Black Tide

Black Tide, operating under the earlier name Radio, brought together players aged 14 through 19 whose tastes gravitated toward metal guitarists whose commercial peaks had already faded behind the rise of grunge by the time any of the members arrived. Among the cited touchstones were the technical stylings of Yngwie Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert, and Steve Vai, joined by the foundational aggression of Metallica and Slayer, all of which shaped the quartet’s brand of high-velocity speed metal calibrated for the mid-’80s climate typified by MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball. Bassist Zachary Sandler, drummer Steven Spence, and guitarists Gabriel Garcia and Alex Nunez earned an early spotlight appearance on Ozzfest’s main stage in August 2007. Their high-energy performance and rapid-fire solos attracted Interscope Records, which scheduled the release of the debut album Light from Above for early 2008 immediately after a tour stint with Avenged Sevenfold. The record arrived in March and entered the Billboard 200 at number 73. Josh Wilbur and GGGarth were recruited to produce the follow-up, Post Mortem, an effort that arrived after Alex Nuñez had exited and Austin Diaz had joined on guitar. Sandler and Spence also departed before 2015, when the remaining lineup—Gabriel Garcia, Diaz, and drummer Cody Paige—issued Chasing Shadows.