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Inspired by the likes of Van Halen
and Judas Priest, Edward Box started playing guitar at the age of 14. His early
influences included Michael Schenker, George Lynch, and Warren DeMartini and
like many budding six string slingers, the late 80’s explosion of shred guitar
conspired to push him onwards and upwards on his chosen instrument. With
Malmsteen, Macalpine, Vai and Satriani firmly entrenched in his album
collection, he moved from his native Kendal to the industrial climes of
Newcastle upon Tyne to study music.
In 1989 he was one of the founder
members of what would be become his first proper band, XLR8R. Combining the
traditional grit of British Metal with the technical virtuosity of Progressive
Rock, XLR8R soon gathered an army of followers in the local region and beyond.
The band began to attract major label recognition, support slots with the likes
of Thunder and Skin as well as a session on the legendary Friday Rock Show. By
1995, in a bid to finally break through, the band had self financed its debut
album INNER OCEANS. However, despite superb reviews, they couldn’t stave off the
tide of apathy that had afflicted the UK metal scene. In the wake of the twin
onslaughts of Grunge and Nu Metal, XLR8R called it a day.
In this period, Ed’s reputation as
a guitarist grew, with his abilities being singled out for special mention in
publications such as Guitarist, Total Guitar and Kerrang magazine. With this in
mind he set about writing his first album of all instrumental material. The
demos caught the attention of Lion Music (a relationship that thrives to this
day) and the re-recorded versions became Ed’s first fully fledged solo release;
2002’s PLECTRUMHEAD. In 2004 Ed also appeared alongside Greg Howe, Richie Kotzen
and Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal on the album The Sprit Lives On: The Music of Jimi
Hendrix Vol 1.
2006 saw the release of Ed’s
second album MOONFUDGE. Like its predecessor, it was very well received and
showcased Ed’s keen ear for melody and tight song structures. Just prior to this
Ed began to start writing vocal material for what he initially thought would be
a solo record. Once preliminary rehearsals started, it immediately became clear
that only a fully fledged band could do the songs justice. VENDETTA was born!
The band released its debut album TYRANNY OF MINORITY in the fall of 2007 and
this was backed up by a series of gigs in and around the UK. Critical reaction
was positive and in 2009 the band followed it up with HERETIC NATION. Building
on the strides made over the previous few years, the album marked a real upturn
in the band’s sound and showed a major growth in the writing and in Ed’s vocal
performance.
The album was backed up with more
live work before thoughts turned to its follow up. WORLD UNDER FIRE was released
in the spring of 2012 and it was clear the band had developed its sound further
still. This was highlighted in the video for the lead of track HALO IN BLACK.
In 2013, everything has come full
circle with the release of the 21 track retrospective MOTION CONTROL. Returning
to his first two solo albums, Ed has re-recorded the lead guitar for three
tracks as well as adding extra parts to the existing mixes of another ten songs.
This major sonic overhaul continues throughout the album and it breathes new
life into the material that began his long association with Lion Music. |
