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The members of RANDALL FLAGG may look like your typical New
Jersey guys, but once the band's vehement sound-a seamless blend
of hardcore and death metal-begins blasting from the stage, it's
apparent they're an extraordinary crew. Unabashedly
in-your-face, and yet melodic, the band's heavy, carefully
structured, technical songs deliver the emotional wallop and
carnal assault that has been garnering raves from New York and
New Jersey venues and a hearty, devoted fan base.
The multi-talented crew has continued to evolve since forming in
1999-not in only in its sound, but in its line-up. Consisting of
high school pals Adam Browning (vocals), Ryan Fleming (guitar)
and Babak "Bob" Davodian (bass), along with the recently
acquired drum mastermind and blast beat guru known as "z", the
band continues to push itself and its music further into the
unconventional and unusual. Davodian, who joined the band in the
spring of 2005, also performs with the extreme death metal
tech-fest Divine Rapture.
"Our style is unique," says Browning; "A hybrid of insane,
hardcore throwdowns with artistic and melodic metal." It is this
amalgam that separates RANDALL FLAGG from most other heavy metal
bands. "I think [that] musically, we walk a different path and
try to mix new sounds and styles into a heavy metal context,"
adds Fleming. "Basically, there are no rules for what we write.
If it sounds good and it's interesting, anything can become a
song."
>From forming in a Rockland County, NY garage to performing at
New York City venues such as Don Hill's and the Pussycat Lounge,
RANDALL FLAGG has evolved into something distinctly special in
the heavy music scene. After a few personnel shifts, the Jersey
City-based band has settled into a cohesive unit. Drawing from a
wide array of individual backgrounds, interests and
influences-including Nirvana, Persian folklore, Nine Inch Nails,
Botch, film scoring, audio engineering, The Dillinger Escape
Plan, graphic design, The Smashing Pumpkins and the
Deftones-there's a rare and inherent depth in RANDALL FLAGG's
music.
Concentrating on communicating an original sound-often
thunderous, always compelling-rather than fitting into the heavy
metal band stereotypes, RANDALL FLAGG leaves the metal to their
music. "We are basically a bunch of geeks who like computers,
video games and movies," says Fleming. "We're nice guys who say
Ôplease' and Ôthank you'. There's none of that macho/tough guy
ÔI'm metal!' attitude." z's concise method is: "Imagery and
persona are two different things. You don't have to dress a
certain way to support a genre of music."
Like the writings of Stephen King-whose apocalyptic antagonist
in The Stand is where the band grabs its name from-RANDALL
FLAGG's music is intense, dark, thought-provoking, captivating,
and enduring.
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