Venomin James
| Venomin James | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Genres | Doom metal, heavy metal |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Kultland Recordings, Auburn Records |
| Associated acts | Sparrowmilk, Pro-Pain, The Spudmonsters, Red Giant, Years of Fire, The Alter Boys, State of Conviction, Mudfoot, Spellchucker, The Great Iron Snake |
| Website | http://www.venominjames.com |
| Members | Mike Martini Tomasz Scull Erin Corcoran Joe Fortunato Eric Matthews |
| Past members | Jared Koston Jim Meador |
Venomin James is a doom metal band formed in Kirtland, Ohio in 2005.
Venomin James was formed early Fall 2005 with Tomasz Scull, Erin Corcoran, and Joe Fortunato beginning to write songs while actively searching for a drummer and vocalist to complete the lineup. This core trio recorded a series of demos with Night Sweats/Living Stereo/Sidecar frontman Brandon Abate on drums, to hand out to prospective members. Early in 2006, vocalist Jim Meador was added to the lineup, and the band began playing Cleveland area shows with Abate filling in on drums. Drummer Jared Koston was recruited in June 2006, and the band played a number of live dates to hone and complete their material. The band recorded their first full-length album Left Hand Man throughout late 2006 and 2007, released on Kultland Recordings on September 18, 2007. Mastering was handled by Alan Douches (Mastodon, Converge, The Misfits) of West West Side Music in New Jersey.
The album garnered the band some attention among the underground doom, metal, and stoner rock scenes, as well as radio play from local KROQ-FM affiliate 92.3. College radio picked up on the band's retro/doom/metal sound, and college stations across the country began playing the album in moderate rotation. Local college radio personality, and creator of the respected "Metal On Metal" show, Bill Peters of WJCU 88.7FM, began playing the album on his show, starting a friendship with the band that would help begin their move toward the next level in the coming years. Bill Peters is also the president of Auburn Records, a record label based in Medina, Ohio, that has released albums from Shok Paris, Breaker, Destructor, and Purgatory.
In Q3 of 2015, the band plans to digitally reissue "Left Hand Man" as a remixed and remastered deluxe edition.
Immediately after the release of Left Hand Man, the band finished writing and recording the follow-up album, Crowe Valley Blues. In the fall of 2008 local Parma, Ohio businessman and club owner, Phil Lara, promised financial backing for tour support and the recording and release of Crowe Valley Blues. When this deal fell through in a Cleveland scene-wide scandal, the release of Crowe Valley Blues was put on hold indefinitely. With Lara's deal broken, the band was unable to fund the mastering of the album, again by Alan Douches.
At this point, Bill Peters stepped in, and offered to release Crowe Valley Blues on Auburn Records. Peters financed the mastering and manufacturing of the album, and secured worldwide distribution. Crowe Valley Blues was released in Europe in July 2010, with a US release following on September 14, 2010. The Auburn release of Crowe Valley Blues included the Death's Wings EP as a bonus, containing remixes, demos, and outtakes from Left Hand Man-era sessions, as a thanks to fans who had patiently waited for the album's release. Videos were filmed for the singles "Cosmonaut" and "Make No Mistake".
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