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Sheavy is a Canadian
doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...
band formed in 1993 in St. John's.


Formation and name change

Sheavy formed in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, in 1993, and originally performed under the name Green Machine. In 1994, the band discovered there was another band in the United States with the same name, so a decision was made to rename the band Sheavy. The band's repertoire originally consisted of a sampling of
Kyuss Kyuss ( ) was an American stoner rock band formed in Palm Desert, California, in 1987, and considered one of the pioneers of the genre. After disbanding in 1995, a number of band members have gone on to form or play in several notable bands in ...
covers and an assortment of originals that would eventually make their way onto the ''Reproduction E.P.'', ''Slaves To Fashion,'' and ultimately ''Blue Sky Mind.'' A three-song 7-inch vinyl record was recorded in early 1995 at Jolly Roger Studios in St. John's. The band regularly performed in and around St. John's for the first few years at small clubs and venues such as The Loft, Sam Shades; Junctions and the LSPU Hall.


Record deal

The band recorded and mixed their debut album ''Blue Sky Mind'' over a single weekend during the summer of 1995. Later that summer, the band's bass player Paul Gruchy amicably left the band to focus on completing his university studies. There were about 1000 copies of the album released early in 1996, at which time Keith Foley also stepped in to complete the Sheavy line-up as the band's bassist. Although the audio quality of ''Blue Sky Mind'' was low, the original master tapes later revealed a much-higher audio quality existed. On the strength and popularity of the recording, however,
Rise Above Records Rise Above Records is a London-based independent record label owned by Lee Dorrian, former member of Cathedral and Napalm Death. Founding Lee Dorrian started Rise Above Records in 1988 without the intention of the label being an ongoing pos ...
in the U.K. signed the band to a three-album deal. The band now had more resources available and were better prepared for work on the second studio album.


The Electric Sleep

'' The Electric Sleep'' was recorded in St. John's in the summer of 1997.
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 sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproducti ...
Don Ellis helped the band capture the simple, powerful sound they had been searching for. The result was an album one British reviewer deemed "the best
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...
album in 25 years." Black Sabbath comparisons were nothing new for the band, but for every review filled with praise another came along that maintained they were little more than clones. The album's doomy title track could even be found on the web described as a lost Sabbath track. After a short tour of the U.K. and an invitation to play the
Dynamo Open Air Festival Dynamo Open Air is a festival in the Netherlands that was held (almost) every year between 1986 and 2005. It was reborn in 2008 as Dynamo Outdoor and in 2015 as Dynamo Metal Fest. History Originally held to celebrate the fifth anniversary of th ...
in the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, the band headed back to the studio.


Celestial Hi-Fi

Recorded in the summer of 1999, in the workshop of Ren Squires' parents home, '' Celestial Hi-Fi'', showcased the diversity of the Sheavy sound. The delicate nuances of "Persona" gave way to the doom of "Tales From The Afterburner," while tracks like "What's Up Mr. Zero" and "Strange Gods Strange Altars" illustrated the band's ability to throw hooks into the mix. Reviews of the album were generally positive.


Synchronized

In October 2001, the band converged on Keith's new home in
Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
Alberta to write and rehearse for what would become the '' Synchronized'' sessions. Recorded in November 2001, with former Black Sabbath Producer/Engineer Mike Butcher at the helm, ''Synchronized'' once again saw the band diversify its sound with the addition of synthesizer, piano and drum loops. Despite, and perhaps because of the addition of Butcher, the album has been described as the band's least Sabbath-like release and nothing less than a sincere tribute to '70s rock. Written largely in the studio due to time constraints, the album's rock-solid production showcased a raw power unseen on the Sheavy's previous releases. In September 2004, the band reunited in St. John's to begin writing songs for a new album. Due to a number of outside obligations, consummate band leader and drummer Ren Squires stepped quietly out of the spotlight. Kevin Dominic, a long-time friend of the band, was brought in to keep the band running. By November the band emerged with 11 new tracks. Over the next month, with the help of friend and Producer Rick Hollett, the band tracked '' Republic?'' above a Duckworth Street club called The Republic. Billy Anderson mixed ''Republic?'' in San Francisco, California, and the album was released on Rise Above Records in 2005. In 2006, the band travelled to Europe for a two-week tour, which included a number of countries and festivals.


The Machine That Won the War

On March 3, 2007, Sheavy filmed a live performance at the Holy Heart of Mary High School
auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoriums can be found in entertainment venues, community halls, and t ...
in their hometown of St. John's. This performance was released as a DVD that accompanied the CD. The band recorded the studio album via
analog Analog or analogue may refer to: Computing and electronics * Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable ** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals *** Analog electronics, circuits which use analog ...
instead of
digital Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits. Businesses *Digital bank, a form of financial institution *Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) or Digital, a computer company *Digital Research (DR or DRI), a software ...
, and vocalist Steve Hennessey acted as the producer. The CD booklet features panels of artwork by a number of Newfoundland musicians and friends connected to the band, including two panels by Sheavy's original bassist Paul Gruchy. Each panel is directly inspired by, and corresponds to each track on the album. Following that release, both Tommy Boland and Kevin Dominic amicably parted ways with the band. Evan Chaulker, who had previously toured with Sheavy, was brought in on guitar, and Jason Williams joined the band on drums.


''The Golden Age of Daredevils'' and ''Disfigurine''

In April 2009, original guitarist Dan Moore resigned from the band and announced his decision to the band's Facebook fan group - both via email. The band enlisted guitarist Chris White on guitar and premiered the new guitarist and new material at local St. John's venue Distortion in October 2009. Recording began on a forthcoming album, Disfigurine, roughly around the same period. Prior to its completion, though, the band took up the RPM challenge, which invites musicians to record a whole album of music, 10 songs or 35 minutes. The end result was an album entitled 'The Golden Age of Daredevils' which was released in late May 2010 and included songs written by the new lineup as well as material written by Dan Moore prior to his departure. The album 'Disfigurine' was later released in August 2010. Featuring a more metal style and some of the longest songs the band had ever written, Disfigurine pointed to a number of stylistic changes for the band. The band played a handful of shows in the St. John's area between late 2010 and 2012 but song writing continued at a steady pace. Citing personal and family commitments bassist Keith Foley and guitarist Chris White parted ways with the band in the spring of 2012. In order to keep the song writing process rolling Steve asked local St. John's guitar players Barry Peters and Glen Tizzard (bass) to get together to jam and write. While Tizzard was able to join the band on a full-time basis, Peters helped to write and record but was unable to fully come on board due to out of province work commitments.


Line-up timeline


Discography


Studio albums

*'' Blue Sky Mind'' CD (1996 Dallas Tarr Records), LP (2007 Dallas Tarr Records) *'' The Electric Sleep'' CD (1998
Rise Above Records Rise Above Records is a London-based independent record label owned by Lee Dorrian, former member of Cathedral and Napalm Death. Founding Lee Dorrian started Rise Above Records in 1988 without the intention of the label being an ongoing pos ...
), LP (May 18, 2015
Rise Above Records Rise Above Records is a London-based independent record label owned by Lee Dorrian, former member of Cathedral and Napalm Death. Founding Lee Dorrian started Rise Above Records in 1988 without the intention of the label being an ongoing pos ...
) *'' Celestial Hi-Fi'' CD (2000
Rise Above Records Rise Above Records is a London-based independent record label owned by Lee Dorrian, former member of Cathedral and Napalm Death. Founding Lee Dorrian started Rise Above Records in 1988 without the intention of the label being an ongoing pos ...
), LP (June 2, 2015
Rise Above Records Rise Above Records is a London-based independent record label owned by Lee Dorrian, former member of Cathedral and Napalm Death. Founding Lee Dorrian started Rise Above Records in 1988 without the intention of the label being an ongoing pos ...
) *'' Synchronized'' CD (2002
Rise Above Records Rise Above Records is a London-based independent record label owned by Lee Dorrian, former member of Cathedral and Napalm Death. Founding Lee Dorrian started Rise Above Records in 1988 without the intention of the label being an ongoing pos ...
) *'' Republic?'' CD (2005
Rise Above Records Rise Above Records is a London-based independent record label owned by Lee Dorrian, former member of Cathedral and Napalm Death. Founding Lee Dorrian started Rise Above Records in 1988 without the intention of the label being an ongoing pos ...
) *'' The Machine That Won the War'' CD (2007
Candlelight Records Candlelight Records is a British record label based in London, founded by former Extreme Noise Terror bass guitarist Lee Barrett in 1993. The record label originally specialized in black metal, but quickly expanded to various other forms of hea ...
) *''The Golden Age of Daredevils'' CD (2010 Dallas Tarr Records) *''Disfigurine'' CD (August 24, 2010, Dallas Tarr Records) *''Moons in Penumbra'' Cassette (December 6, 2013, Dallas Tarr Records), CD (December 16, 2013, Dallas Tarr Records), LP (March 2014 Hydro-Phonic Records) *''The Best of Sheavy: A Misleading Collection'' CD (May 8, 2014, Dallas Tarr Records)


Demos/EPs

*''The Reproduction E.P.'' Cassette (1994) *''Slaves to Fashion'' Cassette (1995) *''Untitled 3-song'' 7-inch EP (1995 Mag Wheel Records) *''Born Too Late'' split CD with Church of Misery (1997 Game Two Records)


Compilations appearances

*"Electric Sleep (original version)" on ''Welcome to Meteor City'' CD (1998
MeteorCity Records MeteorCity Records is an American record label founded in 1997 by Jadd Shickler and Aaron Emmel in Albuquerque, New Mexico. With the release of its compilation album ''Welcome to MeteorCity'' showcasing young unsigned Kyuss-like bands, MeteorCi ...
) *"Pictures of You" on '' Rise 13 - Magick Rock Vol. 1'' CD (1999
Rise Above Records Rise Above Records is a London-based independent record label owned by Lee Dorrian, former member of Cathedral and Napalm Death. Founding Lee Dorrian started Rise Above Records in 1988 without the intention of the label being an ongoing pos ...
) *"Face in the Mirror" on ''In the Groove'' CD (1999
The Music Cartel The Music Cartel was a record label based in Port Washington, New York and active between 1998 and 2005. It was founded by former Earache Records general manager Eric Lemasters. Many of their critically acclaimed releases – including prominent s ...
) *"Sea of Tomorrow" on '' I am Vengeance: Official Soundtrack'' CD (2007
MeteorCity MeteorCity Records is an American record label founded in 1997 by Jadd Shickler and Aaron Emmel in Albuquerque, New Mexico. With the release of its compilation album ''Welcome to MeteorCity'' showcasing young unsigned Kyuss-like bands, MeteorC ...
)


Video

*''Republic? at the Masonic Temple'' DVD (2005) Live at Holy Heart bonus DVD in the deluxe "Machine that won the war"


References


External links


Sheavy
Official Site
Sheavy
at
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Sheavy
at BNR Metal Pages {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheavy Musical groups established in 1993 Musical groups from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Canadian doom metal musical groups Canadian stoner rock musical groups 1993 establishments in Newfoundland and Labrador