Invitro Bio

Ex-Snot and Soulfly guitarist Mikey Doling has seen his fair share of highs and lows during his tenure in the music industry. After co-founding the legendary Santa Barbara metal/punk rock hybrid Snot, Doling and his band toured relentlessly with the likes of System of a Down, Incubus, (hed)pe, Soulfly and were the most talked about billing on the 1998 edition of Ozzfest. Tragically, during the recording of the band’s sophomore album, Snot frontman, Lynn Strait, died in a car accident and put an end to a career that had generated considerable promise.

After mourning the loss of his best friend and bandmate, Doling returned in 2000 as the guitarist for Max Cavalera’s Soulfly. For five years Doling would tour the world performing for hundreds of thousands of fanatical fans, while sharing stages with the likes of Black Sabbath, Pantera, Slayer, and countless others. The experience would become some of the biggest career highs for the guitarist.

“When it came time to record my third record with Soulfly, I just felt like I had done everything I could possibly accomplish with them,” says Doling on his decision to move out onto his own. “Nothing against Soulfly; they we're great to me, but it was time to move on. With Soulfly I was just a hired gun and had no say in the direction of the band or creative process. I missed being part of a democratic team of brothers who write everything and make every decision together, so I decided to move on.”

After moving to Los Angeles, Doling fine tuned his production skills along with engineer Brad Dujmovic, recording some of today’s hottest underground acts. During the duo’s recording sessions, Dujmovic played some demos he had been working on with his college roommate, Jeff Weber. After hearing the recordings, Doling was completely blown away and immediately asked them to start a band.

“The chemistry was instant, and I haven’t felt that way since I first starting playing with the guys in Snot,” says Doling. “We always write from the heart. Because of that, we don’t have to worry about other people’s exceptions. These guys have such a diverse set of influences from punk to thrash, that there are absolutely no limits. I love getting in a room with them and tearing it up.”

“With this record we are trying to make a record that not only reflects our own tastes, but is enjoyable to play. A lot of the record was born from experimenting with different riffs, lyrics, etc. Invitro's sound is a mix between punk rock, prog rock, hardcore and whatever feels right,” says frontman Jeff Weber when describing the band’s unique sound. “At times we’re straight ahead punk, and then there a moments that sound like a cartoon saloon. The most unifying characteristics of the music are that it's usually fast, loud, and pleasantly erratic.”

“The best thing to me about Invitro's sound is that it's totally natural when you get five musicians together that aren't trying to sound like anybody other than themselves,” adds guitarist Mike Pygmie. “I think that this record fits right in the middle of the hard rock and metal scenes. It’s heavy enough for even the most extreme metal head and still has a level of musicality and melody that great rock records share.”

When I Was A Planet will be released on September 11, 2007, by independent powerhouse, Gridiron Records, a new label founded by Doling, Kyle Turley, (10 year NFL Veteran), Max Harris, Tim Pickett (formerly of EMI music), and ex- Snot manager, Nic Adler.

“There are so many great bands out there that are amazing, but if you’re not the trend of the week, you don’t have a chance of getting a record deal,” continues Doling. “I was getting frustrated seeing all these great bands without a record deal and Kyle had been asking me to start up a label with me and here we are. We’re going full force and we're signing good bands with serious talent, devoid of trends.”

When I Was A Planet is a musically ambitious debut that will delight hard rock fans and music enthusiasts who are tired of predictable corporate rock. Over the course of his decade plus career, Doling has been on a rollercoaster of highs and lows, but with a new record label in place and the impending release of Invitro’s When I Was A Planet, the future looks so bright it’s blinding.