History Of Guns

Infobox musical artist
Name = History Of Guns
Img_capt =
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = group_or_band
Alias =
Origin = flagicon|United KingdomUnited Kingdom
Genre = Industrial, Dance, Punk, Goth, Alternative rock, Indie
Years_active = 1996 – current
Label = Liquid Len Records/Line Out Records
Associated_acts = Blue Label, The Meads Of Asphodel, Raelism
URL = [http://www.historyofguns.com/ historyofguns.com]
Current_members = Del Alien
Max Rael
Gary Hughes
Fester Schuster
Stagger Lee
Past_members = The Goose, Kevin Gerrish
Notable_instruments = Moog Prodigy. Kawai R50

History Of Guns are an English cross-genre group combining elements of industrial, punk, electronica, rock, avant-garde and goth who formed in 1996. They self-released three EPs and two albums on their own Liquid Len Records before signing to Line Out Records in November 2006.

Their name comes from the title of one of their earliest songs, written about the Dunblane massacre.cite web
url = http://ddl.at/gothinasia/
title = Goth In Asia Interviews History Of Guns
publisher = "gothinasia(2005)
accessdate= 2007-05-28]

Primarily a studio project, History Of Guns have played live sporadically throughout their career including the Whitby Gothic Weekend and both Futurepunk23 and Back To The Futurepunk. [http://www.futurepunk.co.uk] [http://www.lineoutrecords.com/bands/HistoryOfGuns/] Line Out Records]

In 2007, their song Your Obedient Servants came in at no.19 in journalist Mick Mercer's list of Top 30 Goth Singles Of All Time. [http://mickmercer.livejournal.com/662927.html] Mick Mercer's Top 30 Goth Singles Of All Time]

In April 2008, Line Out Records sponsored the Whitby Gothic Weekend bi-annual football tournament so that teams were competing for the History Of Guns - Acedia Challenge Cup..Citation
last =
first =
author-link = Whitby Gazette
title = Athletico Gazette defeat Real Gothic in a Whitby classic
newspaper = Whitby Gazette
pages =
year = 2008
date = 2008-05-01
url = http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/goth-news/Athletico-Gazette-defeat-Real-Gothic.4042594.jp] Whitby Gazette]

Their third album ACEDIA was released on July 7th 2008 on Line Out Records and was awarded 9/10 by Rock Sound.Citation
last
first =
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title =
newspaper = Rock Sound
pages =
year = 2008
date = July 3rd, 2008
url = ]

A free download single of Empty Eyes / ...But I'll Be Waiting was released on August 4th 2008.

Current line-up

*Del Alien: Vocals (1996-now)
*Max Rael: Guitars, synths, programming (1996-now) Also of The Meads Of Asphodel
*Gary 'The Reverend' Hughes: drums, guitars, bass guitar (1997-now)
*Stagger Lee: bass guitar (1996-1999) (2007-now)

Former/past member(s)

*Fester: Guitar (2004-2007)
*Stagger Lee: bass guitar (1996-1999)
*Kevin Gerrish: bass guitar (2002)
*Goose: bass guitar (on and off 2003-2006)

Beginning (1996-1999) - The Stagger Years

History Of Guns was formed in February 1996 as "Pre-Hate Machine" by Stagger Lee with Max Rael and Del Alien. Del Alien renamed the band 'History Of Guns' after a song he'd written about the Dunblane Massacre in mid 1996.Citation
last = Pustianaz
first = Maurizio
author-link =
date = 2008-08-16
title = Chain D.L.K. presents an interview with: History Of Guns
magazine = Chain D.L.K.
issue =
pages =
year = 2008
accessdate= 2008-08-19
url = http://www.chaindlk.com/interviews/index.php?interview=Hog]

Their first demo Reformation Day was recorded in a day at Discipline Studios in Tottenham in July 1996.

In September 1996 Gary 'The Reverend' Hughes joined the band as a regular part-time collaborator.

The band signed up with Top Knotch Management in 1997 and recorded a second demo Sold On Secrets in Chelmsford.

In 1999 the band acquired a PC, and began recording with Cubase.

The first track recorded in this fashion was 'Random Death Bag' which appeared on the third installment of the No Holy Additive compilation CD from Godreah Zine, followed by the Little Miss Suicide EP which was released on the newly formed Liquid Len record label, and an unreleased demo album called 'Enough Is Too Much LP'.

Stagger Lee quit the band with the release of their first CD, Little Miss Suicide EP in 1999.

2001 - 2003 Disconnect EP / Mirror Pond EP

In 2001 Godreah zine contacted the band with a request for them to appear on the fourth and final installment of the No Holy Additive compilation CD. Del Alien and Max Rael recorded their first new material for two years, namely, Reconstructing Terror, Fact and Disconnect, they also completed two unfinished tracks left over from Enough Is Too Much sessions namely, 57 Days and Burn, which eventually got released as the Disconnect EP by the Liquid Len record label in 2002.

Kevin Gerrish joined the band briefly in 2002 during the writing and recording of The Mirror Pond LP. Weeks before its release History Of Guns issued a press released saying that they'd been "consumed by business rhetoric" and were thus "downsizing the album into an EP". Although many of the remaining tracks remain unreleased, the track 'Psycho' was included as a bonus track on the second edition of the CD, and 'Sunday Lunchtime (A Family Portrait)' and 'Soaked' were included on the 2007 release 'Issue Six:Archive One - Make It Look Like An Accident'.

Flashes Of Light/Apophenia/Free EP Series

History Of Guns released their debut album Flashes Of Light LP in 2004. A dense slab of atmospheric dark electronica devoid of any guitars , noted for it's unusual structure of having two long opening songs, four short middle songs, then two long closing songs.

Recruiting a live band in 2004 History Of Guns performed gigs around the south east of England as an edgy punk band, not performing any of the songs from their debut album. The last date was filmed and released on dvd as "Twenty Seven Paces".

Their second album APOPHENIA was released in November 2005. It was named after the medical condition of seeing patterns in seemingly random data, Apophenia. This time the album was structued in two distinct halves, and every track on the album written and performed in a different genre.

Responding to an interview with Dark Futures zine in which History Of Guns said they worked very quickly, to which the interviewer replied "how did it take two years to make your new album then?" History Of Guns announced a series of free limited edition bi-monthly CDs, starting with the March 2006 release UDDERS available via their website.

In April 2006 they played their debut at the infamous "Whitby Gothic Weekend".

In November 2006 the band announced that they had signed to Line Out Records and would no longer be able to keep to their schedule of releasing a new EP every other month whilst they wrote and recorded their 3rd album to be titled ACEDIA.

ACEDIA

Their third album ACEDIA was released on July 7th 2008 on Line Out Records. The album title came from the lyrics to Of Walking Abortion by Manic Street Preachers from their The Holy Bible album Citation
last = Mercer
first = Mick
author-link = Mick Mercer
date = 2008-07-31
title = Britain's Most Imaginative Band?
magazine = The Mick
issue = 44
pages = p53
year = 2008
accessdate= 2008-08-19
url = http://www.mickmercer.com/pdfs/the_mick_44.pdf]

Discography

tudio Releases

*Little Miss Suicide EP GUNCD01, 1999
*Disconnect EP LENCD04, 2002
*The Mirror Pond EP LENCD05, 2003
*Flashes Of Light LP LENCD08, 2004
*Apophenia LENCD11, 2005
*ACEDIA LINE10, 2008
*Half Light tba
*Eschatology tba

Free CD Series

*Flashes Of Light Part One LENCD07FOC, December 2003
*Whitby October 2004 Promo LENCD09FOC, October 2004
*Apospemia - A Collection Of B-sides LENCD10, 2005
*Issue One - UDDERS Free EP, March 2006
*Issue Two - ELECTRICITY IS THE ANSWER Free EP, May 2006
*Issue Three - POKER FACE Free EP, July 2006
*Issue Four - Whitby October 2006 Promo Free EP, October 2006
*Issue Five - All The Natural Beauty Of A Golf Course Free EP, April 2007
* Free EP, October 2007
*Empty Eyes (single mix)/Killing Myself Until I Die (excerpt) Free CD single, April 2008
*Empty Eyes / ...But I'll Be Waiting Free download single single, August 2008

DVDs

*Twenty Seven Paces LENDVD1 2005

Demos

*Reformation Day Demo, 1996
*Sold On Secrets Demo, 1997
*Enough Is Too Much Demo Album, 1999

Compilations

*Contains no Holy Additives Vol.2, Godreah Records, 1999
*Contains no Holy Additives Vol.3, Godreah Records, 2000
*Contains no Holy Additives Vol.4, FAFF03, Godreah Records, 2001
*Tribal Sin, 2001
*Daze Of The Underground, 2003
*DarkCell 01, 2003
*This Is Industrial Punk, 2005
*Line Out & Chums Vol. 1, 2006
*Lined Up vol. 1, 2007

Remixes

(as Remixing artists)

*Fish (ex-Marillion) - 3 History Of Guns remixes included on the Fellini Days Companion CD, 2001
*Jo McCafferty - Vanessa - Raelism Remix 2002 (unreleased)
*Xykogen - Mutate And Survive - History Of Guns Remix 2006
*Psychophile - All In The Mind - History Of Guns Remix 2006
*Reincarnation Fish - Homeless Samurai - History Of Guns, The Farmers Have Won Mix 2007
*Xykogen - Terminology - History Of Guns Remix 2007

(as artists being Remixed)
* LMS - Track Little Miss Suicide Remixed by Gary Hughes 2001
* Spoonburn - Track Moonburn remixed by Daniel Vincent (of Karma Pilot) 2004
* Blown Out - Track Blown remixed by The Resonance Association vs History Of Guns 2007

References

External links

* [http://www.historyofguns.com Official Homepage]
* [http://www.liquidlen.co.uk Liquid Len Records]
* [http://www.livejournal.com/users/maxrael/ Max Rael's blog]
* [http://www.raelism.co.uk Max Rael's solo work]
* [http://www.coolnoise.co.uk/history-of-guns.htm Reviews of four History of Guns releases]