EYELID
"The power of our music is the concept behind Eyelid.' bassist Mike Machin asserts, 'Eyelid is not shouting slogans only to go back on our words. We express ourselves purely through brutal volume." And express themselves they did. With a sonic live attack that carried the band through countless shows and tours. They proved continually that they were hellbent on destroying the boundaries of heavy music.
Forming in Los Angeles in 1994, comprised of former members of Strife and Consequence, Eyelid quickly became a band to be reckoned with. Their music’s force was first demonstrated on their debut record "...Days Infected" released on the Ammunition Records label in 1996. Their goal was to sound unlike any of their contemporaries and the release ushered in a complex sound that was virtually uncomparable at the time.
Later that year, the band was set to go out on tour with local heroes Strife but the tour ended up falling apart, so the rest of the U.S. had to wait yet another year to see these guys live. In conjucture with the tour that never happened, Phyte Records released their second EP, "Bleeding Through", which was compiled of three songs from their 1995 demo. Although the labels of this EP clearly stated "1996 Summer Tour", they were not actually sold on the road until the following year.
They finally got to tour the U.S. in the summer of 1997 alongside Battery and Ten Yard Fight. It was on this tour that they decided upon Indecision Records as the label for their first full length, "If It Kills", which was released the following spring. Unsure where to record the album, they set up a meeting with themselves, Dave from Indecision, and the folks over at For The Record Studios in Orange to check into the possibilities of their studio. The meeting went well and the album was recorded that winter by a bright-eyed young engineer by the name of Paul Miner.
Eyelid hit the road again in the summer of 1998 with now labelmates Ensign. The tour was a disaster from the start. After a three day straight drive to the east coast they learned that the first five shows were cancelled. It was devastating for them monitarily as well as motivationally. Tensions began to run high and the idea of them finishing the tour started to look questionable. The tour took a unique turn when they got down south to Florida. A situation involving a pellet gun and the ass of an irate vagrant landed Ensign guitarist, Ryan, a weekend in the slammer. Unwilling to sacrifice what was left of the tour, Ensign enlisted both Brian Melville and Dan Palmer of Eyelid to play guitar for the remainder of the tour. Fortunately, Ryan was released a few days later and flew out to California to rejoin the tour. His welcome back to the tour was a sold out show at the Showcase Theater in Corona which was recorded and releases as a limtied 7" a few months later. This night also marked the final show for Eyelid frontman, Rus Martin. A sad departure but one that seemed necessary in order for the band to continue.
The final chapter in Eyelid history started in October of 1998. The first show with new frontman, Jon Roa, went down in the San Fernando Valley at the Cobalt Cafe with new labelmates, Death By Stereo. Roa had been around awhile, fronting bands such as Justice League, Addiction, and End to End and met they guys through mutual friends. Shortly after the addition of Roa, guitarist Brian Melville decided that he was done and quit the band. In an effort to test the waters and introduce a new singer, Eyelid were back in the studio with Paul Miner in April of 1999. "Conflict's Invitation" came out later that summer but the band didn't do much after it's release. One year after this chapter started, it quietly ended as the band played their final performance at the PCH Club on a typical California October evening.
"We found an audience without suffocating under a label or musical tag. While some of us adhere to certian philosophies or political agendas, we, as a band, let the music's power speak for us." - Roa
