Biography
During a drive to Lollapalooza several summers earlier, bass player Jeff Schartoff and drummer Scott Ellis resolved to launch Human Waste Project and immediately approached Aimee Echo to supply vocals. She confirmed her ability to deliver screams, and the Huntington Beach, CA outfit began searching for a guitarist suited to their disturbed alt metal sound. They soon enlisted John Monte, with whom they commenced songwriting and rehearsals, yet Monte departed shortly afterward. An extended hunt for a replacement finally ended when Bronx native Mike Tempesta joined the lineup. Bolstered by college radio exposure and support slots alongside Sublime, Helmet, the Deftones, and Korn, the band secured a contract with Hollywood Records. They next aligned with metal producer Ross Robinson (Korn, Deftones, Limp Bizkit) to track their first album. Progress halted amid executive turnover at the label and the Malibu brush fires of 1996, which threatened the recording site so severely that the musicians hurriedly packed their gear and master tapes into a van for evacuation. Although e-lux had been slated for early 1997, the accumulated setbacks postponed the release until autumn, when it earned positive critical notices.
Albums