Waterdown Bio

In 2000, Waterdown formed in Osnabruck, Germany, dedicated to finding the perfect mixture of explo-sive, TNT-fueled hardcore, dark metal and melodic punk. It didn't take them long. Within their first few shows they managed to blow away Grade's Kyle Bishop, who immediately contacted Victory head Tony Brummel, giving him such a convincing report that he began a corre-spondence with the band and shortly thereafter signed them to a contract. It isn't often that an American label jumps to sign a European band without so much as a U.S. tour under their belts - what made Waterdown so special? Their original sound has elements familiar to any fan of punk genres, but the individuality is unmistakable. Blasting walls of metallic guitars and screamo ferocity slam up against hooky melodicism and ambitious time signatures, melding together into an emotive sub-genre that is Waterdown's alone. The six-piece band has two singers delivering wildly divergent vocals, one screaming in rage while the second's soaring melodies tie them both to the bands crushing breakdowns and unique dynamics.

The release of their Victory debut, Never Kill The Boy on The First Date brought critical notice, with praise coming in from Kerrang, CMJ Monthly, Strength and many more. Germanys largest music magazine, Visions, made it Album of the Month upon release. Waterdown head-ed for America, playing dates with Thursday and Skycamefalling, turn-ing in jaw dropping, intense live shows that further sealed their reputa-tion. When it was time to return home the band focused on playing major festivals as well as touring with Jimmy Eat World and Sick of It All in 2001 and 2002. Lineup changes were on the horizon, and in 2002 jazz-trained drummer Phil Meyer joined, con-tributing a more complex rhythmic structure and songwriting ideas to the band. Guitarist Axel Pralat rejoined Waterdown (he was in the first lineup), also bringing a breath of fresh air to the songwriting process. After the album was writ-ten, the band brought in producer Uwe Sabirowfky (The Beatsteaks) to record The Files You Have On Me. Sabirowfky and Waterdown worked first on tightening up the arrangements, then devised a pro-duction strategy that was new to the band. We recorded everything live except the vocals, so instead of isolated tracking we could feed off each others energy. I think the record has a strong live mood, energetic and immediate. Said bassist Christian Kruse.

Waterdown has always delivered strong, articulate songs and The Files You Have On Me is their most fully realized project to date. Many tracks deliver biting political commentary, and the metallic guitars and progressive percussion push the melody and vocal harmonies to per-fectly frame their messages. Stand out tracks include Bulletproof, Fortress, Decaffeinated and Disgrace showcasing the near perfect collision of muscular hardcore and melodic rock. Waterdown are bound together by their collaborative spirit and desire to play diverse styles, from pop to hardcore, metal to noise rock. Never Kill The Boy On The First Date caught the attention of music fans and critics worldwide, and The Files You Have On Me will explode on March 25, 2003.