Brand New Sin
Band Photo: Brand New Sin
Formed: 2002
From:
Syracuse,
NY,
United States
Last Known Status: Active
Background
When rock fans think of Syracuse -- one of the cities in upstate New York -- they often think of hardcore punk and the straight-edge movement, which has used punk to promote clean living, vegetarianism, and spirituality. Many straight-edge bands have been avid supporters of the Hare Krishna sect; arguably, straight-edge has often functioned as a Hindu-minded equivalent of Christian rock, although many straight-edge bands have leaned to the left politically and have, in some cases, vehemently lambasted Christian pop and rock artists who supported the Republican Party. Despite Syracuse's reputation as a punk/straight-edge town, not every band that came from that area in the '90s or 2000s had a straight-edge connection. Syracuse metal band Brand New Sin has nothing at all to do with straight-edge; if anything, these rowdy, long-haired, tattooed, decadent, hell-raising headbangers sound like they are rebelling against everything that Syracuse's straight-edge scene has stood for. Kris Wiechmann, one of the band's three guitarists, showed how politically incorrect he could be when he equated Brand New Sin's self-titled debut album with "the first drink an alcoholic takes after walking out of rehab," which isn't exactly the sort of thing a straight-edge vegetarian teetotaler would brag about. Blistering and forceful yet consistently melodic, Brand New Sin has been influenced by a variety of metal and hard rock bands, and those influences range from Motörhead, Black Sabbath, and Guns N' Roses to Pantera and Metallica. There are also traces of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Southern rock in the band's material, which has the sort of bluesy, swampy edge that southern outfits like Alabama Thunder Pussy and Hammerlock have brought to alternative metal. Although Brand New Sin has plenty of '70s and '80s influences, the band has enough of a Corrosion of Conformity/Down influence to avoid sounding flat-out retro and be relevant to the '90s/2000s alternative metal scene. However, Brand New Sin doesn't get into rap-metal at all -- the Syracuse headbangers show no awareness of hip-hop-minded nu metal bands like Limp Bizkit, Korn, (hed)pe, Fat, Rage Against the Machine, and Tommy Lee's Methods of Mayhem. In the '90s, some of Brand New Sin's members belonged to a Syracuse band called Godbelow, which favored a metal/punk blend. But when they wanted to do something different -- something with more bluesy, swampy leanings and a southern influence -- Brand New Sin was born in the early 2000s. While other metal bands had four or five members, Brand New Sin had six thanks to a lineup that consisted of lead singer Joe Altier, bassist Chuck Kahl, drummer Mike Rafferty, and no less than three guitarists: Slider (who also provides background vocals), Kris Wiechmann, and Ken Dunham. In June 2002, Brand New Sin's self-titled debut album (which Peter Walker produced) was released by the Jersey City, NJ-based Now or Never Records. A year later, drummer Kevin Dean was added to the band. Brand New Sin once again joined Walker for the recording of their second album. The Black and Blue EP and the band's sophomore effort, Recipe for Disaster, were both released in 2005. Alex Henderson, All Music
Latest Brand New Sin News
Brand New Sin Streaming New Single Online
Brand New Sin has issued the following update about streaming the new single "Fly" online:
"On our Myspace page and our website home page you will find our newest single called 'Fly' from our latest independent CD 'Distilled'. It's a cool blend of southern rock and hard-rockin' classic metal.
"Speaking of our home page and our independence, http://brandnewsin.com is still owned by the first record label. At this time it is not re-directing to http://brandnewsin.org which is the official Brand New Sin website. Thankfully, the owner of Now Or Never Records has agreed to let us have it. Please bare with us as the transition takes place in the next couple weeks."
Brand New Sin Announces Album Release Party
Brand New Sin released their new album "Distilled" today, July 8th. The band has announced a release party for the album on Friday, July 10th at Mac’s Bad Art Bar in Mattydale, NY. Prior to the CD release party, Brand New Sin will also be at the Hot Topic at the Great Northern Mall.
Brand New Sin Offering New Song For Free Download
Brand New Sin is set to release their upcoming album "Distilled" later this summer. The band is currently offering a free download of one of the new tracks titled "The Death Of One Thing Or Another." The song can be downloaded at the band's official website for a limited time prior to release of the album.
Brand New Sin Recording New Album
Brand New Sin has issued the following update about recording a new album:
"Brand New Sin is in the studio recording tracks for their 4th LP at Subcat Music Studio in Skaneateles, NY. We have released two singles since joining forces with singer Joe Sweet in the Spring of 2008. This will be Sweet's first full length album with BNS. Drums, bass and most of the guitar tracks are done. Aside from the song 'Fly' most of this material has been a well kept secret since it has not been performed live... yet."
Century Media Celebrates 20th Anniversary
2008 has become an extremely exciting year in the history of Century Media Records, one of the world's most respected independent homes for heavy music, as the label is celebrating its 20th anniversary!
The company's Anniversary year started off with an extremely successful, first-ever yard sale/party at the Century Media office in Dortmund (Germany) in June, where several hundred guests partied out on exclusive live shows by Angel Dust and Turisas. A video with impressions from the event can be seen at this location. A photo gallery for this event can be viewed here.
To further celebrate this anniversary Century Media Records will release the very special 2CD compilation "Covering 20 Years Of Extremes" on September 15th in Europe and on October 14th in North America. The various artists covers-release includes 32 mostly exclusive recordings and will be available in stores for the price of one CD. Sticking to the "keep it in the family" slogan, CM approached their artists about covering songs from other acts within the label's repertoire and the response from the musicians was overwhelming.
Some choices were obvious and homages to the bands that influenced them, others were inspired picks. This combination ended up leading to a heavily entertaining and truly special final result across all sub-genres of heavy music.
Here is the tracklisting: More...
Brand New Sin Announces New Vocalist
New York's BRAND NEW SIN have issued the following update:
"Brand New Sin is back! After almost 5 months, their hunt for a new vocalist has led them to Joe Sweet from Utica, NY. Joe is the former singer of NINE BALL, which later became NINE STORIES HIGH. "
Brand New Sin Launch Vocalist Search
The remaining members of Syracuse, New York's BRAND NEW SIN have launched a singer search following the recent departure of Joe Altier. If you are interested, contact the band at iwanttobeyoursinger@brandnewsin.org with your name and e-mail address only.
In a recent interview with the Syracuse Post Standard, Altier stated about his departure from the group, "All things come to an end at some point," Altier said. "I guess the best thing is to not get into the politics of the band. We always kept inside things about the band within the band. It was an amicable parting of the ways."
Altier said he began thinking about his life and involvement with BRAND NEW SIN in a different light when his father died in October.
"Something like that, you flip 180," Altier said. "When the dust settles, you see every aspect of your life differently. ... At that point, I realized how quickly life goes by. ... I'm 33. I think it's time to take hold of my life."
BRAND NEW SIN last year parted ways with Century Media Records.
BRAND NEW SIN's acclaimed album "Tequila" was recorded at Method of Groove studios in Brooklyn with producer Joey Z (LIFE OF AGONY, STEREOMUD). The disc, mastered by the acclaimed George Marino (METALLICA, AC/DC, GUNS N' ROSES) at Sterling Sound, features a guest vocal appearance by Peter Steele (TYPE O NEGATIVE) on the track "Reaper Man". The group also recorded a new version of the entrance theme music for Big Show, the 7-foot, 500-pound ECW wrestler. The theme, "Crank It Up", was first heard on the compilation CD "WWE: Wreckless Intent", which debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard chart.
Ex-Brand New Sin Singer Explains Departure
Lead singer Joe Altier has spoken to Mark Bialczak of the Syracuse Post Standard about his decision to leave of the Syracuse hard rock band BRAND NEW SIN.
"All things come to an end at some point," Altier said. "I guess the best thing is to not get into the politics of the band. We always kept inside things about the band within the band. It was an amicable parting of the ways."
Altier said he began thinking about his life and involvement with BRAND NEW SIN in a different light when his father died in October.
"Something like that, you flip 180," Altier said. "When the dust settles, you see every aspect of your life differently. ... At that point, I realized how quickly life goes by. ... I'm 33. I think it's time to take hold of my life."
Altier will continue with his two side projects. He'll perform solo on Tuesday nights at Station 58 in North Syracuse, playing piano and singing as BRAND NEW JOE. He'll also play there on Wednesday nights with AYLIST, a band with members of UNDER THE GUN and DEAD ROSE.
Drummer Kevin Dean, guitarists Kris Wiechmann and Kenny Dunham and bassist Chuck Kahl will continue playing together with their side cover band, THE UNDESIRABLES, which also includes Grant Waryan and Ronnie Dark, both of whom sing. They play tonight at Downtown Manhattan's in Hanover Square.
Dean said the four want to continue as an original music band, too. He said they're undecided whether they'll keep the name BRAND NEW SIN or how they'll go about linking up with a new lead singer.
BRAND NEW SIN last year parted ways with Century Media Records.
BRAND NEW SIN's acclaimed album "Tequila" was recorded at Method of Groove studios in Brooklyn with producer Joey Z (LIFE OF AGONY, STEREOMUD). The disc, mastered by the acclaimed George Marino (METALLICA, AC/DC, GUNS N' ROSES) at Sterling Sound, features a guest vocal appearance by Peter Steele (TYPE O NEGATIVE) on the track "Reaper Man". The group also recorded a new version of the entrance theme music for Big Show, the 7-foot, 500-pound ECW wrestler. The theme, "Crank It Up", was first heard on the compilation CD "WWE: Wreckless Intent", which debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard chart.
Brand New Sin Part Ways With Singer
New York's BRAND NEW SIN have issued the following very brief band update:
"Joe Altier (vocals) parts ways with Brand New Sin to pursue other interests. The remaining members are still intact and will continue to write and perform."
Stay tuned for further updates from the band.
Brand New Sin and Century Media Part Ways
Brand New Sin and Century Media Records have officially parted ways. The Syracuse rock band released two full-length albums with the label after joining their roster in 2004. They are now seeking a new label home.
