Mercy Drive is an American hard rock band originally based out of Central Florida, best known for writing and performing entrance themes for

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

, most notably

Maven Huffman Maven Klate Huffman (born November 26, 1976) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under his first name, where he is known for co-winning the inaugural season of Tough En ...

(''Tattoo'') and

Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He has been signed to WWE since 2000, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. Orton is widely regarded as one of t ...

(''Burn In My Light'').

History

Mercy Drive originates from the band Big Mother Thruster, founded by Corey Lane and Josh Lyons. Jimmy McGlothin joined the band after meeting Corey in a mosh pit during a Hard Rock Live show in the summer of 2000. Big Mother Thruster was a moderate success. Their momentum increased when they played the Florida circuit. They also gained recognition through supporting other acts including

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and

Staind Staind ( ) is an American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny April, and ...

. In 2001, Big Mother Thruster gained bigger exposure through working with

(then World Wrestling Federation) and

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

. Four of their songs were used on '' Tough Enough'', a reality show produced by WWE which aired on MTV. The soundtrack to the series went on to sell over 150,000 copies nationwide. WWE would also enlist the help of Big Mother Thruster to produce a song for the series' eventual winner,

. Maven went on to use "Tattoo" as his entrance theme for the entirety of his time in WWE (2001–2005). After parting ways with Josh Lyons and Mark James, the band reorganized and changed its name to 'Mercy Drive'. Jimmy McGlothlin (vocals), Jake Beard (guitar), and Corey Lane (drums) recorded at Tree Studios in Atlanta with producer

Rick Beato Richard John Beato ( ; born April 24, 1962) is an American YouTube personality, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, and educator. Since the early 1980s, he has worked variously as a musician, songwriter, audio engineer, and record producer ...

. Stan Martell (bass guitar) was later added to the lineup. When Mercy Drive returned under their new name, they rerecorded Tattoo with new lyrics. The song was renamed "Memory". However, the new version of the song was never used as an entrance theme for Maven, as he was released from WWE just days before the song could make its way to television. When

won the World Heavyweight Championship in 2004, Mercy Drive's song "Away" was used in a promotional video showcasing Orton's accomplishments from his debut to his World Championship victory. Following Orton's departure from

Evolution Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...

, he began to use Mercy Drive's "Burn in My Light" as his entrance theme. The song made its debut on ''

WWE RAW ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It currently airs Live television, live every Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Netflix. The show fe ...

'' a week after Orton spit in

Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...

's face after refusing to hand over his newly won World Heavyweight Championship. The track was included on WWE's '' Wreckless Intent'' in 2006. Mercy Drive teamed up with producer Rick Beato (Shinedown, Vince Neil, Flickerstick, Working Title) to put together an "in-your-face" blend of Modern Rock that complemented the band's dynamic live performances. Maverick Records dropped them prior to the album's release. As a result, their self-titled debut record was available exclusively through the band's official website.

Band members

Current * Corey Lane – drums (2000–present) * Jake Beard – guitar (2000–present) * Jimmy McGlothlin – guitar, vocals (2000–present) * Gordon Madison – guitar (2021–present) Past * Josh Lyons – vocals (2000–2004) * Mark James – bass (2000–2004) * Stan Martell – bass (2004–2008)

Discography

Mercy Drive's self-titled album, produced by Rick Beato, was never released by Maverick Records.

Track listing

References

{{Reflist

External links

Mercy Drive's Website
Hard rock musical groups from Florida Musical groups from Orlando, Florida Musical groups established in 2000