Kirk Windstein

Kirk Windstein
Background information
Born 14 April 1965
Middlesex, England
Origin New Orleans, Louisiana
Genres Heavy metal, sludge metal, hardcore punk, metalcore
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter
Instruments Vocals, guitar, bass
Years active 1985–present
Labels Relapse
Associated acts Down, Crowbar, Valume Nob, Kingdom of Sorrow

Kirk Windstein (born 14 April 1965, Middlesex, England) is an English-American sludge metal singer and guitarist for the New Orleans bands Crowbar, Down, and Kingdom of Sorrow.

He currently plays guitar for Crowbar. He formerly played guitar in Down, resigning in 2013, and he also played bass for Valume Nob, but resigned in 2006, citing he was unable to commit the time needed to give it full justice . In February 2005, Windstein formed Kingdom of Sorrow with Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed. Their debut album, including guest artists, was released on 19 February 2008. Windstein began his musical career in 1985 as a guitarist for a cover band called Victorian Blitz, and in 1988 joined a hardcore punk band called Shell Shock as a vocalist and guitarist.

Life and career

Victorian Blitz

Windstein played guitar for the cover band Victorian Blitz in 1985. Other members included Sid Montz, with whom Windstein would play again in Crowbar and Valume Nob; Kevin Noonan, guitarist from 1989 to 1993; and bassist Danny Theriot of Metairie, Louisiana.

Shell Shock

Having left Victorian Blitz, Windstein joined the New Orleans' premiere hardcore punk band Shell Shock as their guitarist and vocalist. With Windstein in the band they began to play more of a crossover thrash style rather than straightforward hardcore punk, as it better suited Windstein's vocal style and a two-guitarists line-up. When the band was recording a new album called "No Tomorrow", their guitarist Mike Hatch committed suicide.[1] Kevin Noonan replaced Hatch for the final Shell Shock show in 1988, and the band became what now is Crowbar.[2]

Crowbar

After the collapse of Shell Shock in 1988 due to the suicide of guitarist Mike Hatch, the band enlisted Kevin Noonan and carried on as Aftershock, which played a mixture of hardcore punk and doom metal. Under that name they released a demo in mid-1989, but then renamed themselves WREQIUEM when bassist Mike Savoie (who would later direct music videos for Crowbar, Down, and Pantera) left the band and was replaced by Todd Strange. In 1990 they renamed themselves to The Slugs, and after a demo in mid-1990, the band collapsed. Windstein considered becoming the guitarist for Exhorder. But Windstein and Strange reformed the band, with Craig Nunenmacher as the drummer, and Kevin Noonan on guitar. The band renamed themselves Crowbar in mid-1991.

Crowbar was originally signed by Mark Nawara to Pavement Music and released "Obedience Through Suffering" in 1991. Windstein's childhood friend Phil Anselmo (who at the time was in Pantera) produced their next effort, a self-titled album released in 1993. The album went on to achieve international success with songs such as "All I Had (I Gave)", "Existence is Punishment", and a cover of Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter". MTV's Headbangers Ball began to play the music video for "Existence Is Punishment", which was also featured on Beavis and Butt-head. Following that success, the band toured with Pantera. Together, the bands partied heavily, and footage of these events appears on Pantera's "Home Video 3" and Crowbar's "Like Broken" video, in which Windstein dressed up as the Hulk. In 2001, Crowbar went on hiatus, because Windstein concentrated on other bands. With Windstein's returned, Crowbar released Lifesblood for the Downtrodden in 2005, and two years later released a live DVD called "Live:With Full Force". The band released Sever the Wicked Hand in 2011 and their latest album Symmetry in Black was released on 26 May 2014.

Down

Down released their debut album "NOLA" on Elektra Records in 1995 with Windstein on guitar and bass, Anselmo on vocals, Pepper Keenan on guitar, and Jimmy Bower (Crowbar, Superjoint Ritual, and Eyehategod) on drums. The band played a 13-show tour with Todd Strange on bass, and the album was certified gold by the RIAA. Following the tour, each member returned to their respective bands. Crowbar recorded three albums before Down reunited to release "Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow" in 2002. Following the release, Down toured on the second stage at Ozzfest, and then continued to tour on the "An Evening With... Down" tour. Afterward, both Windstein and Keenan returned to their main bands, thereby allowing Kirk to record Crowbar's "Life's Blood for the Downtrodden" with Rex Brown on bass, Craig Nunenmacher (Black Label Society and original Crowbar member) on drums and Down producer Warren Riker in spring 2005. In 2007 Down released the album Down III: Over the Under. Down released Down IV Part I – The Purple EP in September 2012 and are rumoured to be releasing three more EP's over the coming years. In Fall 2013 Windstein announced that he is leaving Down to concentrate on Crowbar 'full-time', as the band has its 25 anniversary in 2014.[3]

Kingdom of Sorrow

In 2005 Kirk teamed up with Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed to form a new side venture called Kingdom of Sorrow. The band's self-titled debut album was released on 19 February 2008 by Relapse Records. It debuted at No. 131 on the US Billboard charts and sold 6,000 records in its first week of release. The album was recorded at Planet Z with producer Zeuss, known for his work with Shadows Fall and many others.

Equipment

Guitar

Amplification

Discography

Crowbar

Date of Release Title Label US sales
26 September 1991 Obedience Thru Suffering Pavement Music
12 October 1993 Crowbar

(Produced by Phil Anselmo)

 100,000
29 March 1994 Live +1 (EP)
23 May 1995 Time Heals Nothing
29 October 1996 Broken Glass
7 July 1998 Odd Fellows Rest
7 March 2000 Equilibrium Spitfire Records
8 August 2001 Sonic Excess in its Purest Form
9 February 2005 Lifesblood for the Downtrodden

(Produced by Warren Riker)

 Candlelight Records
February 2011 Sever the Wicked Hand Housecore Records
26 February 2014 Symmetry in Black

(Produced by Duane Simoneaux and Kirk Windstein)

 E1 Music

Down

Date of US Release Title Label US Billboard Peak
19 September 1995 NOLA Elektra 57
26 March 2002 Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow 44
25 September 2007 Down III: Over the Under Roadrunner Records (Europe) 26
18 September 2012 Down IV Part I - The Purple EP 35

Kingdom of Sorrow

Date of US Release Title Label US Billboard Peak
19 February 2008 Kingdom of Sorrow Relapse Records 131
8 June 2010 Behind the Blackest Tears Relapse Records N/A

Music videos

References

  1. ↑ "Shellshock – No Tomorrow excerpts". Paranoizenola.com. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  2. ↑ "Shell Shock | Gratis muziek, tourneedata, foto's, video's". Myspace.com. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  3. ↑ "Kirk Windstein: Why I Left Down". Blabbermouth.net. 14 October 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  4. ↑ "News : Kirk Windstein of DOWN/CROWBAR Selling Guitar". Bravewords.com. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ "Orange Amplifiers – DOWN". YouTube. 25 February 2010. Retrieved 2 April 2013.

External links