Audiotopsy is an American heavy metal band from Peoria, Illinois, formed in 2015. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Billy Keeton, lead guitarist and backing vocalist James Vinson, bassist and backing vocalist Perry Stern, and drummer Trevor Bodkins.

History

Formation and ''Natural Causes'' (2015–2017)

The band formed in 2015 after

Greg Tribbett Gregory Arnold Tribbett Jr. (born November 7, 1968) is an American guitarist who is one of the founding members, lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the metal band Mudvayne. He is also the former lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the met ...

left Hellyeah along with bassist Bob "Zilla" Kahaka. The band's debut studio album, ''Natural Causes'', was released on October 2, 2015 via

Napalm Records Napalm Records is an Austrian independent record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock. Originally, Napalm focused on black metal bands, such as Abigor and Summoning, and folk metal bands, such as Falkenbach and Vintersorg. The label l ...

. It was self-produced and engineered by Tim Laud. The tracks "Headshot" and "The Calling" premiered on Loudwire and Revolver respectively.

''The Real Now and line up change'' (2018–present)

In September of 2017 the band announced recording had begun on a second studio album, set for release in 2018. The band's second album ''The Real Now'' was released on November 2, via

Megaforce Records Megaforce Records is an American independent record label founded in 1982 by Jon Zazula and his wife Marsha Zazula to release the first works of Metallica, and devoted primarily to hard rock and heavy metal. It has offices in New York City (whe ...

. Two singles were released in promotion of the record, "What Am I" (September 7, 2018) and "War" (October 11, 2018). In 2021,

and

Matthew McDonough Matthew McDonough (born March 12, 1969) is an American drummer best known as a member of the heavy metal band Mudvayne. He is the band's original drummer and has appeared and performed on every release by Mudvayne. He was also the original dr ...

left Audiotopsy following to the reformation of

Mudvayne Mudvayne is an American heavy metal band formed in Peoria, Illinois in 1996. Known for their sonic experimentation, face and body paint, masks and uniforms, the band has sold over six million records worldwide, including nearly three millio ...

. They were both replaced by James Vinson on lead guitar and backing vocals, and Trevor Bodkins on drums.

Musical style

Tribbett refers to Audiotopsy as ' progressive hard rock'. The band has also been categorized in the media as heavy metal,

alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...

, groove metal, and

post-grunge Post-grunge is a derivative of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s rock bands such as Bush, Candlebox and Collective Soul that emulated th ...

. In their review for ''Natural Causes'', Ghost Cult Magazine wrote "On paper the idea of Tribbett and McDonough working together again seems awesome, but the angular and off-kilter

rhythms are nowhere to be found here. The closest we get to those days is on 'Distorted' and 'Darken the Rainbow,' but even then it's more ''

Lost and Found A lost and found (American English) or lost property (British English), or lost articles (also Canadian English) is an office in a public building or area where people can go to retrieve lost articles that may have been found by others. Frequen ...

'' rather than '' L.D. 50''. And that's fine because this is a new band and they're capable of producing their own interesting moments."

Band members

Current * Billy Keeton – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (2015–present) * Perry Stern – bass, backing vocals (2015–present) * James Vinson – lead guitar, backing vocals (2021–present) * Trevor Bodkins – drums (2021–present) Former *

– lead guitar, backing vocals (2015–2021) *

– drums (2015–2021)

Discography

;Studio albums * ''Natural Causes'' (2015) * ''The Real Now'' (2018)

References

External links

Audiotopsy
on

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

{{Authority control Musical groups established in 2015 Heavy metal supergroups Progressive rock musical groups from Illinois 2015 establishments in Illinois