Divinity Destroyed

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Divinity Destroyed

Origin	Toms River, New Jersey, United States
Years active	2000 – Present
Genres	Metal, Hard Rock, Experimental, Progressive, Punk
Labels	Screaming Ferret Wreckords
Members	Mark Ward Tom Ward Dan Leonard Jim Cowen Rick Flanegan
Website(s)	divinitydestroyed.com myspace.com/divinitydestroyed

Divinity Destroyed is a heavy metal band based in central New Jersey. Their music can be described as an eclectic mix of Pantera, Metallica, Dream Theater, the Misfits, and post-Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Neil Young.

Since forming in 2000, Divinity Destroyed released a number of independent discs before singing with Screaming Ferret Wreckords in 2003.

The band has opened for such national acts as the Misfits, Overkill, Symphony X, and Balzac, and won a spot on the Holmdel, NJ stop of the 2005 Gigantour, sharing the crowd with the likes of Megadeth, Fear Factory, and Dillinger Escape Plan. The band was awarded the spot after winning a "battle of the bands" run by WRAT 95.9 FM, a local rock station.

Divinity has received several positive write-ups in magazines, including Metal Maniacs, Unrestrained, the Aquarian, and even a blurb in Billboard. Their 2003 release Eden In Ashes was picked up for national distribution and re-released by Screaming Ferret Wreckords in early 2005.[1]

The band was slated to perform at a charity show on May 19, 2006, hosted by St. Mary's Parish in Stafford Township, New Jersey, and benefitting cerebral palsy and the Sunshine Foundation. With a week to go before the benefit, church leaders canceled the show, specifically citing the band's name and website as factors. The band and the show's organizers have put together a petition to keep the benefit concert alive for a different time and location. (Metal Underground article; Blabbermouth.net article)

In November 2006, the band announced the addition of guitarist and close friend Rick "Randal" Flanegan, formerly of Beyond the Flesh. Mark Ward has taken over keyboard duties for the departed Jonny Heerema. The band also released a new song, "Forever and Never", with a corresponding video directed by Mark; the video is available on the band's MySpace page. Plans are underway for a new album, set for release some time in 2007.