Requiem Biography

REQUIEM'S BIOGRAPHY: Emerging in 1989 under the name Blood Bashers, Requïem began its journey towards the cohesive style of metal they play today.… The members at the time were Shad Munson (vocals), Matt Brown (drums), Billy Baros (guitar). The oxymoron, Shallow Abyss, was chosen in 1992 (this choice reflected a first step towards a more metal-influenced style) as the pre-Requïem ensemble picked up Ahmed Cure-Twede on guitar. Before Shallow Abyss produced its first demo, though, the line-up had undergone numerous member alterations. By 1993, Joseph Evers (rhythm guitar) and Dylan Cure-Twede (drums) had joined the band (replacing Ahmed), and Matt had decided to put down his sticks and pick up an axe to play guitar. In June, Louis John Davis (drums) and Jordi Albanoz (rhythm guitar) replaced Joseph and Dylan. Jordi left in late May the next year. Soon after, David Irizzarri joined the group to double Matt on guitar. In August of 1994, Shallow Abyss recorded The Gates of Hell. Then, in January 1995, the self-titled demo Requïem was recorded, giving Requïem it’s first studio experience. David left the band in August of that year, allowing Requïem to move on towards bigger and better things. At this time, the style of Shallow Abyss had thoroughly changed -- the distinct style characterizing Requïem's sound was emerging. Later in the year, the band recorded Essence of Death. Then, in January 1996, Requïem returned to the studio to record A Brief Moment in Death, boasting pure original Death Metal. Although the metal scene in Miami is extremely poor, A Brief Moment In Death sold out within the year. This success boosted the band's confidence, prompting them to release their first full-length CD entitled Our Only Hope Is Death. Promoting this album gave Requïem just a taste of the recognition the group deserves -- the album received many airplay opportunities around the globe. Unfortunately, the production lacked the quality a fine tuned metal release possesses. In August of 1997, John decided to leave the group to further his education, allowing Tobin Wagstaff to take over on, percussion. Soon after this addition, Requïem again made another step towards a more original style. In August of 1998 Requiem started to work on their latest project "A Little Taste of Death". Due to obligations to work and college, Requiem took a pretty laid back schedule and worked on the project one weekend at a time. After the recording process was done, Requiem was plagued by yet another lineup change. Tobin Wagstaff left the band due to musical differences. Until this day the project is only in the mixing stage. With the 13th annual Milwaukee Metalfest rolling around, the band roughly mixed 6 songs for the EP "Asphyxiated Scum of Society" in hopes of getting the latest Requiem evolution exposed to some of the metal population. "A Little Taste of Death" is looking for a release date of sometime in July 2000 and hopes to gain major record label attention. Contact Info: Requiem 7025 SW 84 AVE Miami, FL 33143

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Email: matt-e-brown@juno.com