By Matt Hare
Often times, I find myself listening to a new song that a friend showed me, or a song on the radio and I find myself finding it very familiar. I look online to find these new songs by my favorite artists, but I cannot find them. I began running into this circumstance where these musicians from the bands I listen to were playing in multiple bands. If you encounter this as well, this article is for you.
Sometimes it is harder to identify when a musician switches bands as not every person pays attention to each singer’s voice, or a drummer/guitar player’s style but there are so many out there.
For instance, one band that you might hear on the radio a lot, especially on rock stations is Stone Sour. This band is fronted by Corey Taylor and also is home for Jim Root. These two men were some of the founding members of Slipknot.
Another popular band on the radio is Avenged Sevenfold. Their music is now featured in video games such as Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2, as well as multiple versions of Guitar Hero. The guitar player Brian “Synyster Gates” Haner, Jr., and now deceased drummer, James “The Rev” Sullivan used to play in a band named Pinkly Smooth. Sullivan was the primary vocalist as opposed to being a drummer and backing vocalist. After the death of the drummer, Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy filled in to play the live shows and record their upcoming album. His drumming style can be heard on “Nightmare”.
In addition to filling in for Avenged Sevenfold and playing in Dream Theater for decades, Mike Portnoy can also be heard in a new experimental band Adrenaline Mob.
In addition to all of these examples, more can be found from bands such as Killswitch Engage mixing with Times of Grace, members of Disturbed playing with Device, and members from both Pantera and Mudvayne coming together to form HellYeah.
