Theater of the Absurd

Formed in 2006 by drummer Patrick Curley and guitarist Mike Neumeister, Theater of the Absurd’s initial intent was to play unique extreme metal, equal parts progressive and ferocious. Insistent on splitting all instrument and vocal duties amongst themselves, the two friends quickly threw together an album’s worth of songs that seethed with youthful exuberance and passion, if not musicality and finesse. But what the duo lacked in craftsmanship they made up for in vigor: 500 LPs were soon pressed on a private label, funded exclusively by Neumeister and Curley. The vinyl was still hot from the press when the duo realized its folly.

“We wanted something more,” Neumeister explains. “The record was immature…just primal. We knew right away that our creative impulses weren’t satisfied.”

Only a few copies of the LP made it out into the world before the band stopped pushing it altogether and refocused on a new goal. Combining their love of forward-thinking, progressive bands of the 1970s and modern, avant-garde metal, the duo set out to create progressive metal that was truly distinct. Influenced by bands as diverse as Magma, Cynic, Gonin-Ish, and Gentle Giant, Theater of the Absurd took the next couple of years to craft emotionally-charged, cerebral, intricate pieces of music that were unlike any other.

Armed with a sound all their own and a statement to make, Theater of the Absurd is ready to take on the world. And after what seemed at times to be an uphill battle, it appears that the world is finally ready for Theater of the Absurd.