Prayer for Cleansing
| Prayer for Cleansing | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | North Carolina, United States |
| Genres | Metalcore |
| Years active | 1996–2000, 2003 |
| Labels | Tribunal Records |
| Members |
David Anthem Paul Waggoner (guitar) Tommy Rogers (guitar) Will Goodyear Marc Duncan |
| Past members |
Dennis Lamb James Chang |
Prayer for Cleansing was a vegan straight edge metalcore band from Raleigh, North Carolina with elements of hardcore punk and melodic death metal.
Biography
The band, consisting of David Anthem (vocals), Paul Waggoner (guitar), Dennis Lamb (guitar), Will Goodyear (drums) and Marc Duncan (bass) formed in 1996, going through numerous member changes up until 1997. In 1999 they signed to Tribunal Records, releasing their first and by far most popular album, Rain in Endless Fall. Shortly before the album was released, Dennis Lamb left the band, being replaced by James Chang of Undying, and later Tommy Rogers. In 2000 the band broke up after an automobile accident which totaled their new touring van. The band performed two reunion shows, the first being on March 13, 2004 at the Tremont Music Hall in Charlotte, North Carolina in front of nearly one thousand fans from as far away as Mexico. The second show was at the 2004 Hellfest music festival, held in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Prayer for Cleansing's music continued to grab attention however. 2003 saw a re-mixed and re-mastered version of The Rain in Endless Fall released on Tribunal Records, including new artwork. In 2004, Prayer for Cleansing's second album, The Tragedy, was released as a joint label CD/7" by Southern Empire Records, Surprise Attack Records and War Torn Records. The Tragedy featured re-recordings of three songs previously unavailable on an official release (though all three had been widely available in mp3 form), including their popular cover of The Cranberries song "Salvation". In 2004, straight edge distributor Seventh Dagger Records released The Rain in Endless Fall on vinyl. The band remains inactive as of today.
Later projects
Tommy Rogers, Paul Waggoner, Marc Duncan and Will Goodyear went on to play in the Raleigh, North Carolina progressive metal band Between the Buried and Me (Marc Duncan left before the band recorded anything and Will Goodyear left after their first album). Tommy Rogers and Paul Waggoner were both members of Undying, playing drums and guitar, respectively. Tommy Rogers was also the singer for Tribunal Records label mates From Here On. Dennis Lamb went on to play guitar for Azazel, also a Tribunal Records band (with future Between the Buried and Me members Jason King and Nick Fletcher) and has recorded with the Austrian band Der Blutharsch. David Anthem now runs a vegan coffee shop in Philadelphia, The Grindcore House.
Line-up
- David Anthem - vocalist
- Paul Waggoner - guitarist
- Tommy Rogers - guitarist 1999-2000
- Will Goodyear - drummer
- Marc Duncan - bassist
- Dennis Lamb - guitarist 1997-1999
- Jimmy Chang - guitarist 1999, bassist for reunion shows
Discography
| Year of release | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 (2003 Re-release) | Rain in Endless Fall | Tribunal Records |
| 2004 | The Tragedy | War Torn Records/Southern Empire Records/Surprise Attack Records |