Biography
Rock history is replete with bands that lose personnel along the way, yet the stakes rise sharply when the departing member is the lead singer. Usually the surviving musicians reshape their approach to suit a replacement, carving out a fresh sonic identity that avoids echoing the past. Lazarus Blackstar reversed that equation. While tracking what was meant to be their second album, the British metal outfit Khang deliberately downshifted the tempo and pushed the music into darker, heavier territory. Vocalist Bryan Outlaw declined to continue under the new parameters and stepped away, leaving the remaining members to finish the sessions instrumentally.
Paul Catten, then active with Murder One, heard the material and volunteered to front the project. He joined in 2004, prompting the group to adopt the name Lazarus Blackstar to match its altered direction. After inking a deal with Undergroove—the label that had previously worked with Khang—the band issued its first full-length, Revelations, in 2005. Extensive touring followed throughout 2005 and 2006, placing Lazarus Blackstar on bills alongside Charger, My Ruin, and Gloomy Sunday. A self-titled 7-inch appeared in 2006, the same year guitarist Izak arrived to replace the departing Rich Savage. The second album, Funeral Voyeur, surfaced in 2007. Shortly afterward, in 2008, Paul Catten exited; Mik Hell took his place, and the band resumed writing its third record.
Paul Catten, then active with Murder One, heard the material and volunteered to front the project. He joined in 2004, prompting the group to adopt the name Lazarus Blackstar to match its altered direction. After inking a deal with Undergroove—the label that had previously worked with Khang—the band issued its first full-length, Revelations, in 2005. Extensive touring followed throughout 2005 and 2006, placing Lazarus Blackstar on bills alongside Charger, My Ruin, and Gloomy Sunday. A self-titled 7-inch appeared in 2006, the same year guitarist Izak arrived to replace the departing Rich Savage. The second album, Funeral Voyeur, surfaced in 2007. Shortly afterward, in 2008, Paul Catten exited; Mik Hell took his place, and the band resumed writing its third record.
Albums