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The Gauntlet: Thought Industry |
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Hailing from Kalamazoo, MI, Thought Industry has established a reputation as one of the most daring and unpredictable exponents of progressive metal. A veritable stew of influences and styles which defies categorization, their music has remained highly original, staunchly non-commercial, and, by extension, has only been embraced by a very selective audience. Formed in 1989 by vocalist and bassist Brent Oberlin, guitarists Christopher Simmonds and Steve Spaeth, and drummer Dustin Donaldson, the group was eventually signed by Metal Blade Records on the strength of a self-produced, five-song demo.
After replacing their six-string department with new members Paul Enzio and Christopher Lee, the quartet recorded 1992's Songs for Insects and 1993's Mods Carve the Pig: Assassins, Toads and God's Flesh in quick succession to little commercial success. A longer hiatus preceded 1996's Outer Space Is Just a Martini Away, which saw Oberlin relenting bass duties to new member Herb Ledbetter and the arrival of drummer Jared Bryant. The album also displayed a shift towards shorter, less complicated songs - a direction the band pursued even further after the departure of guitarist Lee with 1997's much more user-friendly Black Umbrella. Recruited to Do Good Deeds for the Devil, a collection of live recordings and outtakes, was released in 1998. And despite the loss of Enzio and Jared, Thought Industry continued on into 2001 with new recruits Mike Roche and Jeff Borkowski.
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