Rocky Gray

William Caldwell "Rocky" Gray (born July 2, 1974) is an American drummer and guitarist. He is a guitarist for the bands Living Sacrifice, Even Devils Die, and Creepy Carnival, and the drummer for Soul Embraced, Mourningside, Machina, and We Are the Fallen. He played drums for Evanescence from 2003–2007 and Fatal Thirteen from 2006–2014, and was a guitarist for Shredded Corpse (1991–1998) and Solus Deus (2012–2017). Gray also released a solo album titled ''Accursed'' (2015).

History

Gray joined the grindcore band Shredded Corpse, performing bass and vocals on two demo recordings. The band released two albums and eventually disbanded in 1998. In 1997, he formed Soul Embraced with David Sroczynski, and the band broke up in 1998. From 1991 to 1998, Gray played for many bands, with Shredded Corpse being his main gig. In 1998, he joined the Christian death metal band Living Sacrifice with Arthur Green and Matthew Putman.

In 1999, Gray reunited Soul Embraced with his brother-in-law Chad Moore and Living Sacrifice member Lance Garvin, and the band released their debut EP, '' The Fleshless''. In 2000, Living Sacrifice released their fifth album, '' The Hammering Process'', which was Gray, Green and Putman's first release with the band. The following year, Soul Embraced released their debut studio album, '' For the Incomplete''. In 2002, Gray formed the band Kill System with Garvin, Moore, and John LeCompt. Kill System recorded their debut self-titled album. In early 2003, Gray played drums live for the rock band Evanescence, whose debut album, '' Fallen'', featured a cover of Soul Embraced's song "My Tourniquet", which Gray co-wrote. He was replaced in Kill System by Cory Brandan Putman and the band disbanded that year.

After Gray left Living Sacrifice, Soul Embraced released their album ''Immune''. In 2005, Gray got together with Garvin and Bruce Fitzhugh to record three additional songs for Living Sacrifice's greatest hits, '' In Memoriam''. Later that year, Gray joined LeCompt in the band Machina. Gray also launched a clothing line called CrimeWave Clothing. In 2006, Gray joined the horror-themed band Fatal Thirteen (also stylized as Fatal 13) as the drummer. He also formed his own solo project, 3 for Sorrow, and another project with his brother-in-law, called The Burning. Both projects ended almost as abruptly they started. Gray stated that The Burning was put aside as he was focusing on other projects. In 2007, Gray left Evanescence.

After five years of being disbanded, Living Sacrifice reunited and released their 2008 sophomore EP, '' Death Machine'', and their fourth album, '' Dead Alive''. In 2009, Gray and LeCompt joined ex-Evanescence guitarist Ben Moody, former American Idol singer Carly Smithson and bassist Marty O'Brien) to form the band We Are the Fallen. In 2010, Living Sacrifice released their seventh album '' The Infinite Order''. In 2012, Gray produced an EP by the local band Every Knee Shall Bow. The band then signed to Rottweiler Records, and Soul Embraced signed them soon after. Gray joined Solus Deus after they debuted. They released their debut self-titled EP in 2012, and their second EP, '' The Bloodtrail'' in 2013. In 2013, both Living Sacrifice and Soul Embraced released the albums '' Ghost Thief'' and ''Mythos''.

In 2014, Fatal Thirteen broke up. Gray then worked on three other projects: Creepy Carnival, which he formed with Wretched Graverobber and Spano Graverobber of the horror punk band Grave Robber, and Jeff Bowie of Mourningside and Soul Embraced; Even Devils Die, another project with LeCompt; and a solo project under Gray's own name. In 2015, Gray composed the score for the horror film '' The Barn'' and the video game based on the film, and recorded a solo album, titled ''Accursed''. Two tracks by Gray appeared on the soundtrack for the video game '' Killing Floor 2'' (2016). Gray stated that he wanted Living Sacrifice and Soul Embraced to have a new release by 2016. In 2016, Gray was nominated for a "Best Scorer" award for his work on ''The Barn''. Later that year, alongside longtime friend LeCompt, he joined the Arkansas band Cryptic Memoirs. Gray composed music for the horror films '' 10/31'' (2017), ''10/31 Part III'' (2023), and ''Cryptids'' (2023).

Bands

;Current
* Rocky Gray (solo) – guitars, drums, bass (2014–present)
* Soul Embraced – lead guitar (1997–2009, 2014–present), rhythm guitar (1997–2006, 2014–present), bass (1997–2006), drums (2009–2014), backing vocals (1999–present)
* Mourningside – drums (2004–present)
* Living Sacrifice – lead guitar, backing vocals (1998–2003, 2005, 2008–present)
* Machina – drums (2005–present)
* Even Devils Die – guitar, keyboards, programming (2014–present)
* Creepy Carnival – guitar (2014–present)
* Cryptic Memoirs – drums, guitar (2013–present)

;Former
* Chalice – drums (1991)
* Shredded Corpse – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass (1991–1998)
* Sickshine – drums (1993–1995)
* PainGod (later known as Flesh Compressor) – (1994–1995)
* Seminal Death – vocals, guitar (1995)
* Thy Pain – guitar, vocals (2002)
* Kill System – guitar (2002–2003)
* Evanescence – drums (2003–2007)
* The Burning – guitar (2005–2006)
* 3 for Sorrow – drums, bass and guitar (2005–2006)
* Fatal Thirteen – drums (2006–2014)
* We Are the Fallen – drums (2009–2012)
* Solus Deus – lead guitar, backing vocals (2012–2017)

;Touring
* Bleeding Through – drums (2008)
* The Killer and the Star – drums (2009–present)

;Timeline

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id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums
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id:T value:magenta legend:Touring_member
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bar:Chalice text:"Chalice"
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bar:Soul text:"Soul Embraced"
bar:Sacrifice text:"Living Sacrifice"
bar:Evan text:"Evanescence"
bar:Kill text:"Kill System"
bar:Thy text:"Thy Pain"
bar:Mourn text:"Mourningside"
bar:Machina text:"Machina"
bar:Burning text:"The Burning"
bar:34S text:"3 for Sorrow"
bar:F13 text:"Fatal Thirteen"
bar:Bleeding text:"Bleeding Through"
bar:WatF text:"We Are the Fallen"
bar:Killer text:"The Killer & the Star"
bar:Solus text:"Solus Deus"
bar:Cryptic text:"Cryptic Memoirs"
bar:Even text:"Even Devils Die"
bar:Creep text:"Creepy Carnival"
bar:Solo text:"Rocky Gray"

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bar:Shred from:01/01/1991 till:01/01/1998 color:Guitar
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bar:Seminal from:01/01/1995 till:09/01/1995 color:Guitar
bar:Seminal from:01/01/1995 till:09/01/1995 color:BV width:3
bar:Soul from:01/01/1997 till:01/01/1998 color:Guitar
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bar:Soul from:01/01/2014 till:end color:Guitar
bar:Sacrifice from:01/01/1998 till:03/01/2005 color:Guitar
bar:Sacrifice from:02/04/2008 till:end color:Guitar
bar:Sacrifice from:01/01/1998 till:03/01/2005 color:BV width:3
bar:Sacrifice from:02/04/2008 till:end color:BV width:3
bar:Thy from:01/01/2002 till:09/01/2002 color:Guitar
bar:Thy from:01/01/2002 till:09/01/2002 color:BV width:3
bar:Kill from:01/01/2002 till:01/01/2003 color:Guitar
bar:Mourn from:01/01/2004 till:end color:Drums
bar:Machina from:01/01/2005 till:end color:Drums
bar:Burning from:01/01/2005 till:01/01/2006 color:Guitar
bar:34S from:01/01/2005 till:01/01/2006 color:Guitar
bar:34S from:01/01/2005 till:01/01/2006 color:Bass width:7
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bar:F13 from:01/01/2006 till:01/01/2014 color:Drums
bar:WatF from:01/01/2009 till:end color:Drums
bar:Evan from:01/01/2003 till:01/01/2007 color:Drums
bar:Solus from:01/01/2012 till:02/01/2017 color:Guitar
bar:Solus from:01/01/2012 till:02/01/2017 color:BV width:3
bar:Cryptic from:09/01/2013 till:end color:Drums
bar:Cryptic from:09/01/2013 till:end color:Guitar width:3
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bar:Solo from:01/01/2014 till:end color:Bass width:7
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bar:Creep from:01/01/2014 till:end color:Guitar
bar:Bleeding from:01/01/2008 till:09/01/2008 color:Drums
bar:Bleeding from:01/01/2008 till:09/01/2008 color:T width:3
bar:Killer from:01/01/2009 till:end color:Drums
bar:Killer from:01/01/2009 till:end color:T width:3

Selected discography

; With Soul Embraced
* '' The Fleshless'' (1999)
* '' For the Incomplete'' (2000)
* '' This Is My Blood'' (2002)
* ''Immune'' (2003)
* '' Dead Alive'' (2008)
* ''Mythos'' (2013)

; With Living Sacrifice
* '' The Hammering Process'' (2000)
* '' Subtle Alliance'' (2002)
* ''Conceived in Fire'' (2002)
* '' In Memoriam'' (2005)
* '' Death Machine'' (2008)
* '' The Infinite Order'' (2010)
* '' Ghost Thief'' (2013)

;With Evanescence
* '' The Open Door'' (2006)

;With Kill System
* ''Kill System'' (2002)

;With Machina
* ''Machina'' EP (2007)
* ''To Live And Die in the Garden of Eden'' (2012)

;With We Are the Fallen
* '' Tear the World Down'' (2010)

;With Solus Deus
* '' Solus Deus'' (2012)
* '' The Bloodtrail'' (2014)
* ''The Plague'' (2016)

;As Rocky Gray
* ''Accursed'' (2015)

;With Cryptic Memoirs
* ''Weight of the World'' EP (2017)

;As scorer
* ''The Barn'' (2015)

; Other credits
* Inner War – ''Inner War'' (producer, 1999)
* Thy Pain – ''More Than Suffering'' (producer, 2002)
* Fatal Thirteen – ''Music From the Soundproof Torture'' Chamber (producer, 2006)
* Austrian Death Machine – '' Double Brutal'' (guitar solo on track 13, 2009)
* Believer – ''Gabriel'' (guitars, 2009)
* At Wars End – ''Take Off the Mask'' (producer, 2012)
* Every Knee Shall Bow – ''Weary Warrior'' (producer, 2012)
* Project 86 – '' Wait for the Siren'' (drums, 2012)
* Lust Control – ''Tiny Little Dots'' (mixing, mastering, 2013)
* Final Surrender – ''Empty Graves'' (producer, 2013)
* Abated Mass of Flesh – ''Brutal Death'' (mastering, 2013)
* At Wars End – ''One Way Ticket'' EP (producer, 2014)
* Lindsay Schoolcraft - ''Martyr'' (drum programming, guitar, bass, songwriting, 2018)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Rocky
1974 births
20th-century American drummers
21st-century American drummers
21st-century American singer-songwriters
American heavy metal drummers
American heavy metal guitarists
American heavy metal singers
American male guitarists
American male drummers
American male singer-songwriters
American performers of Christian music
American rock songwriters
Bleeding Through members
Christian metal musicians
Evanescence members
Guitarists from Arkansas
Living people
Living Sacrifice members
People from Jacksonville, Arkansas
Singer-songwriters from Arkansas
Soul Embraced members
We Are the Fallen members
Drummers from Arkansas