Biography
Emerging as both followers and a seamless continuation of the metal icons Slipknot, Downthesun craft ugly alternative metal blended with death metal's raw intensity. Founding members Church and Lance "Kuk" Collier first connected with Slipknot by opening for them in an earlier project. This led to a friendship with vocalist Shawn Crahan, who quickly suggested his stage assistant Satone along with Des Moines local Dan Spain for a fresh, more aggressive lineup. After the initial quartet recognized the promise in their partnership, Aaron Peltz and Bruce Swink joined, solidifying the group as Downthesun. Over the following year of songwriting, they secured a contract with Roadrunner Records ahead of entering the recording studio. Teaming with GGGarth, known for work with Melvins and Jesus Lizard, the band recorded for six weeks, resulting in their self-titled debut album that came out during autumn 2002.
Albums