12 Stones and Powerman 5000

From humble beginnings in Mandeville, Louisiana, 12 Stones, formed of vocalist Paul McCoy, bassist Kevin Door, guitarist Eric Weaver, and drummer Aaron Gainer, was founded in 2000. With most members still in their teenage years, and with fewer than 15 live performances under their belt, 12 Stones recorded a demo and headed to New York City. After performing at a band showcase where multiple labels and industry executives would be, the band signed with Wind-Up Records.

12 Stones’ eponymous debut album was issued by Wind-Up in 2002 and debuted at No. 147 on the Billboard 200. Produced by Jay Baumgardner, the album spawned the singles “Broken”, “The Way I Feel”, and “Crash”, the former of which has been used as the theme song for WWE. Not long after the release, vocalist McCoy contributed vocals to the Evanescence smash hit “Bring Me to Life”, which won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.

The band’s sophomore album “Potter’s Field” appeared in 2004 and marked a change in sounds towards a more guitar-driven crunch. Aided by McCoy’s exposure from the Evanescence single, “Potter’s Field” became 12 Stones’ highest charting album, debuted at No. 29 on the Billboard 200. After the release the band took a break to focus on their families, however returned with the 2007 album “Anthems for the Underdog” in response to the deadly Hurricane Katrina that affected their hometown. The album was the first to include new member by Justin Rimer, was produced by Skidd Mills and encompasses feelings of helplessness experienced by victims of the hurricane.

“Beneath the Scars” followed in 2012 once again produced by Skidd Mills. The album earned favourable reviews from the musical press and spawned the singles “Bulletproof”, “Worlds Collide”, and “Infected”.

The band initially consisted of one member, Michael David Cummings – aka Spider One, who has been the core member of the band throughout its formation. Spider One formed the band after he dropped at of art school and began recording music on a 4-track recorder. Spider One is also highly notable for being the brother of fellow metal musician, Rob Zombie. Spider One soon recruited Adam Williams – aka Adam 12 – to be the lead guitarist in the band. Bassist Dorian 27 and drummer Al 3 would later complete the original lineup.

In 1994 the band released their debut EP “True Force”. Just one year after the band released their EP they independently released their debut album “The Blood-Splat Rating System”. The album was a great success in their hometown and sold out of its initial pressing. The success of the album garnered the band a major label contract with DreamWorks Records. The label later reissued the album under the title “Mega!! Kung Fu Radio”.

In 1999 the band enlisted M.33 on guitars and released their highly successful album “Tonight the Stars Revolt!”. The album helped the band break into the mainstream and conveyed a unique mixture of science fiction and rock. The album contained the singles “Tonight the Stars Revolt!”, “Supernova Goes Pop”, “Nobody’s Real”, and “When Worlds Collide”. The album also did quite well on the Billboard chart reaching No. 29 on the Billboard 200. The album contained elements of campy science fiction influences as well as a cover of “Good Times Roll” by The Cars.

In the early 2000s Dorian 27 and Al3 would leave the band and were replaced by Ad7 and Siggy Sjursen. The band also gained buzz for their cover version of “Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. The cover song gained huge exposure when it was used in the 2001 film Zoolander. In 2003 the band released the album “Transform”, which took a more direct punk approach as opposed to the heavy industrial metal that the band was used to producing. The album reached the No. 27 position on the Billboard 200 and contained the singles “Free” and “Action”.

In 2006 the band released their fifth studio album “Destroy What You Enjoy”. The album contained the single “Wild World” and showed the band further shifting from industrial rock to punk rock. In 2009 the band released an album called “Somewhere on the Other Side of Nowhere”, which showed the band returning to their more industrial roots. The album contained the singles “Super Villain” and “V Is for Vampire”. In 2014 Powerman 5000 released the album “Builders of the Future”, which reached the No. 2 position on Billboard’s Top Hard Rock Albums. The album also featured the single “How to be a Human”, which placed on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks.

The band is also known for their live performances and has played many headlining shows as well as performed at major festivals such as Ozzfest. Powerman 5000 has also been featured on many soundtracks including “Bride of Chucky”, “End of Days”, “Little Nicky”, and “Scream 3”.