ATHEIST Drummer Delivers Technical Ecstasy With New GNOSTIC Demo

Starrfactory Entertainment, founded by ATHEIST frontman Kelly Shaefer, has announced it will be shopping around the demos for one of the most technically exciting new bands to emerge since the legendary ATHEIST delivered its three classic albums from 1988 to 1993.

Shaefer says record companies should pay attention. "GNOSTIC is a name you might want to write down as being a major force in the metal scene in 2007," he says.

The band has emerged with a ferocious new three-song demo entitled "Isolate Gravity", chock-full of "some of the most amazing metal drumming ever recorded, in my opinion," says Shaefer.

Guitarists Sonny Carson and Chris Baker, whom many have seen out on the road as the guitarists for ATHEIST this summer on their European festival run, deliver an array of technical riffing, that will leave many a heads spinning. Rounding out the GNOSTIC lineup is bassist Stephen Morley, and topping it all off with the "utterly sick-ass" guttural screams of Kevin Freeman.

While GNOSTIC is quite different than ATHEIST, they carry the flag of technicality that many seek in metal these days. The band have been rehearsing and living in Atlanta, Georgia, and are about to make a proper live debut before year's end. They look forward to hitting the studio to record their debut album for an as-yet-undetermined record company in early 2007.

Says Flynn about the new demo and the recent addition of guitarist Chris Baker: "I believe that these new songs show the natural progression of the band and the direction we are heading, as we have now had the opportunity to spend more time together and gel as song writers. The music continues to get more aggressive, and technical as we start to truly develop and explore our own style. I am also still continuing to develop my drumming style and technique. At the end of the day, we are just becoming more comfortable together as writers and it's reflected in these new tracks. The addition of Chris Baker also added not only more technicality, but more melodic overtones as well, which are heard in the multi-layer harmonies on the demo. We are also working on new material that continues down this prog/aggressive/technical road."

Baker, who has seamlessly handled the daunting task of playing Rand Burkey's parts on the ATHEIST tour, had this to say about being the newest member of GNOSTIC: "These guys love to practice, love to create. From day one, I knew this was something I wanted to be involved in: the musicality, technique, originality, and songwriting are in perfect accord. This is definitely an advanced art! ……complex rhythmic passages, catchy vocal lines, tight tempo changes, and melodic phrasings are all seamlessly integrated to craft a sleek and powerful entity that breathes its own fire!

"We've just recently recorded this new demo, and we already have lots more music on the way. I'm very excited about the direction and the music we are creating….. this is only the start of great things to come."

Two tracks — "Sleeping Ground" and "Isolate Gravity" — can be heard at the band's MySpace page.