*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*
This month’s State is New York!
If you were listening to metal in the late 90’s and early 2000’s there is a good chance you are familiar with the band DRY KILL LOGIC. The band formed in Westchester, NY in 1995 under the name HINGE. It was in 1997 that the band would release their first EP titled ‘Cause Moshing Is Good Fun’ via Psychodrama Records – the band’s own label. The second EP ‘Elemental Evil’ (1999) is when the band truly started garnering attention. The impact of that EP led them to opening for some well-known bands including Coal Chamber, Incubus, Anthrax and System of a Down. In 2000, (still performing under the name HINGE) they signed a record deal with Roadrunner Records but soon after signing with the label, they were forced to change their name due to a recording studio owning the copyright to the same name. They briefly changed their name from HINGE to HINGE A.D., but ultimately settled upon DRY KILL LOGIC after the studio threatened legal action if they used the word “Hinge” anywhere in their name. It was around this same time that ‘The Darker Side Of Nonsense’ was released. The album was released both under the name HINGE, as well as DRY KILL LOGIC. From then on Dry Kill Logic singer Cliff Rigano, guitarist Scott Thompson, bassist Dave Kowatch, and drummer Phil Arcuri were known as DRY KILL LOGIC. The band boasted a huge amount of groove in their music and were sometimes placed in two genre categories; Nu metal and New Wave Of American Heavy Metal. Both genres are very fitting but the band is a multidimensional band that really exceeded the limitations of any genre. ‘The Darker Side of Nonsense’ went on to become one of the heaviest and most revered albums of the year. On October 5, 2004, the band released their second major album ‘The Dead And Dreaming’, via Psychodrama Music Group. This album included one of the bands’ all-time greatest hits, “Paper Tiger” which showcased the bands ability to be incredibly heavy while still having those melodic anchoring moments that made their music special. In June of 2006, the band produced, designed and directed their first DVD/EP combo, ‘The Magellan Complex’. By this time the band had wrangled in a huge fan base and the DVD had a tremendous amount of behind the scenes footage, interviews and exclusive content filmed while the band was on tour. It also included the music video for “Paper Tiger”. The band was often compared to Pantera throughout the years and especially during their rise to popularity. DRY KILL LOGIC always remained humble and in regards to the comparison stated “I am just delighted people are liking the record and I have heard and read some great comparisons with great bands. It is humbling to be in the same breath as Pantera” during an interview with MetalRage.com.
‘Of Vengeance And Violence’ is DRY KILL LOGIC’S most recent release and that album came out in September of 2006. It has been almost 11 years since the band released that album. The lineup changed through the years but the music was always strong. The band went on an unofficial hiatus in 2008, and was explained somewhat when Cliff Rigano posted this message on the bands’ Myspace page. “Just wanted to hit you all up and let you know that we are NOT dead, broken up or MIA. When you bleed the dream for 18 years like we have, at some point you need downtime to decompress, recharge the batteries, and become inspired again. I wanted to thank everyone that has emailed / MySpaced us about our whereabouts it’s humbling to read all the great emails asking about merch, tour dates, new music etc. Unfortunately, I don’t have ANY answers for you yet, but rest assured that sooner rather than later you will be hearing from us.” Until recently the last Facebook post from the band was on May 8th, 2013 where the band apologized for their absence on social media and stated “Sup everybody, sorry we never get on here and shoot the shit with you all. We know that we owe you some new music, and without sounding like a broken record I think it won’t be long before the beast rises again.” Those final words gave an immense amount of hope to fans across the world that the band would soon re-open for business and crank out some new material. Several years passed before the band would post anything again. Then it happened… On January 4th, 2016 the band posted a selfie of them in the studio. The image spread like wildfire through the interwebs and instilled hope yet again that the band was back. Then one year almost to the day the band began to post live video of them playing in their rehearsal space. The band’s current lineup has retained two original members of the band. Vocalist Cliff Rigano, and drummer Phil Arcuri. It should be stated that Cliff and Phil are/were two of the biggest components of the bands overall sound. Phil not only composed the drums for the majority of the albums but also was helpful in the guitar parts and was co-producer on several of the albums as well. Cliff of course is the lyricist of the band and has a great knowledge of the music industry from working A&R. The lineup is rounded out with longtime members Jason Bozzi on guitars, and Brendan Duff (Pristina, 100 Demons, A Thousand Falling Skies) on bass. We aren’t sure at the present moment where the band has been in the studio, or when we can expect a new album or tour. They did mention some song titles during the practice session, but what we do know is that they are together and jamming again and creating new music. It’s been long awaited and fans across the world including myself are eagerly awaiting to hear new DRY KILL LOGIC tunes and see some classics performed live on tour.
Follow DRY KILL LOGIC on Facebook here. Check out their live stream rehearsal below!
