Sacramento, California served as the home base for the alternative metal group The Revolution Smile, fronted by guitarist Shaun Lopez. Lopez had devoted much of the 1990s to the post-grunge quartet Far. After that band’s 1998 dissolution, Lopez was slated to join former Quicksand singer Walter Schreifels in Rival Schools. A wish to handle vocals and songwriting himself rather than remain solely a guitarist instead pushed him toward an independent project. Although The Revolution Smile began as Lopez’s basement endeavor, it eventually expanded to include guitarist Tim McCord, drummer Jeremy White, and bassist Octavio Gallardo. In 2001 the quartet tracked and self-issued At War With Plastic. Activity accelerated for both the band and Lopez shortly thereafter. Fred Durst had spent much of the previous year conducting a public search for a new Limp Bizkit guitarist after Wes Borland’s exit. Because of Lopez’s Far tenure, Durst’s associates reached out to him. Lopez declined the Limp Bizkit audition yet agreed to showcase the new band for Durst’s fledgling Flawless imprint. The showcase produced a contract, yet the next EP had already been scheduled for release on a label tied to the humor-and-gossip site Buddyhead. Friction developed, legal steps followed, and The Revolution Smile ultimately recorded its Flawless debut with producer Dave Sardy. Above the Noise arrived in July 2003, presenting a direct alt-metal sound comparable to Foo Fighters or Filter. The band supported the album with a slot on that summer’s Ozzfest.
