Ethereal Architect is a progressive metal band that hails from Austin, Texas. Their unique style has been compared to Opeth and Dream Theater, and although the music contains all the trademarks of the genre (complex rhythms, unconventional structures, technical virtuosity, and dynamic arrangements), the quartet's prowess in creating melodic, memorable songs is what sets them apart.
The band's sound is very much guitar-driven; full of crunchy riffs, harmonized leads, and blazing solos, the band also tastefully makes use of light keyboard accents. The vocals avoid the high falsetto fanfare and deep growls common to the genre, and instead offer a strong, expressive performance often compared to that of Maynard Keenan from Tool and Steve Wilson from Porcupine Tree. Ethereal Architect is rounded out by an accomplished rhythm section which provides a solid metal foundation.
Coming off the success of their critically-acclaimed debut album, Dissension, the band will release their follow-up effort in early 2012. Capitalizing on the strong following built across Europe and the U.S., Ethereal Architect has launched an aggressive campaign to be heard around the world.
Adam
Instrument: Voice
Born: May 7, 1984 College Station, TX
Musical Background: I played cello and percussion back in middle school and tried my hand in turn tables towards the end of my high school experience. When I was 18, I began training my voice with an acoustic guitar anytime my house would empty. Since then, I have learned many styles of singing and a few more things that you can do with a guitar, but not much.
Side/Past Projects: In high school, I was on the turntables with Lucid View, then started A Mindivided with the guitarist when I moved to San Marcos. We played for nearly 7 years, during which time I became acquainted with David and joined EA. I am concurrently playing with a blues project out of Austin called Squirrel Pelt.
Influences: Alice in Chains, Tool, Incubus, System of a Down
Favorite Albums of all Time: 10,000 Days by Tool, Octahedron by The Mars Volta, S.C.I.E.N.C.E. by Incubus
Favorite EA song: Slip or Negative 2/3; the new album will take some re-thinking.
Hobbies: Climbing, camping, mountain biking, carpentry, photography, and digital & mixed media art
Favorite Movies/TV: Fight Club, A Scanner Darkly, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Favorite Books: Intelligence in Nature by Jeremy Narby, Food of the Gods by Terence McKenna, Everyday Consciousness and Primordial Awareness by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, The Last Victim by Jason Moss
Interesting Fact: I revoked my nickname, AJ, after kindergarten, because it made me sound like a child.
Equipment: Shure and AKG Microphones, Alvarez guitars.
David
Instruments: In EA I play electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals, keyboards, and programming. I also play bass and used to swing a tune on the trombone.
Born: July 12, 1985 in Stirling, Scotland
Musical Background: I played trombone in middle and high school, and sang in choirs in high school and college. I picked up guitar when I was 13 and formed a metal band shortly thereafter. In college I learned to play the bass guitar and practiced a lot of cello etudes and jazz. My education focused on music theory and sound recording technology. During that time I founded Ethereal Architect whilst also playing in and recording a number of other bands. I graduated with a Bachelor's of Music in 2007 and have continued recording a wide variety of music, but EA has been my primary focus since.
Side/Past Projects: Played in: The Apse Affinity, Smokers and Non-Smokers, Cockburn, Legion, and various jazz combos. Produced and/or Engineered: Meyvn, Segunda Luna, The Easy Love, Serafia Jane, Twilight Broadcast, The Subtle Creeps, Dork Star, Bloodshot Pyramid, Mahogany Jonze, and quite a few other projects…
Musical Influences: Opeth, Symphony X, Dream Theater, Blind Guardian, and Ayreon
Favorite Albums of all Time: Transatlantic – The Whirlwind, Symphony X – Paradise Lost, Blind Guardian – Nightfall in Middle-Earth, Opeth – Ghost Reveries, Dream Theater – Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Favorite EA song: Negative Two-Thirds from Dissension (though everything from the new album will blow it away!)
Hobbies: Other than music, my other love is martial arts. I train in Muay Thai (kickboxing), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (grappling) and Haganah (self-defense). I’m an avid fan of MMA – Lyoto Machida is my favorite fighter.
Favorite Movies/TV: Serenity, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Two Towers, South Park, The Office, Spaced (R.I.P.)
Favorite Books: Letters to a Young Contrarian by Christopher Hitchens, The Moor’s Last Sigh by Salman Rushdie, Why I’m not a Christian by Bertrand Russell, and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
Interesting Fact: I became a U.S. Citizen in 2008. I was born a citizen of the U.K.
Equipment: My main axe is a Caparison Horus (27 frets!) with a DiMarzio pickup in the bridge. I also play a Jackson DKMG with EMGs and a Taylor 310ce. I use Ernie Ball strings on my electric and Elixirs on my acoustic. I have an Engl 570 preamp running into a Mesa 2:90 power amp into a Mesa 4x12 cab. I use Mogami cables when possible.
Jake
Name: Jake Koenig
Instruments: Drums/Percussion, Guitar
Born: 8 July, 1985
Musical Background: I started out banging on pots, pans, boxes, stuff
like that. I started on a full kit in ’95. At the time I was a first chair baritone
player in the school band. Brass bored me so I shifted my focus to
percussion. I picked up guitar sometime in my teens. I’ve also dabbled with
some violin and piano. Basically any instrument I get my hands on I want
to learn to play.
Side/Past Projects: Munky Junk, Mr. Huge, Lotion, Twang, Salty Dawg,
Cockburn, Hammer, King Fisher, The Cody Lawson Band.
Musical Influences: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Frank Zappa, Waylon
Jennings, Aaron Freeman, Danny Carey
Favorite Albums of all Time: Core-STP, Appetite for Destruction-GNR,
Animals-Pink Floyd, Ænima-Tool, Overnight Sensation-Zappa
Favorite EA song: Phrygian
Hobbies: Other than music, I like hunting, fishing, camping, basically
anything related to the outdoors.
Favorite Movies/TV: I hate this question. No Country for Old Men was
good. Mr. Show, Its Always Sunny, Dexter, and Breaking Bad are some
interesting t.v. shows.
Favorite Books: Where the Red Fern Grows, Into the Wild, The Teachings
of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge,
Interesting Fact: I got into fancy dancing when I was younger.
Equipment: I’m currently playing on a Tama Starclassic 6 piece. I use Remo
Roto-toms, and Zildjian and Sabian cymbals. In the percussion section I play a
djembe, doumbek, tablas, and all sorts of shakers and do-dads.
Instruments: Drums/Percussion, Guitar
Born: July 8, 1985 in Uvalde, Texas
Musical Background: I started out banging on pots, pans, boxes, stuff like that. I started on a full kit in ’95. At the time I was a first chair baritone player in the school band. Brass bored me so I shifted my focus to percussion. I picked up guitar sometime in my teens. I’ve also dabbled with some violin and piano. Basically any instrument I get my hands on I want to learn to play.
Side/Past Projects: Munky Junk, Mr. Huge, Lotion, Twang, Salty Dawg, Cockburn, Hammer, King Fisher, The Cody Lawson Band.
Musical Influences: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Frank Zappa, Waylon Jennings, Aaron Freeman, Danny Carey
Favorite Albums of all Time: Core-STP, Appetite for Destruction-GNR, Animals-Pink Floyd, Ænima-Tool, Overnight Sensation-Zappa
Favorite EA song: Phrygian
Hobbies: Other than music, I like hunting, fishing, camping, basically anything related to the outdoors.
Favorite Movies/TV: No Country for Old Men was good. Mr. Show, Its Always Sunny, Dexter, and Breaking Bad are some interesting t.v. shows.
Favorite Books: Where the Red Fern Grows, Into the Wild, The Teachingsof Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge,
Interesting Fact: I got into fancy dancing when I was younger.
Equipment: I’m currently playing on a Tama Starclassic 6 piece. I use Remo Roto-toms, and Zildjian and Sabian cymbals. In the percussion section I play adjembe, doumbek, tablas, and all sorts of shakers and do-dads.
Thad
Instruments: Bass, and occasionally some guitars and keyboards
Born: May 8, 1989 in Beaumont, Texas
Musical Background: I started out on French horn in middle school, but I picked up bass shortly after that. I didn't really take it seriously until I discovered Iron Maiden about a year in. Then "Hey You" by Pink Floyd inspired me to take up fretless pretty early on. I took lessons until university, where I played in jazz combos and a couple of bands. Once in a while I'll pick up a guitar, mainly for writing, but it's more of a diversion.
Side/Past Projects: The Tonewheels, The Mecca Drive, and a few jazz combos. I'm currently working on a funeral doom metal concept called Stoic.
Musical Influences: Watchtower, Iron Maiden, Hieronymus Bosch, Skepticism and Esoteric. In terms of bass, Steve DiGiorgio, Geddy Lee, Steve Harris, and Doug Keyser. Some of my favorite musicians in general include Chuck Schuldiner, Pat Metheny, Devin Townsend, A.A. Lucassen, and Jami Sieber.
Favorite Albums of all time: Hieronymus Bosch - Artificial Emotions, Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, The Moody Blues - In Search of the Lost Chord, Edge of Sanity - Crimson I & II, Gorod - Leading Vision
Favorite EA song: Slip
Hobbies: Racquetball, tennis, dancing games like DDR and Pump It Up, working out. I collect (read: pay stupid amounts of money for) CDs and more recently, vinyls. I have a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, so I may psychoanalyze you during conversation.
Favorite Movies/TV: Memento, The Departed, Shutter Island, Reservoir Dogs, Battle Royale, Monty Python, Serial Experiments Lain
Favorite Books: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, John Dies at the End by David Wong, anything by Samuel Beckett or Viktor Frankl.
Interesting Fact: During university, I worked in an anxiety disorders lab treating snake and spider phobias.
Equipment: All my basses have D'Addario roundwound strings. I usually play a 5-string fretless Ibanez BTB through a Genz-Benz Shuttle. My other main bass is a fretless Washburn.