REIGNSTORM - Tomorrow's Past CD

Reignstorm actually start prior to 1988. Not quite sure of the exact year, maybe somewhere around 1985 or 1986. Some guy that works at a local record store knows that Jarrett Lembach is looking for musicians & he introduces him to Robb Peterson and John Barr. They get together & start writing songs such as “Blood On The White Robe”, “Cat’s Eye” and “Fall To The Blade”. Soon after they start getting together with various musicians and try to get a line-up for live shows. Nothing really materialized, until early ‘88 when with Jarrett’s Fostex 4-track recorder they record “Cat’s Eye”. At this point Reignstorm have a 2nd guitarist named Chris Bober. So they record the guitars and vocals for “Cat’s Eye” & then pass it to Jarrett’s brother known from Mystic Force, Chris Lembach, who along with Keith Menser (Mystic Force too), records the drum tracks using a drum machine. Time and the fact that they are only using a 4-track recorder make it impossible to record with live drums. They use that recording a day or so, after Chris and Keith finish with it as an audition tape to get onto a compilation album being put together by 97 Underground

Really kind of funny actually, the album is being put together to focus on the local thrash music that is happening. The very next morning, after they drop the tape off at the station, the song is being played on the radio. That tape however enables them to audition drummers. First guy is Nor Eldridge, who later becomes the drummer of Nemesys. Reignstorm have their first line-up. This line-up lasts for a short time, but they start making some changes. Nor takes off to join Nemesys and Chris Bober leaves for something else. That leaves Robb, John and Jarrett. At this moment (1990) they decide to go into Drew’s studio (Falling Sound) and record two tracks. Those are “Cat’s Eye” and “Blood On The White Robe”. Chris Lembach helps out and records the drums for Reignstorm. However, Jarrett (as in the first 1-song demo) is once again dissatisfied with the vocals. Chris has Mystic Force so he is just helping them out in the studio although he does play a few fill in gigs for them along the way. The band uses this two song demo to get a new drummer, Dwayne Adams, who is now the drummer for Great Train Robbery. This tape also allows them to start getting some live shows. They headline a benefit concert in front of 500 to 600 people as their first show. The following week Reignstorm play in a talent showcase winning that with a cover of Queensryche’s “Eyes Of A Stranger”. After a long series of shows the last two years, in 1991-92 Reignstorm are recording “Democracy...A Child’s Game” which is to be their first full length. They have already recorded guitar/drums/keys/piano parts for 4 or 5 more songs (in bonus tracks of this CD you will find the three songs that go out of Reignstorm’s basement for the first time) but Robb starts having some health issues. They agree to take time off and let Robb recover. John finds another band and then Dwayne follows suit.

So at this time, Robb and Jarrett are the only two keeping in touch. This goes on for almost two years and Robb still cannot play at the point that he is satisfied with. His health is really slowing him down physically and he is not ready to put the band back together yet. At this point, Jarrett starts getting a lot of offers to sing for bands. Robb encourages him to go ahead and look for another band with the understanding that Reignstorm would eventually continue in some form. So Jarrett goes on for a while, trying different bands and nothing is happening. Finally, he and Dwayne Adams get back together in 1995 and put a new line-up out there. Reignstorm, write two new songs Supremecy and Black Water Refuge and go into the studio. The guitarist never shows up in the studio, so they teach Drew Mazurek (producer at first Reignstorm demo and many other Maryland’s bands like Manifest, Omega Point etc) the guitar parts. Mike Davis is the bass player at the time. Nothing else is happening for the band after this point and Reignstorm is pretty much out. Jarrett goes on to join up with Corporate Killing. That lasts for a little while and then the resurgence of Reignstorm is about to happen.

In 1997, Keith Menser is talking about doing a festival and putting together a compilation CD for promotional use to go along with the festival. Jarrett is talking with Robb and they decide why not trying to record one song. They hit the studio and recorded “Tomorrow’s Past” and an instrumental called “Suspended Animation” (a song that has never been released to the audience and everyone can listen to for the first time here). Reignstorm give Keith “Tomorrow’s Past” and it is on the Powermad ‘97 disc. That starts a lot of interest in the band and with the internet people are contacting them asking for more music. Robb, John and Jarrett, the original line up decide to record a few more tracks and give Reignstorm another go. At last, in 1998 they enter again Falling Sound Studios and record this time 4 new songs, the three of which constitute “Demo ‘98” (maybe the only demo that is officially released to the audience). First response they are getting is encouraging. That leads to them being on the next two Powermad compilations (1998 with “Exhaustion” and 1999 with “Ruler Of Today”, which is the fourth track written together with “Demo 98”) and performing at Powermad ‘98. That, now put the group in line for inclusion on “Through Different Eyes”, the Fates Warning tribute. Unfortunately, that is the last recording that Reignstorm ever finished. At this point John is looking for something different and Robb’s health status starts to creep back into play. Robb never recovers and neither do Reignstorm.

KOSTAS ATHANASOGLOU/ARKEYN STEEL RECORDS

This CD is highly recommended for fans of Queensryche, Lethal, Lizzy Borden, Mystic Force!!

TRACK LISTING:
1. Tomorrow's Past
2. Chapter XXX
3. Exhaustion
4. Road To Insanity
5. Ruler Of Today
6. Supremecy
7. Black Water Refuge
8. Cat’s Eye
9. Blood On The White Robe
10. Death In TheAir (guitar & drum tracks)
11. Chapter XXX (guitar, drum & vocal tracks)
12. Democracy...A Child's Game (scratch guitar track & drums)
13. Exhaustion (live 91)
14. Tomorrow's Past (live 91)
15. Suspended Animation
16. Tomorrow's Past
(re-recorded vocals) [unmixed]