Member Profile

About me

Born from the ashes of Z.U.M.E (Zeus Under My Eyes), Mau (drums) and Skumalha (guitar, currently playing in Mordaça) were joined by Heich (bass) and Rodney (vocals) to embark on a dream trip ... First stop, Trust No One! It was 1999 ... Hailing from Ponte de Sor (in Portugal), the band was already well known for their Rage Against the Machine influences and some hardcore from the old guard. They went on to spread their name through their inexhaustible energy on and off stage. Two years later the fan Duart replaced the charismatic front man, Rodney. Shortly afterwards, came the name change (another band had taken it already ...) and KNEELDOWN was born! With a different vocal dynamic, the band assumed a more melodic approach, with a more ambient and experimental - but still heavy - sound. Building on their metal and hardcore roots, they added more intelligent beats and lyrics reminiscent of Tool or Meshuggah (perhaps the biggest influences soundwise on the band ... currently). They recorded their first demo in the studio of friends, Muckymind. "Blankdisc" (2001) perhaps showed the inexperience and haste with which KNEELDOWN took their first steps, but also the fury and strength with which they trod their musical path! The will they had to play and to showcase their sound was reflected in their (some mythical) live performances. No matter where it was, nobody was indifferent to the power of KNEELDOWN, perhaps due to their sincerity and humility. They decided then to enter "Blankdisc" for the Portugese Musicbox competition. Judged by some pretty well-known bands, KNEELDOWN won in the final with 3 awards: overall winners of the competition, Revelation Band and Best Stage Performance! This gave them the chance to record their first EP, "06:51AM" (2003). It suffered from a less than perfect production, but still demonstrated the band's willingness to move on with a more modern sound. The new tracks show a remarkable evolution in the band's musicality. Sadly, Heich then decided to leave and was replaced by Nã (long-time friend and a fan of the band from the beginning, influenced by alternative rock and extreme metal). This heralded a period of greater change as Skumalha and Duart (two great stage "animals") decided to go their own ways. The band's famous habit of recruiting new members from its fan base brought in two great friends: Znet (from "Background") and Phur (whose dream was to be the singer of the band). The two new members brought grunge and ethnic music influences that further influenced the sound and environment of the band, and a peace of mind that helped KNEELDOWN move forward. After sharing stages around the country with bands like Mão Morta, Anger, Toranja, Switchtense, Stonerage, Carbon H, Hyubris, W.A.K.O, and many others, the band decided to put the live shows on hold while they started work on their next CD. With some ideas inherited from the band's previous incarnations, the new elements started to mould KNEELDOWN's new sound. Always evolving in terms of composition and ambition, the band's sound became yet more melodic, progressive ... and even heavier! But after more than a year of fighting and changes, Znet left the band and Nã moved onto guitar ... so now there's a bass player missing. Changes in the personal lives of some of the band's members didn't help, and the band started to see itself in a dead-end. Hope and ambition gave way to temporary fears, frustrations and loss of direction... But, ultimately, nothing shakes their drive to follow the dream, and this brings us up to date in 2008 with the new EP, "Volcano". It took a lot of faith and hard work but shows a much more mature band - one ready to return to their mission: to play live, showing what they make and what they're made of! Help them to spread the word!

Tracks uploaded