Emphatic was an American hard rock band from
Omaha
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...
, founded by guitarist-songwriter Justin McCain in 2004. Their major label debut record ''Damage'' for
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
reached No. 9 on Billboard
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...
chart in 2011.
The band's second album ''
Another Life'' climbed to No. 8 on Top Heatseekers chart in 2013.
Justin McCain announced changing the band's name and continuing as
Through Fire
Through Fire is an American Rock music, rock band from Omaha, Nebraska, founded in 2015 by songwriter, guitarist and producer Justin McCain and currently consists of vocalist Grant Joshua Kendrick, twins Tyler and Zach Halverson on guitar and dru ...
in December 2015.
History
Early years and ''Damage'' (2004–2012)
Emphatic was founded in 2004 by songwriter and lead guitarist Justin McCain. Emphatic released their debut self-titled EP in 2004. In 2005 Emphatic released a self-titled full length album with the four track from the debut EP plus four new songs. In 2005 Emphatic signed to
Universal
Universal is the adjective for universe.
Universal may also refer to:
Companies
* NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company
** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal
** Universal TV, a ...
but never released anything with the label. In 2008, their EP ''Goodbye Girl'' spent 17 weeks on the Billboard's North West Central Top Heatseekers Chart.
After Justin met
A&R exec,
Jeff Blue
Jeffrey Blue (born November 21, 1967) is a Artists and repertoire, A&R executive, record-producer, and songwriter who is currently an A&R consultant for Atlantic Records. He has worked as the Senior Vice President of A&R and staff producer for Wa ...
, on a phone consultation, the two met in Nebraska to write their first song "
Put Down the Drink". The band signed to Jeff Blue's Rock Shop Music Group in early 2009, and Jeff and Justin immediately started working on new material. Blue brought the demo to several labels and Emphatic signed with
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
in December 2009 and signed a management deal with In De Goot Entertainment as well.
Emphatic consisted of only three members at that point, songwriter and guitarist Justin McCain, vocalist Patrick Michael Wilson, and bassist Alan Larson. Justin and Patrick went into the studio soon after to record their major label debut with multiplatinum producer
Howard Benson
Howard Benson is an American music producer and multi-instrumentalist. He was nominated for the Producer of the Year Grammy Award in 2007 and 2008.
Early life and education
Benson was born and raised in a middle-class family in greater Philadel ...
.
Josh Freese played drums on the record and Paul Bushnell played bass. After the record was finished Emphatic brought in Lance Dowdle on guitar and Dylan Wood on drums. The major label debut ''Damage'' was released on July 12, 2011.
Emphatic was offered an opening slot on
The Carnival of Madness Tour in conjunction with the release of their first single "Bounce" which climbed to No. 19 on the charts. Patrick Wilson suffered a vocal injury (fractured larynx) before the tour which almost put the brakes on the project. Guitarist Justin McCain was developing an Omaha-based rock band at the time called The Wreckage, so he pulled vocalist Grant Joshua Kendrick out of the project to hit the road filling in for Patrick Wilson.
The tour gained Emphatic thousands of new fans and helped launch the second single "Get Paid" which landed at No. 30 on the charts. After The Carnival of Madness tour the band went out on the road with
Art of Dying,
Adelitas Way
Adelitas Way is an independent American band formed in Las Vegas in 2006. The band's debut single "Invincible", broke them into the mainstream scene after the song made numerous television appearances in commercials and live sporting events. As ...
, and
New Medicine
New Medicine (formerly A Verse Unsung) is an American rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, formed in 2009.
History
New Medicine was originally formed as A Verse Unsung by two friends, Jake Scherer and Dan Garland, who were attending Orono Hig ...
with yet another singer, Bryan Scott from Dev Electric.
Emphatic took a break to wait for Patrick to return and in the meantime was featured on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
hit TV show
Criminal Minds
''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis (writer), Jeff Davis. The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally concluded on February 19, 2020; it was r ...
with their song "Do I", on the
Footloose soundtrack (deluxe version) with their cover of
Quiet Riot
Quiet Riot is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band founded in Los Angeles in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni.
The original lineup featured Rhoads and Garni with lead vocalist Kevin DuBrow and drummer Drew F ...
's "
Metal Health
''Metal Health'' is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Quiet Riot, released on March 11, 1983. The album spawned the hit singles " Cum On Feel the Noize" and "Metal Health". It was the band's first album to receive a worldwide r ...
", and on the
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
with their version of
The Corre
The Corre was a multinational villainous stable that wrestled on World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE's SmackDown brand in 2011. The group was a spinoff of British wrestler Wade Barrett's previous stable, The Nexus.
The stable was formed after Ame ...
's theme song "End of Days". After 10 months vocalist Patrick Wilson finally reunited with the band along with new drummer Patrick Mussack and hit the road to tour as support for
Halestorm
Halestorm is an American rock band from Red Lion, Pennsylvania, consisting of lead vocalist and guitarist Lzzy Hale, her drummer brother Arejay Hale, guitarist Joe Hottinger, and bassist Josh Smith.
The group's self-titled debut album was re ...
and
New Medicine
New Medicine (formerly A Verse Unsung) is an American rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, formed in 2009.
History
New Medicine was originally formed as A Verse Unsung by two friends, Jake Scherer and Dan Garland, who were attending Orono Hig ...
.
Octane
Octane is a hydrocarbon and an alkane with the chemical formula , and the condensed structural formula . Octane has many structural isomers that differ by the amount and location of branching in the carbon chain. One of these isomers, 2,2,4-Tri ...
started playing the third single "Put Down The Drink" which quickly landed on the BIG UNS countdown and spent 4 weeks at No. 1. However, halfway through the Halestorm tour McCain found out the label wasn’t going to pick up their next option on the contract.
After the tour Patrick Wilson left the band because his son was born.
Lance Dowdle and Alan Larson left the band shortly after as well.
''Another Life'' (2012–2014)
Justin McCain wanted to rebuild the band and brought in
Toryn Green
Toryn Green (born November 3, 1975) is an American rock singer and actor. He is the former vocalist for hard-rock band Fuel, as well as for Emphatic, and For The Taking. He also was the touring lead vocalist for the band Apocalyptica and perfor ...
on vocals, former frontman of platinum selling artist
Fuel
A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but ...
and
Apocalyptica
Apocalyptica is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Helsinki, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso, and jazz drummer Mikko Sirén. Originally a classical ...
. Actor/musician Jesse Saint (
Scum of the Earth/
The Autumn Offering
The Autumn Offering was an American metalcore band that formed in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1999. After achieving some degree of local success, the band was signed to Stillborn Records, founded by Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed, in 2003. The band re ...
) joined the band as the new bass player and
Bill Hudson of
Cellador
Cellador is an American power metal band based in Denver, Colorado. Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, the band was founded in 2003 by Chris Petersen, the band's primary songwriter, as a direct contrast to the overcrowded metalcore and death me ...
joined as co-lead guitar player. McCain was able to land the band another record deal with Epochal Artist Records/Capitol, and they started working on new material, set to record in early 2013.
McCain and Green joined forces creatively in making of the record, both bringing in songs from their own arsenal, and working together on writing new ones. The record includes collaborations with
"Sahaj" Ticotin of
alternative metal
Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music
Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With r ...
band
Ra,
Tommy Henriksen
Tommy Henriksen (born February 21, 1964) is an American musician from Port Jefferson, New York, best known for his work as a guitarist, bassist and songwriter with Alice Cooper, Hollywood Vampires and German metal band Warlock. He has also fron ...
, Brian Vodinh of
10 Years, Bobby Huff, Tobin Esperance (bassist of
Papa Roach
Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California, formed in 1993. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist Jacoby Shaddix, guitarist Jerry Horton, drummer Dave Buckner, bassist Will James, and trombonist Ben Luther.
After ...
), and
Johnny Andrews
Johnny Andrews is an American songwriter and record producer based in Atlanta, Georgia, and Nashville, Tennessee. Andrews has written multiple number one singles, including " I Am Machine" and "Painkiller" by Three Days Grace, "Freak Like Me" by H ...
.
The new album ''
Another Life'', produced by Justin McCain and co-produced by
Ryan Greene
Ryan Greene is an American record producer, sound engineer, former owner of Crush Recording Studios in Scottsdale, Arizona and founder of Area 52 Entertainment in Los Angeles, California. In an over 25-year-long career he has worked with many art ...
, was released through Epochal Artists Records on October 22, 2013. The single "Remember Me", written by Justin McCain, Toryn Green and Sahaj, impacted radio on July 30, 2013, and was released on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
August 20, 2013. It reached
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
on U.S
active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...
and
mainstream rock
Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.
Format background
Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...
charts.
In support of the album, Emphatic toured with
Red
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
and
Gemini Syndrome
Gemini Syndrome is an American alternative metal band formed in 2010 in Los Angeles. The band currently consists of vocalist Aaron Nordstrom, drummer Brian Steele Medina, bassist Alessandro "(AP)" Paveri, and guitarist Miguel "Meegs" Rascon.
...
in February 2014. The band performed without the lead singer Toryn Green and co-lead guitarist Bill Hudson who are replaced by Grant Kendrick and Lance Dowdle, as announced on the band's website February 2, 2014. Toryn Green announced departure from the band on February 9, 2014, stating creative differences with founder Justin McCain.
After the tour, Justin McCain announced signing to Pavement Entertainment, and a new album being in the works, due late 2014. "With some welcomed changes that have occurred with Emphatic, we felt it necessary to get back into the studio and make an album that reflects the current vision of the band" stated McCain in the press release. McCain also welcomed long-time touring vocalist Grant Kendrick "full time" to the band on the band's Facebook page. He also revealed that the new album will be featuring guest singers, such as Sahaj from Ra and Phil Anson from Venaculas, and a collaboration with Jonny Hetherington of
Art of Dying.
New album and name change (2014–2015)
After a headlining tour in late 2014 to partially promote their upcoming album, Emphatic waited to announce the single and release date. In June 2015, after months of waiting, Emphatic released 7 songs to preview for only a few hours. The new album will feature a heavier sound, returning to the band's roots. Among the previewed tracks were redone cuts of "Damage," the unreleased title track from the 2011 album, and "Stronger," originally a demo before the band signed to Atlantic Records. After this, nothing more was heard about the new album until August 9, 2015 when it was announced that the band had split from Pavement Entertainment, calling it a necessary move for the best of the band, and wished Pavement well in their upcoming endeavors.
In December 2015 the band announced changing their name to
Through Fire
Through Fire is an American Rock music, rock band from Omaha, Nebraska, founded in 2015 by songwriter, guitarist and producer Justin McCain and currently consists of vocalist Grant Joshua Kendrick, twins Tyler and Zach Halverson on guitar and dru ...
and that the new album will be released as a new band in 2016.
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
Band members
;Final Lineup
*Justin McCain – Lead Guitar (2004–2015)
*Grant Joshua Kendrick – Vocals (2011, 2014–2015)
*Patrick Mussack – Drums (2012–2015)
*Jesse Saint – Bass (2012–2015)
;Other members
*Patrick Michael Wilson – Vocals (2004–2011, 2012)
*Tom Lynch – Co-Lead Electric Guitar (2004–2010)
*Mike Schmit – Bass
*Jason Blayney – Drums
*Alan Larson – Bass
*Matt Denker – Drums
*Cameron Waters – Drums
*Lance Dowdle – Lead & Rhythm Guitar (2010–2012, 2014–2015)
*Dylan Wood – Drums (2010–2012)
*Jeff Fenn – Keys/Samples, Programming
*Bryan Scott - Vocals (2011)
*
Toryn Green
Toryn Green (born November 3, 1975) is an American rock singer and actor. He is the former vocalist for hard-rock band Fuel, as well as for Emphatic, and For The Taking. He also was the touring lead vocalist for the band Apocalyptica and perfor ...
– Vocals (2012–2014)
*
Bill Hudson – Co-Lead Electric Guitar (2012–2014)
*
John Tempesta
John Tempesta (born September 26, 1964) is an American drummer known for his work in hard rock and heavy metal. He has been a member of the Cult since 2006.
Biography
Previously, Tempesta played with several bands including Exodus, Testament ...
- Drums
References
{{Authority control
American post-grunge musical groups
Musical groups from Omaha, Nebraska