ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY BIO

1996, Richmond, Virginia. On a dirt floor basement, Bryan Cox, Erik Larson and Asechiah Bogdan founded ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY (ATP). Fueled by a desire to play dirty, kick ass rock and roll, they honed their skills and began assaulting the local circuit, sans singer. Shortly thereafter, bassist Bill Storms joined ATP and after several failed attempts to find the right vocalist, the band discovered Johhny Throckmorton and the line-up was complete.

With a full band intact, ATP entered the studio and recorded a six-song demo. One of these tapes landed in the hands of Frank Kozik of Man's Ruin Records and an offer was made to release the demo tape as a CD EP.

ATP was already in the habit of constantly writing songs, and in the fall of 1997 the band's first full length 'Rise Again' was recorded and released in the summer of 1998. Between the recording and release of 'Rise Again,' Bill Storms was asked to leave the band and Sam Krivanec quickly filled the void. Inspired and invigorated by the new line-up, ATP returned to the studio and recorded the 'River City Revival' LP (just prior to the release of 'Rise Again' and it's subsequent southern U.S. tour), which was released in the winter of 1999. Within a month of 'River City's...' release, ATP was on tour supporting the album, which featured a stop at the prestigious SXSW Festival where the band met with rave reviews. ATP then headed back into the studio once again in August of 1999 to record again and embarked on their first tour of Europe alongside High On Fire - 28 shows, 29 days and over 50 bottles of whiskey!

Summer 2000 heralded yet another return to the road in the form of full U.S. and UK tours. ATP then delivered split EPs with HALFWAY TO GONE and ORANGE GOBLIN and completed another full U.S tour with support provided by SUPLECS and DIXIE WITCH. A line-up change brought guitarist Ryan Lake and bassist John Peters to the fold, adding an entirely new dimension to the band, enriching and filling out their sound with dual guitar leads and utterly rocking harmonies.

In May 2002, ATP delivered ten ass-kickin' shots of "moonshine metal" on their Relapse debut 'Staring at the Divine.' With the one-two punch of low-end rumble and twin-guitar harmonies inspired by THIN LIZZY and JUDAS PRIEST, and the do-it-yourself work ethic of their punk rock roots, ATP's songs run roughshod over their contemporaries and straight through your head. 'Staring at the Divine' served up the soundtrack to a whiskey-soaked rumble and showcased ATP's outrageous blend of volume, distortion and blazing hard rock. Continual touring commenced immediately upon the release of 'Staring...' including high-profile appearances as part of the legendary Wacken Festival (August, 2002), the

2002 Relapse CMJ Showcase in NYC and the 2003 Relapse SXSW Showcase in Austin, TX.

Not long after this Johnny Throckmorton left the band, but ATP quickly found a replacement in Columbus, OH native Johnny Weils. With Weils in the fold ATP went on to record their fifth full-length album, 'Fulton Hill'. 'Fulton Hill' delivered maximum ATP with hard driving riffs and bruising vocals with plenty of grit and dirt. Immediately following its release, ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY hit the road in support of 'Fulton Hill'

completing headlining North American and European tours as well as going out to support friends CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, CROWBAR, GWAR, and others. During the middle of the touring cycle ATP had a little hiccup in the bass position again, resulting in Peters being replaced by Mike Bryant. The band continued touring relentlessly.

Following the band's last headlining North American tour of 2005, Weils returned to his hometown of Columbus resulting in ATP resuming the search for the perfect frontman. Enter Kyle Thomas...the smokin' pipes that once fronted EXHORDER and FLOODGATE.

Thomas joined The 'PUSSY during the summer of 2006, right when the band was piecing together riffs and beats for their next record. With the confidence that came from the addition of Thomas, those riffs and beats quickly became ravaging hard-rock songs with a tip-of-the-hat to classic metal. Thomas added his vocals with a skill and range often not heard in younger generation metal bands and ATP's sixth full-length record was born, ready and aimed to showcase the band's growth and power. Taking no hostages, it's time for 'Open Fire'

Lock and Load.