John Michael West (born October 29, 1964) is an American vocalist, best known as the lead vocalist of

Artension Artension is a North American neoclassical progressive metal band, founded in 1993 by keyboardist Vitalij Kuprij. The band split up after recording seven albums from 1996 to 2004, but reformed in 2016 with the intention of releasing an eighth ...

and the former lead vocalist of

Royal Hunt Royal Hunt is a Danish progressive metal band. The band was founded in 1989 by keyboardist André Andersen in order to combine basic values of classic rock with progressive, current musical elements. The name originated from a painting seen in ...

Early career

Prior to his joining Royal Hunt in 1998, West contributed vocals to a variety of projects. His recording career began in 1986 as the singer of Diamond. Later, he sang for Destiny, who released the four-song demo ''Side By Side'' in 1989. He had brief stints replacing

Ray Gillen Raymond Arthur Gillen (May 12, 1959 – December 1, 1993) was an American rock singer. He is best known for his work with Badlands, in addition to his stint with Black Sabbath in the mid-1980s and recording most of the vocals on Phenomena's '' ...

in both

Badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, ...

and Sun Red Sun in the mid-1990s, also lending his voice to

Cozy Powell Cozy Powell (born Colin Trevor Flooks; 29 December 1947 – 5 April 1998) was an English drummer who made his name with major rock bands and artists such as The Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Gary Moore, Graham Bonnet, B ...

's final solo album, ''Especially For You'' during this period. In lesser known projects, he also sang one track on

Marc Ferrari Marc Schumann Ferrari (born January 27, 1962), known professionally as Marc Ferrari, is an American guitarist. He is best known for his work as a guitar player in the 1980s and 1990s rock bands Keel, Cold Sweat, and Medicine Wheel. Keel was kn ...

's solo album ''Guest List'' in 1995, also handling vocal duties on self-titled albums by Many Moons and Rider the following year.

Artension

In 1996, West joined neoclassical power/progressive metal group

, who released their debut album ''Into The Eye of the Storm'' the same year. The band went on to release seven studio albums from 1996 to 2004. The group's second album, ''Phoenix Rising'', is especially noted for West's wide-ranging vocal contributions. West and the band regrouped in 2016 with the intention of releasing a new album.

Royal Hunt

In 1998, West replaced D.C. Cooper as the lead singer of

, remaining with the group until 2007. He recorded four studio albums, one live album, and one EP with the group. West's ten-year tenure as the band's vocalist was the longest uninterrupted tenure of any singer in Royal Hunt's 25-year history until Cooper rejoined the band in 2011.

Solo career

West has released four albums under his own name, which have featured a wide variety of contributors. His first two, ''Mind Journey'' (1997) and ''Permanent Mark'' (1998), adopted a neoclassical metal style with many extended instrumental sections. After concentrating on Royal Hunt for a few years, West returned in 2002 with the concept album ''Earth Maker'', which showcased a more song-oriented writing style while still retaining much of his previous sound. Finally, in 2006, West released ''Long Time No Sing'', which is more of a blues-rock album. The latter disc features West playing guitar as well as singing.

Post-Royal Hunt

Since departing from Royal Hunt in 2007, West has lent his voice to a wide variety of projects. He appeared as the lead singer for Bosnian guitarist Emir Hot on his debut album ''Sevdah Metal'' in 2008 and keyboardist Mistheria's solo effort "Dragon Fire" in 2010. In 2012, he sang on symphonic metal band Mythodea's self-titled debut album, and in 2013, he collaborated with former Artension guitarist Roger Staffelbach to form Artlantica, an Artension-styled band that went on to release an album called ''Across The Seven Seas.'' He also appeared on Chilean progpower band Delta's fifth album, ''The End of Philosophy'', singing a duet with the band's regular vocalist, Felipe del Valle, on the track "Bringers of Rain". After del Valle left the band in 2014, West recorded new versions of Delta's songs "New Philosophy" and "Regrets" as singles and also appeared with the band on the Progressive Nation at Sea cruise. West has also toured as the singer for

Uli Jon Roth Uli Jon Roth (born Ulrich Roth; 18 December 1954) is a German guitarist who became famous for his work with the hard rock band Scorpions and is one of the earliest contributors to the neoclassical metal genre. He is also founder of the Sky Ac ...

's band and

Ronnie James Dio Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hel ...

Ritchie Blackmore Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English lead guitarist. He was a founding member and the guitarist of Deep Purple, one of the pioneering bands of hard rock. After leaving Deep Purple in 1975, Blackmore formed the band Rainbow ...

tribute band Black Knights Rising. He also collaborated with Danish guitar virtuoso Niels Vejlyt on a project called Sage's Recital, which put out their self-titled debut album in 2013 and followup ''The Winter Symphony'' in 2016.

Discography

Solo work

* ''Mind Journey'' (1997) * ''Permanent Mark'' (1998) * ''Earth Maker'' (2002) * ''Long Time... No Sing'' (2006) * Johnny and Lonnie – "Greatest Misses" (2006) * Days of Destiny (2022)

Collaborations

;With

* '' Into the Eye of the Storm'' (1996) * '' Phoenix Rising'' (1997) * '' Forces of Nature'' (1999) * ''

Machine A machine is a physical system that uses power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to natural biological macromol ...

'' (2000) * '' Sacred Pathways'' (2001) * '' New Discovery'' (2002) * '' Future World'' (2004) ;With Rider * ''Rider'' (1996) ;With

* ''

Fear Fear is an unpleasant emotion that arises in response to perception, perceived dangers or threats. Fear causes physiological and psychological changes. It may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the ...

'' (1999) * ''Intervention'' (2001) * '' The Watchers'' (2001) * '' The Mission'' (2001) * ''On The Mission 2002'' (2002) * ''

Eyewitness Eyewitness or eye witness may refer to: Witness * Witness, someone who has knowledge acquired through first-hand experience ** Eyewitness memory ** Eyewitness testimony Eyewitness testimony is the account a bystander or victim gives in the court ...

'' (2003) * '' Paper Blood'' (2005) * '' 2006 Live'' (2006) * ''Royal Hunt 2006'' (DVD; 2006) ;With Ten Man Push * ''Ten Man Push'' (2007) * ''Playin' In The Dirt'' (2009) * ''Branded'' (2013) ;With

* ''Especially For You'' (1999) ;With Feinstein * ''Third Wish'' (2004) ;With Emir Hot * ''Sevdah Metal'' (2008) ;With Mythodea * ''Mythodea'' (2012) ;With Sage's Recital * ''Sage's Recital'' (2013) * ''The Winter Symphony'' (2016) ;With Artlantica * ''Across The Seven Seas'' (2013) ;Guest Appearances *

– ''Guest List'' (1995) * Sun Red Sun – '' Sun Red Sun'' (1994) *

Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer and the only original member remaining of the Marilyn Manson (band), same-titled band he founded in 1989. Th ...

— ''

Mechanical Animals ''Mechanical Animals'' is the third studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on September 15, 1998, by Interscope Records. Departing from the post-industrial style of the band's earlier works, the album has a more me ...

'' (1998) * James Murphy – ''Feeding The Machine'' (1999) *

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...

Tribute – ''Slave To The Power'' (2000) *

Savatage Savatage () is an American heavy metal band founded by brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1979 in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The band was first called Avatar, but, shortly before the release of their debut album '' Sirens'' (1983), they changed t ...

– ''

Poets and Madmen ''Poets and Madmen'' is the 11th studio album by American heavy metal band Savatage, released in 2001. It was their last album before their 12-year hiatus, which lasted from 2002 to 2014. The album has a loose concept inspired by the career and ...

'' (2001) * Roger Staffelbach's Angel of Eden – "The End of Never" (2007) *Mistheria – "Dragon Fire" (2010) *Delta – "The End of Philosophy" (2013) *American Mafia – "Rock 'N' Roll Hit Machine" (2014) *Forces United – II (2015) *Crimson Cry – Lost Reality (2017) ;Other releases *Many Moons – "Many Moons" (1996)

References

External links

John West Music
{{DEFAULTSORT:West, John American male singers American heavy metal singers American rock guitarists American male guitarists Badlands (American band) members Lynch Mob (band) members Living people Native American singers Musicians from Syracuse, New York 1964 births 20th-century American guitarists Royal Hunt members 20th-century American male musicians Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force members Frontiers Records artists Shrapnel Records artists