Courtesy Photo | BAQUBAH, Iraq (June 17, 2006) -- Sgt. Timothy R. Lee, a member of the newly formed...... read more read more
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BAQUBAH, Iraq (June 17, 2006) " What happens when you put three heavy metal fans together in one room? In the case of Sgts. Timothy R. Lee, Corey Dale and David Riddle, you get a hard-driving, heavy metal rock band.
The trio met after becoming roommates and quickly formed their own band they call "Kill Zone." The trio performs original music written by Riddle and hope to continue their alliance once they return to their home base at Fort Carson, Colo., this fall.
Each of the band members has a different military occupational skill. However, all of them work together providing convoy security as members of Bravo Company, 64th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Task Force Band of Brothers.
Starting out, the band members had little more than enthusiasm. It took them some time to build their musical arsenal.
"We didn't actually have the musical equipment out here," said Dale, who works as a track vehicle repairer and hails from Marquette, Mich. "I had to order my amp online and have it mailed in out here."
"When we came out, we didn't have any instruments," Lee added. "We borrowed an acoustic guitar, and an acoustic guitar with metal doesn't work. You can't rock out with an acoustic guitar."
The band features Riddle on lead vocals while Dale plays rhythm guitar. The soft-spoken Lee, a chemical equipment repairer from Lepanto, Ark., plays thunderous lead guitar.
"As stuff slowly started coming in, we began playing," Riddle said. "They started writing the riffs for the music, and I started writing lyrics.
"It kicked off pretty good." You won't hear metal standards from this band. They like writing their own tunes.
"Everything we play is our own stuff," Riddle said. "We made it all."
The band doesn't write much about its experiences in Iraq. Riddle, an armament repairer from Grand Rapids, Mich., said he draws most of his lyrics from his personal life.
"It deals with a lot of the things that have been going on with my marriage while we have been here and deployed," Riddle said. "It helped out a lot.
"It's a way to be able to release." Lee agreed. He said the band helped his friend during a difficult time. "It saved him," Lee said. "He"d sing about it and he"d feel better about it.
Then, he was able to go home on leave and work them out."
Once the instruments arrived, it took a lot of work for the band members to find their sound. They said they drew influence and inspiration from metal bands like In Flames, Shadows Fall and Killswitch Engage.
"It didn't start out too good at first," Dale said. "But it's getting pretty good now.
"We got the sound that we've been trying to get for a while," Lee said.
Riddle said the band practices mainly in their room. They appreciated having the stage in Faulkenberg Theater to play their songs.
"Our neighbor already complains all the time," Lee said. "We make a lot of noise." "It's limited space," Dale added. "We film and then we play it back to hear what it sounds like.
"We bring it to the (command post) so we can see the positive and negative feedback." That feedback depends largely on the listener's personal tastes. Some like the music when Riddle sings, while others like it when he screams.
"If they like metal, we get good feedback," Riddle said. "If they don't like metal, we get teased."
The band squeezes in playing when duty here allows. They look forward to returning home to play some more and perhaps expand the band.
"We're definitely going to keep it going," Riddle said. "I enjoy the music very much." "I'm not saying we're great, but we're not bad. I love doing this, it's a lot of fun."
| Date Taken: | 06.30.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 06.30.2006 10:22 |
| Story ID: | 7011 |
| Location: | BAQUBAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 75 |
| Downloads: | 30 |
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