Brainoil is an American

doom Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher * L ...

and

sludge Sludge is a semi-solid slurry that can be produced from a range of industrial processes, from water treatment, wastewater treatment or on-site sanitation systems. For example, it can be produced as a settled suspension obtained from conventiona ...

metal band from

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, United States. Brainoil members have been long-term contributors to the

East Bay The East Bay is the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area and includes cities along the eastern shores of the San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. The region has grown to include inland communities in Alameda and Contra Costa countie ...

underground punk and metal music scene. Brainoil's musical style is sludge metal influenced by bands such as

Eyehategod Eyehategod (also abbreviated and referred to as EHG) is an American sludge metal band from New Orleans, Louisiana who formed in 1988. They have become one of the better known bands to emerge from the NOLA metal scene. Their core lineup has re ...

Melvins Melvins (sometimes The Melvins) are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. Initially, they performed as a trio but later also sometimes appeare ...

and

Dystopia A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...

History

Early days

The band was originally formed in 1998 by Greg Wilkinson as a solo project called ''Mr.Brainoil'' with a Boss drum machine. Greg was joined by Nate in the summer of 2000. Greg and Nate continued to work on material throughout the summer of 2000 writing and recording a demo by the fall of 2000. Greg and Nate ditched the drum machine by the winter of 2000 and were joined by

Ira Harris Ira Harris (May 31, 1802December 2, 1875) was an American jurist and senator from New York. He was also a friend of Abraham Lincoln. Life Ira Harris was born in Charleston, New York on May 31, 1802. He grew up on a farm, and graduated from Unio ...

. Brainoil's first show was on March 3, 2001 at Mission Records in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

2001–2003

Brainoil entered the studio in early 2001 to record for a split CD with fellow Oakland sludge rockers Cruevo recorded by

Noah Landis Noah Landis is an American keyboardist, best known as the keyboard player for American band Neurosis since 1995. Landis's keyboard sound varies between textural and moody overlays, sampled effects/noises and the occasional hook. Landis also plays ...

Neurosis Neurosis is a class of functional mental disorders involving chronic distress, but neither delusions nor hallucinations. The term is no longer used by the professional psychiatric community in the United States, having been eliminated from th ...

at Mr. Toad's studios in

. The CD was released by the end of 2002 as a 4-label split release between

Shifty Records Founded by Lloyd Ross and Ivan Kadey, Shifty Records was a South African anti-apartheid record label which existed for over a decade beginning in 1982. In 1986 Kadey left South Africa and became partner with the Waterland Design Group in Hollywoo ...

, Boredom Noise, Berserker and Unknown Controller. This release has since been lost to obscurity through a lack of repressing by any of the labels, and has become something of a collector's item in the

world. One of the songs from this recording session was released as a Split 7" with Seattle's

Iron Lung An iron lung is a type of negative pressure ventilator (NPV), a mechanical respirator which encloses most of a person's body, and varies the air pressure in the enclosed space, to stimulate breathing.Shneerson, Dr. John M., Newmarket General ...

on Greg Wilkinson's label, Boredom Noise (now defunct). Brainoil played extensively in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

and along the

West coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

during 2001–2003. Brainoil entered Polymorph Studios in March 2002 to record their debut LP with engineer Dan Rathbun. The LP was released as a self-titled LP in early 2003 by Matt Parillo of

on Life is Abuse Records. The LP received many positive reviews in the weeks and months following its release, often comparing the band's initial LP to Eyehategod, and described as "the best sludge album so far this year" in a review by Jeb Branin.

2004–2008

At the request and assistance of Uge from

Throne Records A throne is the seat of state of a potentate or dignitary, especially the seat occupied by a sovereign on state occasions; or the seat occupied by a pope or bishop on ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the monar ...

in Spain, the band's self-titled LP was re-released in Europe on Throne Records in the winter of 2003. This version of the LP featured re-mastering and a re-arrangement of the songs on each side. The re-mastering boosted the high-end frequencies and increased the overall volume. To support the LP release, Brainoil toured

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

in March 2004 with fellow Throne Records label-mates Moho. Upon their return from Europe, Brainoil continued to play, but with decreasing frequency in the

from late 2004–2006. Throughout 2005–2007 Ira Harris began an extensive touring schedule with Watch Them Die. Not wanting to continue Brainoil with any other drummer, Greg and Nate shifted focus to their other musical projects until the time was right to continue with Ira.

2009–2013

Brainoil began playing live shows regularly again in the San Francisco Bay Area by 2009 and appeared with bands such as

Ghoul A ghoul ( ar, غول, ') is a demon-like being or monstrous humanoid. The concept originated in pre-Islamic Arabian religion, associated with graveyards and the consumption of human flesh. Modern fiction often uses the term to label a certa ...

Cannabis Corpse Cannabis Corpse is a cannabis-themed death metal band. Cannabis Corpse formed in Richmond, Virginia in 2006 under the Forcefield label. Since then, Cannabis Corpse has released six LP record, LPs and two Extended play, EPs. The band features mem ...

Deviated Instinct Deviated Instinct are an English extreme metal band formed in Norwich in 1984. They are considered pioneers of both crust punk and death metal. Their first EP, ''Welcome to the Orgy'', was released by Peaceville Records, which released the maj ...

Buzzoven Buzzoven (typeset Buzzov•en) is an American heavy metal band from Salisbury, North Carolina, formed in 1990. The band was known for being one of the founders of the sludge genre along with NOLA's Eyehategod and Acid Bath, and also for their o ...

Doom Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher * L ...

, Saviours, Lecherous Gaze,

Rorschach Rorschach may refer to: * Hermann Rorschach, a Swiss psychiatrist ** Rorschach test, his psychological evaluation method involving inkblots * Rorschach (character), a character from the comics ''Watchmen'' * Rorschach (comic book), a 2020 comic * ...

and

Dropdead Dropdead is an American hardcore punk band based in Providence, Rhode Island. They have been active in the punk scene since 1991, having been formed in January of that year. The band's songs are generally short and very fast-paced, with few last ...

. In August, 2011 Brainoil released their self-produced and recorded 2nd full-length LP ''Death of This Dry Deason ''through the 20 Buck Spin label. The release was covered in the press by the

East Bay Express The ''East Bay Express'' is an Oakland-based weekly newspaper serving the Berkeley, Oakland and East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is distributed throughout Alameda County and parts of Contra Costa County every Wednesday. The ''E ...

, ''

Decibel Magazine ''Decibel'' is a monthly heavy metal magazine published by the Philadelphia-based Red Flag Media since October 2004. Its sections include Upfront, Features, Reviews, Guest Columns and the Decibel Hall of Fame. The magazine's tag-line is currentl ...

'' and reviewed online extensively. A video for the song "Gravity is a Relic" was released shortly thereafter. The band posted an internet-only release of oddities and obscurities in September, 2011 Brainoil toured the east coast of the United States with Lecherous Gaze in September–October, 2013.

Members

* Greg Wilkinson –

Bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

and

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

* Nathan Smith –

Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

and vocals * Ira Harris –

Drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Discography

EP

*''Brain/Lung Split'' 7" with Iron Lung Boredom Noise (2001)

LPs

*''Brainoil'' LP

Life Is Abuse Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy transf ...

(2003) *''Brainoil'' LP Gatefold Repress

(2003) * ''Death of this Dry Season'' LP 20 Buck Spin (2011) * ''Singularity to Extinxtion'' LP

Tankcrimes Tankcrimes is an independent punk rock and heavy metal record label owned by Scotty Heath and operated from his garage in Oakland, California. Tankcrimes currently has over 100 releases. Bands with releases on Tankcrimes * A.N.S. *Abscess *Agor ...

(2018)

CDs

*"Split CD with Cruevo" split label release between Berserker, Unknown Controller, Boredom Noise and Shifty (2001)

Downloads

* ''Brainoil oddities, obscurities and releases mix #1 ''(2011)

Associated projects

* Ira Harris played in the punk band Grimple from

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

during the 1990s. Ira is currently also playing and touring extensively with Watch Them Die. * Greg Wilkinson has played with the bands Laudanum and I Will Kill You Fucker. * Nathan Smith played in the crust punk band

Destroy Destroy may refer to: * Destroy (album), ''Destroy'' (album), a 2004 album by Ektomorf * Destroy!, a Minneapolis Crust punk band * ''Destroy!!'', a comic book by Scott McCloud See also

* Destroyer (disambiguation) * Destruction (disambiguat ...

from

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

during the 1990s, and Stormcrow from 2005-2009.

Recording projects

Greg and Nate recorded and produced the ''

Born/Dead Born/Dead is a hardcore punk band formed in late 2000 in Oakland, California, consisting of Bill Jackson playing drums, Wyatt Culbertson (both formerly of Chemical Imbalance) playing bass and splitting vocal duties with guitarist Will Kinser. Will ...

'' split LP with Consume in 2003. Greg Wilkinson has recorded and produced many

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

, and experimental bands at EarHammer Studios in Oakland, CA.

References

External links

Official websiteBrainoil photo gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brainoil (Band) Musical groups from Oakland, California American doom metal musical groups Musical groups established in 2000 American musical trios American sludge metal musical groups