Control Denied

Control Denied was a progressive metal band formed by death metal musician and Death founder Chuck Schuldiner.

Control Denied
Chuck Schuldiner
Background information
Origin	Florida, United States
Genres	Progressive metal
Years active	1995–2001
Labels	Nuclear Blast, Hammerheart, Relapse

Background

Schuldiner initially mentioned the general idea of teaming up with a Rob Halford-esque singer in a September 1993 interview with Guitar School.^[1] He would discuss the idea further in multiple 1995 interviews, including Guitar World,^[2] the Italian magazine Metal Shock^[3] and the Dutch magazine Watt^[4] mentioning Ronnie James Dio as another example of the type of singer he would like to partner with.^[2] He had already started working on Control Denied riffs by the time Death was touring in Japan for the album Symbolic,^[5] which took place in September 1995.^[6] Death drummer Gene Hoglan has stated that after the Symbolic tour, Schuldiner broke up Death as he was displeased with the record label.^[7]

History

Formation

B.C Richards joined the band in 1995 as vocalist, though he temporarily left the same year to focus on Wicked Ways.^[8] Schuldiner attempted to get Andy LaRocque as a lead guitarist, but the lack of a label hindered it.^[5] Drummer Chris Williams also joined around this time; Williams recruited Shannon Hamm on guitar and Scott Clendenin on bass.^[9] By 1996, Richards had rejoined;^[10] the following year he had left the band again, while Clendenin was replaced by Brian Benson. The name of the album at the time was The Moment of Clarity; other tracks from the album included What If and Cut Down to Size.^[5] Jim Dofka had sent Schuldiner demo material and was interested in joining Control Denied alongside his Psycho Scream bandmate Tim Aymar. However, Schuldiner had already selected Hamm as the guitarist.^[11] After a brief audition and demo, Aymar was selected, beating out both Warrel Dane of Nevermore and Rob Halford of Judas Priest.^[12] Earlier, Dane was almost selected as the singer, though the scheduling did not work out^[13] as Dane was dedicated to Nevermore and didn't have the time.^[14] Williams left the band as he couldn't "hang around waiting" any longer and went on to join another band, which led to Richard Christy joining the band as his replacement.^[15]

The Fragile Art of Existence

Schuldiner signed with the record label Nuclear Blast in 1997, though the label required that another Death album be released before a Control Denied album could be issued. This led to the release of Death's The Sound of Perseverance in 1998, but finally the debut album The Fragile Art of Existence was released in 1999.^[16] The Fragile Art of Existence was reissued in October 2010 by Relapse Records in a 2-disc standard format, with one hour of bonus material, and a 3-disc deluxe version, with two hours of bonus material.^[17]

When Man and Machine Collide

A second album (which was recorded at Morrisound with Jim Morris under the initial title of "When Hate Strikes Down",^[12] but which was later tentatively titled When Man and Machine Collide), was partly recorded in November 2000 after Schuldiner had signed with Hammerheart Records.^[18] According to an interview with Hamm originally done in the Tampa Metal Music Examiner, Schuldiner and Christy had completed their tracks, while Hamm recorded three of his tracks before the funds were diverted to pay for Schuldiner's medical bills.^[19] The death of Schuldiner in 2001 put the recordings on hold. Remaining band members had expressed a wish to complete and release the material.^[20] However, there existed a longstanding legal dispute over the rights of the material with Hammerheart Records^{[note 1]}, further postponing the completion and release of the album.^[22]

Schuldiner's mother, Jane, affirmed in January 2003 that the album would be released.^[23] Hammerheart indicated in a 2003 press release that it would release the "incomplete recordings",^[24] to which Schuldiner responded that it would be "sacrilege."^[25] Schuldiner initially announced in March 2004 that they would be uploaded and made available for free download.^[26] The following month, she indicated that rather than release the rehearsal tracks, the entire completed album should be released instead.^[27] Part of these incomplete recordings were released without authorization on the Zero Tolerance album,^[28] which was announced as the title by Karmageddon Media in March 2004.^[29] Schuldiner estate lawyer^[30] and Death manager Eric Greif settled all matters with the label by 2009, allowing for the possibility of completing the album.^[31]

On December 4, 2010, Aymar released a statement saying that plans were being made to record and release the album, stating that Jim Morris of Morrisound Studios (with whom Chuck Schuldiner recorded several albums during his career) had been in contact with Greif to begin planning and booking studio time to record the remaining parts of When Man and Machine Collide.^[32] Plans were cut short by a break-in at Morrisound in the spring of 2011 that saw much of their equipment stolen, pushing back the completion of the album.^[33] An exploratory meeting between producer Jim Morris and guitarist Shannon Hamm was held in December 2012.^[34] Greif stated in October 2016 that the recordings would not be completed.^[35]

Discography

• 1996 demo (1996)
• 1997 demo (1997)
• 1999 demo (1999)^[17]
• The Fragile Art of Existence (1999)
• Unreleased Themes from Control Denied (bootleg) (2004)
• The Fragile Art of Existence (reissue, two formats) (2010)

Members

Final lineup Chuck Schuldiner – guitars (1995–2001), vocals (1996–1997, 1999); died 2001 Steve Di Giorgio – bass (1999–2001) Shannon Hamm – guitars (1996–2001) Tim Aymar – vocals (1997–2001); died 2023 Richard Christy – drums (1997–2001)

Former members B.C. Richards – vocals (1995),^[8] 1996^[10] Brian Benson - bass (1997)^[5] Chris Williams – drums (1996–1997); died 2000 Scott Clendenin – bass (1996–1997); died 2015

Line-ups

Period	Members	Studio releases
1995	B.C. Richards – vocals^[8] Chuck Schuldiner - guitar	None
ca. 1995	Chuck Schuldiner - guitar, vocals Chris Williams - drums^[36]	None
ca. 1995	Chuck Schuldiner - guitar, vocals Chris Williams - drums Shannon Hamm - guitars^[36]	None
1995-1996	Chuck Schuldiner - guitar, vocals Scott Clendenin - bass Chris Williams - drums Shannon Hamm - guitars^[8]	1996 demo^[9]
ca. April 1996	Chuck Schuldiner - guitars B.C. Richards - vocals^[10]	None
1997	Chuck Schuldiner - guitar Brian Benson - bass Chris Williams - drums Shannon Hamm - guitars^[5]	None
1997	Chuck Schuldiner - guitar Tim Aymar – vocals Scott Clendenin - bass Chris Williams - drums Shannon Hamm - guitars	1997 demo^[37]
Inactive from 1998 – 1999
1999-2001	Chuck Schuldiner – guitar, vocals Steve Di Giorgio - bass Tim Aymar – vocals Richard Christy – drums Shannon Hamm – guitar	1999 demo The Fragile Art of Existence (1999)

References

1. Jeff Kitts (September 1993). "Dead Again". Guitar School. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
2. Jeff Kitts (April 1995). "At Death's Door". Guitar World. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
3. Francesca Fabi (October 1995). "Death, Symbol of Perfection". Metal Shock. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
4. Robert Heeg (April 1995). "Het keurmerk uit Florida". Retrieved December 29, 2023.
5. Dennis Gulbey (Spring 1997). "Death No More! Control Denied is Here!!". Sentinel Steel. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
6. "Metal To The Masses Tour - 1995". Empty Words. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
7. "GENE HOGLAN Says CHUCK SCHULDINER Was 'Always Uncomfortable' With Being Called 'Godfather Of Death Metal'". Blabbermouth.net. April 12, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
8. "The Metal Crusade Vol. 2 no.6". 1995.
9. Perry Grayson (May 2002). "Precious Memories of Chuck Schuldiner". Metal Maniacs. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
10. Jeff Kitts (April 1996). "Fuzz Box". Guitar School. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
11. Håkon Grav (October 1999). "Tim Aymar On His Mettle". Scream Magazine. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
12. Damian Smoklo (December 2001). "Tim Aymar On His Mettle". True Metal/Mettle. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
13. Jim Raggi (March 1999). "Chuck Schuldiner: guitar player first". Lamentations of the Flame Princess. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
14. Jackie Smit (November 7, 2005). "A Transcendent Endeavor". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
15. "Tim Aymar Speaks Out". Empty Words. December 2010. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
16. "Empty Words - Bands". Retrieved December 30, 2023.
17. "CONTROL DENIED: 'The Fragile Art of Existence' Reissue Streaming Online". Blabbermouth.net. November 18, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
18. Robbie Woning (March 2002). "Memories of Chuck". Aardschok. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
19. "Ex-DEATH Guitarist: CHUCK SCHULDINER 'Was My Best Friend, My Brother'". Blabbermouth.net. January 18, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
20. Laurent Ramadier (2008). "A Tribute To Chuck Schuldiner". SNAKEPIT MAGAZINE # 10. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
21. "Interview mit Guido Heijnens von Hammerheart Records". Metal1.info. January 12, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
22. "CHUCK SCHULDINER's Estate Involved In Legal Dispute With HAMMERHEART RECORDS". Blabbermouth.net. February 24, 2003. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
23. "JANE SCHULDINER: New CONTROL DENIED Album Will 'Definitely' Be Released". Blabbermouth.net. January 21, 2003. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
24. "CONTROL DENIED: Unfinished Album To See Light Of Day". Blabbermouth.net. November 24, 2003. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
25. "CHUCK SCHULDINER's Mother Says Plan To Release Incomplete CONTROL DENIED Album Is 'Sacrilege'". Blabbermouth.net. November 24, 2003. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
26. "CHUCK SCHULDINER's Mother: CONTROL DENIED Album To Made Available For Free Download". Blabbermouth.net. March 3, 2004. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
27. "JANE SCHULDINER: CHUCK's Last Masterpiece Deserves To Be Heard". Blabbermouth.net. April 4, 2004. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
28. Alex Henderson. "Zero Tolerance Review by Alex Henderson". AllMusic. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
29. "CHUCK SCHULDINER's 'Zero Tolerance' Due At The End Of The Month". Blabbermouth.net. March 5, 2004. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
30. Albert Mudrian (October 31, 2021). "R.I.P. Eric Greif (1962-2021) (Death manager)". Decibel. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
31. "Interview parue également dans le Metallian 75 de janvier 2013 (en version éditée)". NoiseWeb. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
32. "CONTROL DENIED Frontman Issues Update On Long-Awaited Second Album". Blabbermouth.net. January 25, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
33. "Legendary Recording Studio MORRISOUND Burglarized". Blabbermouth.net. April 13, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
34. "Work Begins On Long-Awaited Sophomore CONTROL DENIED Album". Blabbermouth.net. December 17, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
35. Alix Vallecillo (October 10, 2016). "Death's manager Eric Grief (sic) shuts down possibility of releasing new Control Denied album". Metal Insider. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
36. Perry Grayson (April 2002). "Precious Memories Of Chuck Schuldiner". Empty Words. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
37. Kerry Vick (October 1999). "Tim Aymar and The New Breed of Metal". EmptyWords.org. Retrieved January 25, 2024.

Notes

1. Hammerheart Records changed its name to Karmageddon Media in 2003, but changed it back in 2006.^[21]

External links

• Death/Control Denied official website
• Control Denied discography at Discogs