This Southampton (UK) based band was formed by students whom had moved to that city to attend University, and who united through their love of '90s computer games and action movies featuring Steven Seagal.
Somewhere late 2006, the guys (lead vocalist/ rhythm guitarist Steve George, lead guitarist Pete Davis, bassist Paul Shott, and drummer/ backing singer Harry “Shogun” Gardner) thought it was a good idea to start a band in the house they were then living in, and did a series of late night jams sessions (much to the delight...think so?...of their neighbors) in an attempt to create fuzzed-out Desert Rock, inspired by their common love for the likes of Kyuss, Nebula, Fu Manchu, and more of that ilk. But, inspired equally by bands from other genres, such as Metallica, Bad Religion, Radiohead, and more...the guys gradually honed their sound to include a wider range of influences, and thus somewhat departing from their Stoner Rock roots. In all honesty, in the first years of the band's existence, musical activity came in flurries, followed by longer periods of drink-related inactivity. Fun times were maximized, productivity levels were low! As time passed by, gigs were occasionally played, and when they were on stage they brought a frenetic and fervent live show, which meant that they did get noticed...and somehow, they even got themselves plastered onto the bill of a couple of high profile gigs playing support to The Streets and Calvin Harris!
Meanwhile, the band had already recorded a couple of EPs, which they meant as demos for themselves, but on January 1st 2010 they made some of that material available on the 7-track mini-album Old Stuff (I'm not sure it was actually printed on CD or cdR, though, so it might just've been a digital release). The band then went through a phase of writing mainly instrumental Stone Rock material (described by one reviewer as “riff-oriented Bong-Rock”...ahum!), and they released a 6-track, self-titled mini-album (this time with actual physical release, for sure!) on January 29, 2011 (which they had recorded live at London's The Barbican Theatre). They also worked with award-winning filmmakers on the music video for the track “Shove It”, and this got national attention and airtime. In turn, this got the band support slots with Dinosaur Pile-Up, Orange Goblin, Turbowolf, and Brant Bjork And The Bros.
After the success of the Barbican recording, the guys installed a home studio in the barely habitable house they had been living in and had affectionately called “Widdlecombe” (a mouldy old place, which in fact gave name to one of he tracks of their self-titled mini-album), where after several experiments, they recorded Leave The Future Behind during Summer 2012, after re-inventing themselves all over again. Now “having found their ground”, the band's music is described in the info as “A blend of Heavy Rock with Pop sensibilities that simultaneously satisfies their various musical urges”. Although a DIY effort, the band hauled in Ben Turk, and made him responsible for production. Having been aware of the band since its conception, Turk was sensitive both to the band's origins as to the direction they were striving for.
This means that you'll still find some Stoner influences in the band's overall sound (both in the music as well as in the somewhat sedate vocal stylings – don't let the word “sedate” deter you though...it goes wonderfully well with the music, indeed!), and it's no surprise that comparisons to Queens Of The Stone Age and Foo Fighters came up in the early reviews of the album. Positive critical reviews came abundant from all over the UK. This spurred the band on, giving the members new focus and drive. But it also brought about the first-ever line-up change within the band, with guitarist Pete Davis leaving and being replaced by the drummer, Harry Gardner, at the end of 2012. Now the band was a drummer short, but after extensive search they found the man they needed in one Guillaume “Gizmo” Redonnet-Brown, whom did his live debut with the band on March 1st of last! For your audio introduction to the band, surf to its own website (www.) thebluescreenofdeath.co.uk. In the “Music” section you'll be re-directed to the current mini-album's page (and from there you'll be able to check the band's earlier releases, as mentioned above). Mini-album? Yeah, I mean...8 songs for a total of just under 27 minutes, you know...that's what I, I personally, call a mini-album!
Ooh...before I forget, that wacky bandname, eh!? You know, it is suggested that it may, or may not, have to do something with that computer game Counterstrike! I wouldn't know, not being one to lose time with idle gaming! At any rate, let's give this album a whoppin' maximum rating shall we (crap...would you believe that's the 5th out of 9 albums in a package from Two Side Moon Promotion getting honoured in such a way!)?