| Kill Cheerleader | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Hard rock, Punk, Heavy metal, Rock 'n Roll |
| Years active | 1999–2006 |
| Labels | Spinerazor Records Sonico Records Corporate Punishment |
| Past members | |
| Chad Dallas MacKinnon Chris Rites Ethan Deth Jason Decay of Cauldron Anthony Useless Jakki Slaughter of SkullFist Jimmy Nova of Darlings of Chelsea Brandon Wars of Flying Fortress Mike of 86ers Teras of Riot99 |
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Kill Cheerleader was a rock n' roll band whose teenage members formed in 1999 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as "Cheerleader 666". Mainly influenced by punk and heavy metal acts such as The Stooges, early era Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, Iron Maiden, the Ramones, Girlschool, Joan Jett and Neil Young, they had crafted their own unique, sleazy style of rock 'n' roll, once being described as "a derailed train hitting a Baptist Church". Lemmy from Motörhead described Kill Cheerleader as the "greatest rock n' roll band since Guns N' Roses."
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The original members of the group were childhood friends who learned their instruments by practicing old Guns N' Roses, The Stooges and Mötley Crüe songs. A band member reportedly said that the name came from miserable high school experiences, saying, “beat up the jocks and kill the cheerleaders”. They started off playing shows in Toronto but were soon banned from clubs for their on and off stage antics, so they started playing shows in San Diego and L.A. after being invited by San Diego native and brief Toronto resident, Chris Squire of to stay with him in San Diego for 3 weeks and play some shows with his garage punk group, The Tori Cobras. It was in San Diego that Squire introduced the band to professional skateboarder, Kris Markovich, landing Kill Cheerleader (then Cheerleader 666 still) the opening music track in Markovich's part for his Hollywood skateboards video. After playing several shows throughout San Diego, L.A., Orange County, and Riverside with The Tori Cobras and having their music in the Hollywood video, the bands popularity among hardcore skateboarders and so-cal punk rockers began to steamroll. Squire had tried to enlist Cheerleader666 for his record label, Pure Noise Forever but the deal never panned out.[1] Later, Kill Cheerleader's website, the band stated "Chris Squire is the new Jesus."
After some 8000 demo CDs were sold, a German record label licensed one of their unmixed/unmastered recordings and released it as 7 track LP titled Gutter Days which was rereleased on 10” vinyl in 2003. One reviewer called it "the greatest punk n' roll recording ever made... completely redefined excellence in that genre... I am shaken..." (House of Smut). Ky Anto, lead guitarist for Robin Black once called them "The sound of desperation"... Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe called them the "best new band" in his online journal.[2] SPIN Magazine journalists wrote how they were "blown away" about their live show, and Alternative Press has called them a "band to watch." Rock legend Lemmy from Motörhead invited them to open their UK tour[3] and talked about them on SuicideGirls.com and in Playboy, declaring Kïll Cheerleadër as the "greatest rock n' roll band since Guns N' Roses."[4]
Their music has been described as “the greatest fusion of Stooges/Guns fuck rock anyone has ever spewed”, as well as “taking the energy of early Motorhead while grinding it together with the energy of bands like The Ramones or The Stooges”. Critics have also stated that “pre-punk rockers The Stooges, glam stalwarts Motley Crue, and straight-up scumbags Guns N' Roses have their fingerprints all over Kill Cheerleader's sound”. Ethan Deth has pointed out that "we have our punk and metal songs but we also have a strong Neil Young influence, which we don't ignore”.
After traveling to the U.S west coast and playing a number of high-profile shows in Los Angeles the band gained a new following for their destructive and fresh take on dirty punk-metal. Their debut album All Hail was released in 2004 through Spinerazor Records.[5]
The band broke up in 2006. Vocalist/bassist Ethan Deth, aka Ethan Kath, later had success with Crystal Castles.[6]