Phineas Gage

Phineas Gage is a Progressive Metal band influenced by a variety of bands and styles. Where does the name come from you ask? Well in 1848, a railroad construction worker by the name of Phineas Gage was going about his business placing blasting powder between the cracks of a large rock formation to make space for the railroad his crew were putting together. He accidentally struck a spark against a rock with the iron rod he was using which set off the blasting powder and the rod was launched through his head. Thankfully his wounds were not fatal, however, the majority of his brain’s left frontal lobe was destroyed which resulted in him losing the ability to inhibit his emotions. 160 years later, the case study was brought up in a Psychology lecture attended by Tony Best. He was in the process of forming a band and decided to name it Phineas Gage, due to the association with loss of inhibition.

After numerous changes the line-up stabilised in mid 2013. The fivesome began writing and rehearsing vigorously and within a few months landed a gig at The Roadhouse in Manchester. They released their debut EP 'Pre-Emptive Strike' in early March 2014, described by Prog Metal Zone as ‘powerful, unique and exciting’ and by Echoes and Dust as ‘an accomplished affair’ with ‘great and diverse musicality’.

In the following months, the band began gigging around the North-West of the UK on a regular basis and played shows at major venues, including Manchester Academy and The Picket in Liverpool, and supported the likes of Disperse, Red Seas Fire and Kadinja. Gradually, new songs started taking form and the band decided to head back to the studio with Adam Steel of Banter Media, the producer behind ‘Pre-Emptive Strike’, to record their new album ‘Locus’. The tracks were then sent to Progressive Rock icon John Mitchell, who has worked with the likes of Architects, Enter Shikari and Alter Bridge, at Outhouse Studios for mixing.

‘Locus’ was released on 30th October 2015 and, according to Prog Metal Zone, features ‘sick head-banging grooves and a cool punkish energy that is very compelling’. Shortly after the album’s release, the band was selected as Band of the Day by The Moshville Times who described ‘Locus’ as ‘eight tracks of creative metallic loveliness’ which ‘sews up sounds you wouldn’t initially expect to work together into a very appealing package’.

The band maintained their gigging momentum upon the album’s release and landed support slots for the likes of Carcer City, Empires Fade and In Archives. They are now hard at work on their follow-up to ‘Locus’ which will be mixed and mastered by renowned producer and former Sikth vocalist Justin Hill!

The line-up as it stands consists of Karl Brannon on vocals, Liam Croft on guitar/backing vocals, Tony Best on guitar/backing vocals, Martin O’Shea on bass and Mitch Goon on drums. Karl Brannon was the first of the current members to join Tony, with a beastly growl and a soaring singing voice that complemented the music perfectly. Soon afterwards multi-talented Liam Croft got involved, starting out on bass then moving over to guitar duties, adding a host of riff ideas to the mix in the process. Finding a drummer was difficult due to the complex and fast-paced nature of some of the tracks but Mitch Goon made it look easy! With an extensive history of playing in metal bands Mitch had no problems learning the songs and adding his own frantic flair to them. The last member to join was sound engineer and Mathcore aficionado Martin O’Shea. In addition to enhancing the songs with his contagious grooves, his precise ear for music and meticulous work ethic became a driving force behind the band’s new album. Past members who also contributed to song writing include Matt Whitwell, James English and James Sellars.

Regarding the music itself, there are prominent rock, thrash and metalcore elements, with an emphasis on groove, as well as experimental rhythms and structures and a distinct sense of melody. The guys aren’t afraid to get technical but they also like to keep it catchy! It is an amalgamation of the members’ broad range of influences forged into a strong and accessible modern Progressive Metal sound.

Intrigued? Check out the band on the following links:

Bandcamp - https://phineasgageuk1.bandcamp.com/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5STtvBI1_mgW-wMwkPkW-A/videos

Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/phineas-gage-metal

Twitter - https://twitter.com/phineas_gage_uk

Reverbnation - https://www.reverbnation.com/phineasgage

Pre-Emptive Strike reviews:

Echoes and Dust - http://echoesanddust.com/2014/11/phineas-gage-pre%E2%80%8B-%E2%80%8Bemptive-strike/

Prog Metal Zone - http://www.progmetalzone.com/2014/prog-metal-new-releases-032514/

Locus reviews:

The Moshville Times - http://www.moshville.co.uk/botd/2015/11/band-of-the-day-phineas-gage/

Prog Metal Zone - http://www.progmetalzone.com/2015/prog-metal-new-releases-november-4-2015/