- Ekhymosis
Infobox musical artist
Name = Ekhymosis
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Genre = Thrash metal (early)
Latin pop/rock
Years_active = 1988–1998
Label =Codiscos
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Past_members =Juanes
Andrés García
Fernando "Toby" Tobón
José David LoperaEkhymosis, was a
Colombian rock band formed by Juan Esteban "Juanes " Aristizábal Vásquez, along with friends Andrés García, Fernando "Toby" Tobón and José David Lopera fromMedellín . The band was created in 1988 with heavy influences fromMetallica and other important metal acts of the 80s, as well as some popular Latino music.Career
After some live performances to become known in their city (and more regions of
Colombia ), the band recorded a demo of two songs, which described the violence inMedellín and the injustice of innocent deaths and other problems in Colombia. The demo sold out (thanks to friends and family of the band), and they decided to record a second. This time Ekhymosis had luck: In the studio was aCodiscos representative; she heard and liked the demo and the band signed with that label.1993 saw the release of "
Niño Gigante ", a heavy metal album that included one of the band's most well known songs, "Solo".Controversy and the term "
sell-out " surrounded the band with their next release: 1994's "Ciudad Pacífico " " produced by Federico López, a more hard rock-oriented record with more Latin sounds. Ekhymosis was looking for their unique sound; they didn't want to be the "Spanish Metallica". Rather, they wanted to create Colombian rock.In the following year, 1995, the band with its two new members, released "
Amor Bilingüe ", topping the Colombian charts with the single "De Madrugada". The video of the song had incredible replay value onMTV Latino.The same year, Ekhymosis recorded a rock version of the
National Anthem of Colombia , which caused controversy among some but was well-received among Colombian youth.Ekhymosis was the chosen band to open for
Bon Jovi in November of that year, but due to the murder of the politicianAlvaro Gómez the band decided not to play in order to allow the concert to finish earlier.The next year, the band released their unplugged album, entitled "
Acústico ", and Ekhymosis decided to go toLos Angeles where they played in local pubs and began recording their new album.In 1997, the band, now with four members (Juan Esteban, Andrés, Toby and José) recorded in L.A their self-titled album, which saw the re-makes of three of their best songs ("Solo", "Sin Rencores", "De Madrugada") and new ones, the most remarkable being "La Tierra", known by some fans as "the second Colombian Anthem".
The band was at its peak, but little knew the fans that those were the last days of one of the most important bands in Colombia.
In 1998, Ekhymosis won 3 Shock Awards (Best National Group, Best Song for "La Tierra", and Best Composer for Juan Esteban).
Some months later, due to internal problems in deciding the future of the band, Ekhymosis disbanded. Juan Esteban, then, began his solo career as
Juanes ; the drummer of the band, Jose Lopera, worked with him on his first album, and has continued to work with Juanes to this day; the guitarist of Ekhymosis, Toby, started to play with Juanes on his second album and has continued with Juanes as well.Juanes has been known to perform Ekhymosis songs at his concerts, namely "Solo" and "La Tierra".
Discography
Albums
External links
* [http://eskpe.eltiempo.terra.com.co/PROYECTOS_ESKPE/juanes_eskpe/discosgiras/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR_ESKPE-2519154.html Hechos en la vida de Juanes (Juanes Timeline as an artist)]
* [http://www.lopaisa.com/ekhymosis.html "La Historia de Ekhymosis" (Ekhymosis' Story)]
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