Grief (band)

Infobox musical artist |
Name = Grief


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Origin = Boston, Massachusetts
Genre = Doom metal
Sludge metal
Years_active = 1991 - 2001, 2005 - 2006, 2008 - present
Label = Grievance Records Century Media Southern Lord Records Pessimiser/Theologian H.G. Fact
Associated_acts = Disrupt Bane of Existence
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Current_members = Jeff Hayward, Eric C. Harrison, John Heidenrich, Ray McCaffrey
Past_members = Terry Savastano, Rick Johnson

Grief is a Boston-based band, and one of the founding pioneers of the sludge metal subgenre.

Biography

Grief was founded in 1991 by Disrupt guitarist Terry Savastano and drummer Randy Odierno (who later switched to bass and later again left to join Bane of Existence). They broke up in 2001 mainly due to drummer problems - something that was an ongoing problem for the band from the start. They also cited what they called a "hostile environment for doom metal bands". They reunited briefly in July 2005 to play a cluster of reunion shows.

The band had several 7"s including one with Dystopia and Corrupted each. A compilation album called "Turbulent Times" appeared in 2002 through Southern Lord. The group reunited for one show at the first annual New England Grind And Doom Fest on July 17th, 2005 at The Middle East Cafe in Cambridge, MA. They were so excited by the response to this show that they began booking others, and they toured intermittently throughout 2005 and 2006.

In 2005, the band played shows through in venues including The Ace of Clubs and The Knitting Factory in New York, The Khyber in Philadelphia, O'Brien's in Allston/Brighton, MA, The Living Room in Providence, RI, and Cherry St. Station in CT.

In 2006 Southern Lord Records released a full length live album called "Alive" which featured their performance at the 2005 New England Grind And Doom Fest. The album features artwork by Eric C. Harrison, who did much of the band's painted cover artwork.

Grief's final appearance was at Emissions from the Monolith 8, a sludge/doom festival that took place in Ohio, May 2006.

The Hartford Advocate wrote the following about their 12/3/05 date at Cherry St. Station in CT:

"Since 1991, these Massholes have been writing songs about a distinctly New England flavor of depression and isolation. Jeff Hayward’s throat-shredding vocals often seem more hardcore than metal; indeed, almost 15 years later, it’s possible to see Grief as one of a handful of seminal NE bands who initiated the merger between hardcore and metal. However, unlike some of those bands, Grief still sounds both relevant and entertaining."

The band has reformed as of late 2008 and is practicing to prepare for a tour of the UK and Europe.

Line Up

*Jeff Hayward - vocals/guitar
*John Heidenrich - guitar/vocals
*Eric C. Harrison - bass guitar/vocals/artwork
*Ray McCaffrey - drums/percussion

Discography

tudio albums

plit singles

Compilation and live albums

*2002: "Turbulent Times" (Southern Lord Records)
*2006: "Alive" (Southern Lord Records)

External links

Grief Official Website http://www.billtmiller.com/grief/
Eric Harrison's Art and Writing http://www.the-hold.com/harrison.html
Grief at Allmusic.com http://www.allmovie.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:z7d1vw9ya9ek~T1
Grief at Southernlord.com http://www.southernlord.com/band_GRI.php