Inversion (band)
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InVersion are a heavy metal band from Essex who came together with the aim to blend the melody of old school metal with the aggression and rhythm of more modern bands. Despite going through a number of line-up changes this aim has never changed and now InVersion have really begun to perfect what they set out to do. The combination of old and new metal now sounds even better, heavy but un-deniably melodic.
Please note. All information on this page is Copyright InVersion 2007 and has been used with the permission of InVersion
Contents |
[edit] Members
[edit] Current
- Will Sparling: Vocals
- Dave Greeno: Guitars
- Joe Hills: Guitars
- Nick Hills: Bass guitar
- TBC: Drums
[edit] Past
- Anton Stanley: Vocals
- Antony Martin: Drums
- Dan Stratford: Drums
- Michael Sheppard: Vocals
- Dan Anderson: Guitars
- Michael Hurley: Bass guitar
- Rob Martin: Drums
[edit] History
[edit] The Beginning
The story of InVersion starts on the 8th September 2001 when a group of school friends, looking to emulate their guitar heroes and idols, Iron Maiden, came together and formed ‘Written in Blood'. The original line up consisted of Anton Stanley with vocal duties, Daniel Anderson, David Greeno and Daniel Stratford on guitar, Michael Hurley on bass and Antony Martin on drums.
This line up was not to last long though with Antony Martin dropping out very quickly and Daniel Stratford losing the guitar to move to drums. Anton Stanley was next to leave and the band played covers for a while using William Sparling as singer. However, at the time the band was not really to his taste and very soon he left to join Ataiz, closely followed by Daniel Stratford.
The three remaining members relentlessly carried on though, practising as a three piece and constantly striving to improve. Finally in late 2002 they found themselves an eager, though somewhat in-experienced drummer, Robin Martin and vocalist, Michael Sheppard thus completing the line-up once again. During this period of time also came the conception of the name ‘InVersion’, literally meaning ‘to be 'turned about’ and ‘reversed’.
[edit] Making Progress
The next few months proved to be very important for the band. With their first ever gig looming they had to bring together what they had been trying to achieve for over a year. They were very well received at their first gig despite only playing covers. This gave the entire band a well-needed boost and they instantly set about writing new material.
The first song to emerge was "Daylights End", subsequently proving to be one of InVersion's most popular songs. They were invited to record a song for the Thurrock Youth Commission with "Daylights End" being the most obvious choice. However, the loss of Michael Sheppard meant that it had to be put on hold until a permenant replacement could be found.
The period of time that followed was a dark era which almost resulted in the band calling it a day. Experimenting with the idea of becoming a four piece, Daniel and Michael became vocalists but despite their best efforts it didn't feel right. After a terrible gig in East Thurrock, supprting Ataiz, the band drifted apart. With very few practices and little effort to write new material it seemed as though the end for the band had come.
[edit] A New Start
Luckily a few months later the saviour for the band had come in the form of a battle of the bands contest at Castle View School. The band were entered but with no vocalist and a severe lack of songs they had to quickly get their act together. Desperately writing some new songs and rehearsing new material the date of the audition was getting extremely near.
Still having no vocalist, ideas of playing an instrumental set were beginning to develop until an answer phone message was left on Dan's phone. Old vocalist Will Sparling wanted to rejoin InVersion. Will was thrown in at the deep end with the battle of the bands audition being his first practice with the band. Despite this they went down very well and instantly qualified and then went on to win the whole competition.
As new material was being written and the band blended together they went from strength to strength. The band played Moonies nightclub in November where they revealed a new song, "Extinguish The Flame". Over the next few months the band also completed their three track demo, also entitled Extinguish The Flame.
In January 2004, the band were entering one of their busiest times. Playing to a packed out Fat Surfer crowd and revealing another song, "The Dream". The band were cited as "The best band to ever play there" and "a definite big band for the future". They were interviewed for Phoenix FM and also scheduled for the May 2004 play listings, as well as being one of the featured bands for the February/ March internet broadcasts.
Soon after they played the Orsett Cock Pub and Grunge and Punk Night 3 at the Crooked Billet. All of InVersion's gigs were turning into high energy affairs, of both band and crowd. Things seemed to be looking very good.
[edit] Changes
March 25th, original member and guitarist Dan Anderson left the band in order to further pursue his own musical aspirations out in America. This surprised the band, but they did not let it set them back. Joe Hills was quickly brought in as a replacement and the band get themselves back on track for their next gig at Gable Hall School.
InVersion played a string of gigs with this line up including a set of 3 gigs in a 24 hour period. Things once again were looking good and the band wanted to set about completing even more new material. However, Michael Hurley was no longer as intent on the musical direction they were going and decided to leave in order to follow his own path. Nick Hills was brought in as a replacement and the band completed four new songs in a period of two weeks ready for their gig at East Ham's famous rock venue "The Ruskin Arms".
[edit] 2004/2005
A number of gigs in the Autumn of 2004 helped the new line-up to blend together and in November, InVersion set about recording their second demo. The result was an eponymous release with 5 tracks. Although well received and a good representation of InVersion, the band did not feel it fully captured the liveliness and energy that is essential to their sound.
Early 2005, proved to be a busy time, both in terms of gigs and the writing and rehearsing of new material. The shows were becoming even more energetic and an heavier edge was making its way into the music. On the 10th May InVersion went into the studio to record their song 'Scared of Nothing'. A very tight recording schedule made for an interesting few hours but the final result was probably InVersion's best recording so far. With far better recording and production methods there is finally a sense of their live energy captured onto CD. The song went onto feature on 'Shards', a compilation CD put together by the company 'Rock Matrix', and the following gigs took InVersion into Kent to help with the promotion of the release.
Off the back of the recording and gigs InVersion were able to expand their support and many good things have been said about them since. During the Summer InVersion set about writing more new songs. Each is uniquely different but still maintains what InVersion originally set out to do. The combination of old and new metal now sounds even better, heavier but un-deniably melodic. During the latter part 2005 InVersion performed numerous gigs around Essex, closing their year with a final gig at Chinnerys on December 22nd.
[edit] 2006 to present
It was not to be long though before InVersion were back working and on January 7th they participated in 'The Creative Sessions', recording three tracks completely live for Phoenix Fm. These subsequently went out on air in February, and InVersion's live recording of 'Scared of Nothing' can be found on the Creative Sessions compilation CD.
InVersion also began work in February on their next CD. Recording with Stampin' Ground guitarist, Scott Atkins, InVersion set about recording 4 tracks. The quality of the recordings far surpasses anything they have recorded before and really capture the essence of what InVersion are about. It will be released sometime in May/June and they are hoping that this will be a defining release for them.
[edit] Discography
InVersion have released 2 eps and are currently in the process of releasing their third. They have also featured on numerous compilation cds.
[edit] Extinguish the Flame
InVersions first release features three tracks, 'Extinguish the Flame', 'Daylights End' and 'Stay With Me'. Recorded in a Thurrock Youth commission building, it is quite a raw sounding, but lively demo. The songs are no longer played anymore but it is a good insight into how the band started and have since developed their sound.
[edit] InVersion
This eponymous second release features five tracks, 'A Soldier Facing Bullets', 'Escape to...', 'Stolen', 'The Dream' and 'A Symphony for the Soul'. It was recorded in Abella Studios, Grays. It is again, quite raw sounding, but there is an obvious progression from their first release. The songs are heavier and the lyrics delve into far darker subjects, such as war, depression, insanity, the loss of loved ones and death.
[edit] Compilations
[edit] The Fat Surfer Alldayer Compilation
This was released to coincide with the first Fat Surfer All Dayer on July 3rd 2004. It featured all the bands that played on the day, including Inversion's 'Extinguish the Flame'.
[edit] Shards
This was a compilation CD put together by the company Rock Matrix. It features 20 unsigned bands located in and around Kent and Essex. It was a huge task for the organisers and involved them personally recording all 20 bands, and with each band being given no more than a 5 hour time slot to record their track to a high standard. To promote the release 2 all day shows were hosted in Kent. InVersion featured on the second show at Flamingo Park and their track, 'Scared of Nothing' features on the compilation.
[edit] The Creative Sessions
This involved 20 plus bands, with each band having to record three completely live tracks that would subsequently go out on air on Phoenix FM. A compilation CD was then released with one track from each artist who had participated in the sessions. Again, 'Scared of Nothing' was the chosen track for this compilation cd.
[edit] External Links
InVersion's Official Website: [1] InVersion's Myspace Site: [2]
