Band Line Up 2015
Endeavour are a collective of nerds with a knack for making epic, skull crushing prog metal. Channelling the aggression of bands like Machine Head and Pantera into the progressive form of bands such as Dream Theater and Porcupine Tree, Endeavour combine dual vocal harmonies, mammoth riffs and versatile songwriting to forge modern metal with old-school ethos.
Endeavour was formed in October 2009 in the common room of the Bristol Institute of Modern Music after guitarist Iain 'GT' Davies and bassist Ben Hands met and bonded over progressive metal bands such as Dream Theater, Symphony X and Opeth. Their objective? To create a band that explores the expansive, technical approach of progressive and experimental bands whilst maintaining the raw energy, aggression and sheer intensity of bands such as Pantera, Machine Head and Metallica.
After a year of writing music and honing this progression meets aggression approach, Davies and Hands finally sought to find members that possessed the same musical versatility and passion. George Russell stepped into the fold as drummer in mid 2011, bringing speed
and dexterity from his thrash metal background and an understanding of complex, multi-layered compositions from his experience in orchestral work. Russell’s entrance was closely followed by vocalist Chris Hawkins, possessing a schizophrenic ability to combine multiple voices and moods channelling the belligerence of Phil Anselmo, the shrieks of Devin Townsend, the range of Rob Halford and the soul of Layne Staley. Davies and Hawkins quickly discovered their mutual love for the dual vocal approach of Alice In Chains, a trait which has become a vital part of the bands’ sound.
Once the line-up was solidified the band immediately began rehearsing and recorded a two track demo consisting of the songs ‘Drowning Memory’ and ‘Betrayal Of Life’ which have become fan favourites. After releasing the two track demo in early 2012, Endeavour spent the rest of the year gigging, sharing the stage with fellow Bristol bands such as Cruelty Circuit, Sermon and Control The Storm while still writing and perfecting their sound.
In late 2012 Endeavour began the process of planning what would become their debut release ‘From The Darkest Grounds’. Produced by Davies and Hawkins, Endeavour entered WizardSound Studios in early 2013, with renowned drummer and producer Craig Reynolds (Brutality Will Prevail, ex-The HAARP Machine, ex-Viatrophy) taking engineering duties to record drums . The bass, vocals, and guitars were recorded by the band throughout 2013 before sending the final product to be mixed by Reynolds in late 2013 and mastered by Hawkins in early 2014. During this time Endeavour entered a Metal 2 The Masses competition, further building their audience in Bristol and gaining the attention of esteemed metal vocalist Sy Keeler of UK Thrash legends Onslaught:
“They are awesome! Awesome playing, great songs, they deserved to get signed.” (Sy Keeler - Onslaught)
‘From The Darkest Grounds’ was finally released independently on 15th February 2014 in physical format, featuring re-recordings of the demo classics ‘Drowning Memory’ and ‘Betrayal Of Life’ as well as 3 new tracks. ‘From The Darkest Grounds’ combines all the elements that the band has strived to seamlessly bring together to create these 5 epic and powerful songs: aggressive and heavy riffing, melodic and catchy dual vocal lines, interesting and lengthened song structures, and a high level of technical performance.
Since the release Endeavour has played with more prominent acts such as Absolva, Mask Of Judas and Evil Scarecrow are currently spreading their name by playing throughout the UK. The band is constantly writing and further refining their progressive-meets-aggressive approach to music, and hope to move up the metal ladder in the UK by playing with bigger acts, playing on bigger stages, and playing to even bigger audiences.
Endeavour are unbelievably psyched to be playing the Jagermeister stage at Bloodstock 2015! We entered M2TM a couple years back and were gutted not to make it through that time, so we are even more appreciative of all our friends and fans for supporting us all the way through to the final, and to all the top people at Bloodstock for giving us the opportunity to play this amazing festival. It's a real honour to be performing amongst a line-up of incredible established acts from around the world. We've only got 30 mins to kick some festival-goer arse, so rest assured we will be coming at you with our absolute best set yet!
