atheist
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a·the·ist
(ā'thē-ĭst) 
n.
One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods.
n.
One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods.
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atheist
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atheist
IN BRIEF: Someone who denies the existence of a god.
The atheist never goes to church.
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Atheist
- Genres: Rock
Biography
Arguably the ultimate progressive metal band of their day, Atheist's impossibly Byzantine death-jazz proved too advanced even for committed metalheads to stomach. Over the span of three albums admirably recorded in spite of crippling adversity, the band's inventive but inaccessible style has earned them a lasting respect, but likewise compromised their chances of attaining widespread success.Atheist started out as typical '80s thrash metal band. Founded in 1984 by vocalist and guitarist Kelly Shaefer and drummer Steve Flynn under the name of Oblivion and then R.A.V.A.G.E (Raging Atheists Vowing A Gory End), their shuffling lineup only stabilized years later with the arrival of bassist Roger Patterson and guitarist Mark Sczawtsberg. Settling on the name Atheist, the band suddenly began evolving at a fast clip, their gradual path towards an extremely complex brand of death metal documented in a series of compilations and demo tapes along the way. With the arrival of guitarist Randy Burkey in 1988, Atheist secured a deal with Mean Machine Records and issued their first album Piece of Time the following year (when the label went bankrupt, the album was picked up by Active Records). An amazingly dense and challenging record, it's head-spinning arrangements and dissonant riffing stumped most casual listeners but wowed critics with the sheer audacity of the band's death-jazz. Tours of Europe, Canada, and the United States would follow, and Atheist had already begun work on a follow-up when tragedy struck. Returning home from a road jaunt supporting Swedish doomsters Candlemass in February 1991, their van suffered a horrific crash, Patterson dying in Shaefer's arms by the roadside. The trauma was almost too much for Atheist to overcome but they eventually decided to carry on, and with session work by Cynic bassist Tony Choy, the Unquestionable Presence LP was released later that year. Possibly their finest hour, it not only served as a tribute to Patterson, but also managed to perfect the debut's seething intensity into an even sharper focus. Darren McFarland became their new touring bassist, but following just a few local dates, Shaefer decided to focus on his more rock-oriented side project Neurotica. But Atheist still owed Active Records one more album, so Shaefer, Burkey, and a returning Choy joined with guitarist Frank Emmi and drummer Marcel Dissantos to record 1993's Elements. Rising to the challenge, Shaefer and company bolstered the use of melody and experimented with a wide array of different musical styles, resulting in a remarkably strong effort considering the band's hand had been forced in the first place. Then, their responsibilities fulfilled, Atheist finally disbanded and Shaefer resumed his work with Neurotica, although 21st century re-formation rumors have surfaced on occasion. ~ Mike DaRonco & Ed Rivadavia, Rovi
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Atheist (band)
| Atheist | |
|---|---|
 Live at Hole In The Sky, Bergen Metal Fest 2006 |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Sarasota, Florida, United States |
| Genres | Technical death metal, progressive metal,[1] jazz fusion, thrash metal |
| Years active | 1984–1992, 1993–1994, 2006–present |
| Labels | Season of Mist |
| Associated acts | Neurotica, Gnostic, Cynic, Pestilence |
| Website | www.atheistmusic.com |
| Members | |
| Kelly Shaefer Steve Flynn Chris Baker Jason Holloway Travis Morgan |
|
| Past members | |
| Former members | |
Atheist is a death metal band from Florida, founded in 1984, whose music combines Metal riffs with subtle Latin music arrangements and jazz fusion.
|
Contents
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History
The band was founded in 1984 in Florida, USA, firstly under the name Oblivion[2] and later R.A.V.A.G.E. (which stands for Raging Atheists Vowing A Gory End).[2] They recorded their debut album, Piece of Time, in 1988, which was released in Europe in 1989, but not in the United States until 1990. In 1991, bassist Roger Patterson died in a car accident and Atheist recruited Tony Choy to record their second album, Unquestionable Presence. Atheist disbanded for the first time in 1992, reuniting in 1993 and recording their third album Elements, fulfilling their contractual requirements, before disbanding for the second time.
Seven years after their second break up, Kelly Shaefer decided to re-release and remaster their three albums with different bonus tracks.
Shaefer played with Neurotica until 2002, whereas Tony Choy played in a number of other bands, including Area 305, Pestilence and Cynic. In 2001, Kelly Shaefer tried to regroup the band with all the original members with the addition of the acclaimed Kyle Sokol from the Tampa Bay area on bass guitar, replacing Tony Choy due to Choy's other band commitments according to a metal magazine interview. The band reunion at this time never came to fruition due to Neurotica going on OzzFest.
Relapse Records re-issued the band's three albums in late 2005, as well as a vinyl box set containing the three albums plus the R.A.V.A.G.E. demo On They Slay. Former drummer Steve Flynn has recently re-emerged in a new band called Gnostic.
In January 2006, Atheist announced they were regrouping to perform live during the summer and autumn of that year. The line-up was Shaefer, Burkey, Choy and Flynn. Shaefer only provided vocals due to long battles with tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome.[3] Gnostic guitarist Sonny Carson handled all of Shaefer's guitar parts. Recently Chris Baker of Gnostic has been replacing Burkey because of legal troubles.
On July 12, 2008, Shaefer issued the following update: "[I'm] heading to Atlanta next Friday to jam with ATHEIST drummer and my best friend Mr. Steve Flynn, this will mark the first time we have written together since 1991's 'Unquestionable Presence'. So I am curious how it will sound. I know it will be sick, there is a formula that me and Flynn have that automatically sounds like ATHEIST...so it will be fun to hear what it will sound like. And who knows? If it it goes well...?? We will see what happens."[4]
On July 26, 2008, Kelly Shaefer announced through the Atheist Myspace page the recording of a new studio album, which will be their first in 17 years. They also will go on a tour in Europe and the USA in 2009 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the release of their album Piece of Time. A live DVD will also be released from the tour.[5]
On July 11, 2010, the band revealed the upcoming album's name as Jupiter and announced that it is set for a November release.[6] The reformed Atheist have inked a deal with Season of Mist.[7]
On August 3, 2010, Kelly Shaefer and Steve Flynn announced on behalf of the band that Tony Choy would not be appearing on Jupiter but is still likely to appear in live performances with the band due to his own musical aspirations.[8]
On November 8, 2010, Atheist released Jupiter.
Members
Current members
- Kelly Shaefer – vocals (1984–1994, 2006–present), guitars (1984–1994)
- Chris Baker – guitar (2006–present)
- Jason Holloway - guitar (2011–present)
- Travis Morgan – bass (2011–present)
- Steve Flynn – drums (1984–1991, 2006–present)
Former members
- Rand Burkey - guitar (1988–1992, 1993–1994)
- Roger Patterson – bass (1985–1991) (deceased)
- Mike Callahan - guitar (1991)
- Jonathan Thompson - guitar (2009–2011) (bass on Jupiter)
- Frank Emmi – guitar (1993)
- Sonny Carson – guitar (2006-200?)
- Darren McFarland - bass (1991–92) (tour only)
- Mickey Hayes – drums (1993)
- Josh Greenbaum – drums (1993)
- Kyle Sokol – bass (2001)
- Tony Choy – bass (1991, 1993–1994, 2006–2010)
Discography
Studio albums
- Piece of Time (1989)
- Unquestionable Presence (1991)
- Elements (1993)
- Jupiter (2010)
Live albums
Demos
As R.A.V.A.G.E.
- Rotting in Hell (1985)
- On They Slay (1987)
- Hell Hath No Mercy (1987)
As Atheist
- Beyond (1988)
References
- ^ DaRonco, Mike; Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Biography of Atheist". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p3582/biography. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
- ^ a b "Atheist --- Official Relapse Records Band Page". http://shop.relapse.com/artist/artist.aspx?ArtistID=10143. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
- ^ "ATHEIST Regroup, Announce Exclusive ON LIVE TV Festival Appearances". Blabbermouth.net. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=46783. Retrieved 2006-01-13.
- ^ "ATHEIST Members Collaborating On First New Material Since 1991". Blabbermouth.net. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=100804. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
- ^ "Atheist - Writing New Material: News @". Metalstorm.ee. http://www.metalstorm.ee/events/news_comments.php?news_id=6933. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
- ^ "BLABBERMOUTH.NET - ATHEIST: New Album Title Revealed". Roadrunnerrecords.com. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=142828. Retrieved 2011-07-06.
- ^ "Legendary ATHEIST Signs With SEASON OF MIST". Blabbermouth.net. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=115660. Retrieved 2009-03-06.
- ^ "Atheist Part Ways With Tony Choy: News @". Season-of-mist.com. 2010-08-03. http://www.season-of-mist.com/news/detail/atheist-2010-08-03. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
External links
Media related to Atheist (band) at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
- Atheist on Myspace
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