Diamonds in the Rough 11.21.08 Drowning Pool!!
Posted by Leo Rivera on 11.21.2008
Your Body will hit the floor once these Texans give you 37 Stitches!
Since the early days of the original "Cowboys from Hell", Pantera, in the early ninety's, Texas has been a staple of the heavy metal scene, proving that rednecks and metal can be a lethal combination. There's a redeeming quality about the sweltering Texas heat and the Black Tooth Grins made famous by the late great Dimebag Darrell inspired Texans to bang their heads and raise their bull horns to the sky. They were four Texans in particular that were inspired enough by Pantera's movement that they embarked on their own metal journey and carry the rebel flag right into the battleground that was nu-metal.
It is ironic that as one of the baddest metal bands of all time (Pantera) disbanded and the sun set on their career, the sun was beginning to rise for a new generation of Texas metal breed…Drowning Pool!! Dave Williams (vocals), Stevie Benton (bass), Mike Luce (drums) and CJ Pierce (guitars) were influenced by Pantera and were hell bent on carrying the torch that Dimebag and Co. carried so proudly for over a decade. Very much in the vein of their predecessors, Drowning Pools form of metal represented the blue collar work ethic of Texas, combined with a kick your teeth down your throat badass attitude.
Drowning Pool formed in the late ‘90's and rose to prominence on metal's biggest platform (at the time) Ozzfest, in the summer of 2001. It was there where Drowning Pool first introduced the metal world to the mosher's anthem, "Bodies" which set the second stage of Ozzfest on fire. It also set the Billboard charts on fire, and a mere six months after their debut album Sinner hit store shelves it was certified platinum. They became THE band to see on the second stage and stole the show every day. Whether it was playing at the obscure hour of 9:20 am or at 5:00 pm, fans left Ozzfest saying "whoever that band was I want more of that!!" Aside from the massive hit single "Bodies", Sinner was chalk full of in your face metal songs that were reminiscent of Pantera's attitude. Songs like "Pity", "All Over Me", "I Am", and the title track were enough to get even the most stubborn metal fan banging their heads and pumping their fists in the sky. Then there was the brooding and narcissistic "Tear Away" in which Williams proclaimed "I don't care about anyone else but me."
Things were rolling for Drowning Pool in the summer of 2001, but it all came to a screeching halt after the September 11th attacks. Sympathizing with families of the fallen victims, mainstream radio and television banned "Bodies" and anything else associated with Drowning Pool, for months. So Drowning Pool did what every other band in the genre did at the time (and has done since then) they took their show on the road. To all of those fans that were already exposed to them thanks to their Ozzfest notoriety and in hopes of garnering new fans one at a time with their raw powered live show. Live has always been the name of the game for metal bands. Due to the overwhelming success of Sinner, Drowning Pool found themselves headlining shows with just one album worth of material. Instead of seeing this as a determent to their shows, they saw this as an opportunity to pay homage to the bands that they loved. It was not rare for the band to play covers of Motley Crue ("Shout at the Devil"), Pantera ("Walk"), and Metallica ("Creeping Death") during their live show.
By the summer of 2002, Drowning Pool had become such an established act on the live circuit, that they were asked (by Sharon Osborne no less) to play the main stage at that years Ozzfest. It was unprecedented that a band who had just debuted on the 2nd stage the previous year, to be asked just one year later to be one of the headliners of metals most prestigious festival. Their appearance on the main stage was met with overwhelming approval by diehard Ozzy fans. 2002 could not have been going any better for Drowning Pool…until one fateful summer night. On August 14th, 2002, while on tour with Ozzfest, lead singer Dave Williams was found dead inside his tour bus. Speculation arose that he had been on a drinking binge the night before with other bands and had gotten back to the bus wasted, fell asleep and choked on his own vomit (ala Bonn Scott). But the medical examiner's office later concluded that Dave had suffered from heart disease.
Dave Williams sudden and tragic death was a shot heard around the metal world. The lead singer of a band that was beginning to take the metal scene by storm was gone, way too soon. A DVD entitled Sinema was released later that year and featured an outpouring of bands paying tribute to a fallen brother. Everyone from P.O.D. to System of a Down, Rob Zombie, Dimebag Darrell and The Ozzman himself all had heartfelt words to say about Williams.
There was no doubt that Drowning Pool had a promising career in front of them. But now all of that was put into question. Many said that the remaining members of the band were too talented to let it all go to waste. At the time, there was an offer on the table from Wind-Up Records (the bands label at the time) for the band to have the lead single in the Dare Devil motion picture soundtrack. After pondering their future, Benton, Pierce, and Luce decided to honor Williams by keeping the band alive. Still without a permanent lead singer, none other than Rob Zombie eagerly stepped up to the plate to lend his vocals to "The Man without Fear." Recording the track with Zombie instilled newfound confidence in the bands remaining members, they went on the look out to find Daves replacement. Finding a replacement for the charismatic Williams was no easy task, but the band eventually settled on Jason "Gong" Jones. They immediately returned to the studio to record the follow up to their platinum selling album.
Desensitized was released in 2004 and featured the fight anthem ": Step up" as its lead single. "Step Up" quickly climbed up the rock charts as anticipation grew for the release of desensitized. Jones' vocals were a little deeper and raspier than Williams' voice, which added a slightly heavier element to the bands already heavy sound. Songs like "Think" and "Numb" highlighted a more brooding and methodical Drowning Pool (who were still reeling from Dave's death). But the standout track on Desensitized is "Love and War" a power ballad 9if you want to call it that) that showcases Jones vocal abilities (definitely a lost gem in the Drowning Pool catalog).
Despite the success of the albums lead single, Desensitized failed to be as successful as Sinner. As time went on, it became more apparent that the band was not jelling with Jones on a personal or a professional level. You see, Jones had a tendency to talk out of his ass and act like his shit didn't stink. This is ironic for a guy who was struggling to make it in the industry, until Drowning Pool gave him a shot at their already established spotlight. He even went as far as to tell Revolver magazine in 2004 that he wasn't worried about fitting into Dave Williams shoes, arrogantly saying "My shoes fit me just fine thank you very much." While undoubtedly talented, Jones overwhelming arrogance and inability to humbly and respectfully fit into Williams spot, led to his inevitable downfall. Citing irreconcilable differences, Jones was dismissed on June 14, 2005.
Shortly after Jones departure, the rumor mill began to swirl as to who would be the new singer. Several top names in the metal game were considered, such as Pat Lachman (DamgePlan) and even Phil Anselmo (Pantera, Down, Super joint Ritual). The new front man was formally introduced at a one off performance on August 25th, 2005 in Dallas, Texas. The man in question turned out to be none other than ex-Soil front man Ryan McCombs. There was a huge irony behind this whole situation. Almost three years to that day, back on August 13th 2002, during an Ozzfest stop in Dallas, Dave Williams invited his good friend from Soil on stage to jam to "Bodies" just one day before his untimely death. So then 3 years later Ryan returned to rightfully carry the torch for his fallen friend in the stage where he last played.
Ryan had built a reputation while in Soil for being an enigmatic front man with the ability and prowess to put most of his contemporary's to shame. Commanding the stage like he owns it. Ryan took his new position as a badge of honor (not like Jason "Douche Bag" Jones) and the rest of the band embraced him like a long lost brother. This time around, Drowning Pool took their time jamming before entering the studio and spent most of 2006 in a dispute with Wind-Up records that ended with them leaving the label (they didn't need that Creed, Evanescence label anyway). They signed with upstart Eleven Seven Music (whose president is none other than Nikki Sixx) and turned all their attention to starting on a clean slate.
The result of the new more focused Drowning Pool was Full Circle, released in 20007. The first single was "Soldiers" a raucous anthem that pays tribute to the troops overseas fighting the good fight for us. Drowning Pool even went on an extended USO tour playing Afghanistan and Iraq. Full Circle has also spawned the singles "Enemy" (which is a direct message from Ryan to his former band mates at from Soil) and the groundbreaking "37 Stitches" now this song my friend is a must hear for any new or old fan, and that's all I got to say about that. Other standout tracks include "Shame" and a cover of Billy idols "Rebel Yell." Drowning Pool has been touring for over a year now and are wrapping up their Full Circle tour this fall by hitting the road with Tantric and Saliva (on Saliva's Family reunion tour). With Ryan now on board and Drowning Pool sounding more badass than ever it is no doubt that these boys have indeed come Full circle.
