Optimum Wound Profile were an

industrial metal Industrial metal is the fusion of Heavy metal music, heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating Heavy metal guitar, metal guitar riffs, sampling (music), sampling, synthesizer or music sequencer, sequencer lines, and Distor ...

band from

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

, England, active between the years 1991-1996. Combining elements of

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

crust punk Crust punk (also known as stenchcore or simply crust) is a fusion genre of anarcho-punk and extreme metal that originated in the early to mid-1980s in England. Originally, the genre was primarily mid-tempo, making use of metal riffs in a stri ...

, and sampling/programming technologies they released three albums and toured across Europe. Formed in 1991 by guitarist Roki and vocalist Phil Vane, the pair quickly recruited Simon Finbow (vocals) and Ian Barnard (bass), followed by Dom Cattermole on drums. Picked up by an Ipswich promoter shortly after forming, the band entered the studio in the middle of 1991 to record two demos. On the strength of these OWP signed to

Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is a Dutch–American record label focused on Heavy metal music, heavy metal and hard rock music. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. Formerly seen as ...

at the end of the year. Optimum Wound Profile's first album, ''Lowest Common Dominator'', was released in the summer of 1992, and received positive reviews in ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...

'' and other music press. Featuring Niall Corr on drums, who had replaced the departed Dom Cattermole, the band's sound at this point was a hybrid of hardcore punk and industrial metal. A successful European tour, with Jason Whittaker of Whiteslug replacing Snapa Harvey, followed the release before the band returned to the UK to begin work on the follow-up. ''Silver Or Lead'' was released in mid-1993 to much critical acclaim, and entered the UK Rock Chart at number 11, where it stayed for several weeks. This album saw the band's sound take a much more metal turn. By this stage all of the drums were programmed. The album was produced by

Colin Richardson Colin Richardson is a British record producer, mixer and recording engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound source ...

, who has worked with

Slipknot The slip knot is a stopper knot which is easily undone by pulling the tail ( working end). The slip knot is related to the running knot, which will release when the standing end is pulled. Both knots are identical and are composed of a slipp ...

Machine Head A machine head (also referred to as a tuning machine, tuner, or gear head) is a geared apparatus for tuning stringed musical instruments by adjusting string tension. Machine heads are used on mandolins, guitars, double basses, and others, and ...

and

Bullet For My Valentine Bullet for My Valentine, often abbreviated as BFMV, are a Welsh heavy metal band from Bridgend, formed in 1998. The band is currently composed of Matthew Tuck (vocals, rhythm guitar), Michael Paget (lead guitar), Jason Bowld (drums) and J ...

among a host of others. Another successful European tour followed, but

declined the option of a third album. In 1994, OWP signed to We Bite Records and in January 1995 released ''Asphyxia''. Having parted company with Phil Vane, all vocals were provided by Simon Finbow. The album was the band's most critically acclaimed release to date. Optimum Wound Profile spent two years after the release of ''Asphyxia'' writing a fourth album, 'Cult Of Saints 1425'. Only demo versions of these songs exist as the band decided to split up in 1996. In 2007,

Metal Mind Productions Metal Mind Productions (MMP) is a Polish record label founded in 1987. The label focuses on rock and heavy metal. MMP is also publisher of ''Metal Hammer'', the largest and the oldest heavy metal magazine. As a concert agency, it organises Meta ...

licensed the first two OWP albums from

for re-release in August the same year. Late in 2007 Optimum Wound Profile reformed with former members Simon, Roki and Jason being joined by Barnie Mills (bass) and Malcolm Peck (drums), to concentrate on the unreleased Cult Of Saints album. The band entered the recording studio for the first time in twelve years in spring 2008 to record demos. The project has since been put on hold. Roki (Martyn Peck), Simon Finbow, Dom Cattermole and Mark Schorah now play in

post-rock Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...

band These Are End Times. Phil Vane continued to sing for

Extreme Noise Terror Extreme Noise Terror (often abbreviated to ENT) are a British extreme metal band formed in Ipswich, England in 1985 and one of the earliest and most influential crust bands. Noted for one of the earliest uses of dual vocalists in hardcore,Bonn ...

until his death in February 2011. Jason Whittaker and Martyn Peck also run Antigen Records, whose roster includes Henry Homesweet, The Waxing Captors, John Callaghan, Earth Mother F*cker, These Are End Times, Sealionwoman, Jack Rundell and Optimum Wound Profile.

Discography

*''Lowest Common Dominator'' CD, LP, Cassette (

1992) *''Silver or Lead'' CD, LP (Roadrunner Records 1993) *''Asphyxia'' CD (We Bite Records 1995) *'Cult of Saints 1425' unreleased *''Lowest Common Dominator'' - remastered Gold CD (

2007) *''Silver or Lead'' - remastered Gold CD (

2007)

Band members

*Simon Finbow - vocals (1991–present). See also: Chocolate, These Are End Times. *Martyn Peck (aka Roki) - guitar / programming (1991–present). See also: Raw Noise, Whiteslug, Conspiracy Of Noise, These Are End Times. *Jason Whittaker - samples / programming (1993–present). See also Whiteslug. *Phil Vane - vocals (1991–1994). See also:

Napalm Death Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in Meriden, West Midlands, in 1981. None of the band's original members have been in the group since 1986, but since ''Utopia Banished'' (1992), the lineup of bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mi ...

, Conspiracy Of Noise. *Ian Barnard - bass (1991–1996). *Niall Corr - drums (1992–1993). *Dom Cattermole - drums (1991–1992). See also These Are End Times. *Snapa Harvey - samples / programming (1991–1992). See also

Deviated Instinct Deviated Instinct are an English extreme metal band formed in Norwich in 1984. They are considered pioneers of both crust punk and death metal. Their first EP, ''Welcome to the Orgy'', was released by Peaceville Records, which released the majo ...

. *Barnie Mills - bass (2007–2008). *Malcolm Peck - drums (2007–2008). See also Red Flag 77. *Mark Schorah - trumpet (2008). See also: The Ballistics, These Are End Times.

References

External links

Antigen Records
{{Authority control British industrial music groups