Coordinates	51°58′52″N4°7′43 }}″N
name	Underoath
landscape	yes
background	group_or_band
origin	Tampa, Florida, USA
years active	1997–present
genre	, , ,
label	Roadrunner, Solid State, Tooth & Nail, Takehold
associated acts	At the Wake, This Runs Through, Break Out the Shotguns, Kicked Out Heel Drag, The Almost, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Life Among the Living, Sleeping by the Riverside, Sullivan, Winter Solstice, Norma Jean, The Word Alive, Aaron Gillespie
website	www.underoath777.com
current members	Spencer ChamberlainTimothy McTagueGrant BrandellChristopher DudleyJames SmithDaniel Davison
past members	List of Underoath band members }}

Underoath is an American Christian metalcore band from Tampa, Florida. Founded by Dallas Taylor and Luke Morton on November 30, 1997 in Ocala, Florida, subsequently its additional members were from Tampa, Florida. They are currently signed with Solid State Records, a subsidiary of Tooth and Nail Records, and are the label's most popular group.

Due to several line-up changes, none of Underoath's original members remain with the group. With original vocalist Dallas Taylor, they released ''Act of Depression'', ''Cries of the Past'', and ''The Changing of Times''. Following his departure, Spencer Chamberlain became lead vocalist. The band then released ''They're Only Chasing Safety'' and ''Define the Great Line'', gaining a certified gold rating and the highest-charting Christian album on The Billboard 200 since 1997 respectively. These two albums have given them more mainstream and commercial success.

They have received two Grammy nominations in 2007 and 2010 respectively and have recorded a live CD/DVD box set entitled ''Survive, Kaleidoscope'', which was released on May 27, 2008. From late February to early May the band recorded their sixth studio album entitled ''Lost in the Sound of Separation'', which was released on September 2, 2008 and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200. Their latest album ''Ø (Disambiguation)'' was released on November 9, 2010, and is the first without the band's last original member, drummer and vocalist Aaron Gillespie after parting ways with the band earlier in the year.

History

Formation and ''Act of Depression'' (1997–2000)

On November 30, 1997 Underoath formed with Dallas Taylor, and guitarist Luke Morton, in Ocala, Florida. Morton devised the name Underoath "from somewhere in the Bible." Drummer Aaron Gillespie, who attended Morton's church, was then asked to play with them. Gillespie agreed, and the group recruited guitarist Corey Steger and bassist Octavio Fernandez; the band members were all in high school.

After a year of playing at festivals, eating in buffets, and touring the area around Florida, Underoath signed to Alabama's Takehold Records in 1999. Around this time Luke Morton had left the band without appearing on any of their formal recordings. They released their debut ''Act of Depression'', which sold over 2,000 copies.

''Cries of the Past'' and ''The Changing of Times'' (2000–2003)

In 2000, keyboardist Christopher Dudley joined Underoath, and the five-song, forty-minute long record, ''Cries of the Past'' was released, quickly selling 3,000 copies. Currently, both ''Act of Depression'' and ''Cries of the Past'' are no longer in print. In 2001, Takehold Records was bought out by Seattle's Tooth & Nail Records and Underoath was subsequently signed to the label's subsidiary, Solid State Records. In January 2002, bassist Grant Brandell joined Underoath. The band then began working on their Solid State debut, ''The Changing of Times'', with ''Cries of the Past'' producer James Paul Wisner. The album was released on February 26, 2002 and produced one single titled "When the Sun Sleeps". Dallas Taylor explained that the lyrics on ''The Changing of Times'' were about "people playing with other people's emotions and how it can leave you bitter" and "struggling through life's hardships and trying to find God in all of it." The band was criticized by critics and long-time fans for the album's style because it had changed from the sound of their previous releases. However, ''The Changing of Times'' went on to outsell both of their earlier releases combined.

In 2003, Underoath supported the album's release with their first inclusion on Warped Tour, however their participation in the tour came to an end when Taylor (under controversial conditions) was asked to leave the band. Keyboardist, Chris Dudley explained at that time that Taylor could no longer tour with Underoath for various reasons and left on his own decision. Under speculation of a potential break up, the band then went on a supporting tour with Atreyu in August 2003 with Matt Tarpey as the temporary lead vocalist, while at the time being a part of Winter Solstice. In October 2003, at the CMJ Fest in New York City, the band reappeared with Spencer Chamberlain, formerly of the band This Runs Through, as the new lead vocalist. Chamberlain had toured with Underoath when fronting his former band and at one time was roommates with Dudley; their previous friendship with Chamberlain was considered when making him lead vocalist. Gillespie explained that before Chamberlain had been in the band, the group members "didn’t really get along", however, after Chamberlain joined "everything was just normal, we clicked". After Chamberlain became a permanent member, Underoath discussed the possibility of changing the name and becoming a new band. Ultimately, the members decided to remain as Underoath.

''They're Only Chasing Safety'' (2004–2005)

After taking the end of 2003 off from touring to begin working on an album, the band scheduled time in February 2004 to begin recording.

During the early months of 2004, Underoath returned to the studio with Chamberlain as lead vocalist and producer James Paul Wisner. ''They're Only Chasing Safety'' was released on June 15, 2004 and proved to be a more commercial success for the band, going onto outsell the previous three albums combined. The album sold close to 100,000 copies in its first week of release and was certified gold by the end of 2005 selling more than 487,000 copies. With Gillespie being the only original member, ''They're Only Chasing Safety'' had been a vast change in sound and rhythm from what they performed earlier on. "Reinventing Your Exit" and "It's Dangerous Business Walking out Your Front Door" were released as the album's two singles and both songs spawned music videos that received frequent airplay on MTV2 and Fuse.

In March 2005, Underoath participated in the inaugural Taste of Chaos tour, and shortly after, embarked on their first headlining tour. The band premiered two brand-new songs during the length of the tour. They played a part of the Warped Tour, but declined to perform for the entirety of the tour in order to take time to record another album. Underoath made their first covers of national magazines appearing on ''CCM Magazine'' in July 2005 and then ''Alternative Press'' in September, and in October, ''They're Only Chasing Safety'' was re-released in a two-disc set with four formerly unreleased songs. Also included was re-mastered album artwork by Jacob Bannon of Converge, and a DVD with over two hours of footage of the band touring in support of the album. As of 2005, ''They're Only Chasing Safety'' has sold more than 218,000 copies, with the re-release selling an additional 279,000 copies, making a combined sales of more than 500,000 copies in the US alone.

''Define the Great Line'' (2006–2007)

In January 2006, Underoath entered the studio to record their fifth album, ''Define the Great Line''; the title is presented upon the theory of an individual having "to find that line and that way to live your life." The band had been writing for the album two weeks after the release of ''They're Only Chasing Safety''. Matt Goldman, who produced albums for Copeland and Norma Jean, and Adam Dutkiewicz, guitarist for Killswitch Engage, enlisted as producers. Chamberlain noted that the vocals for the album would sound less like an imitation of former vocalist Taylor, but more like the vocals of Chamberlain's former band. The lyrics were also meaningful to Chamberlain because they had been written about "things that have molded him into who he is today".

An unfinished version of the album was leaked onto BitTorrent websites and P2P services months before the release date. Drummer Aaron Gillespie, during the short time after the recording of ''Define the Great Line'', recorded the debut album for his side-project The Almost, which was produced by Seattle producer Aaron Sprinkle and was released April 3, 2007. In April 2006, the band had been courted by several major record labels, instead re-signing with Tooth & Nail Records because they felt that major labels "don't get heavy bands" and "we don't really agree with a lot of the business practices major labels employ sometimes." On April 21, Underoath flew to Sweden to work with Popcore Films, to create music videos for "In Regards to Myself" and "Writing on the Walls"; the latter was chosen as the lead single for the album and was later nominated for the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video. Dudley commented that the videos were "high-energy videos and more intricate than any video we've ever done."

Released on June 20, 2006, ''Define the Great Line'' sold 98,000 copies in its first week and debuted on the Billboard 200 Chart at number 2, the highest debut for a Christian album since 1997. With the debut of ''Define the Great Line'', Underoath simultaneously released a special edition version of the album featuring special artwork and a DVD that includes another behind-the-scenes movie and a "making of" video. ''Define the Great Line'' was certified Gold by the RIAA on November 11, 2006, representing 500,000 shipped units of the album. The album was also released on vinyl however, this edition was limited to only 3,000 copies.

The band was scheduled to spend June and July 2006 on the main stage of the Warped Tour, but on July 28, 2006, it was announced that Underoath was dropping off the remaining dates of the tour. A statement from the band stated that the members "felt it necessary to take some immediate time to focus on our friendship, as that’s more important than risking it for the sake of touring at this time." In an ''Alternative Press'' cover story on Underoath, Burkett told the magazine that Chamberlain had confided in him that Underoath's band members had been "having a lot of arguments over their religious beliefs." Michael "Fat Mike" Burkett admitted to Punknews.org that he had poked fun at the band for their beliefs, but emphasized that he befriended Underoath's band members at the start of the tour and had a personal policy of not making jokes on-stage about anyone he was not friends with or did not like personally. It was also spread that the band's withdrawal from the tour was due to Chamberlain's rumored drug problems and time spent in rehabilitation, to which Gillespie responded, "If there was something serious going on like that and he was in rehab, we'd have to tell the press. But it's just not true." Underoath toured extensively throughout Europe, Australia, and Asia in the late 2006, from February to April in 2007 toured with Taking Back Sunday and Armor for Sleep.

Underoath shot videos for the songs "You're Ever So Inviting" and "A Moment Suspended in Time" in February 2007; both videos have been released and "You're Ever So Inviting" won MTV's Battle of the Videos on May 23, 2007. Underoath performed a Canadian tour followed by the Taste of Chaos World Tour, and also played at the 2007 Cornerstone Festival. On July 17, 2007 Underoath released a DVD entitled ''777'' to the US market. Underoath also played the Warped Tour 2007 from July 24 to August 9, and in August 2007, toured Australia and East Asia. During a tour with Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Poison the Well, and Every Time I Die, Gillespie went through emergency surgery on an infection in his hand. Instead of cancelling shows, Underoath recruited Kenny Bozich, the drummer of Gillespie's band, The Almost. Underoath lead vocalist Spencer Chamberlain was featured on the cover of the ''Warped Tour 2008 Tour Compilation'' album.

''Lost in the Sound of Separation'' (2008–2009)

During the September 2007 tour, Chamberlain stated various times that the band will release a new album in mid 2008. It was later confirmed that it would be released on September 2, 2008. Recording for the album began in March 2008 and ended in April 2008. McTague said that the album, ''Lost in the Sound of Separation'', would be considerably heavier than ''Define the Great Line''.

In October 2007, Underoath had begun filming their third person documentary ''Survive, Kaleidoscope''. "The Audible Diversion Group", a small film team, shot footage of the band as they followed Underoath on their September tour and the entirety of the "We Believe in Dino-Tours". The film was shot in 720p high definition 16:9 widescreen format. Underoath released the ''Survive, Kaleidoscope'' live CD/DVD on May 27, 2008. The album reached #81 on the ''Billboard'' 200.

During mid-2008, Underoath joined the 30-city Rockstar Energy Mayhem Tour with bands such as Slipknot, Disturbed, Mastodon, and DragonForce. The tour began on July 9, 2008, and concluded in Buffalo, New York on August 19, with Underoath headlining the tour's stop at the Hot Topic venue. After the release of ''Lost in the Sound of Separation'' on September 2, 2008, Underoath began headlining tour in support of the album, along with Saosin and The Devil Wears Prada, and in various markets, P.O.S., Person L, and The Famine.

In its first week, ''Lost in the Sound of Separation'' debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200 charts, selling around 56,000 copies in the US alone. In December 2008, Underoath won Best Hardcore/Screamo Artist at the Rock on Request Awards and embarked on their first South American Tour. The band played six concerts in Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Colombia, and played at Warped Tour 2009. On international tours in 2009, Underoath began writing pieces of new songs for their fifth studio release. The songs "Desperate Times, Desperate Measures" and "Too Bright to See, Too Loud to Hear" were released as the two singles from the album.

Departure of Aaron Gillespie and ''Ø (Disambiguation)'' (2010)

During a late 2009 interview, guitarist Timothy McTague stated that the band had "just started writing songs that may be included on the next record", and that they are hoping to enter the studio late summer or early fall 2010. Underoath is set to release their live album ''Live at Koko'' exclusively to their UK audience via their UK merchandise site. On February 25, 2010 Underoath stated they were finishing writing their new album.

On April 5, 2010, the band announced the departure of their final founding member, drummer and vocalist, Aaron Gillespie. Due to this occurrence, none of the band's original members remain. Aaron played his final show with the band in Milan, Italy on April 6.

On May 10, 2010 through their official MySpace blog, Underoath announced that they will be entering the studio on May 24 to record their follow up to ''Lost In the Sound of Separation'', which was aimed to be released later that year, with producers Matt Goldman (''Lost In the Sound of Separation'' and ''Define the Great Line'') and Jeremy SH Griffith. Following the departure of Gillespie, Underoath recruited ex-Norma Jean drummer Daniel Davison for the recording of their new album. Davison's first tour with the band was "The Cool Tour" featuring As I Lay Dying and Blessthefall. The new album, titled ''Ø (Disambiguation)'', will be released on November 9, 2010 through Tooth & Nail Records. On September 9, 2010, it was announced that Underoath had signed to Roadrunner Records for worldwide distribution outside of the US and Canada.

On September 14, 2010, the band held a listening party for ''Ø (Disambiguation)'' at Swinghouse Studios in Los Angeles. Danny Sugimoto of spitInthemud.com remarked that the album "feels darker and more chaotic than ones prior, yet with a tasteful sense of calm mixed within."

Underoath embarked on their headlining November tour on the 2nd of the month. On November 23, vocalist, Spencer Chamberlain began to suffer from foodborne disease. His position in Underoath was substituted by Tyler "Telle" Smith of The Word Alive for the show scheduled that day.

Musical style and influences

Christianity

Underoath's members are openly Christian and have stated on numerous occasions that they are a Christian band. However, as vocalist Spencer Chamberlain explains, "[We are Christian but] in a different way. We’re not like your average Christian band." He further explains that Christianity is the "backbone of our lives, especially in the way that we handle certain things, but it’s not so much the backbone of our lyrics. It’s not like every song is a lesson from the Bible or something. It’s just normal life struggles." Keyboardist Christopher Dudley had also stated that a majority of Underoath's audience is not Christian, nor are the bands they would often tour with. Though the band has been noted for "setting precedent in both Christian rock and beyond", only a portion of their albums are sold in the Christian marketplace. Chamberlain said, "I look at us as just another band in the secular market like with all these other hardcore bands and we just happen to be a Christian band that has different beliefs."

Genre

Underoath have been labeled as a Christian metal and metalcore band, but have also been described as hardcore, post-hardcore, emo, and screamo. The band’s style has changed over the years, as explained by Allmusic: "since their inception, Florida's Underoath have evolved from a run-of-the-mill Christian metalcore band into a fluid, dynamic, and energized rock group that adeptly blends emotive melody, charged punk rock rhythms, and a chunky, engaging bottom end." Jesus Freak Hideout also took notice of this, mentioning in a review that "Underoath's sound has evolved a lot - from metal to emocore to straight-up hardcore."

As demonstrated on their first release, ''Act of Depression'', Underoath initially played a combination of hardcore and metalcore mixed with black metal and death metal. The band kept a similar sound on their second album, ''Cries of the Past'', featuring occasional traces of black metal, but the band later moved away from this style to embrace a more melodic-leaning post-hardcore sound. On the follow up release, Underoath stood "at the heavy metal crossroads on ''The Changing of Times'', a hardcore album that parallels classic arena rock." The band experimented with electronic elements, with Casey Boland of ''Alternative Press'' noting that the album "was an Olympic pole vault-like leap forward for Underoath," and that the band was "welcoming the process of evolution." He also noted the addition of Aaron Gillespie's clean singing, which offered "a compelling counterpoint and presaged a swarm of bands adopting the sing-scream dichotomy that would become the hallmark of 'screamo.'" Cross Rhythms noted the growing popularity of the band, and described them as playing "an interesting mix of hardcore and indie rock, utilising loops, keyboards, acoustic guitars and melodic vocal harmonies, amongst the onslaught of heavy guitars and screeching hardcore vocals."

Underoath underwent an extreme overhaul preceding their fourth release, ''They're Only Chasing Safety'', with Dallas Taylor and Octavio Fernandez leaving the band and Spencer Chamberlain taking over lead vocal duties. This marked a radical shift for Underoath, "as the band ditched its formerly metal leanings for the decidedly friendly confines of screamo," a change with ignited a debate over which was better, "old" or "new" Underoath. A review by Alex Henderson of Allmusic classifies the album under an alternative rock style which could be described as screamo, post-hardcore, or melodic hardcore, and which differed from full-out metalcore. In another review, Andrew Segal of Cross Rhythms described the album as nu-metal, and said that, while on the heavier side of the rock scale, the album is well produced and "shows more signs of intelligence than the [nu-metal] genre is often credited with."

For their fifth album, ''Define the Great Line'', Underoath abandoned the pop choruses of the previous album and instead demonstrated a heavier and more eclectic style, updating their sound with "weird" time changes and ambient post-metal passages. According to Sputnikmusic, while the album is basically a modern metalcore recording, it incorporated other influences including post-metal guitar leads on several tracks and ambient electronica on tracks such as "Salmarnir." Allmusic stated that the band found the "delicate middle ground between throat-shredding grindcore and My Chemical Romance/From Autumn to Ashes-style emo-punk," and Cross Rhythms described the album as "an impressively versatile project where metal riffs and emo breakdowns, screamo noise and memorable hooks collide in a veritable sonic feast." Underoath's sixth album, ''Lost in the Sound of Separation'', established Spencer Chamberlain as the front-man, and saw the band incorporating some industrial elements. With the departure of the last original member of Underoath, Aaron Gillespie, the band underwent their "biggest shift in sound for the band in a long time." On their latest release, ''Ø (Disambiguation)'', Underoath featured a darker and more immersive approach than their previous albums, and used a heavy atmospheric and ambient sound and also utilized groove sections on some tracks.

Influences

Bassist Grant Brandell has explained that Underoath's music has been influenced by various bands such as Refused, At the Drive-In, Apple Not Asteroid, Jimmy Eat World, Isis and Radiohead. When Taylor left Underoath following the release of ''The Changing of Times'', an album that somewhat foreshadowed the changes to come for the band, the group's style took a considerable change as new vocalist Chamberlain joined. With Chamberlain, the writing dynamic change in the band — now Gillespie and Chamberlain wrote the lyrics they sang — and Underoath released ''They're Only Chasing Safety''. Then ''Define the Great Line'' was released in which Chamberlain noted that his vocals sounded less like himself imitating Taylor's vocals, and more similar to the vocals of his previous band, This Runs Through. ''Alternative Press'' stated, "[Chamberlain's] bellow [is] more carnal and guttural, [and] his high end more tuneful than whiny."

Band members

;Current members

Grant Brandell – bass guitar (since 2002)

Spencer Chamberlain – lead vocals, additional guitars (since 2003)

Daniel Davison – drums (since 2010)

Christopher Dudley – keyboards, synthesizers, samplers, programming (since 2000)

Timothy McTague – lead guitar, backing vocals (since 2001)

James Smith – rhythm guitar (since 2003)

;Former members

Rey Anasco – bass guitar (1997–1999)

Matthew Clark – bass guitar (2000–2001)

Octavio Fernandez – rhythm guitar (2000–2003), bass guitar (1999–2000)

Aaron Gillespie – drums, clean vocals (1997–2010)

Luke Morton – lead guitar (1997–1999)

Billy Nottke – bass guitar (2001–2002)

Kelly Scott Nunn – rhythm guitar (2002–2003)

Corey Steger – rhythm guitar (1998–1999), lead guitar (2000–2001), backing vocals (1998–2001)

Dallas Taylor – lead vocals (1997–2003)

Discography

;Studio albums

''Act of Depression'' (1999)

''Cries of the Past'' (2000)

''The Changing of Times'' (2002)

''They're Only Chasing Safety'' (2004)

''Define the Great Line'' (2006)

''Lost in the Sound of Separation'' (2008)

''Ø (Disambiguation)'' (2010)

References

Category:American metalcore musical groups Category:American post-hardcore musical groups Category:American Christian metal musical groups Category:Christian alternative metal groups Category:Christian rock groups from Florida Category:Heavy metal musical groups from Florida Category:Musical groups from Tampa, Florida Category:Musical groups established in 1997 Category:Musical sextets Category:Solid State Records artists Category:Tooth and Nail Records artists

be-x-old:Underoath cs:Underoath de:Underoath et:Underoath es:Underoath fr:Underoath it:Underoath lt:Underoath nl:Underoath ja:アンダーオース uz:Underoath pl:Underoath pt:Underoath ro:Underoath ru:Underoath sk:Underoath fi:Underoath sv:Underoath

Coordinates	51°58′52″N4°7′43 }}″N
name	The Walls
background	group_or_band
origin	Ireland
genre	Rock
years active	1998–present
label	Dirtbird Records
associated acts	The Stunning
website	The Walls Official Website
current members	Joe WallSteve WallJon O'ConnellRory DoylePastCarl Harms }}

The Walls are an Irish rock band. They were formed in 1998 by two ex-members of The Stunning.

Members

Steve Wall

Joe Wall

Carl Harms (Guitar/Keyboards) ''(left February 2004)''

Rory Doyle (Drums)

Jon O'Connell (Bass) ''(joined February 2004)''

Biography

1998–2000

Brothers Steve and Joe Wall (previously of The Stunning) returned to Ireland after a two-year failed label stint in London. Their Camden housemate Carl Harms joined the band on guitar and keyboard duties. Drummer Rory Doyle joined soon afterwards. They set up their own label, Earshot Records (later changing it to Dirtbird Records) and recorded and released a string of singles. A remix of one of the album tracks, "Bone Deep", clicked with radio and became a nationwide hit. Many of the songs have featured on a number of TV series and feature films such as ''Bachelors Walk'', ''Dead Bodies'', ''Goldfish Memory'' and ''On the Edge'' (starring Cillian Murphy).

2001–2004

The Walls heard rumour of a second Slane Castle date for U2 (as the first concert had sold out in hours). They sent four copies of their album to the band. Bono loved it and offered The Walls a support slot. That day the band played to their biggest crowd to date – around 80,000 people. "To the Bright and Shining Sun" was their next single. That June they supported Red Hot Chili Peppers. They spent the next year gigging while building their own studio in Dublin.

In February 2004, original member Carl Harms decided to leave the band to make his own record. They recruited bassist Jon O’Connell, who had just 2 weeks to learn all the songs before a two week tour of the new EU accession states: Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. "To the Bright and Shining Sun" also featured on the EA Sports soundtrack for the UEFA Euro 2004 official licenced game.

2004 - 2006

For the next album, the band went to Studio Black Box in France to record with producer and ex-The Frames guitarist David Odlum. Originally scheduled for a release date in September 2004, The Walls decided to hold their album until the new year. U2 were releasing ''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'' that autumn and according to Steve ''"we thought that it would be a fair and gentlemanly gesture to stand back and give them a fair crack of the whip, so to speak"''.

In October 2004, they released a taster - "Drowning Pool" - a blistering, spleen-venting, blues explosion, 2min 52sec long. It took people by surprise and divided opinion - exactly what the band wanted. They supported Bob Dylan to a capacity crowd in Galway that summer and played a storming set that showed there were changes afoot in The Walls sound. They christened the album ''New Dawn Breaking'' after the final track on the record. It went straight into the Irish charts at No. 5 in its first week of release in June 2005 and has produced four hit singles: "To the Bright and Shining Sun", "Passing Through", "Drowning Pool" and "Black and Blue".

2007

The band kicked off 2007 with a gig in Dubai and are presently negotiating gig offers in France, Italy, the Czech Republic and China. They also supported Crowded House on their Australian comeback tour before retreating into their studio to work on album number three.

2008

Discography

Studio albums

''Hi-Lo'' (released May 2000).

''New Dawn Breaking'' (released June 2005) (reached No. 5 in Irish charts)

Singles and albums

"The Night I Called It A Day" (Single, released Feb 1999)

"Broken Boy" (Single, released Sept 1999)

"Something's Wrong" (Single, released Apr 2000)

''Hi-Lo'' (Album, released May 2000). A remix of one of the album tracks, Bone Deep, was popular in Ireland. Some songs featured on TV series and feature films: Bachelors Walk, Dead Bodies, Goldfish Memory and On the Edge (starring Cillian Murphy).

"To the Bright and Shining Sun" (Single, released 2002) reached No. 11 in the Irish charts.

"Drowning Pool" (single, released 2004)

''New Dawn Breaking'' (Album, released June 2005) reached No. 5 in Irish charts and has produced four hit singles: "To the Bright and Shining Sun", "Passing Through", "Drowning Pool" and "Black and Blue".

"Carrying the Fire" / "Phantom Power" (double-A sided single, released Jun 2010)

"Bird In A Cage EP" (4 Track EP, released Mar 2011)

Cover versions

Cover version of Chaka Khan's "Ain't Nobody" on ''Even Better than the Real Thing Vol. 1''

Cover version of Natasha Bedingfield's "These Words" on ''Even Better than the Real Thing Vol. 2''

Cover version of U2's "With or without you" on ''Even Better than the Real Thing Vol. 3''

Career highlights

Supported U2 at Slane Castle, 2001

Supported Red Hot Chili Peppers, 2002

Supported Bob Dylan, Galway, 2005

Supported Crowded House, Australia, 2007

References

External links

Official band website, contains free MP3s; gig info, photos, Walls shop, press releases etc.

The Walls at MySpace, contains some sample MP3s.

Category:Musical groups established in 1998 Category:Irish rock music groups

de:The Walls

Coordinates	51°58′52″N4°7′43 }}″N
name	Sibel Deniz Edmonds
nationality	Turkish-American
known for	US Whistleblower }}

Sibel Deniz Edmonds (born 1970 in Iran) is a Turkish-American former FBI translator and founder of the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition (NSWBC). Edmonds gained public attention following her firing from her position as a language specialist at the FBI's Washington Field Office in March, 2002, after she accused a colleague of covering up illicit activity involving foreign nationals, alleging serious acts of security breaches, cover-ups, and intentional blocking of intelligence which, she contended, presented a danger to the United States' security. Her later claims have gained her awards and fame as a whistleblower.

Early life and education

The daughter of an Azerbaijani doctor, Edmonds lived in Iran and then Turkey before coming to the United States as a student in 1988. Fluent in Turkish, Persian, English and Azerbaijani, Edmonds earned her bachelor's degree in criminal justice and psychology from George Washington University and her master's in public policy and international commerce from George Mason University.

FBI career

Edmonds was hired, as a contractor, to work as an interpreter in the translations unit of the FBI on September 20, 2001. Among her main roles was to translate covertly recorded conversations by Turkish diplomatic and political targets.

According to Edmonds, she began facing problems when she reported to FBI managers various incidents that she considered misconduct and incompetence involving her supervisor Mike Feghali and others that she says she observed while employed as a translator between December 2001 and March 2002.

On the 1st of February 2011, Edmonds published a story on her own website adding details of incidents she claimed took place in April 2001. This included her role as translator where an informant had told the FBI agents, at that time:

:Bin Laden’s group is planning a massive terrorist attack in the United States. The order has been issued. They are targeting major cities, big metropolitan cities; they think four or five cities; New York City, Chicago, Washington DC, and San Francisco; possibly Los Angeles or Las Vegas. They will use airplanes to carry out the attacks. They said that some of the individuals involved in carrying this out are already in the United States. They are here in the U.S.; living among us, and I believe some in US government already know about all of this.

The agents, along with Edmonds, reported this information internally at the FBI but, according to Edmonds, no one at the bureau ever asked for follow-ups or further information prior to 9/11

Edmonds would escalate her complaints to the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility and the United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. In response, she claims that managers retaliated against her, and she was finally fired on March 22, 2002. In June 2002, the Associated Press and ''Washington Post'' reported, upon investigation, that Edmonds was dismissed because her actions were disruptive, breached security, and that she performed poorly at her job. A later internal investigation by the FBI found that many of Edmonds allegations of misconduct "had some basis in fact" and that "her allegations were at least a contributing factor in the FBI’s decision to terminate her services," but were unable to substantiate all of her allegations, nor did they make a statement regarding her dismissal being improper.

Edmonds' allegations of impropriety at the FBI later came to the attention of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which held unclassified hearings on the matter on June 17, 2002 and July 9, 2002. During the hearings, the FBI provided various unclassified documents and statements relating to the case, which led to Senators Patrick Leahy and Chuck Grassley sending letters, dated June 19, 2002, August 13, 2002, and October 28, 2002 — to Inspector General Glenn A. Fine, Attorney General Ashcroft, and FBI Director Robert Mueller, respectively — asking for explanations and calling for an independent audit of the FBI's translation unit. These documents were published on the Senators' web sites.

On August 15, 2002, a separate suit, ''Burnett v. Al Baraka Investment & Dev. Corp.'', was filed by families of 600 victims of the September 11, 2001 (9/11) attacks against Saudi banks, charity organizations, and companies. Although the claims were eventually dismissed, Edmonds planned to file a deposition in this case. On May 13, 2004, Ashcroft submitted statements to justify the use of the State Secrets Privilege against the planned deposition by Edmonds, and the same day, the FBI retroactively classified as Top Secret all of the material and statements that had been provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2002 relating to Edmonds' own lawsuit, as well as the letters that had been sent by the Senators and republished by the Project on Government Oversight On June 23, 2004, the retroactive reclassification was challenged in a suit filed by the Project on Government Oversight, citing fear that the group might be retroactively punished for having published the letters on its website. The Justice Department tried to get the suit dismissed, and the Justice Department explicitly approved their release to the Project on Government Oversight. The reclassification did, however, keep Edmonds from testifying in the class action suit as well as her own whistleblower suit. The latter decision was appealed, and Inspector General Glenn A. Fine released a summary of the audit report, claiming “that many of her allegations were supported, that the FBI did not take them seriously enough, and that her allegations were, in fact, the most significant factor in the FBI's decision to terminate her services. …Rather than investigate Edmonds' allegations vigorously and thoroughly, the FBI concluded that she was a disruption and terminated her contract.”

Post-FBI

Edmonds has continued to make various allegations and claims about operations within the FBI. Many of her allegations about the 9/11 attacks and nuclear proliferation have been reported in the media and published online, and she continues to publish open letters on her personal website, Just a Citizen. On August 8, 2009, Edmonds gave sworn testimony accusing current and former members of the government of treasonous activity. A video of her deposition and PDF transcript is available online as well as an easy-to-read HTML transcript.

In August, 2004, Edmonds founded the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition (NSWBC), which exists to assist national security whistleblowers through advocacy and reform. Edmonds is also the founder and publisher of the ''Boiling Frogs Post'', an online media site that aims to offer nonpartisan investigative journalism.

In September, 2006, a documentary about Edmonds case called ''Kill the Messenger'' (''Une Femme à Abattre'') premiered in France. The film discusses the Edmonds case as well as offers interviews with various involved individuals. In the film Edmonds, former CIA agent Philip Giraldi, and others say that Israel was a significant actor in the illicit activities Edmonds discovered.

Notes

External links

Sibel Edmonds's sites: Home Page and National Security Whistleblowers Coalition

Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:American whistleblowers Category:Federal Bureau of Investigation Category:American translators Category:George Washington University alumni Category:American people of Azerbaijani descent Category:American people of Turkish descent Category:Turkish emigrants to the United States Category:George Mason University alumni

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