User:Os/Darker Down

Darker Down was a short-lived nu-metal band formed by two of the former members of the punk/hardcore group Fear of .Z.E.R.O. Other members included Keith Cooper as lead vocalist and Phil Mataras as guitarist.

In mid-June 2004, a few months after the breakup of Fear of .Z.E.R.O., Fraser Gutteridge decided to form a new group of musicians. This would begin the nearly year-long search for other members. Two musicians in the Newark, Delaware area, Jenn Kutney and Gwen Keohane(guitar and keyboards, respectively), were the first to be selected. They later dropped out of the project due to other commitments. In August a lead vocalist was selected: Mike Rosensweig, who had previously provided vocals for an 80s cover band, Hair Force One. He too dropped out of the project due to conflicts with his other job.

In September of 2004, Phil Mataras, a guitarist from Blackwood, New Jersey was finally selected to fill the first of four roles. Gutteridge had met him two years before on the University of Delaware campus, where the two were attending school. He also ran into another friend in October: Matt Williams, the former bassist of Fear of .Z.E.R.O. Williams originally agreed to come on board playing keyboards, but eventually also took on his old role as bassist.

In January of 2005, Fraser Gutteridge, Phil Mataras and Matt Williams all met up over a few weekends to practice. At the end of the sessions, one thing was painfully clear: they needed a vocalist. Keith Cooper, a singer and guitarist from Delmar, Delaware, who had originally been the backup singer Gutteridge had in mind to fill the role after Mike Rosensweig dropped from the project, finally came on board performing lead vocals.

Throughout much of the summer of 2005, the group of four practiced two or three weekends a month. They mostly played covers, trying to adjust to each others' styles. Unfortunately, time constraints resulting from two of the members' new jobs made practicing during the fall 2005 semester at the University of Delaware almost impossible. With interest in the project from guitarist Phil Mataras also decreasing, the band was doomed.

Darker Down as a nu-metal group did not survive to see the end of 2005. Ultimately, the band fell victim to the members' other priorities and the numerous personnel changes that had plagued it from the beginning.

Darker Down was:

Fraser Gutteridge - drums, vocals Phil Mataras - guitar Matt Williams - bass, keyboards, vocals Keith Cooper - vocals, guitar