Unleashed Power

Biography

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Unleashed Power (1998-present): a Power Metal band from New York, New York, USA.

en Jacobsen (formerly known as Ken Jack) was the mastermind behind Unleashed Power. With his writing portfolio of intellectual, socially relevant lyrics and intricate guitar playing, he demanded excellence from himself and those he worked with. Raised throughout Europe and the US but born in Copenhagen, Denmark, his international perspective quickly became heard in his music. Back in the late 1980s, Ken cut his teeth in a band called Avalon, which recorded an album featuring John Mathias and Metallica-famed Sweet Silence Studios engineer Flemming Rasmussen. Avalon, however,was short lived and soon after Ken found himself bandless in New York in 1988. He would soon get together the line-up that would be the nucleus of Unleashed Power.

Under the premier line-up, two demos were produced titled Blindfold and Quintet of Spheres; (Quintet of Spheres featuring a same-titled environmental song that became the band's namesake) both would later merge into a full-length premier CD with the Quintet of Spheres title. 1994's Quintet of Spheres was only a sign of what was to come. "Spheres" demonstrated the Ken Jacobsen's ability to produce good work featuring intense riffing, offbeat but heavy drumming and intellectual lyrics. It gave them the distinction of being one of the most innovative and technically cutting edge bands of all times.

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With the success came trouble, for shortly later, 27 year old bassist, John Lievano, was killed in a train accident of a broken neck, and drummer Ed Owen's disillusionment with the band's inability to find a suitable replacement, and not having a record deal, decided to depart. The drummer, it seems, was a position easy to replace, and soon after Jörg Michael joined the team fresh from Running Wild, Grave Digger and Mekong Delta. Ken's cabinet was to be shuffled yet again, however, with John Methias choosing to leave and being replaced by Brian T. Chaffee, a vocalist who's flexible but gut wrenching vocal style suited the band's heavier heartier sound. Further to this, a replacement bassist was found with Tony Spagone, introduced to Jacobsen after a rehearsal session in Germany. Spagone would end off only being a session bassist for the next recording, to be permanently replaced by New Yorker John Balistreri.

Not to be outdone by anyone, Jacobsen and crew would launch their second opus, Mindfailure, in 1995. Mindfailure was the type of recording Jacobsen liked, for it challenged him and his crew to perform at peak performance and to test their limits. Jacobsen spent large amounts of time with his new drummer, especially, in a German WWII bunker in his constant pursuit of perfecting the audio experience. The band's intense belief in musical perfection went from the strict to the bizarre, with rituals to maintain their focus. During the Mindfailure recording sessions,Jorg Michael abstained from sex, while Jacobsen himself would conduct a regimented physical workout, and vocalist Brian T. Chaffee would refuse to speak (except to sing) believing that if he was silent between sessions it would preserve his voice.

After the release, tours were on the table, but Brian decided he wasn't the man for the job because of personal obligations. With live shows now waiting and two tracks still remaining on their next release, Texan Len Jarrell was recruited. The EP release Absorbed was the next venture for the band. It was a historical compilation featuring music from each era of the operation. It took the listener on a backward journey from a new track, through the Mindfailure sessions, right to hidden gems of years ago in a compact 5 track story.

In 2002 Tim Bouchee took over on vocals with new releases planned, making Unleashed Power sure to please for years to come.

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