Twelve Tribes Bio

Our story began with music.

Underground music utilizes an aggressiveness that is not expressed in other art forms. These chaotic and progressive sounds generate raw energy and emotion unlike anything found within the confines of social norms. Our culture is cluttered with inhabitants who feel no purpose or destiny. We are anonymous slaves to time, class, occupation, sex, currency, and the underlying belief that this is acceptable.

Twelve Tribes is a form of opposition. Their music challenges the proposition that we should become the epitome of high society. They employ the philosophies of hardcore, metal, hip-hop, and rock in attempt to create something unique. Inspired by the revolutionary sounds of bands like Faith No More, Metallica, Bloodlet, Candiria, Public Enemy, Converge, and Rage Against the Machine, they acknowledge the need for innovation. Twelve Tribes are not here to fill a void in the market place, but to expand the limitations and the expectations of the industry. They demand more from their music. And unlike the course of stale, commercially driven trends, there is a message here that is not overpowered by its own absurdity. There are no love songs; there are true expressions about the trials of relationships. There are no cries for help, but calls for change and individuality. The complexity of life, and our ability to render it, is captured both musically and lyrically. Twelve Tribes sound is their own. And as the story began, it will continue, with music that defies conventional thinking and relies on its own integrity.

Dayton, Ohio's Twelve Tribes have infamously lurked in the shadows of the hardcore-metal scene for nearly seven years. After recording two demos and playing countless shows in and around the mid-west, the band signed with South Florida's Eulogy Records. They released there debut full length "As Feather To Flowers and Petals to Wings" in 1999, which gained nationwide attention and contributed to an upsurge in the melodic hardcore movement. "As Feather To Flowers…" was followed shortly after by the EP entitled "Instruments". This musical offering was the antithesis of the traditional hardcore sound and somewhat distanced the band from mainstream fans. It was an intentional and necessary shift that would separate Twelve Tribes from the current trends and prepare them for what was to come.

The band toured much of the following 2 years with then up and coming bands such as Poison the Well, Blood Has Been Shed, Every Time I Die, Drowningman, and Eighteen Visions. They relentlessly traveled the country, playing halls, bars, basements, and Hellfests alike. But in that time, something changed. As the popularity of the "melodic-metalcore" genre increased, so did the number of unvarying bands, and the amount of undistinguished records being released. Twelve Tribes wanted to counteract this effect. With the re-addition of two founding members, they spent a good portion of the next year in the basement of the house they shared, striving to create a musical identity they could claim as their own. Most importantly, they resorted back to the music and bands that inspired them when music was more than fashion, and true expression could not be imitated.

Twelve Tribes' "The Rebirth of Tragedy" has been 2 years in the making. This Ferret Records debut is a documentation of their struggles, successes and personal growth as musicians. Guitarist Andy Corpus explains, "Each song was viewed as a challenge for us to overcome. The goal was to out-do anything prior to that moment in writing. To break down barriers and incorporate the music that moved us, no matter what the format." This offering is more than the next logical step for the band. It is a completely new and regenerated sound. "There is a much higher focus on the song as a whole than on bludgeoning the listener with a couple tech parts, pretty singing and a lot of filler." Literally entire nights were spent, working out tempos, arguing over different chord progressions, programming beats on a drum machine, and recording on their digital eight track. Although this record is more structured than previous Twelve Tribes releases, fans of the old material will be able to appreciate the use of polyrhythmic time signatures and striking chord structures. The vocal range has expanded greatly, incorporating a great deal more singing and manipulating each violent scream to truly impact the listener. Vocalist Adam Jackson continues, "I'm throwing every possible aspect of my voice into this record. I tried to challenge myself, and really tried to define our own style. Our music is about expression and individuality, and I want that to be felt in our performance more than anything".