THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
Ten years ago, with the release of their 1999 EP "The Frozen Divide," The Year of Our Lord helped to pave the way for melodic metal in the United States. They drew influences from a european style but also maintained their american metal and hardcore roots. Their sound had melody, darkness, speed, and brutality. These qualities brought a level of excitement and intrigue about the potential TYOOL had for the future.
Striving to progress and take their sound to new heights, they worked tirelessly on material and headed into the studio for an entire month in 2001. The end product was the LP "The Year of Our Lord." While pleased with the material on the LP, many people thought the production was missing something. Although it sounded raw, almost like it was recorded in the 80's or 90's, it lacked a polished quality that the band deserved.
After the release of the LP, TYOOL started to plateau. Career aspirations, member changes, and the lack of a proper touring schedule had put a strain on the band. They had begun writing material for a new record and the songs, even in their infancy, showed vast progression and improvement in skill. This release was to be even faster, darker, more brutal, and still have the signature melodies that fans had come to expect from them.
In the years after, the idea to remix and remaster the LP had been brought up many times. When the decision was finally made to go ahead with it, the band decided to go all out and remix the EP and record that new material that never had been heard or released. After a long and trying process, The Year of Our Lord completed their definitive collection of work that shows the progression of the band and gives a taste of where the band was headed if they had remained intact.
Although their potential was never realized completely, The Year of Our Lord is confident in what they have created over the years and the mark they left on heavy music. Remaining members Nick & Scott Heigelmann, Colin Conway, and producer Peter Rutcho of Damage Studios have outdone themselves on this extensive effort to provide TYOOL fans with their requiem, "Dead To You."