2012.03.07
Check out the newest SKINNER Promo Shots Here: 2012 Promo Shots
2012.01.06
Tune into Metal Messiah Radio from 5PM-7PM (PST) to hear DJ Hoyt play some killer METAL including some "SKINNER". If you wish to join us in chat there is no registration required. Simply find the CHAT tab on the home page and log in with a ‘handle’, skip the password entry (there is no password needed)
Metal Messiah Radio
2011.12.21
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!!!
This last year has been a rollercoaster ride for me. Just over a year ago after 4 albums I left "Imagika" to focus on resurrecting my long defunct band "Tramontane" and to finish up recordings for "Machine.Called.Man". I branched out even further by joining Progressive Metallers "The Consequence of Chaos" and eventually launching "SKINNER" which has gone on to be very popular and successful in our 1st year together.
Those that know me personally know that I don't take my family\friends\ or fans for granted. I owe everything to you and thank you all for the support you have shown me during this transition. As a special gift and thank you to everyone that has supported me I will be giving away my entire back catalog as well as many unreleased demos & live recordings... the good, the bad & the downright embarrassing!! LOL!! I will also be giving away a handful of preview tracks of upcoming music from my projects.
Each track will be mailed directly to your inbox along with lyrics and a little story\history to go along with the music. The 1st track will be sent out tomorrow on 12/22 & the last on 03/17 St. Patrick's Day. This date is significant as it is the date of my 2012 All-Star Birthday Show!!
This is a total of 87 tracks!! If you are unfamiliar with my music or only own 1 album this is the perfect way to become familiar with all my work. If you are my closest friend or biggest fan I can guarantee there's some great finds that you have never heard before. So, how do you get all this music. Simple... on my Facebook page message me your e-mail address and I will add it to my distribution list I am creating for this. Every day starting tomorrow until 03/17 you will receive a new MP3 from me. It could be an official released song from one of my 6 albums, a demo, a live track who knows... ;)
I really hope you all enjoy this gift and thank you so much for helping me achieve all my musical dreams!
~Norman Skinner
2011.11.21
The band Dire Peril has just uploaded a track I recorded rough Demo vocals for last year called "Your Serenade". I am beginning work on some tracks for their debut CD. Feel free to check out this old rough recording on their page here:
Your Serenade
2011.11.14
SKINNER, the new band led by former IMAGIKA frontman Norman Skinner, has completed recording its debut EP, titled "The Enemy Within". The five-song effort "showcases the evolution of Bay Area thrash with soaring vocals and crushing rhythms," according to a press release. Two tracks — "The Enemy Within" and "Hell In My Hands" — are available for streaming on skinnermetal.com under the "Media" tab.
SKINNER is currently shopping for professional management and label support and plans a full-length release in mid-2012.
Blabbermouth Story
2011.10.16
Thank you to everyone that came out to the special Birthday show for Luis Barillas last night Roosters Alameda!!! What a night!! For those of you that missed it I performed: Pantera - Cowboys From Hell, Iron Maiden - The Trooper, Metallica - Creeping Death with the band The Venting Machine. I also performed Judas Priest - Painkiller, Heaven & Hell - Bibleblack & Black Sabbath - After All with a mixture of talented musicians!!!! I had an absolute blast!! Now to write a new SKINNER song to debut this Thursday in San Mateo, CA!
2011.10.12
Tomorrow Night!! Bay Area fans... tune into 90.5 KSJS as The Madman is joined by my band SKINNER in the studio as we debut songs off our new EP "The Enemy Within"!! Thursday @ 10:00 PM 90.5 KSJS Radio!!!
2011.08.21
I have just uploaded two sample video clips of preproduction vocals I have been recording for "The Consequence of Chaos" to my Norman Skinner Facebook Page. The 2 songs are called "Am I?" & "Precursory Signs". Check them out via the link below:
Norman Skinner Facebook
2011.08.17
Utopian Trap has just posted a live vid from the 1 show I performed with them during my 4 months in the band. The song is called "The Final Figure". Check it out:
The Final Figure
2011.08.11
I am saddened to hear of Jani Lane's passing. Growing up I was a big fan of Warrant's music and considered Jani Lane a great songwriter. I was lucky enough to see him perform on many occasions and it's a sad thought knowing I will never have the chance to see him again. RIP Jani... you will be missed but not forgotten.
2011.06.29
I have just created a new profile for myself on intonation-network.com. If you are a band or musician I recommend signing up and definitely add me!!
2011.06.28
Finished all vocals for the upcoming 5-song SKINNER demo. That completes all tracking... onto the mixing!
2011.06.26
Had a blast in Reno last night. The crowd was great fellow bands Demension 13 & Silent Sinner rocked!!! SKINNER debuted a new song called "Guilt-Ridden" and it went over very well. Can't wait to come back again.
2011.06.14
After just a 7 month run I am announcing my departure from Sunnyvale based Progressive Metal band “Utopian Trap”. I have recently realized that I have taken on far too much and do not have enough time to fully dedicate myself as needed. I greatly enjoyed my time with the band and am happy we were able to play at least one live show together. I wish them well on their musical journey and will continue to support and promote their music. Interested vocalists should contact the band at utopiantrap@gmail.com
I am also announcing the decision to step down from any and all recording projects I had previously agreed to be a part of. Currently I was working on 3 separate recording projects which I am withdrawing from. My time will be split exclusively between my remaining 4 bands: SKINNER, Tramontane, The Consequence of Chaos, & Machine.Called.Man
The one exception however is my preparation for the guest show at The Artmore in Atlanta with Mark M.E. Edwards during this year’s ProgPower Weekend. I will continue to work with him for that special event. I don’t expect all bands and musicians effected by this to understand but hopefully they can at least support my decision.
2011.05.12
I've just created a new profile on Metalluminati.com. To check it out click on this link: Norman Skinner
2011.05.02
Power\Thrashers “SKINNER” are very happy to announce that Elena Repetto (Bomb & Scary, AC\DZ, Taunted, Machine.Called.Man) has joined the group taking over bass duties for Jim Pegram who departed the band last March for personal reasons. When Jim announced to us that he was stepping down from the band we were shocked to say the least but also realized quickly that we had shows coming up and knew we had to move quickly to fill the position. Throughout our quick discussions there was just one name that came up from all members and that was Elena Repetto. Elena is no stranger to the members of “SKINNER” having played alongside Norman Skinner in Imagika (2003-2007) as well as Machine.Called.Man with both Norman & Ramon. It was a very easy decision and we are all excited to see what the future holds for “SKINNER". Elena has been hard at work learning the material and will make her live debut with the band on May 20th @Club Cocomo in San Francisco!
2011.04.20
Exciting news!! You'r truly will be making a guest appearance at ProgPower USA on September 16th. Here is the press release & details:
Mark “M.E.” Edwards- Exclusive Performance & BBQ Luncheon at the Artmore
DataReport Consulting LLC is proud to announce an exclusive music-filled BBQ within the beautiful open-air courtyard at none other than the renowned Artmore Hotel on Friday, September 16th. In celebration, beginning at noon, the first 100 attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy a complimentary lunch!
Guests will be treated to a special live performance by guitarist and songwriter Mark “M.E.” Edwards of the veteran U.S. Power Metal band Overlorde. The performance will feature his unique and not to be missed “One Man Show” consisting of both original and cover heavy rock & metal instrumentals. He will also be joined by singers for a number of songs. Special guest vocalists confirmed to join M.E. onstage include the acclaimed Norman Skinner (Imagika) and much-admired Paul LaPlaca (Chris Caffery Band). Some of these songs will be original music that hasn’t been performed live in 10 or 20 years.
2011.04.12
Graphic Artist & Phenomenal Drummer Henry Moreno has just created 2 new logos for The Consequence of Chaos. you can view the new logos on The Consequence of Chaos FaceBook photo page HERE.
Henry is also the creator of the Imagika, Tramontane & SKINNER logos as well.
2011.04.07
As announced on Blabbermouth.net I have recorded some vocals on the upcoming Katagory V CD. I paid a visit to my friends in Utah and laid down some tasty vocal harmonies as well as some brutal growling. Keep an eye out for news on this upcoming release. To read the news article click HERE.
2011.04.06
Pics of the 2nd SKINNER show on 04/01 have been posted HERE. A big thank you once again to Pina Pix for their outstanding work!
2011.04.03
Announcing my live debut with Progressive Metallers Utopian Trap. Show is 04/29/11 @ Rooster's Roadhouse in Alameda, CA. The night will feature a showcase of power & Progressive Metal bands. Hope to see everyone out for this one!
2011.03.25
Pina Pix does it again!! simply AWESOME pics are up for viewing HERE of the All-Star Birthday Show!!!
2011.03.24
Just order the new SKINNER banner!!! Can't wait to see it!
2011.03.20
Wow!!! Last night was just magical! I have never seen that place so packed before. Friends came out in force and every musician was spot on. Just an awesome show... one of my favorites to date. Thank you to all the musicians, singers & friends\fans for coming out and performing!!
Quick heads up... last minute SKINNER show added @ The Avalon on 04/01/11. Mark your calendars!!
2011.03.19
Tonight is the night!! Big All-Star show @ The Quarternote!! Remember this is a free special event.
A HUGE THANK YOU to Pina Pix for the awesome pictures taken at the rehearsal for this show. If you'd like to see them click here: ALL-STAR REHEARSAL PICS
2011.03.18
Just finished a KILLER rehearsal @ Fang Studios for my All-Star Birthday Jam!! All the musicians and guest singers are bringing their A games!! THIS is going to be an awesome event!!!
2011.03.15
Unfortunately the All-Star Birthday Show was double booked. The venue screwed the pooch on this one and the show won't start until 10:00 PM now. Unfortunately this means that 667: The Neighbor of The Beast is no longer playing the show. The line-up is now SKINNER's ALL STARS & TAUNTED.
2011.03.09
Thank you to everybody for all the wonderful Birthday Wishes!!!
2011.03.08
I have just uploaded my official 2011 Promo Video on Youtube. Check it out!!! OFFICIAL NORMAN SKINNER PROMO 2011
2011.03.07
Hey everyone!! BayAreaRocks has just uploaded some live footage from the SKINNER debute. Click HERE to view video of "Breathe The Lie, Bound, & The Enemy Within". I hope you enjoy them!!
2011.03.06
I want to thank everyone that came out to witness the debut of SKINNER last night @ The Avalon! Their were a few sound issues but overall we had a blast. This is just the beginning!!
2011.02.25
If you'd like to see a much wider selection of studio & live pics than I have here on my site add me on FaceBook and you will be able to view a huge selection of pics going back to my very 1st bands. Norman Skinner FaceBook
2011.02.23
Just uploaded a small sample of the first released SKINNER material. The song is called "Miss Agony". You can hear it here: MISS AGONY SAMPLE ...ENJOY!!
2011.02.21
Writing continues for the new The Consequence of Chaos album. Here is a small snippet of Scott laying down tracks for new song "Precursory Signs". PRECURSORY SIGNS
2011.02.18
A short teaser clip of a new The Consequence of Chaos song called "Am I?" was just uploaded here: "Am I?". Just a sneak peak of a rough vocal recording session. Enjoy!
SKINNER shirts are now available for purchase through our ReverbNation Store Here: SKINNER SHIRTS! Be the 1st to own one!!
2011.02.17
Looks like SKINNER will be making its debut sooner than expected. We were just added to the STRYPER show @ The Avalon in Santa Clara on March 5th. Definitely excited about this show. Can't wait to showcase the new band and songs!!
2011.02.09
I was just notified that the Bands 4 Bands foundation has nominated me for "Best Vocalist"!! I am extremely honored!! Honestly... I hope I win!!!
If you missed my radio interview with Dave Softee on Metal Messiah Radio you can still listen to the podcast here: METAL MELTDOWN
Scroll down until you see me!
Other than those bits of news I have been busy writing, writing, writing...
Here are a few updates on the bands...
TRAMONTANE: A rough recording of our newest song "Fear Cage" can be heard on our ReverbNation Page. This is the only track released so far with any kind of vocals on it. I hope you enjoy it. The writing continues...
SKINNER: We've been very busy writing away as well and rehearsing to get these songs ready for the live audience. Our official local debut will happen on May 20th @ Club Cocomo in San Francisco. We will be joined by our friends Potential Threat SF, Envirusment, & Tyrannosaurus Christ
UTOPIAN TRAP: Just finished up 2 more songs and have 2 more to complete. We are scheduling a photo shoot so new band photos should be in circulation soon. We plan to enter the studio in the next couple months to record vocals.
THE CONSEQUENCE OF CHAOS: Finished another new track recently and will be doing some pre-production vocal recording tomorrow night. Stay tuned as we will post some samples online for everyone to check out.
2011.01.12
Mark your calendars!!
On Wednesday, January 26th [9PM-12AM EST] tune into Metal Messiah Radio for Dave Softee's Metal Meltdown!! Dave will be conducting an interview with me as well as playing 3 hours of awesome METAL!! He will be playing some Imagika and previewing a few demo tracks from some of my new projects. I will be participating in the online chat room as well... so tune in and join the chat!
http://www.metalmessiahradio.com/
To listen: Click on the “Metal Messiah Radio” link at the bottom of the website…
To join the chat, simply assign yourself a username and leave the password blank.
2010.01.10
Happy New Year everyone! So a few small updates on all my projects to kick of 2011...
Tramontane: The band is working hard on our 5th song and I will be recording pre-production vocals for them soon. Hoping to get a full albums worth of material in place soon. We will also be having a few special guest musicians on board as well so stay tuned...
SKINNER: Band has finished writing for our 3rd song and have 2 more in production. Writing is going fast and we are already booking our first shows for late march early April so watch the shows page for those.
Utopian Trap: Working on the 5th song currently and plan to do pre-production demo recordings by next month. Plans to enter the studio in March or April to record final product. This CD will be out fast!
Consequence Of Chaos: Writing for concept CD is underway. New line-up was just put in place so things are moving slow but steady. Writing will continue for the next few months.
Machine.Called.Man: Search is currently underway for a drummer to record the final McM CD.
I have also just recently returned home from Salt Lake City where I recorded some guest vocals for the band Katagory V. You can hear yours truly on there next CD. Check them out if you haven't heard them yet. As you can see BUSY times! Looking forward to seeing many of you at NAMM!!
2010.12.15
Dustin Mitchel (Katagory V) has finished writing and recording bass scratch tracks for the first 4 Tramontane songs. They are sounding beefy, dynamic and simply put... kick ass!! Next up I need to record the scratch tracks for vocals so Jeremy Villucci (The Element) can begin putting down the keys.
2010.12.14
It's official...
Bay Area progressive metal outfit rounded out by Imagika bassist and vocalist:
Consequence of Chaos, California-based progressive metal quintet, have announced
the addition of vocalist Norman Skinner (TRAMONTANE, UTOPIAN TRAP,
MACHINE.CALLED.MAN, IMAGIKA) and bassist Jim Pegram (IMAGIKA,
NITEMARE, BAPHOMET, HARUM SCARUM) to their ranks. Consequence also
features guitarist Scott McPhie (COLLAPSING SKY, SPIRAL DAWN), drummer Paul
Mansur (SHATTERED ILLUSION) and keyboardist Jeremy Delaune (REQUIEM).
The group is currently writing material for their debut album, expected for a summer
release in 2011.
2010.12.13
Change to my B-day show on March 19th @ The Quarternote. The opening band has been changed from "Something Left Unsaid" to "667: The Neighbor Of The Beast".
2010.12.06
A new MySpace layout for Tramontane is now online courtesy of our drummer Henry Moreno. It looks awesome!!!!!!
2
010.12.02
LOTS of exciting news!!!
NEW BAND: SKINNER
SKINNER was formed from the fallout of the now defunct Power Thrash band Imagika In late 2010. Musicians Rob Kolowitz (ex- Imagika\ Rapid Fire\HellHound\Blackstorm), Jim Pegram (ex-Imagika\ Nitemare\ Baphomet\ Harum Scarum), Ramon Ochoa (ex-Total Eclipse\ Maladiction\ Down Factor\ Cryptoreum\ Machine.Called.Man) & Norman Skinner (Tramontane, Utopian Trap, Consequence of Chaos, Machine.Called.Man & ex-Imagika) came together to create this fledgling band. Writing has already begun for their debut CD and a search is underway for a 2nd guitarist. The band plans to play out live Spring of 2011.
If that wasn't exciting enough I recently have started working with a progressive metal band called "Consequence of Chaos". I finished the 1st song and did a 1 take recording of the vocals in the guitarist's living room to show them what I was envisioning. They liked it so much they posted it on the band's MySpace. It's a very rough take and the 1st time I sang the idea but I also believe it sounds pretty badass! The song is called "Formation".
Last but not least... I am also announcing my 1st live performance scheduled since leaving Imagika. Mark your calendars!! Saturday, March 19th, 2011 **FREE SHOW**... yes FREE SHOW @ The Quarternote in Sunnyvale, CA.
This is my B-day show!! I will be playing 90+ minutes of material and will be joined by Taunted & Something Left Unsaid. More info to come...
2010.11.14
Vocalist Norman Skinner joins Utopian Trap.
Norman Skinner joins Utopian Trap as the new vocalist. Norman is a phenomenal musician and lyricist and his voice has an incredible depth and range. His official website is http://www.savascream.com/.
With 6 studio albums, countless shows, & tours under his belt San Francisco Bay Area Metal veteran Norman Skinner has made a name for himself as a force to be reckoned with in the Metal world. Dubbed the Metal Chameleon by members of the press, Skinner possesses a very wide range and utilizes it in a unique style to effortlessly switch between the beautiful and the brutal.
Norman Skinner started his musical career in the mid 90’s joining the Power Metal band Tramontane. He recorded his 1st album “December Dark” with the band in 1998 before moving on to form Machine.Called.Man. Honing his skills over the next few years Skinner was asked to join the already established Thrash band Imagika. Skinner gained notoriety as one of the best vocalist in the Bay Area and went on to record 4 albums with the band before departing in 2010.
2010.11.04
Since announcing my departure from Imagika I have received lots of offers to do guest vocal work as well as be part of many bands. I have devoted most of my time to Tramontane and the new songs are sounding awesome!! Been awhile since I've felt that musical spark. Besides Tramontane I have agreed to take on some of the guest vocal rolls and will appear on a few upcoming releases. I also have a new band in the works with some familiar faces so stay tuned for that as well!!!
2010.10.28
Finished 4th new Tramontane song titled "Fear Cage". This song is soooo awesome!! Waiting for Henry Moreno to write drums for the 5th song so I can start on that one. Things are progressing...
2010.10.15
Just joined a new progressive metal band last night. Not going to release much information just yet. Stay tuned to learn more as it progresses.
2010.10.13
I have just updated my Media page to include EVERY song I have ever officially released. 57 tracks total you can now listen to directly on this site. Enjoy!!!
2010.09.22
After 6 Years, 4 Albums, festivals, tours & countless shows today I announce that I am officially leaving IMAGIKA. This decision was not made lightly and has been a constant thought throughout this last year. I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea as I have no animosity towards any of the members of Imagika. They are and will continue to be my very good friends. My decision to leave is purely one of musical direction differences and an overall career choice. I feel that I have contributed and done all I can within the band but my heart is no longer in it. I have finished all commitments and obligations to the group in regards to our last release and think I would be doing the band and the Imagika fans an injustice by half-heartedly continuing the writing process for a new album. I will be making the Imagika show on October 16th, with Armored Saint my farewell performance with the group. I am sure it will be a very bittersweet event for me as my chapter with Imagika closes and a new one opens. I was a fan before joining Imagika and I will be a fan once again. It is now time for a new vocalist to rise up and carry the Imagika torch. To my fans, thank you for the years of support and stay tuned… I will continue to sing and am excited to see what opportunities await me next on my musical journey. Any interested bands and\or musicians can contact me at this e-mail address: savascream@gmail.com
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