Black Tusk was formed in January 2005, when its members were all living on the same street.[1] Andrew Fidler (guitars, vocals) previously played bass in Unpersons and later founded the independent record label Hyperrealist Records.[2] With the dissolution of Fidler's and Jonathan Athon's (bass, vocals) crust punk band, as well as James May's (drums, vocals) street punk band, Fidler and Athon went down the street to May's house and asked him if he wanted to play with them.[3] During the next few days, they jammed continuously, and within a few months they had recorded their debut extended playWhen Kingdoms Fall, which was released via Wrecked Signal.[4]
In 2007, the band self-released another EP, The Fallen Kingdom. Their debut full-length studio album, Passage Through Purgatory, was released a year later through Fidler's Hyperrealist label.[4][5] In 2009, Black Tusk released a series of split albums with bands such as ASG, The Holy Mountain, and Fight Amp, before signing to Relapse Records in November.[6] The band released its debut for Relapse, Taste the Sin, in May 2010.[7]
Black Tusk is mostly associated with Baroness and Kylesa, for their shared hometown of Savannah, as well as for their sludge metal sound.[1][5] The band is linked to Baroness' guitarist and vocalist John Dyer Baizley, who is also a painter and creates all of Black Tusk's artwork.[3]
On November 9, 2014, band member Jonathan Athon died due to injuries sustained from a motorcycle accident.[8] He was placed in a medically induced coma and, per his wishes, was pulled from life support after it was determined that he had irreparable brain damage.
Black Tusk in 2012
On December 10, 2014, the band confirmed they would be touring with Black Label Society in early 2015, with Corey Barhorst (formally of Kylesa) filling in on bass duties, as well as confirmed they finished the recording of their next album prior to the death of Athon.[9]
Black Tusk announced their seventh album on April 14, 2024. 'The Way Forward' is their first album with long-time collaborator Chris "Scary" Adams as an official member. Scary contributed guitars and vocals. He also recorded, mixed and produced the album at his studio, Hidden Audio. Brad Boatright at Audiosiege did the mastering. Scary was joined by new bassist Derek Lynch, who bursts through the door on the lead single "Brushfire" with his first crack at doing heavy vocals.
"That's always been a thing in Black Tusk", Fidler said about how the band approaches vocals with a group mentality. "Derek said he'd never done heavy vocals before, so I was like, 'Well, here's the mic. Here's some words. Yell at it and see if you like it. I was blown away the first time he did it. It sounded good as fuck".[10]
Musical style
Black Tusk's members describe their music as "swamp metal", a term that has been described by AllMusic as "the murkiest, dirtiest sludge to come out of Savannah since Kylesa".[7] The term is a reference to the climate of Savannah in relation to the music that the band create.[3] Reviewing the album, Taste the Sin, Pitchfork Media stated that the band's blend of hardcore punk and stoner metal "works to capitalize on the immediacy of its chosen genres and not to bend them into obscurity."[11] Black Tusk acknowledges its punk rock origins, but prefer not to cite a list of bands that influence them because they feel that it is ineffective since they are not "trying to emulate any one band's style or any one genre's sound."[3]
Members
Current
Andrew Fidler – guitars, vocals (2005–present)
James May – drums, vocals (2005–present)
Chris Adams – guitars, vocals (2018–present)
Derek Lynch – bass, vocals (2021–present)
Former
Jonathan Athon – bass, vocals (2005–2014; died 2014)
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