Demon or Daemon, Diamon; from Ancient Greek, is a supernatural being from various religions, occultisms, literatures, and folklores that is described as something that is not human and, in ordinary (almost universal) usage, malevolent. The original neutral Greek word "daimon" does not carry the negative connotation initially understood by implementation of the Koine (Hellenistic and New Testament Greek) δαιμόνιον (''daimonion''), and later ascribed to any cognate words sharing the root, originally intended to denote a spirit or spiritual being.

In Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism. In Western occultism and Renaissance magic, which grew out of an amalgamation of Greco-Roman magic, Jewish demonology and Christian tradition, a demon is a spiritual entity that may be conjured and controlled. Many of the demons in literature were once fallen angels.

Terminology

Ancient Greek ''daimōn'' is a word for "spirit" or "divine power", much like the Latin ''genius'' or ''numen''. The Merriam-Webster dictionary gives the etymology of the Greek word as from the verb ''daiesthai'' "to divide, distribute." The Greek conception of a δαίμων notably appears in the works of Plato, where it describes the divine inspiration of Socrates. To distinguish the classical Greek concept from its later Christian interpretation, it is usually anglicized as either ''daemon'' or ''daimon'' rather than ''demon''.

The Greek term does not have any connotations of evil or malevolence. In fact, εὐδαιμονία, literally "good-spiritedness", is a term for "happiness". The term first acquired its now-current evil connotations in the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible, informed by the mythology of the ancient Semitic religions. This connotation was inherited by the Koine text of the New Testament. The medieval and neo-medieval conception of a "demon" in Western civilization (see the Medieval grimoire called the ''Ars Goetia'') derives seamlessly from the ambient popular culture of Late (Roman) Antiquity. Greco-Roman concepts of ''daemons'' that passed into Christian culture are discussed in the entry daemon, though it should be duly noted that the term referred only to a spiritual force, not a malevolent supernatural being. The Hellenistic "daemon" eventually came to include many Semitic and Near Eastern gods as evaluated by Christianity.

The supposed existence of demons is an important concept in many modern religions and occultist traditions. In some present-day cultures, demons are still feared in popular superstition, largely due to their alleged power to possess living creatures. In the contemporary Western occultist tradition (perhaps epitomized by the work of Aleister Crowley), a demon, such as Choronzon, the "Demon of the Abyss", is a useful metaphor for certain inner psychological processes ("inner demons"), though some may also regard it as an objectively real phenomenon. Some scholars believe that large portions of the demonology (see Asmodai) of Judaism, a key influence on Christianity and Islam, originated from a later form of Zoroastrianism, and were transferred to Judaism during the Persian era.

Psychological archetype

Psychologist Wilhelm Wundt remarks that "among the activities attributed by myths all over the world to demons, the harmful predominate, so that in popular belief bad demons are clearly older than good ones." Sigmund Freud develops on this idea and claims that the concept of demons was derived from the important relation of the living to the dead: "The fact that demons are always regarded as the spirits of those who have died ''recently'' shows better than anything the influence of mourning on the origin of the belief in demons."

M. Scott Peck, an American psychiatrist, wrote two books on the subject, ''People of the Lie: The Hope For Healing Human Evil'' and ''Glimpses of the Devil: A Psychiatrist's Personal Accounts of Possession, Exorcism, and Redemption''.

Peck describes in some detail several cases involving his patients. In ''People of the Lie: The Hope For Healing Human Evil'' he gives some identifying characteristics for evil persons whom he classifies as having a character disorder. In ''Glimpses of the Devil, A Psychiatrist's Personal Accounts of Possession, Exorcism, and Redemption'' Peck goes into significant detail describing how he became interested in exorcism in order to debunk the "myth" of possession by evil spirits–only to be convinced otherwise after encountering two cases which did not fit into any category known to psychology or psychiatry. Peck came to the conclusion that possession was a rare phenomenon related to evil. Possessed people are not actually evil; they are doing battle with the forces of evil. His observations on these cases are listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (IV) of the American Psychiatric Association.

Although Peck's earlier work was met with widespread popular acceptance, his work on the topics of evil and possession has generated significant debate and derision. Much was made of his association with (and admiration for) the controversial Malachi Martin, a Roman Catholic priest and a former Jesuit, despite the fact that Peck consistently called Martin a liar and manipulator. Other criticisms leveled against Peck include misdiagnoses based upon a lack of knowledge regarding dissociative identity disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder), and a claim that he had transgressed the boundaries of professional ethics by attempting to persuade his patients into accepting Christianity.

By tradition

Ancient Near East

Mesopotamia

In Chaldean mythology the seven evil deities were known as ''shedu'', meaning storm-demons. They were represented in winged bull form, derived from the colossal bulls used as protective genii of royal palaces, the name "shed" assumed also the meaning of a propitious genius in Babylonian magic literature.

It was from Chaldea that the name "shedu" came to the Israelites, and so the writers of the Tanach applied the word as a dylogism to the Canaanite deities in the two passages quoted. They also spoke of "the destroyer" (Exodus xii. 23) as a Lord who will "strike down the Egyptians." In II Samuel xxiv; 16 and II Chronicles xxi. 15 the pestilence-dealing angel, that is spirit, called "the destroying angel" (compare "the angel of the Lord" in II Kings xix. 35; Isaiah xxxvii. 36), because, although they are angels, these "messengers" (Psalms lxxviii. 49; A. V. "angels") do only the bidding of God; they are the agents of His divine wrath.

There are indications that popular Hebrew mythology ascribed to the demons a certain independence, a malevolent character of their own, because they are believed to come forth, not from the heavenly abode of God, but from the nether world.

In the Hebrew tradition demons were workers of harm. To them were ascribed the various diseases, particularly such as affect the brain and the inner parts. Hence there was a fear of "Shabriri" (lit. "dazzling glare"), the demon of blindness, who rests on uncovered water at night and strikes those with blindness who drink of it; also mentioned were the spirit of catalepsy and the spirit of headache, the demon of epilepsy, and the spirit of nightmare.

These demons were supposed to enter the body and cause the disease while overwhelming or "seizing" the victim (hence "seizure"). To cure such diseases it was necessary to draw out the evil demons by certain incantations and talismanic performances, in which the Essenes excelled. Josephus, who speaks of demons as "spirits of the wicked which enter into men that are alive and kill them", but which can be driven out by a certain root, witnessed such a performance in the presence of the Emperor Vespasian, and ascribed its origin to King Solomon.

Ancient Arabia

Pre-Islamic mythology does not discriminate between gods and demons. The jinn are considered as divinities of inferior rank, having many human attributes: they eat, drink, and procreate their kind, sometimes in conjunction with human beings. The jinn smell and lick things, and have a liking for remnants of food. In eating they use the left hand. Usually they haunt waste and deserted places, especially the thickets where wild beasts gather. Cemeteries and dirty places are also favorite abodes. When appearing to man, jinn sometimes assume the forms of beasts and sometimes those of men.

Generally, jinn are peaceable and well disposed toward men. Many a pre-Islamic poet was believed to have been inspired by good jinn, but there are also evil jinn, who contrive to injure men.

Hebrew Bible

Those in the Hebrew Bible are of two classes, the ''se'irim'' and the ''shedim''. The ''se'irim'' ("hairy beings"), to which some Israelites offered sacrifices in the open fields, are satyr-like creatures, described as dancing in the wilderness, and which are identical with the ''jinn,'' such as Dantalion, the 71st spirit of Solomon. (But compare the completely European woodwose.) Possibly to the same class belongs Azazel, the goat-like demons of the wilderness, probably the chief of the ''se'irim'', and Lilith. Possibly "the roes and hinds of the field", by which Shulamit conjures the daughters of Jerusalem to bring her back to her lover, are faunlike spirits similar to the ''se'irim'', though of a harmless nature.

The evil spirit that troubled Saul (I Samuel 16:14 et seq.) may have been a demon, though the Masoretic text tells us that the spirit was sent by God.

Some benevolent ''shedim'' were used in kabbalistic ceremonies (as with the ''golem'' of Rabbi Yehuda Loevy), and malevolent ''shedim'' (''mazikin'', from the root meaning "to damage") were often credited with possession. Similarly, a ''shed'' might inhabit an otherwise inanimate statue.

Judaism

In some rabbinic sources, the demons were believed to be under the dominion of a king or chief, either Asmodai or, in the older Haggadah, Samael ("the angel of death"), who kills by his deadly poison, and is called "chief of the devils". Occasionally a demon is called "satan": "Stand not in the way of an ox when coming from the pasture, for Satan dances between his horns".

Demonology never became an essential feature of Jewish theology. The reality of demons was never questioned by the Talmudists and late rabbis; most accepted their existence as a fact. Nor did most of the medieval thinkers question their reality. Only rationalists like Maimonides and Abraham ibn Ezra, clearly denied their existence. Their point of view eventually became the mainstream Jewish understanding.

Rabbinical demonology has three classes of demons, though they are scarcely separable one from another. There were the ''shedim'', the ("harmers"), and the '''' ("spirits"). Besides these there were ''lilin'' ("night spirits"), '''' ("shade", or "evening spirits"), '''' ("midday spirits"), and '''' ("morning spirits"), as well as the "demons that bring famine" and "such as cause storm and earthquake" (Targ. Yer. to Deuteronomy xxxii. 24 and Numbers vi. 24; Targ. to Cant. iii. 8, iv. 6; Eccl. ii. 5; Ps. xci. 5, 6.)

Christian demonology

"Demon" has a number of meanings, all related to the idea of a spirit that inhabited a place, or that accompanied a person. Whether such a ''daemon'' was benevolent or malevolent, the Greek word meant something different from the later medieval notions of 'demon', and scholars debate the time in which first century usage by Jews and Christians in its original Greek sense became transformed to the later medieval sense. Some denominations asserting Christian faith also include, exclusively or otherwise, fallen angels as de facto demons; this definition also covers the "sons of God" described in Genesis who abandoned their posts in heaven to mate with human women on Earth before the Deluge.

In the ''Gospel of Mark'', Jesus casts out many demons, or evil spirits, from those who are afflicted with various ailments. Jesus is far superior to the power of demons over the beings that they inhabit, and he is able to free these victims by commanding and casting out the demons, by binding them, and forbidding them to return. Jesus also lends this power to some of his disciples, who rejoice at their new found ability to cast out all demons. The demons are cast out by the pronunciation of a name according to , some groups insisting the original pronunciation of the name Jesus and pure form of worship be used i.e. Yahshua / Joshua meaning "Yahweh is salvation".

By way of contrast, in the book of Acts a group of Judaistic exorcists known as the sons of Sceva try to cast out a very powerful spirit without believing in or knowing Jesus, but fail with disastrous consequences. However Jesus himself never fails to vanquish a demon, no matter how powerful (see the account of the demon-possessed man at Gerasim), and even defeats Satan in the wilderness (see ''Gospel of Matthew'').

There is a description in the ''Book of Revelation'' 12:7-17 of a battle between God's army and Satan's followers, and their subsequent expulsion from Heaven to Earth to persecute humans — although this event is related as being foretold and taking place in the future. In ''Luke'' 10:18 it is mentioned that a power granted by Jesus to cast out demons made Satan "fall like lightning from heaven."

Augustine of Hippo's reading of Apuleius, in ''City of God'' (Bk. IX, ch.11) is ambiguous as to whether ''daemons'' had become 'demonized' by the early 5th century:

: "He [Apulieus] also states that the blessed are called in Greek ''eudaimones'', because they are good souls, that is to say, good demons, confirming his opinion that the souls of men are demons.

The contemporary Roman Catholic Church unequivocally teaches that angels and demons are real personal beings, not just symbolic devices. The Catholic Church has a cadre of officially sanctioned exorcists which perform many exorcisms each year. The exorcists of the Catholic Church teach that demons attack humans continually but that afflicted persons can be effectively healed and protected either by the formal rite of exorcism, authorized to be performed only by bishops and those they designate, or by prayers of deliverance which any Christian can offer for themselves or others.

Building upon the few references to ''daemons'' in the New Testament, especially the visionary poetry of the Apocalypse of John, Christian writers of apocrypha from the 2nd century onwards created a more complicated tapestry of beliefs about "demons" that was largely independent of Christian scripture.

At various times in Christian history, attempts have been made to classify these beings according to various proposed demonic hierarchies.

According to most Christian demonology demons will be eternally punished and never reconciled with God. Other theories postulate a Universal reconciliation, in which Satan, the fallen angels, and the souls of the dead that were condemned to Hell are reconciled with God. This doctrine is today often associated with the Unification Church. Origen, Jerome and Gregory of Nyssa also mentioned this possibility.

In contemporary Christianity, demons are generally considered to be angels who fell from grace by rebelling against God. However, other schools of thought in Christianity or Judaism teach that demons, or evil spirits, are a result of the sexual relationships between fallen angels and human women. When these hybrids (Nephilim) died they left behind disembodied spirits that "roam the earth in search of rest" (Luke 11:24). Many non-canonical historical texts describe in detail these unions and the consequences thereof. This belief is repeated in other major ancient religions and mythologies. Christians who reject this view do so by ascribing the description of "Sons of God" in Genesis 6 to be the sons of Seth (one of Adam's sons).

There are some who say that the sin of the angels was pride and disobedience, these being the sins that caused Satan's downfall (Ezek. 28). If this be the true view, then we are to understand the words, "estate" or "principality" in Deuteronomy 32:8 and Jude 6 ("And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.") as indicating that instead of being satisfied with the dignity once for all assigned to them under the Son of God, they aspired higher.

Renaissance demonology

Although no canon of Renaissance demonology exist, the interest in classic Greco-Roman culture, philosophy, science and Greek and Roman mythology also created a playground for experience with, what was supposed to be a Pre-Christian religious practice. Most notably found in popular culture like the legend of Faust.

Islam

Islam recognizes the existence of the jinn, which are sentient beings with free will that can co-exist with humans and are not all evil as demons are described in Christianity. In Islam, the evil jinns are referred to as the ''shayātīn'', or devils, and Iblis (Satan) is their chief. Iblis one of the first jinn (he is not considered an angel in Islamic Cultures) who disobeyed Allah and did not bow down before Adam. According to Islam, the jinn are made from the fire (whereas angels are made from light and mankind is made from altered clay).

According to the Qur'an, when Allah created Adam from clay, all the angels and Iblis himself was ordered to bow before Adam as humans are superior than any of Allah's Creation. Iblis became very jealous and said that humans are not the superior creations but jinns are as they are made of fire and humans are made of clay and he disobeyed Allah.

Adam was the first prophet and deputy of the human race, and as such was the greatest creation of Allah. Iblis could not stand this, and refused to acknowledge a creature made of "mud" (man). Allah, thus, condemned Iblis to be punished in the hellfire. But Iblis asked for respite until the last day to which Allah agreed, but warned that he and all whom would follow him in evil would be punished in hell. Allah also stated that Iblis would only be able to mislead those who have forsaken Allah and not the righteous believers.

Adam and Eve (Hawwa in Arabic) were both together misled by Iblis into eating the forbidden fruit, and consequently fell from the garden of Eden (allegorical) into a state of degeneration.

Jinns are not the "genies" of modern lore. The word "genie" comes from the French 'génie' for genius used in translations of Arabic text and only sounds coincidentally like the Arabic jinn. This is not surprising considering the story of `Alā' ad-Dīn, (anglicized as Aladdin), passed through Arabian merchants en route to Europe.

Hinduism

Hindu mythology include numerous varieties of spirits that might be classified as demons, including Vetalas, Bhutas and Pishachas. Often Rakshasas and Asuras are taken to mean demons.

Asuras

Originally, ''Asura'', in the earliest hymns of the Rig Veda, meant any supernatural spirit, both good and bad. Since the /s/ of the Indic linguistic branch is cognate with the /h/ of the Early Iranian languages, the word Asura, representing a category of celestial beings, became the word Ahura (Mazda), the Supreme God of the monotheistic Zoroastrians. Ancient Hinduism tells that Devas and Asuras are half-brothers, sons of the same father Kasyapa; but some of the devas, like Varuna, are also named Asuras. But much later at puranic age Asura (also Rakshasa) came to exclusively mean any of a race of anthropomorphic, powerful, possibly evil beings. All words such as Asura, Daitya (lit., sons of the mother "Diti"), Rakshasa (lit. from "harm to be guarded against") are incorrectly translated into English as demon.

Asuras do accept and worship the Gods, particularly the Hindu triumvirate; some of the rakshasas like Ravana and Mahabali are exemplary devotees. Often the strife between the asuras and the devas is simply a political one: devas are the ordained maintainers of the realms with power (and immortality) accorded to them by the gods and asuras ever strive to attain both. Asuras usually attain or enhance their supernatural powers through penance to gods and waging war on devas using powers thus attained. Unlike Christian notion of demons, asuras are not the cause of the evil and unhappiness in mankind (unhappiness in humans, according to Hinduism is by one's own actions (Karma) and/or due to the continued ignorance of Brahman, the unchanging reality. Asuras, if any, are cogs in the wheel of Karma); they are not fundamentally against the Gods, nor do they tempt humans to fall. In fact, asuras, much like devas, do worship the Gods of Hinduism: many Asuras are said to have been granted boons from one of the members of the Hindu trinity, viz., Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva when the latter had been appeased from their penances. This is markedly different from the traditional Western notions of demons as a rival army of God. In Hindu mythology, pious, highly enlightened asuras, like Prahlada and Vibheeshana, are not at all uncommon. Prahlada even said to have secured enlightenment to his entire lineage (of asuras). All Asuras, unlike the devas, are said to have born mortals (though they ever strive to become immortal). Many people metaphorically interpret asuras as manifestations of the ignoble passions in human mind and as a symbolic device. There were also cases of power-hungry asuras challenging various aspects of Gods, but only to be defeated eventually and seek forgiveness—see Surapadman, Narakasura.

Evil spirits

Hinduism advocates the theory of reincarnation and transmigration of souls according to one's Karma. Souls (Atman) of the dead are adjudged by the Yama and are accorded various purging punishments before being reborn. Humans that have committed extraordinary wrongs are condemned to roam as lonely, often evil, spirits for a length of time before being reborn. Many kinds of such spirits (Vetalas, Pishachas, Bhūta) are recognized in the later Hindu texts. These beings, in a limited sense, can be called demons.

Bahá'í Faith

In the Bahá'í Faith, ''demons'' are not regarded as independent evil spirits as they are in some faiths. All evil spirits described in various faith traditions such as Satan, fallen angels, demons and jinns are metaphors for the base character traits a human being may acquire and manifest when he turns away from God and follows his lower nature. Belief in the existence of ghosts and earthbound spirits is rejected and considered to be the product of superstition.

See also

Daemon (classical mythology)

Archdemon

Classification of demons

Christian demonology

Demonic possession

Demonolatry

''Evil Spirits Intellectualism and Logic''

Fiend

Folk devil

Imp

List of theological demons

List of fictional demons

Names of the demons

Oni

Saint Michael

Satanism

Spiritual warfare

Vampire

Yaoguai

Notes

References

Wundt, W. (1906). ''Mythus und Religion'', Teil II (''Völkerpsychologie'', Band II). Leipzig.

Castaneda, Carlos (1998). ''The Active Side of Infinity''. HarperCollins NY ISBN 978-0-06-019220-4

Further reading

External links

Catechism of the Catholic Church'': Hyperlinked references to demons in the online Catechism of the Catholic Church

''Dictionary of the History of Ideas'': Demonology

Profile of William Bradshaw, American demonologist Riverfront Times, St. Louis, Missouri, USA. August 2008.

Category:Demons Category:Demonology Category:Occult Category:Abrahamic mythology Category:Christian mythology Category:Greek loanwords Category:Religious terminology

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Name	Tech N9ne
Birth name	Aaron Dontez Yates
Birth date	November 08, 1971
Origin	Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper, Actor, Label vice president
Years active	1985–present
Associated acts	Krizz Kaliko, Brotha Lynch Hung, Psychopathic Records, Hopsin, Kutt Calhoun, Big Scoob, Ceza
Label	Strange Music
Website	TheRealTechN9ne.com
Background	solo_singer }}

Aaron Dontez Yates (born November 8, 1971), better known by his stage name Tech N9ne (pronounced "Tech Nine"), is an American rapper from Kansas City, Missouri. In 1999, Yates and Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. Throughout his career, Yates has sold over one million albums and has had his music featured in film, television, and video games. In 2009, he won the Left Field Woodie award at the mtvU Woodie Awards.

His stage name originated from the TEC-9 semi-automatic handgun, given to him by rapper Black Walt due to his fast rhyming style. Yates later applied a deeper meaning to the name, claiming that it stands for the complete technique of rhyme, with 'tech' meaning technique and 'nine' representing the number of completion.

Early life

Tech N9ne was born Aaron Dontez Yates on November 8, 1971 in Independence, Missouri. He began rapping at a very early age, and would rap the letters of his name in order to remember how to spell it. Interaction with his father was infrequent, and his mother suffered from epilepsy and lupus when he was a child, which deeply affected him and inspired him to "search for God." He would wander around abandoned buildings with his best friend, Brian Dennis, hoping to catch a ghost on film. In 2002, Dennis was shot and killed by his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend, which further inspired Yates' search for a higher power, as well as giving him the drive to vent his frustrations in his music.

Career

Early in his life, Yates was a member of a group formed in 1991 called Black Mafia. He saw glimpses of success in the group 57th Street Rogue Dog with their single "Let's Get Fucked Up." As a member of the group Nnutthowze, Aaron Yates signed with Perspective Records in 1993. However, the group disbanded soon after being released from the label. Yates signed with Qwest Records briefly before moving to JCOR Records.

In 1997, Yates joined the group The Regime formed by rapper Yukmouth. The following year, he was featured on the soundtrack for the film Gang Related. Yates appeared on the song "The Anthem" by Sway & King Tech in 1999, which also featured artists RZA, Eminem, Xzibit, Pharoahe Monch, Jayo Felony, Chino XL, KRS-One, and Kool G. Rap. Later that year, he and Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music.

In 2001, Yates released the studio album ''Anghellic'' on JCOR Records. Tech Nine did not get much Radio play or get featured on any show now that he was with Strange Music. Now that he was doing his own thing and not others. People looked at him in a different way. People (Mainstream) were convinced that Tech Nine was a Devil Worshiper and his Music was a form of Witch Music. After the label closed, Yates decided to stay on his own Strange Music label. The next year, he released ''Absolute Power'' which debuted number 79 on the Billboard 200Absolute Power sales increased 3 times after Tech Nine starterd the FTI Campaine. In this Campaine Tech Nine not only told people to Download his music but provided a website to Download his new Album. . In 2006, Yates released the album ''Everready (The Religion)''. The following year, he released ''Misery Loves Kompany''. Yates announced that the album was the first in a series of "Tech N9ne Collabos" albums that feature a wide range of guest appearances.

The following year, Yates released the album ''Killer''. That September, he exceeded one million album sales. Yates remarked of the accomplishment that, "It just reminded me of all the work we done in the past, up until now [...] I don't think it's sunken in yet. I've been celebrating for the last two days because that's a hell of an accomplishment. I've been planning success all my life. I'm not even a bit surprised, I'm happy about it. That just means I was right." Yates released his second Collabos album, ''Sickology 101'', in April 2009.

Yates later performed at the Rock The Bells 2009 Festival and the tenth annual Gathering of the Juggalos. That October, he released ''K.O.D.'', short for King of Darkness. The album featured a dark overtone, as Yates was dealing with the illness of his mother. An EP of cut songs from the album was released in 2010 as ''The Lost Scripts of K.O.D.'' Later that year, Yates released his third Collabos album, ''The Gates Mixed Plate''. In October, he released his second EP ''Seepage''. On December 23, he released his first mixtape ''Bad Season''.

On June 7, 2011 Yates released his most recent album ''All 6's And 7's''. The album features a myriad of prominent hip-hop artist including B.o.B, E-40, Snoop Dogg, T-Pain, Mint Condition, Hopsin, Busta Rhymes, Twista, Lil Wayne, Yelawolf, and Deftones.

In 2011, Yates told 411mania.com that after ''All 6's And 7's'' he plans on releasing his fourth album in the Collabos series titled ''Welcome to Strangeland'', featuring guest appearances from everyone on Strange Music, followed by the long awaited K.A.B.O.S.H. and 816 Boyz albums. Then, in July 2011, Yates said in a blog post that Rick Ross has agreed to do a song with him for the K.A.B.O.S.H. album and that he is also hoping to have a collaboration with Jay-Z on that album. In the same blog post, he said that the K.A.B.O.S.H. album will be a rock album. In another blog post several weeks later, he confirmed that he will begin work on the album after completing ''Welcome to Strangeland''. Following his tour, he announced that he was about to begin work on ''Welcome to Strangeland'' and ''KLUSTERFUK'', confirming producers for both projects. He said he will then begin work on the K.A.B.O.S.H. album.

Tech N9ne is featured on Lil Wayne's ninth studio album ''Tha Carter IV'' on the song Interlude. The track features a verse from Tech and Andre 3000. During a radio interview with Funkmaster Flex in August 2010, Wayne stated that he and Tech N9ne formed a "brotherhood" when Yates visited him in jail. In a later interview, Tech N9ne claimed that he thinks the song will "awaken a lot of other people that wouldn't usually look [his] way" and "teach all the new fans how to become technicians."

Style and influences

Yates is known for his dynamic rhyme schemes and speed rap abilities. Soren Baker of VH1 states that Yates' techniques "showcase his wide-ranging, mind-blowing flows." Baker characterizes Yates' earlier work as "apocalyptic music, which discussed abortion and infidelity as much as his rapping prowess." Allmusic reviewer Jason Birchmeier calls his style "bizarre hardcore rap."

Yates says that he is influenced by Old school hip hop, and specifically cites Slick Rick, N.W.A, Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, Eric B. & Rakim, Schoolly D, and Just-Ice. He is also interested in other genres of music, and lists The Doors, Jim Morrison, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, AC/DC, Metallica, Floetry, Outkast, Cee Lo Green, and Gnarls Barkley as influences.

In popular culture

Films

Yates' songs have appeared in the films ''Gang Related'', ''Alpha Dog'', ''Our Heroes: The 25 Best Black Sports Movies (Ever)'', and ''The Life of Lucky Cucumber''. Yates was originally set to score the entire film ''Alpha Dog'', but the studio decided to replace some of his music with more commercially known songs. In 2009, his song "Let's Go" was used in an online promotional short film for AXE body spray. Yates also appears as an actor in the films ''Vengeance'' and ''Night of the Living Dead: Origins 3D''.

Video games

Several of Yates' songs are featured in the video games ''Madden NFL 2006'', ''Midnight Club: Los Angeles'',''EA Sports MMA'', and ''25 To Life'', the latter of which Yates is also an unlockable character. In 2009, Yates and label mate Krizz Kaliko appeared in a promotional video for the ''Fight Night Round 4'' video game.

Television

Yates' music has appeared on the television shows ''Dark Angel'', ''I'm From Rolling Stone'', ''My Super Sweet 16'', ''The Hills'', ''Spike Guys' Choice Awards'', and ''Warren The Ape''. In 2008, his song "Earthquake" was featured on an episode of MTV's ''America's Best Dance Crew'' in which the crew had to visually convey the title of the song in their performance. On the August 15, 2009 Strikeforce event, Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg, MMA fighter Gilbert Melendez entered the arena to Tech N9ne's 2006 song "The Beast" for his bout with Mitsuhiro Ishida. His song "Riot Maker" was used as the official theme song for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's 2010 ''Hardcore Justice'' pay-per-view.

Discography

Studio albums

1999: ''The Calm Before the Storm''

2000: ''The Worst''

2001: ''Anghellic''

2002: ''Absolute Power''

2003: ''Celcius''

2006: ''Everready (The Religion)''

2007: ''Misery Loves Kompany (Tech N9ne Collabos)''

2008: ''Killer''

2009: ''Sickology 101 (Tech N9ne Collabos)''

2009: ''K.O.D.''

2010: ''The Gates Mixed Plate (Tech N9ne Collabos)''

2011: ''All 6's and 7's

TBA: ''Welcome to Strangeland (Tech N9ne Collabos)''

;with K.A.B.O.S.H. TBA: ''Amafrican Psycho''

EPs

2010: ''The Lost Scripts of K.O.D.''

2010: ''Seepage''

2011: ''KLUSTERFUK''

Mixtapes

2010: ''Bad Season'' with DJ Whoo Kid and DJ Scream

Selected filmography

2003: ''Beef''

2003: ''Das Bus''

2004: ''T9X: The Tech N9ne Experience''

2004: ''United Ghettos of America Vol. 2''

2005: ''Hip Hop Nation Vol. 1''

2005: ''Letter to the President''

2006: ''Alpha Dog'' 2008: ''The Psychumentary''

2009: ''The Life of Lucky Cucumber''

2009: ''Strictly Strange''

2010: ''K.O.D. Tour (Live in Kansas City)''

2010: ''Vengeance''

2011: ''Night of the Living Dead: Origins 3D'' 2011: ''EuroTech Tour''

:''Selected filmography'' notes :1. Tech N9ne does not physically appear, but he did have a helping hand in scoring the movie, this includes the placement of several of his songs in the films score as well as the appearance of a song from fellow label mates Skatterman & Snug Brim.

Awards and nominations

mtvU Woodie Awards

!Year	!Nominated work	!Award	!Result
2009	Tech N9ne	Left Field Woodie

References

External links

Official website

Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:People from Kansas City, Missouri Category:African American rappers Category:Horrorcore artists Category:Rappers from Missouri Category:Underground rappers

da:Tech N9ne de:Tech N9ne el:Tech N9ne fr:Tech N9ne it:Tech N9ne hu:Tech N9ne nl:Tech N9ne ja:テック・ナイン no:Tech N9ne pl:Tech N9ne ru:Tech N9ne simple:Tech N9ne fi:Tech N9ne tr:Tech N9ne

Name	Carly Fiorina
Birth name	Cara Carleton Sneed
Birth date	September 06, 1954
Birth place	Austin, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Business ExecutivePolitician
Party	Republican
Alma mater	Stanford University (BA)University of Maryland, College Park (MBA)Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MS)
Spouse	Todd Bartlem (1977–1984)Frank Fiorina (since 1985)
Website	carlyfiorina.com
Signature	Carly-Fiorina-signature.png }}

Carly Fiorina (born Cara Carleton Sneed; September 6, 1954) is an American business executive and a former Republican candidate for the United States Senate representing California. Fiorina served as chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard from 1999 to 2005 and previously was an executive at AT&T; and its equipment and technology spinoff, Lucent. She currently serves on the boards of several organizations.

Fiorina was considered one of the most powerful women in business during her tenure at Lucent and Hewlett-Packard. The spinoff, from HP, of Agilent Technologies – which had been initiated by her predecessor, Lew Platt – was completed shortly after she joined the company in 1999. Under her leadership, in 2002, the company completed a contentious merger with rival computer company Compaq. In 2005, Fiorina was forced to resign as chief executive officer and chairman of Hewlett-Packard, following "differences [with the board of directors] about how to execute HP's strategy."

In 2008, Fiorina served as an advisor to Republican presidential candidate John McCain. In November 2009, Fiorina announced she would challenge incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer for her United States Senate seat representing California. On June 8, 2010, Fiorina won the Republican primary election, but lost the general election on November 2, 2010 to Boxer.

Early life

Fiorina was born as Cara Carleton Sneed in Austin, Texas, on September 6, 1954, the daughter of Joseph Tyree Sneed III – a law school professor, dean, and federal judge – and Madelon Montross (née Juergens), a portrait and abstract artist.

Education and early career

Fiorina attended Channing School in London, and later attended Charles E. Jordan High School in Durham, North Carolina, for her senior year; the family relocated frequently during this time. She received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and medieval history from Stanford University in 1976. During her summers, she worked at a hair salon and as a secretary for Kelly Services. She attended the UCLA School of Law in 1976 but dropped out after one semester and worked as a receptionist for six months at a real estate firm Marcus & Millichap, moving up to a broker position before leaving for Italy, where she taught English. Fiorina received a Master of Business Administration in marketing from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park in 1980. She received a Master of Science in management from the MIT Sloan School of Management under the Sloan Fellows program in 1989.

AT&T; and Lucent

She joined AT&T; in 1980 as a management trainee and rose to become a senior vice president overseeing the company's hardware and systems division. In 1995, Fiorina led corporate operations for the spinoff from AT&T; of Lucent, reporting to Lucent chief executive Henry B. Schacht; she played a key role in planning and implementing the 1996 initial public offering of stock and company launch strategy. Later in 1996, Fiorina was appointed president of Lucent's consumer products business, reporting to Rich McGinn, president and chief operating officer. In 1997, she was appointed chairman of Lucent's consumer communications joint venture with Philips consumer communications. Later that year, she was named group president for the global service provider business at Lucent, overseeing marketing and sales for the company's largest customer segment.

In 1998, ''Fortune'' magazine named her the "most powerful woman in business" in its inaugural listing, and she was included in the ''Time'' 100 in 2004 and remained in the ''Fortune'' listing throughout her tenure at HP. Fiorina was #10 on the ''Forbes'' list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women for 2004. She became regarded by many as being the first woman to head up a Fortune 20 company, and to have overcome the proverbial "glass ceiling".

Hewlett-Packard

In July 1999, Hewlett-Packard Company named Fiorina chief executive officer succeeding Lewis Platt and prevailing over the internal candidate Ann Livermore. She became the first woman to lead a Fortune 20 company. Fiorina immediately became a highly visible chief executive, and remained so throughout her tenure at the company with a vast array of engineering talent at her disposal.

Fiorina proceeded to reorganize HP, and merge the part she kept with the PC maker Compaq. Although the decision to spin-off the company's technical equipment division predated her arrival, one of her first major responsibilities as chief executive was overseeing the separation of the unit into the standalone Agilent Technologies. In 2000, Fiorina proposed the acquisition of computer-services business EDS, but withdrew the bid after the proposal received a poor reception from HP shareholders. While Fiorina's 2000 bid to acquire EDS was abandoned, HP did go on to purchase the company in 2008. In 2001, Fiorina was named one of the thirty most powerful women in America by ''Forbes'' magazine. In 2002, in the wake of the bursting of the Tech Bubble, Fiorina spearheaded a controversial merger with Compaq, a leading competitor in the industry. Fiorina fought for the merger, and it was implemented despite strong opposition from board member Walter Hewlett (the son of company co-founder William Hewlett) who claimed that the merger was being pursued by Fiorina in desperation to make a strategic decision and to give her some breathing space from Wall Street.

He launched a proxy fight against Fiorina's efforts, which failed. The Compaq merger created the world's largest personal computer manufacturer by units shipped, a position the company lost in 2003 and regained in 2006.

Fiorina presented herself as a realist regarding the effects of globalization. She has been a strong proponent, along with other technology executives, of the expansion of the H-1B visa program. In January 2004, at a meeting to "head off rising protectionist sentiment in Congress," Fiorina said: "There is no job that is America's God-given right anymore. We have to compete for jobs as a nation." While Fiorina argued that the only way to "protect U.S. high-tech jobs over the long haul was to become more competitive [in the United States]," her comments prompted "strong reactions" from some technology workers who argued that lower wages outside the United States encouraged the offshoring of American jobs. Fiorina responded against protectionism in an editorial in the ''Wall Street Journal'', writing that while "America is the most innovative country," it would not remain so if the country were to "run away from the reality of the global economy."

In early January 2005, the Hewlett-Packard board of directors discussed with Fiorina a list of issues that the board had regarding the company's performance. The board proposed a plan to shift her authority to HP division heads, which Fiorina resisted. A week after the meeting, the confidential plan was leaked to the ''Wall Street Journal''. Less than a month later, the board brought back in Tom Perkins and forced Fiorina to resign as chairman and chief executive officer of the company. The company's stock jumped on news of Fiorina's departure. Under the company's agreement with Fiorina, which was characterized as a golden parachute by some, she was paid slightly more than $20 million in severance.

Outside judgments on Fiorina's tenure at HP are mixed. In 2008, ''Infoworld'' grouped her with a list of products and ideas as flops, declaring her to be the "anti-Steve Jobs" for reversing the goodwill of American engineers and for alienating existing customers. In 2008, Loren Steffy of ''The New York Times'' suggested that the EDS acquisition well after Fiorina's tenure was evidence that her actions as CEO were justified. In April 2009, the business magazine web site Condé Nast Portfolio listed Fiorina as one of "The 20 Worst American CEOs of All Time", characterizing the HP-Compaq merger as a widely regarded failure, and citing the halving of HP's stock value under Fiorina's tenure.

After HP

After resigning from HP, Fiorina was named to several board memberships. She was named to the boards of directors at Revolution Health Group and computer security company Cybertrust. The following year, she became a member of the board of directors for chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. She joined the board of trustees of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum. She is an Honorary Fellow of the London Business School.

Media career

Fiorina received significant media exposure before and during her tenure at HP, speaking at many business conferences and appearing on the cover of numerous business magazines. In the years since leaving HP, Fiorina has maintained her visibility in the media. In a commencement address in May 2005, Fiorina said about her tenure at Hewlett-Packard: During an interview with Charlie Rose, Fiorina said she believed that her leadership was strong during her tenure with Hewlett-Packard, and that the Compaq merger was a critical step for the company, although the merger was misunderstood by the board of directors. In October 2006, Fiorina released an autobiography, ''Tough Choices'', about her career and her views on such issues as what constitutes a leader, how women can thrive in business, and the role technology will continue to play in reshaping the world. Fiorina signed on with the Fox Business Network to become a business commentator on the network. She is Chairman and CEO of Carly Fiorina Enterprises where, according to her political campaign Facebook page, she is "bringing her unique perspective and experience to bear on the challenging issues of our world, championing economic growth and empowerment for a more prosperous and secure world." She has appeared at many public events. She rang the opening bell of the Wall Street stock market on the official day of the HP-Compaq merger and in 2000 she was the ceremonial host opening the largest EasyInternetcafé at Times Square and the opening of the Epcot ride Mission: SPACE. In 2004, Fiorina was a member of the President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy, which produced a report for George W. Bush. She has appeared many times on TV such as in 2007 on ''Real Time with Bill Maher''.

Fiorina has and continues to be involved with many business leadership activities including: Leadership summits run by Bill Hybels Business Executives for National Security ''The Wall Street Journal'''s D Conference (All Things Digital) in Carlsbad, California Cyberposium Lead21 Texas Conference for Women ''Texas Monthly Talks'' The Women's Conference Willow Creek Association Willow Creek Community Church

Politics

In 2008, Fiorina joined as a part of the Senator John McCain's presidential campaign. In early 2008, Fiorina was referred to in media sources as a potential vice presidential candidate. On March 7, 2008, Fiorina was named fundraising chairman for the Republican National Committee's "Victory" initiative. She was also a "point person" for the McCain campaign on issues related to business and economic affairs. Fiorina's severance package from Hewlett-Packard in 2005, was viewed by some as a political liability during the campaign.

On September 3, 2008, Fiorina addressed the Republican National Convention. Earlier that day, she defended the selection of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate and said that Palin was being subjected to sexist attacks, a charge she repeated a few days later in response to one of the ''Saturday Night Live'' parodies of Sarah Palin. In response to questions during a radio interview on September 15, 2008, she stated that Palin lacks the experience to run a major company like Hewlett-Packard, "[b]ut that's not what she's running for. Running a corporation is a different set of things." Fiorina later amended her comment, stating that none of the candidates on either ticket had the experience to run a major corporation. After media coverage of her comments, one of her scheduled appearances on behalf of the campaign was canceled, although Fiorina continued to chair the party's fundraising committee.

Senate candidacy

On November 4, 2009, Fiorina formally announced her candidacy in the 2010 Senate election in a bid to unseat incumbent Barbara Boxer. Fiorina's campaign in the Republican primary for that seat received a number of endorsements, including one from Sarah Palin in the form of a Facebook note. Her campaign ad about Republican rival Tom Campbell featuring a "demon sheep" created international, mostly negative, publicity. After the ad went viral, the California Democratic Party created a parody of the ad depicting Fiorina herself as a demon sheep.

On June 8, 2010, Fiorina won the Republican primary election for Senate with over 50 percent of the vote, beating Campbell and State Assemblyman Chuck DeVore.

The ''Los Angeles Times'' research of public records indicated Fiorina had failed to vote in most elections. Fiorina responded: "I'm a lifelong registered Republican but I haven't always voted, and I will provide no excuse for it. You know, people die for the right to vote. And there are many, many Californians and Americans who exercise that civic duty on a regular basis. I didn't. Shame on me."

The ''LA Times'' in its coverage noted that Fiorina has conservative positions on certain social issues. She personally opposes abortion and, as a private citizen, stated that she voted for Proposition 8, which defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman, overturning a court ruling that same-sex couples had a right to marry. Following an August 4, 2010, federal court ruling that Proposition 8 was unconstitutional, Fiorina expressed disagreement with the ruling, saying that California voters spoke clearly against same-sex unions when a majority approved the proposition in 2008. She has stated that she opposes litmus tests for Supreme Court nominations and does not favor a federal personhood amendment. Fiorina has called climate change a "serious issue" but claims that the science surrounding global warming is inconclusive, saying "I think we should have the courage to examine the science on an ongoing basis." In a campaign ad, Fiorina also likened Boxer's concerns over global warming to worrying about "the weather." She accepted large contributions from the coal industry as well as Koch Industries Fiorina opposes the cap and trade legislation supported by Boxer, and thinks efforts to control greenhouse gases will cost 3 million jobs and are "massively destructive". The 2010 United States Senate election in California took place on November 2, 2010. Boxer won the general election, defeating Carly Fiorina 52.2% to 42.2%

Personal life

Fiorina (then Cara Carleton Sneed) married Todd Bartlem, a Stanford classmate, in June 1977. They divorced in 1984. In 1985, she married AT&T; executive Frank Fiorina. It was the second marriage for both. She helped to raise her two stepdaughters Traci and Lori Ann. They attempted to have children together but, as Fiorina puts it: "That wasn't God's plan." Fiorina and her husband live in Los Altos Hills, California.

On February 20, 2009, Fiorina was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent a double mastectomy at Stanford Hospital on March 2, 2009, followed by chemotherapy, which caused her to temporarily lose her hair, and later radiation therapy. She was given "an excellent prognosis for a full recovery." Early in her campaign for the United States Senate seat held by Barbara Boxer, Fiorina told a group of supporters: "I have to say that after chemotherapy, Barbara Boxer just isn't that scary anymore."

Fiorina was admitted to a Los Angeles-area hospital on October 26, 2010 due to an infection related to reconstructive surgery performed in July 2010 following her March 2009 double mastectomy. She was treated with antibiotics overnight and discharged the next day.

References

Further reading

Fiorina, Carly. ''Tough Choices: A Memoir''. Portfolio Hardcover, 2006. (hardcover: ISBN 1-59184-133-X, abridged audiobook: ISBN 0-14-305907-6)

Anders, George. ''Perfect Enough: Carly Fiorina and the Reinvention of Hewlett-Packard''. New York: Penguin Group, 2003. ISBN 1-59184-003-1.

Burrows, Peter. ''Backfire: Carly Fiorina's High-Stakes Battle for the Soul of Hewlett-Packard''. Wiley, 2003. ISBN 0-471-26765-1.

External links

Carly Fiorina Enterprises

Carly For California

Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org

Interviews and speeches

Fiorina's keynote speech, given at MIT (October 11, 2002)

Video timeline of tenure, compiled by CNET (February 10, 2005)

Interview with Leslie Stahl, from 60 Minutes (October 8, 2006)

Fiorina interview, with Forbes (October 11, 2006)

Discussion of ''Tough Choices'', from FORA.tv (October 19, 2006)

Management and leadership series, from Stanford University (April 5, 2007)

Stanford interview, from iinnovate (May 16, 2007)

2009-10-22 Alternate URL

{{S-ttl| title = Chief Executive Officer of Hewlett-Packard | years = 1999–2005 }} {{S-ttl| title = President of Hewlett-Packard | years = 1999–2005 }}

Category:American chief executives Category:American memoirists Category:American women in business Category:AT&T; people Category:Breast cancer survivors Category:Businesspeople from California Category:California Republicans Category:Hewlett-Packard people Category:MIT Sloan School of Management alumni Category:People from Austin, Texas Category:People from Santa Clara County, California Fiorina, Carly MIT SF '89 Category:Stanford University alumni Category:University of Maryland, College Park alumni Category:Women in California politics Category:1954 births Category:Living people

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name	Bullet for My Valentine
landscape	Yes
background	group_or_band
origin	Bridgend, Wales
genre	Heavy metal, thrash metal, metalcore
Years active	1998–present
label	Columbia, Trustkill, Gun, Sony Music, Jive
website	www.bulletformyvalentine.com
current members	Matthew Tuck Michael Paget Michael Thomas Jason James
past members	Nick Crandle

Bullet for My Valentine are a Welsh heavy metal band from Bridgend, formed in 1998. The band is composed of Matt Tuck (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Michael Paget (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jay James (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Michael Thomas (drums). They were formed under the name Jeff Killed John and started their music career by covering songs by Metallica and Nirvana. Jeff Killed John recorded six songs which were not released; two of these tracks were reworked later in their career as Bullet for My Valentine. Financial difficulties dictated the name change, which was followed by a change in music direction. In 2002, the band secured a five-album deal with Sony BMG. The band has stated that their music is influenced by classic heavy metal acts such as Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Slayer. The band is part of the Cardiff music scene.

Bullet for My Valentine's debut album, ''The Poison'', was released on October 3, 2005 in the United Kingdom and on February 14, 2006 in the United States to coincide with Valentine's Day hence their band name. The album entered the ''Billboard 200'' in the US at number 128. It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. The band made appearances at the Download Festival and ''Kerrang!'' XXV, and undertook a US tour with Rob Zombie. Bullet for My Valentine's second studio album, ''Scream Aim Fire'', was released on January 29, 2008 and debuted at number four on the ''Billboard 200''. The band's third album, ''Fever'', was released on April 26, 2010 and debuted at number three on the ''Billboard 200''. The band has sold over one million albums in the United States and nearly 2,500,000 albums worldwide and are the most-successful act in the ''Kerrang! Awards'' category of "Best British Band" with three wins.

History

Jeff Killed John and record deal (1998—2005)

Jeff Killed John was the forerunner band to Bullet for My Valentine and was formed in 1998 by Matthew Tuck, Michael "Padge" Paget, Nick Crandle, and Michael "Moose" Thomas while studying music at Bridgend College. Playing Nirvana and Metallica cover songs, the band released a two-track EP in 2002, ''You/Play with Me'', which was produced by Greg Haver. The EP was financed through the Pynci scheme for new Welsh musicians and the release garnered radio airplay on BBC Radio 1's broadcast at Newport's T.J.'s. Jeff Killed John's music followed the nu metal trend set by bands such as Korn and Limp Bizkit. Bassist Crandle left the band on the eve of entering the recording sessions for ''You/Play with Me'' and was replaced by Jason James. The band then changed their name to Bullet for My Valentine and reworked their musical strategy; they decided to play thrash metal songs with "harmony guitars and big angelic choruses" according to frontman Tuck.

Roadrunner Records showed interest in Bullet for My Valentine and offered the band a deal. The offer was ultimately turned down, and the band signed a five-album record deal with Sony BMG and a UK licensing deal with Visible Noise. According to Tuck, they chose Sony because, "We thought that a lot more doors would be open to us." A self-titled EP was released on 15 November 2004 in the UK. Produced by Colin Richardson, it featured five tracks and marked the band's first official release. A second EP, ''Hand of Blood'', was released on 22 August 2005 through Trustkill Records and was only available in the US; the release contained one extra track than the self-titled EP, "4 Words (To Choke Upon)". Daniel Lukes of ''Decibel Magazine'' reviewed the EP by stating, "The worst part is that the music itself isn’t all that bad, for the genre." He went on to comment that the band should be "embarrassed" about the release. Zeromag's Josh Joyce complimented the band on "how technical they can get without confusing the kids".

''The Poison '' (2005—2007)

Bullet for My Valentine's debut album, ''The Poison'', was released on 3 October 2005 in the UK and on Valentine's Day, 2006 in the US. It entered the ''Billboard'' 200 at number 128, and attained number 11 on the Independent Albums chart. On 30 January 2009, the album was certified gold by the RIAA after 500,000 copies were sold in the US. Four singles were released from ''The Poison'': "4 Words (To Choke Upon)", "Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow (What Can I Do)", "All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)", and "Tears Don't Fall". Bullet for My Valentine promoted the album by touring across the world. In 2005, with increased popularity, they played on the larger Download Festival Snickers stage; in 2006, the band were moved to near the top of the main stage bill. Other tours included opening for Metallica and Guns N' Roses in the summer of 2006, the Vans Warped Tour, ''Kerrang!'' tour, and Earthday Birthday. The band's performance at the Brixton Academy in London on 28 January 2006, was filmed for their first DVD, ''The Poison: Live at Brixton''. During June 2007, Tuck suffered from laryngitis, which let to an emergency tonsillectomy in July. Bullet for My Valentine were forced to cancel several shows, including supporting Metallica for three dates on their Sick of the Studio '07 tour on 29 June in Bilbao, 5 July in Vienna, and 8 July at the recently completed Wembley Stadium in London. Unable to speak, Tuck wrote that as soon as doctors cleared him he would be in the studio working on the band's next album.

''Scream Aim Fire'' (2007—2008)

Bullet for My Valentine's second studio album, ''Scream Aim Fire'', was recorded at Sonic Ranch Studios and was produced by Colin Richardson. Tuck commented at the time, "It's a lot more up tempo, a lot more aggressive". The album was released in the US on 29 January 2008. It sold 53,000 copies in its first week and peaked at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200. Three songs were released as singles: "Scream Aim Fire", "Hearts Burst into Fire", and "Waking the Demon".

In support of the new album, the band toured North America and Australia in the spring of 2008 for the Taste of Chaos tour alongside Atreyu, Blessthefall, and Avenged Sevenfold. Bullet for My Valentine cut short the Canada portion of the tour and flew back home to support the daughter of James who was in hospital. The band performed in North America again in the summer of 2008 as part of the No Fear Tour with Bleeding Through, Cancer Bats, and Black Tide. In late 2008, the band toured Europe, supported by Lacuna Coil, Bleeding Through, and Black Tide. In December 2008, ''Scream Aim Fire'' was re-released with four bonus tracks that were recorded during the album's studio sessions, but with re-recorded vocal-lines. Bullet for My Valentine confirmed in August 2009 that they were aiming for an early 2010 release for the new album, while Tuck stated that the upcoming record is "a lot more mature-sounding, it's a lot more classic. It'll stand the test of time [more] than both the previous things we've done". In a January 2010 interview with ''Rock Sound'', Tuck stated explained details for the album; it would be titled ''Fever'' and that the 11-track record would have a sound closer to ''The Poison'' rather than ''Scream Aim Fire'' and would feature no ballads.

During the summer of 2009, Bullet for My Valentine toured across the United States as part of the Mayhem Festival, alongside Killswitch Engage, Slayer, and Marilyn Manson on the main stage; they also appeared on the UK leg of the Sonisphere tour at Knebworth, headlining the second stage. The band will be headlining the second stage at the Download Festival 2010 on the Friday night. The band has also been confirmed for Nova Rock, Metaltown, Rock am Ring, Rock on the Range, The Bamboozle, Bilbao Live Festival, Fortarock and Graspop. In addition, they will be playing alongside the Big Four on the Greek leg of Sonisphere. ''Fever'' was released on 27 April 2010. A free download of a new track called "Begging For Mercy" was released on the band's website on 14 February, 2010 as part of a Twitter promotion. The song "Your Betrayal" was chosen as the lead single for the album and was set to release on 9 March 2010, but, unexpectedly, was released earlier on 2 March 2010 as a digital single on iTunes Store. The second single is called "The Last Fight" and was released on 19 April. The album artwork for this studio album was released on the official website on 5 March 2010. Bullet for My Valentine announced the start their US tour in support of ''Fever''. It began on 30 April with the bands Airbourne and Chiodos as support. On 12 March the band released the music videos for "The Last Fight" and "Your Betrayal". The band revealed the track listing on their website on March 15, as well as other various sources that include an email to all of their subscribers on the mailing list. On 26 April the band played a secret show in London to celebrate the release of ''Fever''. This was their only UK headline show until the end of the year.

Fourth studio album (2011-present)

On 28 January 2011, Michael Paget stated that the group had already drawn proportions for the next studio album and will sound a lot like ''Fever''. He followed-along with stating that the band plans to have the songs for it written within 2011 and will begin recording the album by the end of the year. A couple tracks left from the ''Fever'' sessions might be redone, re-arranged and re-recorded for the new record. The band will play at Uproar Festival 2011, after which they intend to begin writing material for a fourth studio album. The band hopes to release the album sometime in 2012.

Musical style and influences

Bullet for My Valentine are primarily deemed as a contemporary metal band. With detailed statements, their music has been described by critics as heavy metal, metalcore and thrash metal. The band has cited being influenced by bands such as Metallica, Annihilator, Pantera, Machine Head, Iron Maiden, Guns N' Roses, Testament, Stuck Mojo, Slayer, Judas Priest, and Megadeth. These bands inspire Bullet for My Valentine's "catchy vocals, aggressive riffs and melodies," according to Thomas. The band describe two of their albums, ''The Poison'' and ''Fever'', as having a "super dark" tone, Tuck went on to state that "…we're a hard rock band with metal influences, and I’ve said that from Day One.” Kirk Miller of Decibel Magazine praised the band for the effort in synchronised song structures. When asked of their views on their looks, members of the band have stated that they would not change their sound or image for a commercial approach; Tuck commented that, "Without sounding harsh, we're more interested in what our music sounds like than what our fucking hair looks like."

Band members

;Current members

Michael Paget – lead guitar, backing vocals (1998–present)

Michael Thomas – drums (1998–present)

Matthew Tuck – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1998–present)

Jason James – bass guitar, backing vocals (2003–present)

;Former members

Nick Crandle – bass guitar (1998–2003)

Discography

;Studio albums

''The Poison'' (2005)

''Scream Aim Fire'' (2008)

''Fever'' (2010)

Awards and achievements

Welsh Music Award

Best Newcomer (2004)

Metal Hammer Golden God Award

Best British Band (2006, 2010)

Kerrang! Awards

Best UK Single for "Tears Don't Fall" (2006)

Best British Newcomer (2005)

Best British Band (2008, 2009, 2010)

Headlined ''Kerrang!'''s 25 year anniversary tour of the UK

Best Live Band (2010)

References

External links

Official website

Category:Welsh heavy metal musical groups Category:British metalcore musical groups Category:British thrash metal musical groups Category:Musical groups established in 1998 Category:Musical quartets Category:Jive Records artists Category:Kerrang! Awards winners Category:People from Bridgend

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