Antiquus

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ixing the raw, old-school roots derived from their 80s metal influence with a fresh, melodic, and more modern touch, Vancouver's Antiquus have crafted a sound that has been described simply as "heavy".

bassist Scott Unger, vocalist Jesse White, drummer Andrew Bak and guitarists Trevor Leonard and Geoff Way would form the starting line-up of the band. However, it was with Jeff Dormer on the guitar spot when the act released their first album, Ramayana, to much critical acclaim in February, 2005; receiving rave reviews from more than 60 publications. Word spread quickly, and the band started getting radio airplay in Europe, South America, and Australia.

Back home in Canada, the members of Antiquus decided to hit the road. The band did its first tour across western Canada at the end of July and into August, 2005 featuring renditions of songs from Ramayana, as well as brand new material. It was an exhausting trip for the band, and they decided to take the remainder of the month off. It was at that time that Antiquus finalized negotiations for a recording contract with Italy's 'Cruz Del Sur Music'. The deal saw Antiquus release their next album in the fall of 2006, Eleutheria with Geoff Way on guitars. It would take several years, and some line-up changes before In the Land of the Blind (2011) would arrive. Dave Khan would take guitars for a while but the position would eventually be permanently taken by Toshi Osawa. Dormer would go on to join Mastery (Canada) and reportedly passed away in 2013.