Poison the Well
Encyclopedia
Poison the Well was an experimental
Experimental rock
Experimental rock or avant-garde rock is a type of music based on rock which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique....

 hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...

 band from Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 who were last signed to Ferret Music
Ferret Music
Ferret Music is an independent record label, founded in 1996. The label is owned in part by NORA's vocalist, Carl Severson, and in part by Philadelphian artist manager Paul Conroy, and based in West Windsor Township, New Jersey...

. Guitarist Ryan Primack
Ryan Primack
Ryan Primack is an original member and guitarist of the band Poison the Well. In 1998 Ryan and original vocalist Aryeh Lehrer founded the band, An Acre Lost which later changed their name to Poison the Well. He originally hails from Philadelphia. He was also in Where Fear and Weapons Meet...

 and drummer Chris Hornbrook
Chris A. Hornbrook
Christopher Aaron Hornbrook is a drummer and a founding member of Metalcore/Post-Hardcore band, Poison the Well. He is best known for his solid, dynamic and groove orientated approach to drumming.- Bio :...

 were the only remaining members of the band who were involved since their inception, although vocalist Jeffrey Moreira was the singer on all five full length albums. In 2010, they announced a hiatus to explore other interests.

Formation, debut EP and The Opposite of December (1997–2000)

Poison the Well was originally named "An Acre Lost" and was started by singer Aryeh Lehrer and guitarist Ryan Primack. Shortly after their first release as An Acre Lost, a 12" split with Promise No Tomorrow on OHEV Records, the name of the band was changed to Poison the Well. Poison the Well released their first EP, Distance Only Makes The Heart Grow Fonder
Distance Only Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
Distance Only Makes the Heart Grow Fonder is the first release by experimental hardcore band Poison the Well. Distance Only Makes the Heart Grow Fonder was recorded and released on Good Life Recordings in 1998. The EP was reissued with the title Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder through...

in 1998. The album gained them the attention of Trustkill Records
Trustkill Records
Trustkill Records was an American record label that started as a hardcore punk fanzine in April 1993. It started releasing hardcore, metal and rock records and merchandise in 1994...

 who signed them to a multi-album deal. Poison the Well released their first album with Trustkill in 1999, The Opposite of December... A Season of Separation
The Opposite of December
The Opposite of December... A Season of Separation is the first full-length album by experimental hardcore band Poison the Well. It was very influential on the early popularization of Metalcore around the turn of the century. It was released on December 14, 1999...

. Music magazine, Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...

, cited The Opposite of December to be one of the greatest hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...

 albums of all-time in a 2006 issue.

Tear from the Red (2001–2003)

Tear from the Red
Tear From the Red
Tear from The Red is the second full-length album by experimental hardcore band Poison the Well. It was released on February 19, 2002 via Trustkill Records...

was a transitional record for Poison The Well. Moving away from the traditional metalcore
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...

 sound that they had helped establish and created with The Opposite of December, the band moved into more straight forward songwriting with more melody and more of an overall rock sound. Tear from the Red was recorded in six weeks at Studio 13 in Pompano Beach, Florida for $6,000. The band had wanted to make a record that had more melody but still could be extremely heavy at the same time. After the record was completed, the band started a rigorous tour cycle that took them all over the US and Canada. They toured with many bands including: Hatebreed
Hatebreed
- History :Hatebreed was formed in 1994 in Bridgeport, Waterbury and New Haven. They began by recording a three song demo and selling it to locals. Those three songs would eventually be released on a split seven inch with New York's Neglect in 1995...

, Kittie
Kittie
Kittie is a Canadian heavy metal band formed in London, Ontario in 1996. A quartet of women, the group rose to success in 1999 when the track "Brackish" from their debut album Spit became a hit single...

, Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbandment of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Howard Jones, bassist Mike D'Antonio, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, and drummer...

, Unearth
Unearth
Unearth is an American metalcore band from Winthrop, Massachusetts. Formed in 1998, the group has released five studio albums. Their fourth record, The March was released on October 14, 2008 meeting with high positive reception by many...

, and Eighteen Visions
Eighteen Visions
Eighteen Visions was an American metalcore band from Orange County, California, United States. Formed in October of 1995, the group was one of the first practitioners involved in the metalcore genre...

.

You Come Before You (2003–2005)

The success of Tear from the Red and their continuous touring schedule helped Poison The Well gain the attention of some major labels, which had started to take interest in bands coming from the hardcore scene. The band signed with Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...

 in 2002 and started writing for their third studio album, You Come Before You
You Come Before You
You Come Before You is the third full-length album by American experimental hardcore band Poison the Well. It was released on July 1, 2003. It is the band's first and only release on a major label . More than 115,500 copies of the album have been sold in the U.S...

.

Poison the Well wanted to continue the evolution of their sound and felt that they needed a team of people who understood where they were going and what they wanted to do. They recorded with Swedish producers Pelle Henricsson and Eskil Lövström. Both had worked on many influential mid to late nineties Swedish hardcore records, including Refused
Refused
Refused was a Swedish hardcore punk band originating from Umeå, Sweden, formed in 1991. In total the band released five EPs and three albums, before splitting up in 1998...

's Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent
Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent
Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent is the second full length album by Swedish hardcore punk band Refused. It was released in 1996 through Burning Heart Records. A remastered version of the album was released in 2004...

and The Shape of Punk to Come
The Shape of Punk to Come
The Shape of Punk to Come: A Chimerical Bombination in 12 Bursts is the third and final album released by Swedish hardcore punk band Refused, which was released in October 1998 through Burning Heart Records...

. The band first recorded in Van Nuys, California at Sound City Stuidos and completed the rest at Tonteknik Recording AB in Umeå, Sweden. After the record was complete, the band started a year and a half tour cycle that took them to Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. Towards the end, many of the band members were worn out and unsure if they wanted to continue with Poison the Well.

Versions (2005–2008)

Having experienced some level of success with their previous record, You Come Before You, a long and hard touring cycle left certain members of the band disenchanted. In the summer of 2004, guitarist Derek Miller quit the band. Miller had been in Poison the Well for all three prior releases and was a major part of the writing process. Poison The Well had been in the middle of pre-production for an entire record's worth of material when Miller announced his departure. This material would eventually get scrapped due to the overall unhappiness with the direction he had taken the band. The remaining three members took some time to figure out what they wanted to do. They eventually regrouped, added guitarist Jason Boyer to replace Miller, and started working on new musical ideas that would be the early stages of their fourth studio album, Versions
Versions (Poison the Well album)
Versions is Poison the Well's fourth studio album. It was released on April 2, 2007 in Europe and April 3, 2007 World Wide via Ferret Music...

.

After months of working and writing material, the band set off in early 2005 to work and record with Pelle Henricsson and Eskil Lövström at Tonteknik Studios in Umeå, Sweden. This would be the first session out of three that the band would record for Versions and what would eventually become I/III / II/III / III/III
I/III / II/III / III/III
I/III / II/III / III/III is a limited edition set of three 7" vinyl records by post-hardcore band Poison the Well. The collection features three EPs released both physically and digitally that contain songs written and recorded for the band's fourth studio album, but were never released...

in 2009. They had worked with Henricsson and Lövström on You Come Before You and had been also working with them on follow up material when Derek Miller had quit. The band felt that Henricsson and Lövström were perfect for producing and capturing this "new direction and sound" they were creating and moving towards. After completing the first two recording sessions and returning home, Poison the Well announced that they were parting ways with Atlantic Records after only one album because of "creative differences". Atlantic Records had given full creative control with the writing and recording of You Come Before You, not interfering and allowing the band to do what they pleased. But, after not seeing eye to eye on the direction Poison The Well had decided to move, Atlantic agreed to let the band go.

Even though the band had no label, they returned to writing material for the third and final session. The band had been in contact with Ferret Music
Ferret Music
Ferret Music is an independent record label, founded in 1996. The label is owned in part by NORA's vocalist, Carl Severson, and in part by Philadelphian artist manager Paul Conroy, and based in West Windsor Township, New Jersey...

 president Carl Severson about signing with the label. Serverson had been friends and a fan of the band for many years and expressed interest in signing them. After signing at the end of 2006, the band left once again for Sweden to finish up the record.http://www.lambgoat.com/news/view.aspx?id=7942 Versions was released on Ferret Music on April 2, 2007 in Europe and April 3, 2007 worldwide. On February 22, 2007 they began touring in support of the album.

The Tropic Rot and hiatus (2009–2010)

The writing process for The Tropic Rot
The Tropic Rot
The Tropic Rot is the fifth studio album by American experimental hardcore band Poison the Well. The album was released on July 7, 2009 through Ferret Music. The album was originally intended to be produced by J...

started a few weeks after Poison the Well finished up the touring cycle for Versions
Versions (Poison the Well album)
Versions is Poison the Well's fourth studio album. It was released on April 2, 2007 in Europe and April 3, 2007 World Wide via Ferret Music...

. The band wanted to make a record that was more focused musically and bigger sonically. Poison the Well wrote the entire record in four and a half months in a condemned and haunted bar in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Tropic Rot had originally been slated to be made with producer J. Robbins, but had to be canceled due to a serious family emergency. Steve Evetts
Steve Evetts
Steve Evetts is a music producer who has produced music for Alesana, Poison the Well, A Static Lullaby, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Sepultura, Symphony X, Saves the Day, Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, Story of the Year, Every Time I Die, Earth Crisis, Still Remains and Our Last Night.-Partial...

 was picked among other potential producers the band thought could capture the record the way they wanted it and could start as soon as possible. The record was recorded at Castle Oaks Production and The Candy Shop studios and was released on July 7, 2009 through Ferret Music. The album charted at #180 in its first week of release 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...

.

On July 14, 2010, Poison the Well announced that they are going on hiatus to "explore other interests." Since then, drummer Chris Hornbrook has been working on new music as well as doing drum tech work for bands such as Escape The Fate
Escape The Fate
Escape the Fate is an American post-hardcore band from Las Vegas, Nevada formed in 2005 and originally from Pahrump, Nevada. They have released three EPs and three full-length studio albums. Dying Is Your Latest Fashion was the band's debut album and only album to feature vocalist Ronnie Radke...

.

Lineup before hiatus

  • Jeffrey Moreira – vocals
    Singing
    Singing 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...

     (1998–2010)
  • Ryan Primack
    Ryan Primack
    Ryan Primack is an original member and guitarist of the band Poison the Well. In 1998 Ryan and original vocalist Aryeh Lehrer founded the band, An Acre Lost which later changed their name to Poison the Well. He originally hails from Philadelphia. He was also in Where Fear and Weapons Meet...

     – guitar
    Guitar
    The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

     (1997–2010)
  • Chris A. Hornbrook
    Chris A. Hornbrook
    Christopher Aaron Hornbrook is a drummer and a founding member of Metalcore/Post-Hardcore band, Poison the Well. He is best known for his solid, dynamic and groove orientated approach to drumming.- Bio :...

     – drums
    Drum kit
    A 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 ....

     (1997–2010)
  • Bradley Grace – bass guitar
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

     (2006–2010)
  • Bradley Clifford – guitar (2006–2010)

Former members

  • Shane Halpern – vocals (1997, original dual vocalist with Aryeh Lehrer before being replaced by Duane Hosein)
  • Aryeh Lehrer – vocals (1997–1998, dual vocalist with Duane Hosein on Poison the Well's EP, Distance Only Makes The Heart Grow Fonder)
  • Duane Hosein – vocals (1998, dual vocalist with Aryeh Lehrer on Poison the Well's EP, Distance Only Makes The Heart Grow Fonder. Also Played with A Jealousy Issue)
  • Russ Saunders – guitar (1997, original guitar player, was replaced by Derek Miller)
  • Derek E. Miller – guitar (1998–2004, played in Opposite of December, Tear from the Red, You Come Before You. Now a member of the noise pop
    Noise pop
    Noise pop is a subgenre of alternative rock developed in the mid 1980s in the UK and US, that mixes atonal noise or feedback, or both, with the melodic instrumentation and production elements more often found in pop music, making it more melodic and angst-free than noise rock.-History:Noise pop has...

     duo Sleigh Bells
    Sleigh Bells
    Sleigh Bells is an American noise pop music duo. The group released their debut album, Treats, on May 11, 2010.-History:Based in Brooklyn, New York, Sleigh Bells is composed of Derek E. Miller and Alexis Krauss...

    )
  • Steve Looker – guitar (1999, played in Morning Again
    Morning Again
    Morning Again was a hardcore band from Florida. They were known for their extreme metallic hardcore sound as well as for their straight edge, vegan and anti-government ideas. The band...

    , Culture
    Culture (US band)
    Culture was a Florida-based vegan/straight edge hardcore band. They formed in 1992, and lasted until 1998, when Damien Moyal merged the remaining members into the second incarnation of As Friends Rust.-History:...

    )
  • Jason Boyer – guitar (2004–2006, wrote and recorded songs during the Versions sessions. Also played with All Hell Breaks Loose and Target Nevada
    Target Nevada
    Target Nevada was a super-group composed of members from Bird of Ill Omen, Poison the Well, Until the End, All Hell Breaks Loose, Dead Weight and Dance Floor Justice....

    )
  • Andrew Abramowitz – bass (1997–1998, original bass player)
  • Jeronimo Gomez – bass (1998, replaced Andrew Abramowitz, also played in As Friends Rust
    As Friends Rust
    As Friends Rust is a punk band from Gainesville, Florida.-History:In early 1996 Jeronimo, Henry, and Matt were jamming under the name Wayside. Soon after Damien was recruited from Bird of Ill Omen to step in on vocals...

    , Red Letter Day)
  • Alan Landsman
    Alan Landsman
    Alan Landsman is a straight-edge vocalist and musician mostly known within the South Florida hardcore scene for having fronted Target Nevada and Until the End as well as having been the bassist in Poison The Well during their rising to fame and release of The Opposite of December. He has also...

     – bass (1999, played and toured on The Opposite of December. Sang for Until The End and Target Nevada)
  • Iano Dovi – bass (2002, played and toured on Tear from the Red, although is not credited on the re-released vinyl version)
  • Geoff Bergman
    Geoff Bergman
    Geoff Bergman played bass guitar for both Curl Up and Die and Poison the Well. He played in Vulcans in 2006-2007. Currently monitor engineer for Daughtry. Also played bass with Daughtry in the summer of 2007 appearing on TRL and Good Morning America....

     – bass (2003, played and toured on You Come Before You)
  • Ben Brown – bass (2003–2006, replaced Geoff Bergman)

Studio albums

Year Title Label Chart peaks
US
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...

US Indie
Independent Albums
The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels...

UK
1999 The Opposite of December
The Opposite of December
The Opposite of December... A Season of Separation is the first full-length album by experimental hardcore band Poison the Well. It was very influential on the early popularization of Metalcore around the turn of the century. It was released on December 14, 1999...

Trustkill
2002 Tear from the Red
Tear From the Red
Tear from The Red is the second full-length album by experimental hardcore band Poison the Well. It was released on February 19, 2002 via Trustkill Records...

23
2003 You Come Before You
You Come Before You
You Come Before You is the third full-length album by American experimental hardcore band Poison the Well. It was released on July 1, 2003. It is the band's first and only release on a major label . More than 115,500 copies of the album have been sold in the U.S...

Atlantic
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...

98 160
2007 Versions
Versions (Poison the Well album)
Versions is Poison the Well's fourth studio album. It was released on April 2, 2007 in Europe and April 3, 2007 World Wide via Ferret Music...

Ferret Music
Ferret Music
Ferret Music is an independent record label, founded in 1996. The label is owned in part by NORA's vocalist, Carl Severson, and in part by Philadelphian artist manager Paul Conroy, and based in West Windsor Township, New Jersey...

147 8
2009 The Tropic Rot
The Tropic Rot
The Tropic Rot is the fifth studio album by American experimental hardcore band Poison the Well. The album was released on July 7, 2009 through Ferret Music. The album was originally intended to be produced by J...

180 30

EPs

Year Title Label
1998 Distance Only Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
Distance Only Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
Distance Only Makes the Heart Grow Fonder is the first release by experimental hardcore band Poison the Well. Distance Only Makes the Heart Grow Fonder was recorded and released on Good Life Recordings in 1998. The EP was reissued with the title Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder through...

Good Life
Good Life Recordings
Good Life Recordings is a record label based in Belgium. It was founded in 1996 by Edward Verhaeghe who had been the lead vocalist in Nations On Fire. The label specializes in hardcore bands. It has released many highly significant bands of the second and third wave of hardcore, as well as the...

2008 I/III / II/III / III/III
I/III / II/III / III/III
I/III / II/III / III/III is a limited edition set of three 7" vinyl records by post-hardcore band Poison the Well. The collection features three EPs released both physically and digitally that contain songs written and recorded for the band's fourth studio album, but were never released...

Ferret Music
Ferret Music
Ferret Music is an independent record label, founded in 1996. The label is owned in part by NORA's vocalist, Carl Severson, and in part by Philadelphian artist manager Paul Conroy, and based in West Windsor Township, New Jersey...


Music videos

Year Title Director
2002 "Botchla" Darren Doane
Darren Doane
Darren Doane is a Christian filmmaker and music video director. In 2007, Darren formed a new commercial, music video and branded content production company called LEVEL4 with Executive Producer Josh Karchmer...

2003 "Apathy Is a Cold Body" Chris Sims
2007 "Letter Thing" Andrew Molina
2009 "Exist Underground" Samuel Macon

Singles

Year Title Album
2003
}
| You Come Before You
|-
| 2007
| "Letter Thing"
| Versions
|}
  • I "Ghostchant" peaked at number 103 on the UK Singles Chart
    UK Singles Chart
    The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

    .

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK