Hollywood Undead
Encyclopedia
Hollywood Undead is an American rap rock
band from Los Angeles, California. They released their debut album, Swan Songs
, on September 2, 2008, and their live CD/DVD Desperate Measures
, on November 10, 2009. Their second studio album, American Tragedy
, was released April 5, 2011. All of the band members use pseudonyms and wear their own unique mask, most of which are based on the common hockey goaltender design. The band members currently consist of Charlie Scene, Da Kurlzz, Danny, Funny Man, J-Dog, and Johnny 3 Tears.
(Deuce) posted on the band's MySpace profile to positive reviews, leading them to form the group Hollywood Undead with their friends "Shady" Jeff Philips, George Ragan (Johnny 3 Tears), Jordon Terrell (Charlie Scene), Dylan Alvarez (Funny Man), and Matthew St. Claire (Da Kurlzz). In an interview with Shave magazine, J-Dog explained that when forming the band "Whoever was in the room at the time and played an instrument was in the band." Shady Jeff later left the group reasons currently unknown to the public. He currently works as a mechanic and is working on converting diesel cars into vehicles that can run on vegetable oil.
. The other two years were spent looking for a company that wouldn't try to censor the album. They first signed a record contract with MySpace Records
in 2005 but they left the label after the label tried to censor their first album. They then signed a contract with A&M/Octone Records
and their first album, Swan Songs was released on September 2, 2008 and reached No.22 on the Billboard 200
in its first week of release, selling 21,000 copies; which was later on released in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2009 with two bonus tracks. On June 23, 2009, Hollywood Undead released Swan Songs B-Sides EP
through iTunes.
The band released a CD/DVD set entitled Desperate Measures
on November 10, 2009. The set includes a CD of previously unreleased six new songs, three of which are cover songs, as well a previously unreleased remix of "Everywhere I Go", and six live recordings of songs from Swan Songs
, and a DVD of a full live performance by the band. In December 2009, the band won Best Crunk/Rock Rap Artist at the Rock on Request Awards.
, which is currently on hiatus due to his involvement with Hollywood Undead.
Deuce later released a song titled Story of a Snitch against the group, claiming he was kicked out. The band stated that they didn't want to "stoop to his level" and chose to simply ignore the controversy. In mid-January, the band announced Daniel Murillo was an official member, going by the nickname of "Danny".
Not much was known about the situation until the subject was brought up by interviewer Byan Stars on YouTube. Johnny 3 Tears and Da Kurlzz told the interviewer that the band had to constantly satisfy Deuce while touring. "It was so bad, that I don't think there would've been another record if he was still with us", Da Kurlzz told the interviewer. "We bent over backwards to accommodate Deuce", he said. Johnny 3 Tears, growing weary about the subject, said, "It was just that he didn't like being on the road, so we would have to do things to make him happy. He also claimed to be writing all the songs, and all this B.S.". The band decided to drop the subject afterwards, saying that they have moved on from the situation and would prefer not putting in too much detail.
Martini Beerman of rock.com interviewed Charlie Scene and J-Dog, and the two decided to explain the final events that led up to the split. Charlie Scene told the interviewer, "He wanted to have his personal assistant come on the tour. None of us have personal assistants, we're not egomaniacs. We don't need that, and he wanted the band to pay for it and we did for like four months. After that we were like, 'we're not gonna pay $800 a week to have your buddy out on tour'. We went to the airport to fly out for our next tour, and he didn't show up. We were like, what the fuck do we do? We called him and he didn't answer. So for the first 2 weeks of that tour, I sang all his parts."
. On April 1, 2010, the band started its own iheartradio
station, with horror and thriller tales. In recent interviews, the band has stated intentions to record their second album in summer 2010 and release it in the fall. James Diener, head of the band's record label, confirmed the next album for a fall 2010 release and believes that it will launch the band into more mainstream success, making it a "big next step" for the group. The band has also confirmed that producer Don Gilmore, who also worked on their debut album, has returned to produce the new album. Recording concluded around mid-November and the band began mixing the album the day after Thanksgiving. No official release date has been announced.
The band began a marketing campaign for the second album. They co-headlined the Nightmare After Christmas Tour with Avenged Sevenfold
and Stone Sour
to support the album. On December 8, 2010, the band released the artwork for the album's first single, titled "Hear Me Now
". The track was released on December 13, for radio and on the band's YouTube page, and was made available online as a digital single
on December 21. J-Dog commented that this is his favorite song that the band has done so far. The song's lyrics tell the story of a person who is depressed and hopeless, taking a very somber tone to the track. Despite this, the instruments and melodies contrast to make a "great rock smash", reports AOL Radio
blog. Within its first couple days of release, the single made it to number 2 on the iTunes Rock Chart.
On January 11, 2011, the band announced the upcoming album will be titled American Tragedy
. The next day, they released a preview of the album on their YouTube page. On January 21, they released a new song, "Comin' in Hot
" available for a free download. Also revealed in the "Comin' in Hot" trailer that the new album will be released in March 2011. In a recent interview, the group announced that the official release date for the album would be March 8, 2011 but as of February 22, 2011, it was announced that the album has been pushed back to April 5, 2011.
On February 6, 2011, the band released another song titled "Been to Hell
", for a free download. Hollywood Undead member J-Dog said he will continue to release "sample" music for free download until the album has released, via Hollywood Undead email subscribers, Hollywood Undead website members, and Facebook fans.
American Tragedy turned out to be more successful than their first album Swan Songs, selling about 67,000 copies (66,915) in its debut week, while Swan Songs sold 21,000 copies in its debut. American Tragedy has also peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200
, while Swan Song's highest peak on the Billboard 200 was #22. It has also peaked at #2 on many other charts, while also reaching #1 on the Billboard's Top Hard Rock Albums chart. The album was also very successful in other countries, making #5 in Canada and #43 in the United Kingdom.
To continue promoting the album, the band headlined the Revolt Tour
, along with 10 Years
, Drive A, and New Medicine
. The very successful tour took place between April 6–May 27, 2011. After the tour, the band played several shows in Europe, Canada, and Australia. They will then headline the Endless Summer Tour with All That Remains
and Hyro da Hero, which will take place between July 18–August 7, 2011.
The band announced in August 2011 that they would be releasing a remix album containing remixes of several songs off of the American Tragedy album. The album will include remixes of the tracks "Bullet" and "Le Deux" that are from fans winning a remix contest for each, with the winners earning money, band merchandise, and their track on the EP. A music video will be released for the remix of "Levitate" and the title for the album was confirmed to be American Tragedy Redux
, with a release date of November 21, 2011. On November 1st, 2011, the band set out on another tour titled the "World War III" tour, with Asking Alexandria
, We Came As Romans
, Borgore
, and D.R.U.G.S. Following the "World War III tour", the band will join Avenged Sevenfold
again on the "Buried Alive" tour.
, and their first remix album, American Tragedy Redux
, Charlie Scene announced plans to begin a third studio album in late November 2011. The announcement came after the conclusion of the band's World War III Tour with Asking Alexandria
. Charlie Scene stated that the band will begin writing and recording demos while on the Buried Alive Tour with Avenged Sevenfold
and begin recording once the tour concludes in December 2011. He also stated the album will sound more similar to Swan Songs than American Tragedy. Commenting on the difference in recording this time around, he stated, "I would say that this time the label gave us full creative control. I think it's going to be more like 'Swan Songs' than 'American Tragedy.' It'll be a mixture of both; I mean, we all grow as artists, we get older, and we've been doing it a long time so I think it'll be more like 'Swan Songs' and I think the fans are gonna like it a lot.
with alternative rock
and dance
influence. However, many would identify them as rap rock
or nu metal
. Half of the songs in Swan Songs
display a more party-based style, while the other half show a more serious approach to the album. Songs such as "Young" and "Sell Your Soul" are often praised, while the party-based songs such as "No. 5" and "Everywhere I Go" were often criticized. Many critics have stated to be confused due to the record's constant representation of different sounds.
American Tragedy
continues this style for the most part. The album has less of a party-based style than Swan Songs, and instead follows a more serious approach. The 18-track deluxe version of album only contains 3 songs that are based on sex and drinking, whereas Swan Songs had 6 out of its 14 tracks. Many reviewers have compared this album to Linkin Park
's first two records.
Former members
Touring members
Former touring members
Rap rock
Rap rock is a cross-genre fusing vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock is often confused with rap metal and rapcore, subgenres that include heavy metal-oriented and hardcore punk-oriented bands, respectively....
band from Los Angeles, California. They released their debut album, Swan Songs
Swan Songs (Hollywood Undead album)
Swan Songs is the debut album by Hollywood Undead, released through Octone Records. The album was released on September 2, 2008. "Everywhere I Go" was the first single to be released, it was a web single and was available for download only on iTunes...
, on September 2, 2008, and their live CD/DVD Desperate Measures
Desperate Measures (Hollywood Undead album)
-Disc Two :Live at the Sunshine Theater, Albuquerque, New Mexico and the Marquee Theater, Tempe, Arizona-Chart positions:-Personnel:Hollywood Undead*Charlie Scene - vocals, lead guitar*Da Kurlzz – drums, percussion, screams, vocals Deuce- Lead vocals...
, on November 10, 2009. Their second studio album, American Tragedy
American Tragedy (album)
American Tragedy is the second studio album by American rap rock band Hollywood Undead. Production for the album began following the induction of Daniel Murillo into the band in early 2010 and lasted until December...
, was released April 5, 2011. All of the band members use pseudonyms and wear their own unique mask, most of which are based on the common hockey goaltender design. The band members currently consist of Charlie Scene, Da Kurlzz, Danny, Funny Man, J-Dog, and Johnny 3 Tears.
Formation (2005–2007)
The band originated in 2005 from a song titled "The Kids" that Jorel Decker (J-Dog) and Aron ErlichmanDeuce (singer)
Aron Erlichman , better known by his stage name Deuce, is an American singer, rapper, record producer, and songwriter. Brought to fame as one of the co-founders and lead vocalist of rap rock band Hollywood Undead, Deuce has since branched into solo work and is preparing to release his label debut...
(Deuce) posted on the band's MySpace profile to positive reviews, leading them to form the group Hollywood Undead with their friends "Shady" Jeff Philips, George Ragan (Johnny 3 Tears), Jordon Terrell (Charlie Scene), Dylan Alvarez (Funny Man), and Matthew St. Claire (Da Kurlzz). In an interview with Shave magazine, J-Dog explained that when forming the band "Whoever was in the room at the time and played an instrument was in the band." Shady Jeff later left the group reasons currently unknown to the public. He currently works as a mechanic and is working on converting diesel cars into vehicles that can run on vegetable oil.
Swan Songs, Desperate Measures, and Record Deal (2007–2009)
The band only took one year working on their debut album, Swan SongsSwan Songs (Hollywood Undead album)
Swan Songs is the debut album by Hollywood Undead, released through Octone Records. The album was released on September 2, 2008. "Everywhere I Go" was the first single to be released, it was a web single and was available for download only on iTunes...
. The other two years were spent looking for a company that wouldn't try to censor the album. They first signed a record contract with MySpace Records
MySpace Records
Myspace Records is a record label founded in 2005 to sign artists who appear on the social networking site MySpace. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of MySpace and parent News Corporation, operating as a joint-venture between MySpace and Interscope Records...
in 2005 but they left the label after the label tried to censor their first album. They then signed a contract with A&M/Octone Records
A&M/Octone Records
A&M/Octone Records is an American record label and a joint venture between Universal Music Group and Octone Records, also known as OctoScope Music...
and their first album, Swan Songs was released on September 2, 2008 and reached No.22 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
in its first week of release, selling 21,000 copies; which was later on released in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2009 with two bonus tracks. On June 23, 2009, Hollywood Undead released Swan Songs B-Sides EP
Swan Songs B-Sides EP
Swan Songs B-Sides EP is an EP by Hollywood Undead, that was released on June 23, 2009, and consists of 4 b-side songs that were recorded during the sessions of the album Swan Songs but didn't make the album....
through iTunes.
The band released a CD/DVD set entitled Desperate Measures
Desperate Measures (Hollywood Undead album)
-Disc Two :Live at the Sunshine Theater, Albuquerque, New Mexico and the Marquee Theater, Tempe, Arizona-Chart positions:-Personnel:Hollywood Undead*Charlie Scene - vocals, lead guitar*Da Kurlzz – drums, percussion, screams, vocals Deuce- Lead vocals...
on November 10, 2009. The set includes a CD of previously unreleased six new songs, three of which are cover songs, as well a previously unreleased remix of "Everywhere I Go", and six live recordings of songs from Swan Songs
Swan Songs (Hollywood Undead album)
Swan Songs is the debut album by Hollywood Undead, released through Octone Records. The album was released on September 2, 2008. "Everywhere I Go" was the first single to be released, it was a web single and was available for download only on iTunes...
, and a DVD of a full live performance by the band. In December 2009, the band won Best Crunk/Rock Rap Artist at the Rock on Request Awards.
Departure of Deuce
In early 2010, the band announced that singer, Deuce, had left the band due to musical differences. Hints of Deuce's departure were noticed when he did not take part in the Vatos Locos tour. After a couple weeks on tour, the band asked long-time friend, Daniel Murillo, to fill in for Deuce's role. This was not too long after Murillo had just advanced past the auditions for season 9 of American Idol. Murillo decided to drop out of the competition and join the band. Daniel Murillo was also the lead singer of the band, Lorene DriveLorene Drive
Lorene Drive is an American rock band from Victorville, California. They were formed in 2002. They were a part of the 2005 – 2007 Vans Warped Tour, 2006 The Bamboozle coast tour, and the 2005 Taste of Chaos tour...
, which is currently on hiatus due to his involvement with Hollywood Undead.
Deuce later released a song titled Story of a Snitch against the group, claiming he was kicked out. The band stated that they didn't want to "stoop to his level" and chose to simply ignore the controversy. In mid-January, the band announced Daniel Murillo was an official member, going by the nickname of "Danny".
Not much was known about the situation until the subject was brought up by interviewer Byan Stars on YouTube. Johnny 3 Tears and Da Kurlzz told the interviewer that the band had to constantly satisfy Deuce while touring. "It was so bad, that I don't think there would've been another record if he was still with us", Da Kurlzz told the interviewer. "We bent over backwards to accommodate Deuce", he said. Johnny 3 Tears, growing weary about the subject, said, "It was just that he didn't like being on the road, so we would have to do things to make him happy. He also claimed to be writing all the songs, and all this B.S.". The band decided to drop the subject afterwards, saying that they have moved on from the situation and would prefer not putting in too much detail.
Martini Beerman of rock.com interviewed Charlie Scene and J-Dog, and the two decided to explain the final events that led up to the split. Charlie Scene told the interviewer, "He wanted to have his personal assistant come on the tour. None of us have personal assistants, we're not egomaniacs. We don't need that, and he wanted the band to pay for it and we did for like four months. After that we were like, 'we're not gonna pay $800 a week to have your buddy out on tour'. We went to the airport to fly out for our next tour, and he didn't show up. We were like, what the fuck do we do? We called him and he didn't answer. So for the first 2 weeks of that tour, I sang all his parts."
American Tragedy and Redux (2010–2011)
The band soon began writing material for their second studio album; American TragedyAmerican Tragedy (album)
American Tragedy is the second studio album by American rap rock band Hollywood Undead. Production for the album began following the induction of Daniel Murillo into the band in early 2010 and lasted until December...
. On April 1, 2010, the band started its own iheartradio
Iheartradio
iHeartRadio is a Clear Channel Radio network to aggregate local radio brands, personalities and on-demand content. It is best known as a mobile application...
station, with horror and thriller tales. In recent interviews, the band has stated intentions to record their second album in summer 2010 and release it in the fall. James Diener, head of the band's record label, confirmed the next album for a fall 2010 release and believes that it will launch the band into more mainstream success, making it a "big next step" for the group. The band has also confirmed that producer Don Gilmore, who also worked on their debut album, has returned to produce the new album. Recording concluded around mid-November and the band began mixing the album the day after Thanksgiving. No official release date has been announced.
The band began a marketing campaign for the second album. They co-headlined the Nightmare After Christmas Tour with Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California. Formed in 1999, the group consists of vocalist M. Shadows, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ....
and Stone Sour
Stone Sour
Stone Sour is an American rock band from Des Moines, Iowa. Since 2006, the group has been composed of Corey Taylor , Jim Root , Josh Rand, , Shawn Economaki and Roy Mayorga . Original drummer Joel Ekman left the group in 2006...
to support the album. On December 8, 2010, the band released the artwork for the album's first single, titled "Hear Me Now
Hear Me Now (song)
"Hear Me Now" is a song by American rock band Hollywood Undead, the first single from their second full-length album, American Tragedy, and the sixth track on that album. It is the band's sixth overall single in their discography. It is also the first media released by the band without...
". The track was released on December 13, for radio and on the band's YouTube page, and was made available online as a digital single
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
on December 21. J-Dog commented that this is his favorite song that the band has done so far. The song's lyrics tell the story of a person who is depressed and hopeless, taking a very somber tone to the track. Despite this, the instruments and melodies contrast to make a "great rock smash", reports AOL Radio
AOL Radio
AOL Radio powered by Slacker, , is an online radio service available only in the United States.- Roots :...
blog. Within its first couple days of release, the single made it to number 2 on the iTunes Rock Chart.
On January 11, 2011, the band announced the upcoming album will be titled American Tragedy
American Tragedy
American Tragedy was a post-hardcore/metalcore band from San Diego, California. In 2002, they released a split album with the metalcore band As I Lay Dying on Pluto Records....
. The next day, they released a preview of the album on their YouTube page. On January 21, they released a new song, "Comin' in Hot
Comin' in Hot
"Comin' in Hot" is a song by American rock band Hollywood Undead. It is the fourth single from their second full-length album, American Tragedy, and the third track on that album. It is the band's tenth overall single in their discography...
" available for a free download. Also revealed in the "Comin' in Hot" trailer that the new album will be released in March 2011. In a recent interview, the group announced that the official release date for the album would be March 8, 2011 but as of February 22, 2011, it was announced that the album has been pushed back to April 5, 2011.
On February 6, 2011, the band released another song titled "Been to Hell
Been to Hell
"Been to Hell" is a song by American rap rock band Hollywood Undead, the second single from their second full-length album, American Tragedy, and the first track on that album. It is the band's eighth overall single in their discography. The track was released as a free download on the band's...
", for a free download. Hollywood Undead member J-Dog said he will continue to release "sample" music for free download until the album has released, via Hollywood Undead email subscribers, Hollywood Undead website members, and Facebook fans.
American Tragedy turned out to be more successful than their first album Swan Songs, selling about 67,000 copies (66,915) in its debut week, while Swan Songs sold 21,000 copies in its debut. American Tragedy has also peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, while Swan Song's highest peak on the Billboard 200 was #22. It has also peaked at #2 on many other charts, while also reaching #1 on the Billboard's Top Hard Rock Albums chart. The album was also very successful in other countries, making #5 in Canada and #43 in the United Kingdom.
To continue promoting the album, the band headlined the Revolt Tour
Revolt Tour
The Revolt Tour was a tour by rap rock band Hollywood Undead, taking place in support of their second studio album American Tragedy, which was released on April 5, 2011. The tour began the day after the album's North American release on April 6, 2011...
, along with 10 Years
10 Years
10 Years is an American alternative metal band, formed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1999.-Early Years, Into the Half Moon :10 Years was initially formed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1999 with singer Mike Underdown, drummer Brian Vodinh, bassist Lewis Cosby, and guitarists Ryan "Tater" Johnson and Matt...
, Drive A, and New Medicine
New Medicine
New Medicine is an American rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, formed in 2009. They signed to Photo Finish Records after forming the new Band . Their debut album, Race You to the Bottom was released September 18, 2010.-Studio albums:-Singles:...
. The very successful tour took place between April 6–May 27, 2011. After the tour, the band played several shows in Europe, Canada, and Australia. They will then headline the Endless Summer Tour with All That Remains
All That Remains (band)
All That Remains is an American heavy metal band from Springfield, Massachusetts, which formed in 1998. They have released five studio albums, a live CD/DVD, and have sold nearly 800,000 records...
and Hyro da Hero, which will take place between July 18–August 7, 2011.
The band announced in August 2011 that they would be releasing a remix album containing remixes of several songs off of the American Tragedy album. The album will include remixes of the tracks "Bullet" and "Le Deux" that are from fans winning a remix contest for each, with the winners earning money, band merchandise, and their track on the EP. A music video will be released for the remix of "Levitate" and the title for the album was confirmed to be American Tragedy Redux
American Tragedy Redux
American Tragedy Redux is the first remix album by American rap rock band Hollywood Undead, taking songs exclusively off the band's 2011 studio album, American Tragedy, and remixing them. The album was released on November 21, 2011 by A&M/Octone Records...
, with a release date of November 21, 2011. On November 1st, 2011, the band set out on another tour titled the "World War III" tour, with Asking Alexandria
Asking Alexandria
Asking Alexandria are a British metalcore band from York, North Yorkshire. Founded in 2008 when Ben Bruce contacted his old companions upon returning to the UK after residing in Dubai...
, We Came As Romans
We Came as Romans
We Came as Romans is an American rock band from Troy, Michigan. Formed in 2005, the band signed to Equal Vision Records in April 2009 and have released two EPs, Demonstrations and Dreams , and two full-length albums, To Plant a Seed and Understanding What We've Grown to Be...
, Borgore
Borgore
Asaf Borger , known professionally as Borgore, is an Israeli dubstep producer and disc jockey . He is the founder of Buygore Records and former drummer of Israeli death metal band Shabira. Known as Gorestep, his music incorporates triplet drum patterns with heavy metal influences. Some songs have...
, and D.R.U.G.S. Following the "World War III tour", the band will join Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California. Formed in 1999, the group consists of vocalist M. Shadows, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ....
again on the "Buried Alive" tour.
Third studio album (2011-present)
Following extensive touring throughout 2011 to promote their second studio album, American TragedyAmerican Tragedy (album)
American Tragedy is the second studio album by American rap rock band Hollywood Undead. Production for the album began following the induction of Daniel Murillo into the band in early 2010 and lasted until December...
, and their first remix album, American Tragedy Redux
American Tragedy Redux
American Tragedy Redux is the first remix album by American rap rock band Hollywood Undead, taking songs exclusively off the band's 2011 studio album, American Tragedy, and remixing them. The album was released on November 21, 2011 by A&M/Octone Records...
, Charlie Scene announced plans to begin a third studio album in late November 2011. The announcement came after the conclusion of the band's World War III Tour with Asking Alexandria
Asking Alexandria
Asking Alexandria are a British metalcore band from York, North Yorkshire. Founded in 2008 when Ben Bruce contacted his old companions upon returning to the UK after residing in Dubai...
. Charlie Scene stated that the band will begin writing and recording demos while on the Buried Alive Tour with Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California. Formed in 1999, the group consists of vocalist M. Shadows, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ....
and begin recording once the tour concludes in December 2011. He also stated the album will sound more similar to Swan Songs than American Tragedy. Commenting on the difference in recording this time around, he stated, "I would say that this time the label gave us full creative control. I think it's going to be more like 'Swan Songs' than 'American Tragedy.' It'll be a mixture of both; I mean, we all grow as artists, we get older, and we've been doing it a long time so I think it'll be more like 'Swan Songs' and I think the fans are gonna like it a lot.
Musical style
Hollywood Undead's music features a wide variety of musical styles, generally blending hip hopHip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
with alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
and dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
influence. However, many would identify them as rap rock
Rap rock
Rap rock is a cross-genre fusing vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock is often confused with rap metal and rapcore, subgenres that include heavy metal-oriented and hardcore punk-oriented bands, respectively....
or nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
. Half of the songs in Swan Songs
Swan Songs (Hollywood Undead album)
Swan Songs is the debut album by Hollywood Undead, released through Octone Records. The album was released on September 2, 2008. "Everywhere I Go" was the first single to be released, it was a web single and was available for download only on iTunes...
display a more party-based style, while the other half show a more serious approach to the album. Songs such as "Young" and "Sell Your Soul" are often praised, while the party-based songs such as "No. 5" and "Everywhere I Go" were often criticized. Many critics have stated to be confused due to the record's constant representation of different sounds.
American Tragedy
American Tragedy
American Tragedy was a post-hardcore/metalcore band from San Diego, California. In 2002, they released a split album with the metalcore band As I Lay Dying on Pluto Records....
continues this style for the most part. The album has less of a party-based style than Swan Songs, and instead follows a more serious approach. The 18-track deluxe version of album only contains 3 songs that are based on sex and drinking, whereas Swan Songs had 6 out of its 14 tracks. Many reviewers have compared this album to Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
's first two records.
Band members
Current members- Charlie Scene – vocalsRappingRapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
, backing vocals, lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
(since 2005) - Da Kurlzz – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, screamsScreaming (music)Screaming is a vocal technique that is most popular in subgenres of heavy metal, punk and hard rock, including metalcore, deathcore, post-hardcore, groove metal, black metal, and grindcore...
(since 2005) - Danny – clean vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(since 2009) - J-Dog – rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
, vocals (since 2005); bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(since 2011) - Johnny 3 Tears – vocals, screams (since 2005)
- Funny Man – vocals (since 2005)
Former members
- DeuceDeuce (singer)Aron Erlichman , better known by his stage name Deuce, is an American singer, rapper, record producer, and songwriter. Brought to fame as one of the co-founders and lead vocalist of rap rock band Hollywood Undead, Deuce has since branched into solo work and is preparing to release his label debut...
– vocals (2005–2009) - Shady Jeff – vocals, management (2005–2007)
Touring members
- Daren Pfeifer – drums (since 2010)
Former touring members
- Biscuitz – drums (2008–2010)
Discography
Studio albums- 2008: Swan SongsSwan Songs (Hollywood Undead album)Swan Songs is the debut album by Hollywood Undead, released through Octone Records. The album was released on September 2, 2008. "Everywhere I Go" was the first single to be released, it was a web single and was available for download only on iTunes...
- 2011: American TragedyAmerican Tragedy (album)American Tragedy is the second studio album by American rap rock band Hollywood Undead. Production for the album began following the induction of Daniel Murillo into the band in early 2010 and lasted until December...