Anybody remember the band Powermad?

[SavaRon]

These guys were around about 15 years ago. At the time I called them technical thrash??? Whatever that means. "Absolute Power" is a really good CD but they never did anything after it. They definately have some progressive/power metal sounding songs but with more of a thrash influence. They got some decent airplay for their video "nice dreams" back in the day too. It was more melodic than the rest of the songs on the CD.
Any one ever hear of them?

 

[lady_space]

Yeah--I have 'The Madness Begins...' on cassette and 'Absolute Power' on disc. i wonder whatever happened to them--I really dug them. In fact, I still pull out AP once in a blue moon.

 

[fatesmiles]

Yes! They were an Italian band. Don't remember which CD I have though. Not even sure I can find it lol. I remember liking it though. There seems to be a thing about Italian metal singers though, they never seem to be up to par with the rest of 'em.

 

[eppst1]

Yes! They were an Italian band. Don't remember which CD I have though. Not even sure I can find it lol. I remember liking it though. There seems to be a thing about Italian metal singers though, they never seem to be up to par with the rest of 'em.

Italian? They were from Minneapolis MN.

 

[Bryant]

Yeah--I have 'The Madness Begins...' on cassette and 'Absolute Power' on disc. i wonder whatever happened to them--I really dug them. In fact, I still pull out AP once in a blue moon.

I have "Absolute Power" and consider it to be one of the best thrash releases of all time. They were even in a movie that starred an up and coming actor that is now quite famous. I won't give it away though because, he is QUITE famous.


Bryant

 

[SavaRon]

I did a little searching and found this link to an interview with the singer Joel Dubay. http://www.metalprovider.com/thrash/intervpowermad.htm. It has some interesting info about the band and that they may be doing something in the future. The interview is from 2003 though.

 

[DAVETHEMETALGUY]

the also had their song "Slaughterhouse' in David Lynch's movie 'Wild at Heart'
as the guys were beating the hell out of each other on the stairway...

 

[Se7enChurches]

I have "Absolute Power" and consider it to be one of the best thrash releases of all time. They were even in a movie that starred an up and coming actor that is now quite famous. I won't give it away though because, he is QUITE famous.

I have the album too, and I also think it's a really good thrash album. If you're talking about 'Wild at Heart', the star of that movie had a few movies under his belt at that point, enough that i wouldn't call him an up-and-comer by then, most notably one by the Coen Brothers...

Ryan

 

[Creeps]

I used to hav a great EP by them that had a cover of the RAMONES' Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment. What a great thrash band.

 

[dargormudshark]

I was goint to make this same post!


HOUSE!SLAUGHTERHOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[eaeolian]

I've been a big fan of these guys since I read about them in a 'zine in '87 or so. I ordered the demo - sadly lost - and then got their Comabt "Bootcamp" EP when it came out. Their punk influence was much more pronounced on that demo, but it remained with them throughout all the recordings.

I was suprised when they turned up on a major label, but not complaining. I have both EPs (Bootcamp and "The Madness Begins") and "AP" on CD, and still listen to it regularaly. They had a video for "Terminator" from "TMB", too, that got played a couple of times on HBB.

Saw 'em three of four times back in the day, too - great live band. Snakepit mag ahd a good article on them a while back where singer/guitarist Joel DuBay said that he some other stuff from them in the can, but it's still not seen the light of day. Too bad, 'cause I always felt like bands like Powermad were the direction metal should have gone in - and now, 15 years later, bands like Shadow's Fall are doing exactly the same thing and being hailed as innovators. Amusing.

Mike

 

[Thor Intrepid]

I've got that CD and never heard anything about them ever again. I remember searching the net for information too, finding nothing.

 

[DreamNeonBlack]

I loved powermad, they were one of my favorite bands at the time.

I got to see them live with Fates Warning, great lineup that was.

 

[Joel-RZ]

yeah, pretty cool band. If you guys went to PP2 you saw their drummer play in Ark, John Macaluso. On one of the hardest hitting drummers I have ever seen. A total nut to hang out with. He spent some time in our hotel room remeniscing about the old Powermad days and the movie experience (wild at heart) in which Nick Cages character wanted to check out Powermad playign a local club. Joel, the singer/guitarist had some great chops and a cool vocal style...I havent listented to them in a while but I will be pulling Absolute Power out for a few spins, courtesy of this thread! So thanks.

 

[MetalNations]

Great band from Minnesota. Do not hold your breathe on Powermad doing a reunion.

 

[CD INZANE]

POWERMAD WAS BASED UP HERE IN MINNEAPOLIS. WHILE IN HIGHSCHOOL, BOTH TODD HAUG AND MYSELF WERE IN JAZZ BAND TOGETHER. IN TODD'S SENIOR YEAR, "THE MADNESS BEGINS" CD/TAPE WAS RELEASED. ABOUT A MONTH BEFORE GRADUATION, TODD AND CREW LANDED A DEAL WITH REPRISE (WARNER BROS) AND RELEASED THE NOW OUT OF PRINT/HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER "ABSOLUTE POWER". FOR THE NEXT YEAR, THE POWERMAD'S PLAYED THE US. ABRUPTLY THE TOUR ENDED IN GERMANY I BELIEVE, WHEN THEY LOST THEIR CONTRACT.

POWERMAD RETURNED TO MPLS AND THEN LOST THEIR DRUMMER. THEY DID ABOUT ANOTHER YEAR AFTER THAT WITH "TNT" / "JORN" DRUMMER JOHNNY MACALUSO ON DRUMS.

AS OF TWO YEARS AGO, TODD WAS A BREWMASTER FROM "ROCK BOTTOM BREWERY" ON HENNEPIN AVENUE IN MINNEAPOLIS. JOEL DUBAY COLLECTED SNAKES AND REPTILES ( I WAS TOLD LOCALLY ) AND OPENED A STORE IN SOUTH AMERICA. NO WORD ON THE OTHERS.

THE MADNESS ENDED, THE CD STILL RIPS!!! HOPEFULLY THE MADNESS WILL BEGIN AGAIN IN THE FUTURE. NOW YOU KNOW A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THEM...

BEST WISHES,
ZANE@CDINZANE.COM
WWW.CDINZANE.COM
MINNEAPOLIS
763-391-9344

 

[SavaRon]

Well, this thread has lasted longer than I thought it would. It's cool to see so many people remember them. I did a little more searching and found this site with the last post. http://www.boaphileplastics.com/contact.html. It looks like Joel DuBay is definately in the reptile buisness. Not in South America, but in Minnesota. Oh well, it looks like no new Powermad material will surface anytime soon.

 

[Bryant]

Yep Nicholas Cage was the "star" in "Wild at Heart" and there was a small cameo of Powermad live on stage while Cage was out kicking the tires of his car in the desert. It was a strange movie, but Powermad shouold have made it bigger.
Dubay (vocalist/guitarist) sang with a bit of a rasp some, but also sang in a high clean (clean in oldschool terms meaning no rasp in the voice) voice which wasn't common in thrash music. He even put up some earsplitting highs on songs like "Nice Dreams" (probably my particualr favorite by them.) The songwriting, guitars, drums, bass, vocals and production were all top notch.
I don't think they ever did an extensive tour of Alabama so I never saw them live, but "Absolute Power" is truly a gem amongst many of the thrash bands that never realized much fame. Wrathchild America was a band that also undeservedly suffered the same fate as Powermad.


Bryant

 

[Thor Intrepid]

I swear, keeping a band together is harder than being married.

In fact, it is like being married to five other people!!

 

[lady_space]

I liked Powermad, but Wrathchild America kicked complete ass. And we got to see them live, too, Bryant and I did--actually at the venue that is now Earthlink Live. And very cool guys--we hung out and talked for quite a while. And Brad blew off some slut that was hitting on him pretty shamelessly... that was very cool.

Their later stuff, Souls at Zero, was also pretty decent, but they kinda fell off the map for me several years ago, after that second release. Anyone know what happened to them?