Unexpect - Biography
Logos
2011
Biography
An eclectic Canadian band rooted in the creative soils of Montreal, Quebec. Unexpect is a metal laboratory mixing elements of black, death, (*)core, symphonic, progressive and melodic metal; classical, operatic, medieval, goth, electro, ambient, psychotic, noise and circus music with an occasional jazzy touch. The septet includes a violin, keyboards/sampling, a singing contemporary dancer, a 9 stringed bass, 2 guitarists/singers and a drum. The vocal performance of the two singers range from an extreme to the other as they alternate between glorious choirs; inhuman screams of deep, high, mid-growl and delirious intensity; theatrical narrations; and clean/sober sections strewn with a female singer who's angelic voice could melt the will of the most vile politician.
The ideas traveling in their art are related to the imagination and the inherent creative power of all human beings, subjective tales, trancelike sensorial exploration, undercover denunciation of social aspects and subconscious realities. So? still trying to figure Unexpect? Think Cirque du Soleil goes black metal amidst an acid-trip version of The Dark Crystal. A mindfuck no doubt, but you get the picture.
Anno1996.....Artagoth and Zircon play together as a thrash metal act called Unexpected, influenced by old school bands like Metallica, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Megadeth and such. In the midst of this year, Syriak and a drummer called Ben Gélinas join the ranks, adding a different touch to the music. During this period, the band's name became Unexpect; deforming the original word to nullify the meaning while keeping this oh so pretty succession of letters (even if the pun will forever stay branded). One year later, the drummer went away due to personal divergences and Lunorin, Syriak's old time's friend, boarded the ship. The chemistry really burst; old material was all but forsaken as the band reshaped old songs and composed new ones more influenced by the European scene. As new ideas found their way in the band, they began to find restrictive the fact of being only four and the lack of texture in their music. So they gathered up two other childhood friends of Syriak and Lunorin issued from classical school: Merzenya and le bateleur. It's in the same era that a singing lady named Elda joined the band for the crazy ride. They entered studio for the first time in summer 1998, very soon after the integration of the others. Utopia was born?members at the time of composing/recording were between 17 and 20. The two following years saw its share of shows, but Zircon, Elda and Merzenya quietly left Unexpect for personal reasons in 2001. In these times of changes ; Lunorin traded his instrument, changed his name for ExoD and became the new keyboardist ; A young devilish clown named ChaotH took on the bass position with his 7 and 9 stringed monsters?drinking madly as a cursed poet since then ; A sweet dancing maiden with an aerial voice going under the name of Leïlindel stepped forth and illuminated the scenic performances with her incredible presence; and later on, in 2003, Landryx entered the Unexpect cast after countless efforts to find a drummer.
Since their inception in 1996, Unexpect have ventured forward with their musical movement, losing members on the way (only 3 of the band's founding members remain), yet still remaining focused on what they set out to achieve with the band. When it came time to release the band's debut album, the 1999 independently release Utopia, the band only had word of mouth and the still-growing Internet to push their goods. Without any proper distribution -- and thanks to a hard push by the band and the praise they received online from around the world - the album was extremely well received and Unexpect made their first mark on the masses. A new era began for these sound-painters with the release of a new surreal opus titled _wE, Invaders in November 2003. This EP, released in North America via Montreal-based label Galy Records, caused quite a positive stir with critics worldwide and helped introduce quite effectively the evolutionary scheme that Unexpect was focusing upon musically. The band eventually signed with The End Records in 2004, a well-planned move on their parts, with the band explaining, "They (The End Records) are known for their open-mindedness and for being respectful in the ways they deal with the artistic visions of the musicians they work with..."
They recently did a short tour in the US with Dutch band The Gathering after a remarked performance at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas?followed by a successful Canadian tour covering the whole country from Vancouver to Halifax with another Montreal based band : Augury.
So as we venture into 2006 with their The End Records debut : In A Flesh Aquarium ( August 22nd), prepare for a massive dose of weirdness and organized chaos. The band is now more ready than ever to take on the road again and send you all to the nearest mental hospital?all for the pleasure of music of course?
(http://www.unexpect.com)
The ideas traveling in their art are related to the imagination and the inherent creative power of all human beings, subjective tales, trancelike sensorial exploration, undercover denunciation of social aspects and subconscious realities. So? still trying to figure Unexpect? Think Cirque du Soleil goes black metal amidst an acid-trip version of The Dark Crystal. A mindfuck no doubt, but you get the picture.
Anno1996.....Artagoth and Zircon play together as a thrash metal act called Unexpected, influenced by old school bands like Metallica, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Megadeth and such. In the midst of this year, Syriak and a drummer called Ben Gélinas join the ranks, adding a different touch to the music. During this period, the band's name became Unexpect; deforming the original word to nullify the meaning while keeping this oh so pretty succession of letters (even if the pun will forever stay branded). One year later, the drummer went away due to personal divergences and Lunorin, Syriak's old time's friend, boarded the ship. The chemistry really burst; old material was all but forsaken as the band reshaped old songs and composed new ones more influenced by the European scene. As new ideas found their way in the band, they began to find restrictive the fact of being only four and the lack of texture in their music. So they gathered up two other childhood friends of Syriak and Lunorin issued from classical school: Merzenya and le bateleur. It's in the same era that a singing lady named Elda joined the band for the crazy ride. They entered studio for the first time in summer 1998, very soon after the integration of the others. Utopia was born?members at the time of composing/recording were between 17 and 20. The two following years saw its share of shows, but Zircon, Elda and Merzenya quietly left Unexpect for personal reasons in 2001. In these times of changes ; Lunorin traded his instrument, changed his name for ExoD and became the new keyboardist ; A young devilish clown named ChaotH took on the bass position with his 7 and 9 stringed monsters?drinking madly as a cursed poet since then ; A sweet dancing maiden with an aerial voice going under the name of Leïlindel stepped forth and illuminated the scenic performances with her incredible presence; and later on, in 2003, Landryx entered the Unexpect cast after countless efforts to find a drummer.
Since their inception in 1996, Unexpect have ventured forward with their musical movement, losing members on the way (only 3 of the band's founding members remain), yet still remaining focused on what they set out to achieve with the band. When it came time to release the band's debut album, the 1999 independently release Utopia, the band only had word of mouth and the still-growing Internet to push their goods. Without any proper distribution -- and thanks to a hard push by the band and the praise they received online from around the world - the album was extremely well received and Unexpect made their first mark on the masses. A new era began for these sound-painters with the release of a new surreal opus titled _wE, Invaders in November 2003. This EP, released in North America via Montreal-based label Galy Records, caused quite a positive stir with critics worldwide and helped introduce quite effectively the evolutionary scheme that Unexpect was focusing upon musically. The band eventually signed with The End Records in 2004, a well-planned move on their parts, with the band explaining, "They (The End Records) are known for their open-mindedness and for being respectful in the ways they deal with the artistic visions of the musicians they work with..."
They recently did a short tour in the US with Dutch band The Gathering after a remarked performance at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas?followed by a successful Canadian tour covering the whole country from Vancouver to Halifax with another Montreal based band : Augury.
So as we venture into 2006 with their The End Records debut : In A Flesh Aquarium ( August 22nd), prepare for a massive dose of weirdness and organized chaos. The band is now more ready than ever to take on the road again and send you all to the nearest mental hospital?all for the pleasure of music of course?
(http://www.unexpect.com)