair to them. The last member to join was sound engineer and Mathcore aficionado Martin O’Shea. In addition to enhancing
the songs with his contagious grooves, his precise ear for music and meticulous work ethic became a driving force behind the
band’s new album. Past members who also contributed to song writing include Matt Whitwell, James English and James
Sellars.
Regarding the music itself, there are prominent rock, thrash and metalcore elements, with an emphasis on groove, as well as
experimental rhythms and structures and a distinct sense of melody. The guys aren’t afraid to get technical but they also like
to keep it catchy! It is an amalgamation of the members’ broad range of influences forged into a strong and accessible
modern progressive metal sound. « hide |
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