Biography
With an aching and yearning to break free from the normal confines of hardcore and metal, Radiation 4 was born, a band bent on raising the bar both creatively and aggressively as evident on their debut album, Wonderland. To those in the hardcore/metal underground: prepare for a breath of fresh air…
The Los Angeles-based quartet formed in the spring of 2001 in Diamond Bar, California with its core members, Chris Negrete (vocals), Jon Windham (guitar), Jose Escobar (bass) and Aaron Windham (drums), all prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve their collective musical aspirations. In October 2001, the band produced and released 1,000 copies of their self-titled EP, which eventually drew the attention of Abacus Recordings, who quickly signed the band. Drawing comparisons to The Dillinger Escape Plan, Mr. Bungle, Botch and Fantomas, among others, it’s no question that Radiation 4’s debut will turn heads in all scenes while earning themselves legions of fans in the process.
From rampaging fits of spastic energy, on tracks such as “Tick, Tock, Tick” and “When Animals Attack” to carefully crafted, epic yet eerie journeys such as “The Prize” and “John Vs. The Elephant,” it’s clear that the listeners’ attention will never wander from this disc. Equally captivating are the vocal purgings from Negrete, who is as entertaining and amusing as he is gripping and powerful, with a resemblance toward Mike Patton’s acrobatics. Forgoing the typical lyrical path of countless hardcore and metal bands, Radiation 4 base their lyrics around the musical theme of their songs, which will (certainly) confuse, (sometimes) astound and (definitely) provoke the listener.
Wonderland was mixed by Matt Bayles (Botch, Isis, Burnt By The Sun) at Studio Avast and features a breathtaking layout by Chandler Owen (Hopesfall, Shai Hulud) to aid in visually spellbinding the already sonically entranced audience. As a group, Radiation 4 places no limitations on the scope of their songwriting.
Despite their rapidly growing fanbase, Radiation 4 decided to call it a day and played their last show on January 13th of 2007.
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