Biography

When Mortal Tide split in September 1995 each of the members went their own separate ways. None were particularly bothered. The band had been going nowhere, and, if they were honest, the music wasn't too hot. Steve went off to university in Southampton, Lee and Simon to Anglia. James carried on working in Colchester. However, the seeds had been sown, and a lengthy phone conversation between Steve and Lee just before Christmas 95 led the guys to give it another go, this time properly. Fate had dealt them a kind hand - Lee's band in Cambridge had split after the guitarist broke his leg, and Lee wanted out of Cambridge for personal reasons. Steve and Lee got together with the promise to make a go of it - no more arseing around. James and Sim on were re-integrated, and the line-up was back. This was to be a new band - with completely new songs and ideas. A new name was taken, Entwined, originally an idea for a song title, but which summed up the new bands direction. Lee's new songs were more epic, had better dynamics and kicked the arse out of the older stuff. Steve's vocals had improved ten fold, and the band played tighter than before. In order to enhance their performance, the band booked a gig within 3 weeks of forming, out in the sticks su pporting an indie covers band - but the dreaded first gig was over and done with. 2 weeks later the band were in the studio recording their debut demo, "XIII" in 5 hours and several beers!

With a demo, and a few gigs on the local circuit, Entwined began to look beyond Colchester. After sending a copy of "XIII" to the Devil's Church, the band were booked to open for Dominion. In the meantime, the band recruited keyboard player Mark Royce as a full time writing member, and the different edge Mark gave helped enhance the bands sound even more. The gig was quite successful, despite the very low attendance, and many demos were sold. Entwined had established a foothold in the door. After spending Spring/early Summer writing and recording new material Entwined returned to showcase their new, more fine tuned and less doom-y direction at a packed Devil's Church headline, followed by a support slot with the Blood Divine the next day in Southampton.

Later that week Entwined moved into the more advanced 'Adelaide Studios' to begin recording their second demo, 'Her Cherished Mask'. The result was a sonic masterpiece, and the production was dubbed "probably the most professional I've ever heard on a demo". The 5 tracks of English Gothic METAL were to set the underground alight - more Devil's Church gigs arrived, great reviews flooded in from fanzines all over Europe, and then on the eve of one such gig at the Red Eye in February '97 the band received a phone call from Steve Green of Unknown Territory - perhaps the man responsible for discovering Entwined back in the early raw "XIII" days. Steve informed them that a large UK label were interested in coming to see them. A demo was quickly rushed off to the interested party, and at the gig the bands management met with the label representative and the meeting was set for a week later.

Several months of contractual negotiations were to take place, before England's finest set pen to paper to ink a long term deal with Earache Records, home of many of heavy metal's finest - and a worthy label for the band desperate to find a label with the same desire they had to make Entwined the biggest band out there.

During the summer the band wrote and rehearsed material for their debut album, recording it in October '97. The album was produced by Simon Efemey (Cancer, Pitch Shifter and Paradise Lost, amongst others) and awaiting a Spring '98 release. The music on offer on 'Dancing Under Glass' is the most dangerous to date - hard riffs, driving rhythms, epic keys, heavy music and for the first time Steve has taken the step of singing, bringing a much wider, but more dynamic edge to the already hook laden riffery on offer.

Over the release period, the band headed off for their first jaunt into Europe, with the infamous Morbid Angel for a mammoth 8 weeks. The tour was one of the longest around, and allowed the band to bring their new, confident and energetic stage show to the European masses. On the whole it was a major success (though Berlin kinda sucked, and Denmark was, hmmm, windy…), and the band got to experience shows in many countries that most of their contemporaries will not have had the chance to play - taking in Portugal, Italy, all of Scandinavia, the Czech Republic and Slovenia amongst others. The tour was to culminate in the already well known May 10^th show at London’s LA2, where Entwined returned triumphant to the awaiting, eager fans, who turned up to see them perform successfully most of the ‘Dancing Under Glass’ album, and the Motorhead track Entwined took to Europe; ‘Go To Hell’.

BIOGRAPHY UPDATE - EARACHE BIOG. 1998

Stephen John Tovey - Voices and Guitar
Lee James - Electric Six String
Simon - Bass
Mark Royce - Keyboards
James Southgate - Drums

Like a breath of fresh air comes Entwined - five, young unashamed metal headz who have single-handedly set about putting British gothic metal back on the map. But before images of wailing female vocals and badly played violins spring to mind, consider this: Entwined are a gothic metal band with the emphasis on metal - they play loud and proud, and they manage to construct something credible and original in the process.

Entwined's second demo found its way to the attention of Earache, who snapped the band up immediately. Impressed by Entwined's strong song writing, characterised by twin guitar work and inventive keyboard lines, the label was blown away by the way in which a band as young as Entwined forged ahead playing numerous gigs and writing original material.

After joining forces with Earache, the band hooked up with producer Simon Efemey, and set about recording their debut album, 'Dancing Under Glass'. The resulting record made a mockery of Entwined's lack of experience, putting many more established acts to shame. Wearing their metal proudly on their sleeves, tracks like 'Shed Nightward Beauty' and 'The Sacrifice of Spring' prove that emotion, power and guitars do mix. Featuring excellent twin guitar melody backed by keyboards that never dominate, but compliment the music perfectly, 'Dancing Under Glass' will appeal to lovers of quality heavy music everywhere.

Vocalist Stephen John Tovey is obviously enthusiastic about the album and the bands future. And he certainly doesn't hold back in his descriptions of Entwined's music. Talking about 'Under A Killing Moon' for instance, the singer comments: "Imagine ruined castles, moonlit, and gleaming against the stars... Sublimely melodic, with some gorgeous harmonies from Lee, this one grows from the barest sound to full on classic metal riffery. Cool." And Entwined aren't short of confidence either; "'The Sacrifice Of Spring' has my favourite bit of music on the whole album on the last riff, when Lee plays a harmony that's so layered it'd put Lynott, Sykes, Gorham and Robertson to shame!" Luckily the music on 'Dancing Under Glass' easily lives up to such bold claims with some outstanding musicianship.

The band's confidence is infectious, and you get the feeling talking to them that Entwined take extreme pride in everything they do - explaining the instrumental album closer, 'XIII', Stephen argues; "We wanted to get back to that Maiden 'Transylvania', or Metallica 'Orion' type feel, of having an instrumental that is really a song that stands up on its own, but without lyrics... and I think we pulled it off." In an age where most bands rely on image more than anything else, Entwined use supreme songs, unshakeable confidence and genuine talent to stand head and shoulders above the rest.

Entwined are set to strike out as the one true British metal standard bearers on an extensive European touring schedule following the release of 'Dancing Under Glass'.

ENTWINED - NO VIOLINS, NO FEMALE VOCALS -
JUST 100% PROOF METAL!