HUMAN GROUND

*Human Ground* was born in late fall of 2003 in Los Angeles. The founding member *Tarvo Valm* (living in LA at that time) was struggling with the idea to put together a well-sounding thrash/death metal project. In the beginning it was meant to be a studio project with different additional musicians, but as time passed, the band's concept changed.Getting tired of (and nowhere with) being in LA for almost five years, Valm started to think about of returning to his home country Estonia. Being parted for so long with his friends and family was too depressing for him. He decided to go back for everything he was missing and also in order to make some quality music - playing with his close friends, with real musicians, not with wannabes.*In the spring of 2004* the plans for Human Ground were getting clearer. Valm started to look for the right band members and trying to figure out the whole concept. There was no time to waste - first show was already booked and the word was being spread that something big was coming!With no further ado Valm asked *Marko Atso* (drums) and *Raivo Piirsalu* (bass) to join him. They'd played in several projects before and were getting along perfectly. No-one else could really have fit into that project better than them. And, of course, without thinking too long, they said yes. 60 percent of Human Ground was together.To get the perfect live sound and quality - so that everyone in the band could concentrate on their instruments - *HG* decided to find a rhythm guitar player to support Valm. There actually was a person available and his name was *Sven Varkel* - the man with the knowledge and the will. Atso once said: "Who can say no to Valm? Whenever he makes an offer, you just can't say NO."Well, the biggest issue was to find the right person to take care of main vocals. There were a few additions, but nothing new, until Sven suggested to try out his former band's singer *Pille Rand*. Valm sent the tape ("It Grows Deep") to her and with Sven's help she laid it down perfectly. There was no doubt about who's the singer in Human Ground!The first rehearsals were held without Valm, but as soon as he arrived, the real thing started to happen. HG slowly came to life. There were two main objectives: first of all to record the demo and then to get ready for the first show.In the beginning of July their first 3-song demo "Carrier Of The Remains" was out.*On July 16, 2004* (Human Ground's birthday) they played at the Hard Rock Laager, the biggest metal festival in Estonia, for hundreds of headbanging fans. That was the great start - to play together with Dismember from Sweden. From this day on Human Ground was completely formed and presented as the new hope in the Estonian metal scene. The star was born!During the fall HG rehearsed and played a few small shows, but the main thing was to get ready to record the album. Atso had several other bands he was recording with, so it gave Valm some extra time to write music as well as lyrics.In the beginning of 2005 the studio session started. Deadlines were set and there was no time to waste - 17 songs had to be done by March 1st. It took a while to put down the right schedule and to find the right vibe in the studio. The band also had to rehearse for the upcoming show on January 21st - opening for *Entombed* from Sweden at Rock Café in Tallinn.At the end of March 2005 the album was finally mixed and mastered. During that busy period HG took a trip to Vilnius, Lithuania in order to open for *Behemoth* (from Poland). All went well and the band got back without a scratch. But there was no time to take a rest. The album cover needed to be done, the release party was nearing and they also had to shoot the video for "Evening".After releasing the "Human Ground" album and giving great show at the release party, the band took some time off. They gave a few shows here and there, but nothing serious. The record label was busy with promotion for the album.The Hard Rock Laager 2005 festival was drawing nearer, as well as Human Ground's birthday. Sven was having a hard time with his personal life and couldn't spend time with the band as much as he wanted to. The HR Laager gig was Sven's last show with Human Ground. They've decided to go on as a 4-piece band.At the moment HG is looking for an agency or a management who would be interested in the band - booking shows and dealing with everything.To be continued... HUMAN GROUND Estonianmetal.com ORKUT HG HG