The Unofficial Video for Requiem - For the Dead (3rd Movement in E Major)Requiem - For the Dead (3rd Movement in E Major)
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In 1992 members of local Brooklyn hardcore favorites Crowd Control along with members of one of Brooklyns top thrash/speed metal bands, Lunattack joined forces to create Metal powerhouse Deadzone. Originally staffed by Guitarist Vinny Tufariello, Drummer Al Tafurelli, Vox/Keyboards Tommy Fico of Crowd Control, along with Bassist John Laino, and Vox/Keyboards LAndru of Lunattack. The bands lineup changed many times throughout 92, after Al, and Tommy left the band in late 92, the guys enlisted long time friend Rob Ruotolo to fill the vacant drummers position, and further rounded out their sound by adding ex-Lunattack guitarist Alex Strange.
It was this lineup of LAndru, Vinny, John, Alex, and Rob, that went into the studio, to write and produce the classic indie EP, An Audio Interpretation of Human Existence which enjoyed critical acclaim through out the US and Europe. The album which was recorded in just under 4 weeks at Brooklyns infamous Sty in the Sky Studios, and engineered by Type O Negative keyboardist Josh Silver reached high into the request charts of many European metal radio stations, as well as making it into the general rotation on many US college metal radio shows. The album was a no nonsense, Black Sabbath styled approach to metal, and a return to the good old days of underground metal.
However its dark and dismal lyrics, and at times slow and plodding musical styling's, caused many to dismiss the band as Goth or Death Metal, and with the Seattle scene in full force in the states, many local music scenes including the once great underground scene of N.Y. withered on the vine, as all eyes turned north west, with clubs large and small closing left and right in the east, show attendance dropping, like a rock, for even the biggest names in metal, Deadzone remained an underground cult band, without a US outlet for its sonic mayhem.
The band was temporarily sidelined further in 94 due to drummer Rob Ruotolo suffering severe spinal damage when the van he was in was rear ended by an unlicensed, uninsured, and extremely drunk driver on the Brooklyn/Queens Expressway. After months of auditions Staten Island native Steve Randall was brought in to replace the injured Ruotolo. Rob was later able to rejoin the band for a few of its final shows despite the injuries.
It was during this time that the video Project Deadzone was filmed and released to the European market. The video was a mixture of band interviews, and live footage of the band at venues such as LAmour's, CBGBs, The Right Track Inn, and other N.Y. locations, recorded throughout 93 & 94, that video, is now a collectors item, as it contained previously unrecorded crowd favorites such as The Don Giovanni Opera, Fear of Technology, and Madness. It was the bands way of thanking their European following, due to their inability to secure a European tour.
By late 95 despite good record sales in Europe and South America, with the decline of the US market, the lack of support for a European tour, frustration over the lack venues to play, a constantly changing drummers position, and the in fighting over musical direction, had finally taken its toll, and Deadzone parted company.
Vinny and Rob, along with Deadzones road manager Damian Korman on vocals, later got together in the late 90s to form Slow Decent however the project fell apart during the recording of their debut album Into Madness.
After nearly a decade apart, in 04, the original lineup as it appeared on the Audio album have reformed and are currently working on new material as well as working on revamping many old songs which were crowd favorites that did not appear on the Audio EP. Now only time will tell what this return to the studio will bring.