User:Downpeninsula/Thoughts of Ionesco

Thoughts of Ionesco

Thoughts of Ionesco was a Detroit-based band that existed from 1996 until 1999. The band's primary members included guitarist/vocalist Sean Hoen, drummer Brian Repa, and bassist Nathan Miller. Most of the members were in high school when the band started, and barely twenty-one by the group's disbanding.

TOI released their first 7" single in late 1996. In 1997, an LP The Triptych Session was released on CD and vinyl formats by the infamous Detroit indie label Conquer the World Records. Kansas City's Second Nature Magazine acknowledged the album, saying, "This record is the muthafucker." The sessions that produced both the band's debut 7" and album were said to have lasted only two days and cost under $400.

The band would go on to release three more full-length albums, most notably 1998's A Skin Historic, which featured Suicide Machines/Alkaline Trio drummer Derek Grant and explored improvisation, complex song structures, and de-tuned chords. Spin called the album "an art core mindfuck." Several songs stretched towards ten minutes. Of their 1997 release, ...And Then There Was Motion, Alternative Press said, "its an ultimate expression of pain-through-sound." Their final album, For Detroit, From Addiction, was recorded in 1999 but not released until 2001. It showed the band in a slightly more traditional form and was promoted as "a cross between Black Flag and Black Sabbath."

TOI toured the U.S. and Canada numerous times, playing with other extreme music acts such as Brutal Truth, Converge, Botch, Coalesce, Damnation AD, His Hero Is Gone, and Dillinger Escape Plan.

While experiencing little fanfare outside of the Midwest during their career, the band's legacy has been supported by several reissues of their music. In 2006, Chicago's Seventh Rule Records released an anthology CD compiling songs from the band's recorded output. The release was widely praised by the metal/hardcore press. Decibel Magazine, Terrorizer Magazine, Alternative Press, Punk Planet, and several other publications gave the collection rave reviews. Reviewing the collection, Lambgoat Magazine said, "It is often only in retrospect that many can understand and appreciate true artistry and innovation. The combination of this fifteen track retrospective CD and the accompanying DVD documentary will undoubtedly open the eyes of music fans across the board to Thoughts of Ionesco one of the most aggressive, abrasive and progressive groups to emerge in the mid-90's." 

Members of Thoughts of Ionesco went on to play in The Holy Fire, Paradise, and Your Skull My Closet. 

Full Length Albums:
 * The Triptych Session (Conquer the World, 1996)
 * ...And Then There Was Motion (Makoto Recordings, 1997)
 * A Skin Historic (Makoto Recordings, 1998)
 * For Detroit, From Addiction (At Arms Mechanics, 2000)

Singles/EPs:
 * "Randall" 7" single (Cass Records, 1996)
 * Split EP with Cromwell (Longbow, 1997)