Drowning Pool

Few bands over the past decade have arrived with the meteoric rise Drowning Pool enjoyed in 2001. Following a few years of gigging in the south, the band's debut Wind-up single, "Bodies," took over radio airwaves across the country from the moment it landed on programmer's desks. The quartet emerged as the breakout metal band that year, as Sinner went on to sell more than 1.5 million copies. In 2001, Drowning Pool kicked off Ozzfest, playing the first notes heard from the stage at the ungodly hour of 9:50am. Guitarist C.J. Pierce recalls, "It was awesome to set the mood for the tour. You would think that it would have been too early for a rock show, but we would have played at 6:00am next to the Porta Potties." One year later, they were announced as one of the main stage headliners for Ozzfest 2002 and simply put, the band had arrived. As the quartet criss-crossed the U.S. countless times over that long year, they made friends wherever they stopped and amassed a very sizeable following. Few other acts display their genuine quality of being one with the people, and this graciousness served them well. It has been said that the band's late singer, Dave Williams was "the lucky fan who won the microphone," and true to form as they had the year prior, the band stood and spent time signing and conversing with their fans at each and every tour stop on Ozzfest 2002. That is until tragedy struck on August 14th. As Drowning Pool arrived in Manassas, Virginia for a date mid-way through the tour, Dave Williams was found dead on the band's tour bus. He had passed away from natural causes, specifically Heart Cardiomyopathy, Concentric Left Ventricular Hypertrophy. The band subsequently cancelled all public appearances, returned to Dallas, and buried their partner and friend. Stevie Benton mentioned, "It was the hardest thing to ever have to do. One minute we were on Ozzfest having the experience of a lifetime, and the next moment our whole lives were rocked with the sudden loss of our brother. Ultimately though, you have to look forward to the future and not withdraw into a shell. I think Dave would be happy to see us continuing the way we are."

The follow up to Sinner, titled Desensitized, was released on April 20, 2004. The lead track "Step Up," a monstrous hard driving stampede, also led the way as the first single from the film The Punisher. Drummer Mike Luce mentioned, "The new album has a wider range covering more ground. Songs like "Step Up" and "Hate" are just straight up hard rock, while "Love and War" and "This Life" have slow, heavy passion behind them." Stevie Benton added, "The song Numb' strongly expresses the hopelessness people can feel in certain situations that became our theme for the entire record. Feeling hopelessness isn't the end. It can lead to great things."

Guitarist C.J. Pierce poignantly stated, "Not only is this album about a band continuing on and overcoming a most unfortunate situation, but it is about personal triumph. I know our family, fans, and friends will be pleasantly surprised, amazed, stunned, and struck by the fact that this recording is heavier and deeper than our previous effort." He continued "One track that stands out to me the most is a song called This Life.' It was the first guitar riff I wrote after the passing of our friend Dave Williams. This song pretty much sums it up. We are all in control of our destiny to a certain extent. Sometimes life throws you a curveball or somebody pulls the rug out from under your feet but as we all know, life goes on, music goes on such is life, and Drowning Pool will go on."

And Drowning Pool has certainly continued to persevere. In August 2005, the band announced that Ryan McCombs, formerly of metal act Soil, would take the reins as the band's third singer. On August 25, 2005 Drowning Pool once again took to the Ozzfest stage in Dallas, the band's hometown, to debut the new lineup. The show went off without a hitch and solidified the band's optimism for their future. Since announcing the new lineup, Drowning Pool has traveled to the Persian Gulf and South Korea to play several concerts for service men and woman as well as touring across America. Commenting on the military base performances, new vocalist Ryan McCombs states, "Having the opportunity to go and play for our troops over in the Gulf was an experience none of us will ever forget. To take a taste of home to those that are willing to protect the freedoms that allow us to do what we do was an honor beyond all."

McCombs sums up the band's outlook for the future, "To everyone that has already shown me their acceptance and support I thank you beyond words. Get some rest, we're gonna rip some shit up very soon."