Poltergeist (band)
| Poltergeist | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Switzerland, Liestal, Basel-Country |
| Genres | Power metal, Thrash metal, Heavy metal |
| Years active | 1985–1987 (Carrion) 1987–1993, 2013–present (Poltergeist) |
| Labels |
Pure Steel Records (Current), Century Media Records, Haunted House Records SriLanca (Carrion) |
Poltergeist, originally Carrion, is a Swiss power/thrash metal band that played from 1985 to 1993, and is now active as of 2013. Carrion made a total of two demos and one full-length album under SriLanca Records. Poltergeist made a total of two full-length albums and three demos under Century Media Records. They also made a single and a full-length album under Haunted House Records. Poltergeist is now signed to Pure Steel Records and released their latest album, entitled Back to Haunt, on October 21, 2016.
The band was founded in 1985 as Carrion by guitarist and vocalist V.O. Pulver. Carrion was not renamed to Poltergeist until the studio recording of Poltergeist's first demo in 1987. There had already been a UK rock band called Poltergeist which played at the now famous Watchfield Free Festival in 1975. Carrion was "underground" and was signed under Gama/Sri Lanca Records, a small record company in Germany. Carrion's appearance was heavily influenced by glam metal, which was popular at the time. After the name change to Poltergeist, the departure of three other band members, and the addition of new singer André Grieder, the band changed drastically in terms of appearance and style. Poltergeist gained a cult following after the release of their first two albums, but became more well known after singer André Grieder recorded vocals on the Cracked Brain album for the popular thrash metal band Destruction. Poltergeist's albums were critically viewed as "good, but not good enough to set them apart." and the band broke up following the release of their final album in 1993.
At the end of 2013, Poltergeist announced their reunion. The line-up consisted of V.O. Pulver, André Grieder, Marek Felis, Chasper Wanner, and Sven Vormann. In 2016, Ralf Winzer Garcia, from the Swiss death metal band Requiem, joined as their new bassist following the departure of Marek Felis in April 2016. A few months later, on August 30, 2016, Poltergeist announced their upcoming album Back to Haunt would be released in October the same year through Pure Steel Records, and optimistically stated having a well developed sound and better songwriting compared to previous projects. Back to Haunt has been well received by critics, especially compared to previous projects, with praise particularly for the mature style change, musicianship, and originality of the second half of the album. However, the album was familiarly panned for not standing out amongst other bands and sounding uninspired and tired at times.
...
Wikipedia