Apartment 26

Apartment 26were anu metal/industrial metalband fromLeamington Spa,England,formed in 1998. They released two albums on the major labelsHollywood RecordsandAtlantic Records,HallucinatingandMusic for the Massiverespectively. After being dropped from Atlantic Records, the band disbanded in late 2004.

Apartment 26
Apartment 26, 2000
Background information
Origin	Leamington Spa,England
Genres	Industrial metal nu metal alternative metal
Years active	1998–2004
Labels	Hollywood Atlantic Murph
Past members	Terence "Biff" Butler Jon Greasley Louis Cruden Andy "A.C." Huckvale Kevin Temple Jeremy Colson Brad Booker

History

1998–1999: Formation andWithinEP

Apartment 26 was formed in 1998 by vocalist Terence "Biff" Butler, guitarist Jon Greasley, bassist Louis Cruden, and keyboardist Andy "A.C." Huckvale. The band name was taken from theDavid LynchfilmEraserhead.Also notably, Butler is the son ofBlack SabbathbassistGeezer Butler.The band was influenced by older acts such as Black Sabbath, but also had embraced 1990s bands such asNine Inch Nails,Deftones,The Prodigy,Tool,Fear Factory,among others. The band recorded a rough demo in 1998, which then found its way toGravity Killsmember Doug Firley. Firley was the keyboardist and programmer in Gravity Kills, but had also helped produce his band's full-length albums.Firley then agreed to produce Apartment 26's debut EP, titledWithin.The EP consisted of five tracks, three which was later re-recorded for the band's debut album, one ( "Dystopia" ) which was later re-recorded for a soundtrack, and one ( "Random Thinking" ) which remained exclusive to the EP.

1999–2002:Hallucinating

In 1999, Apartment 26 added drummer Kevin Temple to the lineup so that live drums could be incorporated alongside Huckvale's programming. Temple was formerly a member ofDie WarzauandSister Machine Gun.Apartment 26 embarked as part of the lineup for the 1999 version ofOzzfest,and the band gained more exposure as a result. Major labelHollywood Recordsthen signed the band afterwards. Shortly after Ozzfest concluded, Apartment 26 then went on various tours withPowerman 5000,Staind,Rollins Band,andSevendust.The band then went through a rigorous recording process for their debut album, which was strained by the exhaustive touring schedule and by living together. One song from the sessions, "Dystopia", was included on the soundtrack for the filmHeavy Metal 2000prior to the album's release. The result wasHallucinating,released in May 2000. The album was produced byUlrich Wild,who was known for his production work withindustrialbands such asStabbing Westward,Static-X,Powerman 5000, and others.

The single "Basic Breakdown" was the band's first breakthrough hit, as it peaked at #33 on theBillboardMainstream Rockchart and had lingered on the chart for six weeks. "Backwards" was also released as a single from the album and also appeared on the soundtrack for the filmMission: Impossible 2.Both "Basic Breakdown" and "Backwards" also appeared in thePlayStationfighting gameGekido: Urban Fightersin 2000.The band promotedHallucinatingby touring withDisturbed,followed by appearing on the 2000 edition of Ozzfest. In late 2000, drummer Temple had left the band. Jeremy Colson was added to the lineup and in early 2001, they toured England withPitchshifterand thenPapa Roach.

Hallucinatinghad a delayed release for Europe, January 2001. The European version featured a bonus track ( "Void" ), which featured Fear Factory vocalistBurton C. Bellas a guest. Apartment 26 then appeared at the United Kingdom edition of Ozzfest in 2001, their third year in a row. Towards the end of 2001, Colson had parted ways from the band, and a replacement was not immediately named.In the spring of 2002, Hollywood Records and Apartment 26 amicably parted ways while the band was recording their second album.

2002–2005:Music for the Massiveand dissolution

During the period without a drummer, the band recorded an album (with Huckvale programming the drums) that eventually attracted no interest from labels, and was never released, with fans dubbing itAlbum 1.5or "the lost album"; Greasley would later say that "it would have made sense as a bridge [album]" and "some people would have been less shocked by howMusic for the Massivesounded. "

In July 2002, it was announced that Brad Booker from the bandStirhad joined on drums. His first show with Apartment 26 was opening forStone Sour.The band continued to work on their second album through the remainder of 2002 and throughout 2003. The band then signed with major labelAtlantic Recordsfor the album. They extensively toured the United Kingdom at the end of 2003 with a mixture of headlining shows and opening forEvanescence.The second album was tentatively titledDetachment(which was initially set for a 2003 release), but it was later changed toMusic for the Massive.Music for the Massivewas released in February 2004 and it was co-produced withTchad Blake."88" was released as a promotional single for the album. The lead single was "Give Me More", and it peaked at #39 on theBillboardMainstream Rock chart. The album was not heavily promoted, and three months after its release, the band was dropped by Atlantic Records. Apartment 26 then formally announced that they had broken up towards the end of 2004.

Members

Final line-up

• Terence "Biff" Butler - vocals (1998–2004)
• Jon Greasley - guitar (1998–2004)
• Louis Cruden - bass (1998–2004)
• Andy "A.C." Huckvale - keyboards/programming (1998–2004)
• Brad Booker - drums (2002–2004)

Former members

• Kevin Temple - drums (1999–2000)
• Jeremy Colson - drums (2000–2001)

Discography

Albums

• Within EP(1999) (Murph Records)
• Hallucinating(2000) (Hollywood Records)
• Music for the Massive(2004) (Atlantic Records)

Singles

Year	Title	Chart Positions	Album
		US Main. Rock
2000	"Basic Breakdown"	33	Hallucinating
	"Backwards"	—
2003	"88"	—	Music for the Massive
2004	"Give Me More"	39

Appearances

• MegadethRiskExtra Value CD(pre-order sampler, 1999)
• Heavy Metal 2000(soundtrack, 2000)
• High Fidelity(soundtrack, 2000)
• Tales from the Crypt: Monsters of Metal(compilation, 2000)
• Mission: Impossible 2(soundtrack, 2000)
• Ozzfest2000(tour sampler, 2000)
• PacsunCore Sampler V1(store sampler, 2000)
• Gekido: Urban Fighters(soundtrack, 2000)
• Metal Hammer: February 2001(magazine sampler, 2001)
• Rage #1(magazine sampler, 2001)
• Metal Hammer: December 2003(magazine sampler, 2003)