Soulidium

Soulidium
Background information
Origin	Tampa, Florida, United States
Genres	Alternative metal Hard rock
Years active	2006 - Present
Labels	Dark World Entertainment
Website	Official Myspace Official Website
Members
Michael McKnight Shadow Morte Spyder Zero Prime Ilyn Nathaniel Danny Cayocca
Past members
AJ Maldonado Jake Jaden Eric Beausoleil Jadis Lucien Chris Polidoro

Soulidium is an American hard rock band formed in 2006. Formed in Tampa, Florida by frontman Michael McKnight, the band released their debut album, Children of Chaos in mid-2007. The band has toured & played with groups like Sevendust, Alice in Chains, Limp Bizkit, Alter Bridge, Puddle of Mudd , Hellyeah, Black Light Burns and Nonpoint. The band is currently working on their second album, Fly 2 the Sun, and are in the process of being signed by a major record label. [Citation needed]

History

Formation and Early Years (2006-2007)

At the end of 2006, Soulidium was formed in Florida by Vocalist/Songwriter Michael McKnight. Guitarist AJ Maldonado would be the next member to join the band after seeing an ad posted by McKnight on Myspace. Soon to follow was guitarist Eric Beausoleil who AJ recommended to McKnight. After months of searching, drummer Danny Cayocca was found in Springfield, Missouri. Bassist and final member to join was Jake Jaden.

Children Of Chaos (2007-2009)

Main article: Children of Chaos (Soulidium album)

The band began recording their debut album, Children of Chaos, which was released on June 19, 2007. It was recorded entirely at Long View Recording Studio in Massachusetts. The album featured strings work by American Grammy Award winning keyboardist, composer, arranger and record producer Jeff Bova, (credits include: Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, Blondie, Eric Clapton)[1] and mastering by the Grammy Award winning Bob Ludwig, (credits include: Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Madonna, Rolling Stones, Nirvana). [2] The album was well received by fans and critics and was considered an overall success. Later in 2007, a devastating fire and clash over the bands direction split up the original lineup and led McKnight to immediately begin replacing members and forming a new Soulidium. After switching through a few drummers, Danny Cayocca returned to Soulidium on May 20, 2008.

In 2007, Soulidium appeared in the Saw IV Soundtrack which is the soundtrack for the film Saw IV. It was released on October 23, 2007 by WEA/Warner Bros. Records. Soulidium appeared on the soundtrack with fellow artists Avenged Sevenfold, Sixx: A.M., The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Nitzer Ebb, Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Emilie Autumn, Charlie Clouser and others.^[1] In 2008, American guitar manufacturer Dean Guitars sponsored and added Soulidium to their artist roster. [3].

Fly 2 The Sun (2009-Present)

Main article: Fly 2 the Sun

After finishing a second tour with Sevendust along with Nonpoint and Alter Bridge that began July 29, Soulidium has begun work on writing their second album. The album was in recording from early 2009 until early 2011 and is set to release in 2011. In March 2010, Soulidium recruited Guitarist Spyder Zero Prime and Bassist Ilyn Nathaniel to complete the band's lineup as it will appear on the second album. In December 2009, Soulidium released a demo preview of one of the songs from their upcoming album titled "S.O.A." to their MySpace page. In February 2010, the band released another demo preview of one of the songs from their upcoming album titled "Sacrificing You" to their MySpace page. [4] In April 24, 2010 during the 98RockFest the group debuted live a new track titled "Reluctant Goodbye".

Sevendust singer Lajon Witherspoon has joined Soulidium on their upcoming radio single "Fly 2 The Sun" which was recorded by Producer Shawn Grove, (Dashboard Confessional, Matchbox 20, Sevendust), at Jan Smith Studios in Atlanta, GA. Michael McKnight has titled the new upcoming album "Fly 2 The Sun". Soulidium originally announced on their official website that a limited edition EP would first be released in late 2011, however a release date for the full LP will be announced pending the outcome of current negotiations with label interests.

In October 2010 the band uploaded a video to their official You Tube channel featuring a documentary styled presentation of the making of their new cd along with a live version of "Sacrificing You" which is also off the upcoming cd.

In December 2010, Soulidium was named by Red Bull as being one of the top 5 upcoming bands to watch in 2011. The article compared Soulidium's live shows to those of "Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails". The article goes on to define the bands fascination with vampires by stating "The Tampa-based quintet has a fascination with vampires, but not in a Twilight kind of way. Instead, the hard rock collective draws their inspiration from the sophistication of the creatures and incorporates that element into their records and live performance."^[2]

Musical Style and Influences

Michael McKnight referenced musical figures including Trent Reznor, Sound Garden, and Marilyn Manson as influencing the band and their music. Commenting on influences, McKnight wrote, "I believe that music, film, & video are siblings. Visual and audio work together to entertain, inspire, and move the spirit. Our vision for Soulidium was that we would follow no rules. We wanted to penetrate all realms where emotion is born, and that is why we choose to do this on our own before going to the right label for support. We wanted to prove that we had what people wanted before our dreams got stamped out by a suit who was tainted by the "safe & generic way" to bring it. It's hard to argue with happy fans who love what we do."^[3]

Members

• Michael McKnight - Vocals/Songwriter (2006–present)
• Shadow Morte - Guitar (2008–present)
• Ilyn Nathaniel - Bass / (2010–present)
• Danny Cayocca - Drums (2006–2007; 2008–present)
• Spyder Zero Prime - Guitar (2010–present)

Former members

• AJ Maldonado - Guitar (2006–2007)
• Eric Beausoleil - Guitar (2006–2007)
• Jake Jaden - Bass (2005–2007)
• Jadis Lucien - Bass (Touring Member) (2008–2009)
• Chris Polidoro - Guitar (Touring Member) (2008–2009)

Discography

Albums

• Children of Chaos (2007)
• Fly 2 The Sun (2011)

DVDs

• Dark of Night (2009)

Singles

• Trapped
• The Light
• Live Forever

Soundtracks

Year		Title		Album
2007			"Trapped"	Saw IV Soundtrack

References

• [5] Dean Guitars Biography of Soulidium
• [6] Metal Edge Magazine
• [7] Rolling Stone Online

1. ^ Saw IV Soundtrack
2. ^ "YEAR IN REVIEW". Red Bull. http://www.redbullusa.com/cs/Satellite/en_US/Article/five-bands-on-the-rise-2011-021242939421210?refmod=ContentFeed&refmodpos=A3. Retrieved 2011-02-06. 
3. ^ "Michael McKnight (SOULIDIUM)". Myspace. http://www.myspace.com/songwritermichaelmcknight. Retrieved 2009-11-13. 

External links

• Official website
• Soulidium at MySpace