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Sandy the bitch strikes again! Earlier today Joey Z (LIFE OF AGONY) announced that his recording studio was destroyed during the horrible storm. Here is a statement from Joey regarding the demise of Method Of Groove Studio, and how he plans to continue making awesome records!
The Bad News:
"After years of hard work that went into the development and brand, Method of Groove Studio has been completely devastated and submerged due to Hurricane Sandy. There is nothing left there. The water level inside the building was believed to be as high as 8 feet. Not only have I lost all the recording gear, I also lost all of my touring gear, dating back to the early 90’s… all of it. I was able to enter the building yesterday after water levels receded down to a couple of feet."
The Good News:
"My family is ok. My friends are ok. My home is ok. I will continue this path of producing and touring. I’ve recorded many bands in other studios before, whether it was America, Europe or Canada, and mixed them back here in NY. My mixing / mastering studio was not harmed since it is in a completely different location. I spoke with my management team, and we are confident with plans moving forward to record clients out of other studios. I have so many great friends both inside and outside the music industry, and feel blessed. I am going to leave the website up and running, and maybe alter it a bit over time. Contacting me for recording, mixing or mastering is still the same, (sans the studio telephone line). For all those who already have been helping and have sent their love and support, I thank you so much. I shot some video yesterday with hope for government, and/or insurance relief, which can be seen below."
While on tour with LIFE OF AGONY in 2005, Joey Z had the vision of owning his own pro studio; A place where he can continue to build the other side of his career, and stay creative in between touring… Very soon after, he got to work. The studio opened in February 2006, and since, has become one of the prime spots in New York State to record. The atmosphere has been described as inspirational, magical, and comfortable. Professionally treated, the studios acoustics definitely deliver, and the proof is in all of the great recordings that have come out of here. Over the years the studio has continued to add stellar equipment to its arsenal. Most recent additions include, a vintage Amek recording console, Aurora converters, and a Neve summing mixer. The sound is phenomenal. There are also two lounges where you can spread out a bit, and a kitchen, complete with everything you would need. Most of all, whether you are a touring professional, or local weekend warrior, you will get the full experience of a top-notch recording studio, and your final product will sound accordingly.
Here is a statement from Joey Z regarding MOG's brand NEW website:
"I'm proud to announce, and reveal, the NEW Method of Groove Studio website. The designer, Anthony Kondyra dedicated many weeks to this over-haul and I couldn't be happier with the results. The addition I'm most excited about is the Artist Vault... Inside you'll find individual pages on all the bands I worked with, complete with samples of music we recorded, video, photos, & bios. Any band that records with me from here on, will have a page in the Vault. It's a vision I had for years. There's also a blog that I will be personally posting news, recording tips, gear recommendations, and basically all studio/Joey Z stuff."
After working on their craft for over 20 years, it can be said that Life Of Agony are living legends and that their status as a cult band is not in vain. Through their original music and their mission to be the best they can be every time they step on stage, the band has inspired many musicians to pick up an instrument and start creating some epic music. Life Of Agony is a proud member of the New York Hardcore community, and along with Type O Negative and Biohazard, they have become synonymous to the New York City underground music scene. Today, all three bands can be pointed at for being a key asset of the revitalization of the New York City Heavy Music underground scene.
Recently, the band Misery held their CD listening party for their latest album titled “Evil Is Crowned” at Duff’s Brooklyn. You may be asking yourself what this has to do with Life Of Agony. Well, the album was produced by Life Of Agony’s legendary guitarist Joey Zampella, most commonly known as Joey Z. As we all know Life Of Agony hasn’t been fully active in the recent past, but this does not mean that they haven’t been busy contributing their craft to the music scene. Joey did an excellent job with Misery’s latest album by making sure everything was meticulously crafted, just how he does with everything he does with Life Of Agony (Joey serves as Tour Manager).
We obviously had to talk to Joey about his role as a producer, and how working with other musicians has helped him keep his music career right on path. Needless to say, we talked about the legacy of Life Of Agony and what the near future holds for the band who were recently part of a special on MTV2's Headbangers Ball and also played a few shows in the New York area in front of hundreds of fans that were mesmerized by the power behind Life Of Agony!
Without further due, here is the exclusive video interview we did with Joey Z at Duff’s Brooklyn on the day of our 1 Year Anniversary. We want to thank Joey, Jimmy Duff, Sage Thyme, Jay Sanchez and you for reading this! \m/
At present time the Heavy Music scene in the tri-state area is going through a revitalizing process, in which we are starting to see more and more bands stepping up their game and getting away from a set formula. One of those bands is Misery, a band that after 10 years of hard work, is finally starting to get the recognition they deserve. With the release of their new album titled "Evil Is Crowned", produced by Joey Z from Life Of Agony, the band has evolved into a hard-hitting powerhouse.
When we arrived at Duff's Brooklyn to their Official listening party, we immediately felt the groove and our ear drums reacted to their furious blend of Heavy Metal and Hardcore by demanding "more volume"! The crowd's reaction was positive to songs like "Evil Is Crowned" and "I Hate Your Face", some were even bobbling their heads in approval.
When we asked their producer Joey Z how he got involved with Misery, this is what he to say: "The guys brought me a recording they had done somewhere else and were looking for a way to fix it. After listening to the recording, I knew they had a lot of potential but needed a producer that could help them achieve their goals. After seeing them perform live and realizing how tight they are, I offered to be their producer."
Recorded at System Two Studios Brooklyn, which is the same studio where Life Of Agony's classic album "River Runs Red" was recorded. "Evil Is Crowned" is an album that will take Misery to a new level; many are weighing them in as the next band from the New York area to become part of the elite. After their successful tour with Devildriver, they have already been asked to be part of another national tour. We have an EXCLUSIVE interview coming soon, so stay tuned!
Track listing for “Evil Is Crowned”:
1 - Evil Is Crowned 2 - Bullet 3 - Gone Tomorrow 4 - I Hate Your Face 5 - Break the Silence 6 - Social Anxiety 7 - The Hurt Spell 8 - Hangover in Harlem 9 - Mind Your Business 10 - Live Fast Die Slow 11 - Head Like a Hole (Nine Inch Nails Cover)
Things are looking bright for Misery, and if you listen to their new album “Evil Is Crowned”, it will all make sense to you. Here are some statistics about Misery:
- Misery was formed in the early 90's, in a time where Heavy Metal was resurrected by bands like Pantera.
- Their first full-length album is titled "Fifteen Years OF Aggression and it was released in August of 2008.
- In early 2009 Misery was named “The Next Great Metal Band”, by Jay Jay French of Twisted Sister, after winning the Metal Blade Records and J&R Music competition.
- Misery has shared the stage with: Biohazard, Pro-Pain, Overkill, Sheer Terror, Sworn Enemy, Death Angel, Buck Cherry, Suffocation, E-Town Concrete, Internal Bleeding, Bile, Napalm Death, Nile, Fozzy, Testament, Brand New Sin, Life Of Agony, Devildriver, My Mortality & Spoiler NYC.
Brooklyn's Life of Agony surfaced in 1989 when singer Keith Caputo, guitarist Joey Zampella, and bassist Alan Robert, took the New York underground scene by storm. They quickly perfected their angst-filled hybrid of Heavy Metal and Hardcore, obtaining a devoted audience in the process. On the eve of signing with Roadrunner Records, the band recruited former Type O Negative drummer Sal Abruscato as a permanent member. The end result was the first Life Of Agony album “River Runs Red”, which became an instant classic. Thanks to their straight-up energy and aggression in a crossover format, the group toured extensively upon its release.
Once the tour was completed, Life Of Agony went back into the studio to work on their next album titled "Ugly", which signaled a complete change of the band's signature Heavy sound. The album resembled the sounds of the alternative stars of the day, especially Stone Temple Pilots, which the record-buying public didn’t favor. Regardless of the record sales, Life O Agony was still able to retain their audience and the resulting tour was a success. Evidence of this success were their tours with Ozzy Osbourne, Korn, Type O Negative, and Anthrax. After the end of the tour, drummer Sal Abruscato exited the band and was replaced by Dan Richardson (formerly from Pro Pain/Crumbsuckers). Their next release was "Soul Searching Sun", which followed the same formula as its predecessor, and was again met by a varied response.
Before the band was scheduled to go on tour, singer Keith Caputo left the group because his heart was no longer in the music. The other band members were crushed, but because of their commitments with the record label, they needed to fill the spot right away. Former Ugly Kid Joe vocalist Whitfield Crane, who had told Joey Z during an Anthrax show about his intentions to play heavier music, filed Caputo’s shoes.
The new lineup only had one week to rehearse and get to know each other musically. Once the tour ended, they went back to the studio and decided that they didn't want to continue as Life of Agony without Caputo. They even flirted with the idea of having their bassist Alan Robert singing and having Stuck Mojo bassist Corey Lowery fill his spot. This strategy never worked and the band disbanded in April of 1999.
In 2003, the original lineup reunited for two shows. The reunion led to a live album titled "River Runs Again", followed by a studio album titled "Broken Valley" (released in June 2005).
In 2009, Life of Agony performed their legendary debut album "River Runs Red" in front of a sold out crowd in Brussels Belgium. They filmed the concert in its entirety, and later released a CD/DVD package titled "20 Years Strong: River Runs Red, Live in Brussels".
Now on a more personal note: In January 1998, I went to see Life Of Agony in Toronto not to long after coming back from Italy. Excited as I was about finally going to see the band that got me through some very rough times in my life, everything from addiction to dealing with my father’s death. Nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to experience on that stage. That night I saw two amazing bands: Megadeth and Life Of Agony...
So the show starts with “River Runs Red”, but what I heard was totally noticeable. Everyone started saying: “Hey that’s not Keith!” “What the fuck?!” Apparently no one was informed that Keith had left the band, man was I pissed! After waiting for so long to see Life Of Agony... and I get Whitfield Crane instead of Keith Caputo. I was never a fan of Ugly Kid Joe and I certainly was not going to like him singing Keith's songs. There was only one thing left to do to show my frustration, and this is when I noticed one thing: everyone was just as frustrated as I was! So what do I do next? I start a “We want Keith” chant. Crane definitely saw and heard the crowds discomfort, as Toronto raised their middle fingers instead of their horns, demanding Keith Caputo. I had no choice but to enjoy the instrumental aspect of the show. With that being said, I hope that Life Of Agony can come back to Toronto at and give me the concert I so badly want to see.
No matter what, I am and will always be a fan of Life Of Agony for life! And for that I raise both hands in the air and give this band the Horns Up!!!! Cheers.
