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Trouble is an American doom metal band noted for their slow (by 1980s standards), heavy albums such as their 1984 debut, Trouble (later Psalm 9), The Skull (1985). Other than their influence on the just-emerging subgenre, they were also known as being a better than average Christian metal bands. It should be noted that the band does not consider themselves as a Christian act. Trouble's first record label, Metal Blade Records, marketed the band as "White Metal" (in contrast to the rising black metal movement).
Their sound is mid-tempo compared to Funeral Doom bands like Skepticism or Esoteric or even Doom-Death like My Dying Bride, but was some of the slowest metal being written at a time when NWOBHM and then thrash metal bands were playing faster and faster; Trouble songs generally move about as fast as a slower Black Sabbath song, like "Iron Man," "Lord of this World" and "Into the Void." While most slow songs by Iron Maiden or Saxon tend to border on ballads, all of tracks on The Skull are as heavy as they are slow, with the distinctive fuzzy distortion and melodic, integral (rather than superfluous or ostentatious) guitar solos.
Biography
Trouble was formed in 1979 by vocalist Eric Wagner, guitarists Bruce Franklin and Rick Wartell, bassist Sean McAllister, and drummer Jeff Olson. Drawing from Black Sabbath for inspiration (with occasional nods to the psychedelic sounds of the late '60s thrown in for good measure), the band used gloomy down-tuned riffs and spiritual, often openly religious lyrics, which quickly earned them the dubious "white metal" tag.
The band toured throughout the Midwest during the early '80s before signing with Metal Blade Records and releasing their eponymous debut (later referred to as Psalm 9) in 1984. The Skull followed in 1985 and reflected singer Wagner's struggles with substance abuse as well as the growing turmoil within the group. This led to the replacement of bassist McAllister with Ron Holzner and the departure of drummer Olson, who, as legend has it, had decided to become a preacher. Dennis Lesch was drafted as his replacement for 1987's Run to the Light.
A three year hiatus followed. Just when it seemed that Trouble's fortunes had run out, the band was snapped up by Rick Rubin's Def American Records for whom they recorded another self-titled album (Trouble) in 1990 with Rubin producing. More experimental than previous efforts, the album (featuring new drummer Barry Stern) expanded upon the group's tentative psychedelic notions while not abandoning power chords.
The group embarked on a year-long tour and returned to the studio. In 1992 Manic Frustration was released, delving into Beatlesque psychedelia and featuring some of Trouble's most aggressive, energetic performances ever. But when the album still failed to connect with a wider audience (due perhaps to the grunge revolution that made metal a bad word in 1992), it seemed that Trouble had apparently missed their last window of opportunity.
Ultimately dropped by their record company (that by now was experiencing financial problems of their own), the band issued 1995's Plastic Green Head through the Music for Nations label. But despite the return of founding drummer Olson, the album's impact was noticeably dulled by a badly concealed weariness. Vocalist Eric Wagner would quit the band soon after (going on to form Lid).
Though Trouble had been on hiatus ever since, rumors of an eventual re-formation persisted. On January 26th of 2002 the band took the stage in Chicago once again. Eric, Bruce, Rick, Ron and original drummer Jeff Olsen took to the stage to perform a short set. Since then, the band has been out and about in the Chicago area playing local one-off gigs and headlining various metal festivals while working on their upcoming album. In 2005 they played in Stockholm, Sweden where they recorded the live DVD "Trouble - Live in Stockholm".
In February 2004, Dave Grohl of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters put together a tribute to his metal roots by assembling a who's who of metal with his Probot project. The disc featured various vocalists from Dave's favourite metal bands singing on tunes that he recoded the music for. Eric Wagner sang on the track "My Tortured Soul". Last year bass player Ron left the band and was replaced by Chuck Robinson. In 2006, former drummer Barry Stern passed away.
Their new album, Simple Mind Condition, will be released on February 20, 2007 by Escapi Music. An unplugged album they've been working on will be released at a later date. They will be touring Europe and USA in support of their new album at the following dates and locations:
Tour Dates:
Simple Mind Condition European Tour 2007 & Special Guests
24.05.2007......GRE.....Athens..........Underworld Club
26.05.2007......NL......Den Bosch.......W2
27.05.2007......NL......Amsterdam.......Melkweg
28.05.2007......UK......Wolverhampton...Wulfrun
29.05.2007......UK......Bradford........Rio
30.05.2007......UK......London..........Scala
31.05.2007......F.......Paris...........Le Nouveau Casino
01.06.2007......GER.....Aschaffenburg...Colos Saal
02.06.2007......GER.....München.........Backstage
03.06.2007......HUN.....Budapest........A 38
05.06.2007......GER.....Nürnberg........Hirsch
06.06.2007......CH......Pratteln........Z7
07.06.2007......GER.....Essen...........Zeche Carl
08.06.2007......GER.....Hamburg.........Markthalle
09.06.2007......SWE.....Sölvesborg......Swedenrock Festival
TROUBLE USA TOUR 2007
03/15/07 CHICAGO TBA
03/16/07 CHICAGO TBA
21.03.2007......Jesters Pub, Fayetteville, NC
22.03.2007......Jaxx Concert Hall, Springfield, VA
23.03.2007......Chance Theater, Poughkeepsie, NY
24.03.2007......Mark's Place, Bedford, NH
25.03.2007......B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, New York, NY
26.03.2007......Webster Underground, Hartford, CT
28.03.2007......Lees Palace, Toronto, Ontario
29.03.2007......Webster Underground, Hartford, CT
30.03.2007......I Rock Nightclub, Detroit, MI
31.03.2007......Pearl Room, Mokena, ILL
Discography
Studio releases
| Album Cover | Year of Release | Title | Label |
 |
1984 | Psalm 9 (formerly 'Trouble') | Metal Blade |
 |
1985 | The Skull | Metal Blade |
| 1987 | Run to the Light | Metal Blade | |
 |
1990 | Trouble | Def American |
 |
1992 | Manic Frustration | Def American |
 |
1995 | Plastic Green Head | Century Media |
 |
2007 | Simple Mind Condition | Escapi Music |
Compilation and live releases
- One for the Road (1994, demo of Plastic Green Head)
- Demos & Rarities 1980 - 95 (2005, compilation)
DVDs
- Live in Stockholm (2006)
External links
- Official Trouble website
- Trouble discography at MusicBrainz
- Template:Last.fm
- Template:Metallum