Divine Heresy is an American melodic death metal band, formed by former Fear Factory member Dino Cazares. Although band's origins trace back to 2002, Divine Heresy was officially formed in 2006. The band currently consists of guitarist Cazares, former Vital Remains drummer Tim Yeung, vocalist Tommy Vext, and former Nile bassist Joe Payne.

The band's debut album Bleed the Fifth was released on August 28, 2007, and sold 2,700 copies in its first week. Receiving generally positive reviews, Eduardo Rivadavia of All Music Guide commented the album "strikes a near-perfect balance between confirmation and innovation", while Dom Lawson of Metal Hammer commented "All in all, the portly pioneer [1] has hit the bull's-eye". The band embarked on three tours the promote the record ? with Static-X and Shadows Fall on the Operation Annihilation tour, a tour with Chimaira, and a European tour.

History

Formation

Following his departure from Fear Factory in 2002, guitarist Dino Cazares met former Vital Remains drummer Tim Yeung. In 2005, Cazares started writing material for a new project and contacted Yeung. The pair began jamming and writing material in June and July 2005. A search for a vocalist ensued and Tommy Vext was recommended by Century Media Records president Marco Barbieri, and vocal coach Melissa Cross, whose resume includes Corey Taylor of Slipknot, Randy Blythe from Lamb of God, and Philip Labonte from All That Remains. Cazares and Yeung recorded the material they wrote and sent tapes to Vext for his vocal audition. Cazares comments "We heard passion and anger in his voice, which was something we wanted. It was also very aggressive".

Bleed the Fifth

The band recorded its debut album, Bleed the Fifth in early 2007 with production duties handled by former Machine Head guitarist Logan Mader. The title of the album is a play on words, Cazares comments "You have the right to keep your mouth shut, but on this record we believe we?re saying a lot". Vext wrote the majority of the lyrics, which are about personal strifes and how you overcome them. Much of the lyrical content was influenced by the Book of Revelation, natural disasters, war, and terrorism. Cazares stated the album is a "big fuck you" to the people who wants his projects to fail.

Released on August 28, 2007, in the United States, Bleed the Fifth sold 2,700 copies in its first week. Dom Lawson of Metal Hammer summarized his review by saying "All in all, the portly pioneer has hit the bull's-eye and it's going to be fascinating to see what happens next", awarding an 8 out of a possible 10. Eduardo Rivadavia of All Music Guide felt the album "strikes a near-perfect balance between confirmation (reminding fans of Cazares' abilities and unique vision) and innovation (he even plays a few guitar solos!)". Scott Alisoglu of Blabbermouth.net summarized his review claiming the album is "one tough son of a bitch that may still have you humming melodies long after you've ejected the disc." Chad Bowar of About.com commented "Great musicianship, good songs and excellent production make this a very respectable debut."

After recording was completed, Cazares announced the band signed a North American deal with Century Media Records, and a licensing deal with Roadrunner Records in Europe. His decision to choose Century Media was based on the creative freedom the label gave him, where as Roadrunner would ask him to produce radio and commercial songs when he was in Fear Factory. However, Yeung claims Roadrunner were not interested and said he did not want to be on a label that is "sort of interested, they were out of the question".

Touring

Following the release of the album, Divine Heresy held auditions for a permanent bassist ? Tony Campos of Static-X played bass on three songs and Cazares acted as bassist on the remaining songs. Following unsuccessful auditions, Cazares was contacted by former Nile bassist Joe Payne. Cazares knew Payne when Fear Factory toured with Nile and had seen him play live. As he is able to play bass and guitar, Cazares hired him as the band's touring bassist, although it is not confirmed if he is a permanent member. The band embarked on a tour with Static-X and Shadows Fall called Operation Annihilation, a tour with Chimaira, and a European tour playing ten shows.

Members

• Tommy Vext ? vocals
• Dino Cazares ? guitar, bass on Bleed the Fifth
• Joe Payne ? bass
• Tim Yeung ? drums

Discography

• Bleed the Fifth (2007)

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