From Zero was a

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu m ...

band from

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

History

Formation and major label debut

From Zero was formed in 1998. From Zero's music was distinguished from many earlier

groups with its greater focus on melodies and correspondingly fewer elements of

rap metal Rap metal is a subgenre of rap rock and alternative metal music which combines hip hop with heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, rapped vocals and sometimes turntables. History Origins and ear ...

. In 1999, the band independently released their self-titled EP (referred to as "The Green Album"). The album locally sold over 6,000 copies and attracted the attention of

major record labels A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...

. They later signed with

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertain ...

and began opening for bands such as Disturbed. Their first album, '' One Nation Under'', was released in 2001. The band promoted the album using a self-published website, allowing fans to personally communicate with band members while they were on tour. They began touring with bands such as

Amen Amen ( he, אָמֵן, ; grc, ἀμήν, ; syc, ܐܡܝܢ, ; ar, آمين, ) is an Abrahamic declaration of affirmation which is first found in the Hebrew Bible, and subsequently found in the New Testament. It is used in Jewish, Christian, and ...

Nickelback Nickelback is a Canadian Rock music, rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta. It is composed of guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake, bassist Mike Kroeger, and drummer Daniel Adai ...

Godsmack Godsmack is an American rock band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Sully Erna, bassist Robbie Merrill, lead guitarist Tony Rombola and drummer Shannon Larkin. Since its fo ...

Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first f ...

, and

Puddle of Mudd Puddle of Mudd is an American rock band formed in Kansas City, Missouri in 1992. To date, the band has sold over seven million albums and has had a string of No. 1 mainstream rock singles in the United States. Their major-label debut '' ...

. The song "Check Ya" from the album peaked at number 37 on the

Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...

chart. The band was promoted by the '' Real World: Back to New York'' residents while the cast were working for Arista. Their song was panned as being "overproduced".

Sophomore album and breakup

In 2003, the band released the album ''

My So-Called Life ''My So-Called Life'' is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995. It is distributed by Th ...

'' on Arista. Bassist Rob Ruccia left the band before the release of the album to pursue a career in music production, and the band recruited Avi Kopernik to play bass. Ruccia, along with members of

Nonpoint Nonpoint is an American rock band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The band currently consists of vocalist Elias Soriano, drummer Robb Rivera, lead guitarist Jaysin Zeilstra, rhythm guitarist Rasheed Thomas, and bassist Adam Woloszyn. History ...

, would later launch the independent record label 361 Degrees Records. After being dropped by Arista less than a month after the release of ''My So-Called Life'', they went to work preparing for their third album. Song writing did not progress, so Jett began to concentrate on a day job to support his family. Joe Pettinato, who already had a construction business, then left the band, and the rest of the group followed. Two songs from the intended album, "Middle of the Road" and "My Own Destiny", were able to be streamed on their official

PureVolume PureVolume (formerly Unborn Media) was a website for uploading and streaming of music files, the first independently run of its type. PureVolume was created by Unborn Media, Inc; Mitchell Pavao; Brett Woitunski; and Nate Hudson, all from the Univer ...

page before the service shut down.

Members

Final members

* Paulie Gervasio Weiner "Jett" - lead vocals, keyboards, bass guitar (1999–2005) * Peter Capizzi - rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1998–2005) * Joe Pettinato "BOD" - lead guitar (1998–2005) * Avi Kopernik - bass guitar (2002–2005) * Johnny Dinu "Kid" - drums (1998–2005)

Former members

* Rob Ruccia "Likey" - bass guitar, backing vocals (1998–2002) * Sonny DeLuca - lead vocals (1998–1999)

Discography

Albums

Singles

* "Check Ya" (2001) No. 37 on

Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched i ...

* "Smack" (2001) * "Sorry" (2003) * "Fleeting Glimpse" (2003)

References

{{Authority control American nu metal musical groups American alternative metal musical groups American hard rock musical groups Musical groups from Chicago Heavy metal musical groups from Illinois Musical groups established in 1998 Musical groups disestablished in 2005