Biography
Hailing from New Jersey, 40 Below Summer channels unmatched ferocity into their sharp-edged, weighty rock tracks while anchoring everything with an unmistakable melodic core. Blending forceful metal accents and additional high-energy touches, they chart a course shared by numerous rising metal outfits. The ensemble took shape in late 1998 in New Jersey when Peruvian-born drummer Carlos Aguilar and vocalist Max Illidge, who first crossed paths in the band Alien, pooled their efforts. Illidge already carried an unusual entertainment pedigree, having appeared on television at age twelve as the young boy in Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House” video. Guitarists Joey d’Amico and Jordan Plingos plus bassist Hector Graziani rounded out the roster. With the lineup complete, the group launched a steady schedule of shows throughout New Jersey and New York. They also committed their early material to tape, producing the demo “Sideshow Freaks.” The recording reached No Name Management, the company guiding Slipknot and Fear Factory, which promptly offered the New Jersey act a contract. After several showcase appearances, the band chose London/Sire Records. Their debut album, Invitation to the Dance, reached stores in 2001, yet the label collapsed soon afterward. Undaunted, the musicians maintained an intensive touring pace and, following a standout New York performance with E-Town Concrete, finalized a new agreement with Razor & Tie during summer 2003; The Mourning After appeared that autumn. Plingos departed the following year and was succeeded by ex-Motograter guitarist Ty Fury. Aguilar exited in spring 2005, and Fury left one month later to launch Synthetic Delusion alongside former Motograter members. 40 Below Summer soon announced their breakup, staging a final concert with the original lineup at New Jersey’s Starland Ballroom in September 2005. The remaining musicians formed Black Market Hero. Crash Music issued the posthumous CD/DVD The Last Dance in fall 2006, and the subsequent June the label reissued the long-unavailable debut EP Rain, adding seven bonus tracks.
Albums
