Jonathan Pérez (musician)

Jonathan Alejandro Pérez (born May 1, 1979, Viña del Mar, Chile) is a Chilean drummer who is currently based in Kristiansand, Norway. He is known for his work with the Norwegian gothic metal and symphonic metal bands Trail of Tears and Sirenia.

Career

Pérez's career in music began at the age 18 of in 1997 with Trail of Tears, a local band, when he was drummer after Vidar Uleberg left the band. With them he recorded five studio albums and participated in full tours and numerous shows in Europe as well as the first full Mexican tour in June 2003.^[1]

In 2004, along with Trail of Tears, he was part of the double album tribute to the Australian group Dead Can Dance, entitled The Lotus Eaters (Tribute To Dead Can Dance). The band performed the song "The Arcane".

During spring and summer 2006, Pérez toured Europe with his band, along with Therion and Tristania, promoting the album Free Fall into Fear, which was published a year earlier. Following the tour, the group recorde its fifth album, Existentia, which was promoted with a new concert tour playing during 2007. However, in November 2006, Pérez finally abandoned Trail of Tears with other members (except the leader Ronny Thorsen) because of musical differences and monetary losses. Subsequently, he has been a permanent member of Sirenia, but has not appeared on all recordings of their albums. He was involved in the recording of their mini-CD Sirenian Shores (2004) and on their album Nine Destinies and a Downfall (2007). He is credited on three singles and videos they have released since then. His arrival coincided with the first great international success of Sirenia, the song "My Mind's Eye" (2007), which topped the radio charts in several countries. The video was widely distributed in Austria, Switzerland, Australia and Germany, and was broadcast on MTV.^[2]

Two other more experimental musical projects with lesser-known bands have been Stemplet Falsk ("False Stamp" in Norwegian), which he formed with a former Trail of Tears colleague, guitarist Runar Hansen and, more personally, Sonido Latino (Latin Sound). Neither project has published any material nor released official demos.

Personal life

Pérez lives in Kristiansand and is married to Camilla Fredriksen, with whom he has three sons, Andreas, Robin and Adrian. Besides music, he works for the company Scan Trade, which is a subsidiary of the Umbro brand in Norway.

Discography

With Trail of Tears

• Disclosure in Red (1998)
• Profoundemonium (2000)
• A New Dimension of Might (2002)
• Free Fall into Fear (2005)
• Existentia (2007)

With Sirenia

• Sirenian Shores (EP) (2004)
• Nine Destinies and a Downfall (2007)
• "My Mind's Eye" (single and video promo) (2007)
• "The Other Side" (video promo) (2007)
• "The Path To Decay" (single and video promo from The 13th Floor) (2009)
• "Perils of the Deep Blue" (2013)

Various artists

• The Lotus Eaters (Tribute To Dead Can Dance) (Trail of Tears appears on "The Arcane") (2004)

References

External links

• Official web page on Myspace
• Jonathan Perez at Discogs
• Sirenia Web Official
• Sirenia Web Page on Myspace
• Trail of Tears Web Official