Babylon A.D. (band)

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Babylon A.D. is an American hard rock band formed in 1987.^[2] Babylon A.D. hail from the San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States.^[2] Original members, Derek Davis (vocalist/songwriter), guitarists and music writers Dan De La Rosa and Ron Freschi, drummer Jamey Pacheco and bassist Robb Reid were all in childhood rival bands. In 1989, Babylon A.D. caught the attention of Arista Records president and industry music mogul Clive Davis, who signed them at a live showcase in Los Angeles.

Babylon A.D. self-titled album was released in 1989,^[2] and included their hard rock classic hits "Bang Go the Bells", "Hammer Swings Down" and "The Kid Goes Wild", which was the trailer song and video for Orion Pictures movie RoboCop 2. The band scored three number one songs at metal radio and reached gold on their first release. Their sophomore effort, Nothing Sacred, released in 1992,^[2] produced two singles, "Bad Blood" and "So Savage the Heart". Constant touring throughout the early 1990s and several MTV videos made them one of hard rock fans favorite bands.

After spending several years with Arista, the band signed with Apocalypse Records in 1999 and released Live in Your Face, a compilation of live tracks recorded at various cities throughout the United States. The band's next release American Blitzkrieg, soon followed in 2002 and both CDs were well received by critics and fans alike. In 2006, the band released In The Beginning... Persuaders Recordings 8688 on Apocalypse/Perris Records, which contained songs from the original demo tapes that secured them their record deal with Arista Records.

In between breaks in the band, Davis released three more records. In 2005 he and band member James Pacheco released a blues rock album with the band American Blues Box. In 2012, Davis released his first studio effort (Re-Volt) to critical acclaim. In 2014, Davis's band Moonshine was released, a blues based rock band which was recorded at Edward Van Halen's 5150 studios with guest appearances by Michael Anthony and Jane Child.

Freschi was also busy during this time recording and releasing his own band's debut Syrym in 2007.

After a long hiatus, Babylon A.D. regrouped with all original members and released a four-song EP Lost Sessions / Fresno, CA 93 in 2014. The band also played several shows in the U.S. and Nottingham, England's FireFest Rock Festival.

The band released a LIVE@XXV to celebrate their 25 years of recording and performing together. They played on the 2015 Monsters of Rock Cruise, along with Bay Area favorites Y&T, Tesla and Night Ranger as well as other play more select dates across the U.S.

Revelation Highway was issued on Frontiers Records on November 10, 2017, and Davis spoke to The Rockpit about the making of the album and the return of original guitarist John Matthew.

Influences[]

In sound of the group it goes from the classic Heavy metal to the glam rock seventies, They have mentioned Led Zeppelin, UFO, Metallica, Wishbone Ash, Motley Crue, Ratt, Sweet, Helloween, Roxy Music, Nazareth, Mercyful Fate, Tesla, Judas Priest, Slade, Queen, Zoot, Marseille, Wrathchild, Anvil, AC/DC and Montrose as its main influences [1].

Personnel[]

Current members[]

• Derek Davis – lead vocals, guitars, piano, tambourine
• Ron Freschi – guitars, backing vocals
• Danny De La Rosa – guitars, banjo, backing vocals
• Robb Reid – bass guitar, backing vocals
• James "Jamey" Pacheco – drums, percussion

Former members[]

• John "Jones" Mathew – guitars, keyboards, backing vocals
• Eric Pacheco – bass guitar, backing vocals (died December 6, 2020, aged 53)^[3]

Discography[]

Studio albums[]

• Babylon A.D. (1989)
• Nothing Sacred (1992)
• American Blitzkrieg (2000)
• Revelation Highway (2017)

Live albums[]

• Live in Your Face (1998)
• Live@XXV (2015)^[4]

Compilation albums[]

• In the Beginning... Persuaders Recordings 8688 (2006)

Extended plays[]

• Lost Sessions / Fresno, CA 93 (2014)

Promotional EPs[]

• Live at the Roxy (1991)

Singles[]

• "Hammer Swings Down" (1989)
• "Bang Go the Bells" (1990)
• "The Kid Goes Wild" (1990)
• "Desperate" (1990)

Promotional singles[]

• "Slave Your Body" (1992)
• "So Savage the Heart" (1992)

See also[]

• List of glam metal bands and artists

References[]

• "Babylon A.D." Archived from the original on 2005-08-19. Retrieved 2006-02-02.
• "Syrym". Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-13.

External links[]

• Official website
• Babylon A.D. discography at Discogs