John West (musician) facts for kids
John Michael West (born October 29, 1964) is an American singer. He is well-known for being the main singer of the band Artension and was also the lead singer for Royal Hunt.
Quick facts for kids
John West
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West performing with Royal Hunt in 2006
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| Background information | |
| Born | October 29, 1964 Syracuse, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | hard rock, heavy metal, progressive metal, neoclassical metal, blues rock |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Labels | Shrapnel, Frontiers |
| Associated acts | Diamond, Sage's Recital, Mythodea, Artlantica, Forces United, Emir Hot, Destiny, Feinstein, Badlands, Sun Red Sun, Cozy Powell, Artension, Michael Lee Firkins, Lynch Mob, Royal Hunt, Uli Jon Roth |
Contents
John West: A Rock Singer's Journey
John West started his music journey in 1986. He has sung for many different bands and projects. He is known for his powerful voice in rock and metal music.
Starting His Music Career
John West began singing with a band called Diamond in 1986. Later, he joined Destiny and released a demo with them. In the mid-1990s, he briefly sang for bands like Badlands and Sun Red Sun. He also sang on Cozy Powell's last solo album, Especially For You.
Singing with Artension
In 1996, John West became the singer for Artension. This band played a style of music called neoclassical progressive metal. They released their first album, Into The Eye of the Storm, in the same year. Artension put out seven studio albums between 1996 and 2004. Their second album, Phoenix Rising, is especially known for John's amazing singing. The band later got back together in 2016 to make new music.
His Time with Royal Hunt
In 1998, John West joined Royal Hunt as their lead singer. He stayed with the group until 2007. During this time, he recorded four studio albums and one live album with them. John was the singer for Royal Hunt for ten years. This was the longest time any singer had stayed with the band without a break.
John West's Solo Music
John West has also released four albums on his own. His first two albums, Mind Journey (1997) and Permanent Mark (1998), were in a neoclassical metal style. This means they had long parts with just instruments playing. After focusing on Royal Hunt, he released Earth Maker in 2002. This album had more songs with clear stories. In 2006, he released Long Time No Sing, which was more of a blues-rock album. On this album, John also played the guitar.
After Royal Hunt: New Projects
Since leaving Royal Hunt in 2007, John West has worked on many different music projects. He sang for Bosnian guitarist Emir Hot's album Sevdah Metal in 2008. In 2012, he sang on Mythodea's first album. In 2013, he teamed up with Roger Staffelbach from Artension to form a new band called Artlantica. They released an album called Across The Seven Seas.
John has also toured as a singer for Uli Jon Roth's band. He also sang for a tribute band called Black Knights Rising. This band played songs by famous singers like Ronnie James Dio and Ritchie Blackmore. He also worked with Danish guitarist Niels Vejlyt on a project called Sage's Recital. They released two albums, Sage's Recital in 2013 and The Winter Symphony in 2016.
Music He Has Released
John West has released many albums both as a solo artist and with other bands.
Solo Work
- Mind Journey (1997)
- Permanent Mark (1998)
- Earth Maker (2002)
- Long Time... No Sing (2006)
Collaborations
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