Rocky Gray

Rocky Gray
Rocky Gray playing Drums performing for Evanescence
Background information
Birth name	William Gray
Also known as	Rocky
Born	(1974-07-02) July 2, 1974 Jacksonville, Arkansas, United States
Genres	Alternative metal, Christian metal, death metal
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Drums, guitar, bass, keyboards, backing vocals
Years active	1991-present
Labels	CrimeWave
Associated acts	Living Sacrifice, Soul Embraced, Mourningside, We Are the Fallen, Evanescence, Machina, Shredded Corpse, Kill System, Solus Deus, Bleeding Through, The Killer and the Star, Fatal Thirteen, Project 86, PainGod, Thy Pain, Believer, Austrian Death Machine, Every Knee Shall Bow, Creepy Carnival, Even Devils Die, Seminal Death, The Burning, Chalice, Sickshine, 3 For Sorrow, Inner War, At Wars End, Final Surrender, Abated Mass of Flesh, Cryptic Memoirs
Website	www.rocky-gray.com

William Rocky Gray (born July 2, 1974) is a drummer and guitarist who has been part of the Arkansas metal scene since the early 1990s. He has an extensive career as a musician and is best known as the lead guitarist for Living Sacrifice and Solus Deus, and the drummer for We Are the Fallen.^[1] He also plays drums for Soul Embraced, Mourningside, and Machina and he is the former drummer for Evanescence. Gray is also currently doing a solo album titled Accursed.

Career

1991–1998

In 1991, Gray joined the Grindcore band, Shredded Corpse with David S. The band released two albums and eventually disbanded in 1998. In 1997 formed Soul Embraced with David S. and brokeup in 1998. Throughout 1991-1998 Gray played for many bands with Shredded Corpse being the main gig.

In 1998, Gray joined the legendary Christian death metal band, Living Sacrifice with Arthur Green and Matthew Putman.

1999–2005

In 1999, Gray reunited Soul Embraced with his brother-in-law, Chad Moore and fellow Living Sacrifice member, Lance Garvin and released their debut EP, The Fleshless. In 2000, LS released their fifth and Gray, Green and Putman's debut LS release, The Hammering Process, as well as later that year, Soul Embraced's debut studio album, For the Incomplete.

In 2002, LS released their sixth, and Gray's sophomore LS release, Conceived in Fire as well as SE's sophomore This Is My Blood. Gray formed the band Kill System in 2002, with Garvin, Moore, John LeCompt (Mindrage, Evanescence) and Allen Robson (Becoming Saints, Descended from Wolves) and recorded their debut self titled album and disbanded in 2003. In early 2003, Gray left the band, and was replaced by Cory Brandan Putman, to play drums live for the Goth rock band, Evanescence.^[2] In between leaving Living Sacrifice and joining Evanescence, Soul Embraced released their album, Immune. In 2004, the band released their debut album, Fallen which featured a cover of Soul Embraced's song, "My Tourniquet".

In 2005, Gray got together with Garvin and Bruce Fitzhugh to record three additional songs for Living Sacrifice's greatest hits, In Memoriam. Later that year, Gray joined fellow Evanescence member, John LeCompt in the band, Machina.

2006–2011

In 2006, Gray joined the Horror-themed band, Fatal Thirteen (also stylized as Fatal 13) as the drummer. Gray also formed his own solo project called, 3 for Sorrow and another project with his brother-in-law called The Burning.^[3] Both 3 for Sorrow and The Burning ended almost as abruptly they started. Gray stated that The Burning was put aside as he was focusing on other projects.

After five years of being disbanded, Living Sacrifice reunited and released their sophomore EP, Death Machine. Before LS reunited, Gray left Evanescence along with LeCompt.^[4] In 2008, SE released their highly acclaimed album, Dead Alive.

In 2009, Gray and LeCompt formed a project with fellow ex-Evanescence member Ben Moody, and two other members (Carly Smithson, Marty O'Brien) called We Are the Fallen.^[1]

In 2010, Living Sacrifice released their 7th, and highly acclaimed album, The Infinite Order, which featured many guest spots, including David Bunton of The Showdown and Joe Musten of Advent.

2012–present

In 2012, Gray produced an EP by, an at the time local band, Every Knee Shall Bow.^[5] The band soon aftet signed to Rottweiler Records, which Soul Embraced signed soon after.^[6] Gray joined Solus Deus soon after they started.^[7] In 2012, they released their debut self titled EP, and in 2013 their sophomore, The Bloodtrail.

In 2013, both LS and SE released their most recent albums, Ghost Thief, which featured artists such as Ryan Clark of Demon Hunter and Dave Peters of Throwdown^[8] and Mythos, which featured Fitzhugh.^[9]

In 2014, Fatal Thirteen broke up, and after the disbanding of the band, three other projects emerge. Including Creepy Carnival, which Gray formed with Wretched Graverobber and Spano Graverobber of the Horror punk band, Grave Robber, and Jeff Bowie of Descended from Wolves, Mourningside, and Soul Embraced.^[10][11]

The other projects included were Even Devils Die, another project with LeCompt, and his other solo project, just by the name of Rocky Gray.

In 2015, Gray recorded a solo album, titled Accursed and many of the tracks appeared on the soundtrack for Killing Floor 2 (released by Tripwire Interactive; soundtrack released by Solid State Records)^[12] Gray stated by 2016, he wanted Living Sacrifice and Soul Embraced to have a new release.^[13] In 2015, Gray scored the movie The Barn and the video game for the movie.^[13]

In 2016, Gray was nominated for "Best Scorer" for the movie The Barn.^[14] Later that year, Gray, alongside longtime friend LeCompt, joined local Arkansas gothic rock band, Cryptic Memoirs.

Personal life

Gray is married to Renée Gray with two children, Abraham and Madison, and currently resides in Little Rock, Arkansas. His brother-in-law, Chad Moore, plays with Gray in Soul Embraced (Vocals) and played with him in Kill System (Bass) and The Burning (Vocals).

Bands

Current

• Rocky Gray (Solo) – guitars, drums, bass (2014–present)
• Soul Embraced – lead guitar, vocals (1997–2008, 2014–present), drums (2008–2014)
• Mourningside – drums (2004–present)
• Living Sacrifice – lead guitar, backing vocals (1999–2003, 2005, 2008–present)
• Machina – drums (2005–present)
• We Are the Fallen – drums (2009–present)
• Solus Deus – lead guitar, backing vocals (2012–present)
• Even Devils Die – guitar, Programming (2014–present)^[15]
• Creepy Carnival - guitar (2014-present)
• Cryptic Memoirs - drums, guitar (2016-present)

Former

• Chalice – drums (1991)
• Shredded Corpse – vocals, guitar, keys (1991–1998)
• Sickshine^[16] – drums (1993–1995)
• PainGod (later known as Flesh Compressor) – ? (1994–1995)
• Seminal Death – vocals, guitar (1995)
• Thy Pain – guitar, vocals (2002)
• Kill System – guitar (2002–2003)
• Evanescence – drums (2002–2007)
• The Burning – guitar (2005–2006)
• 3 for Sorrow – drums, bass and guitar (2005–2006)
• Fatal Thirteen – drums (2006–2014)

Touring

• Bleeding Through – drums (2008)
• The Killer and the Star – drums (2009–present)

Timeline

Selected discography

With Soul Embraced

• The Fleshless (1999)
• For the Incomplete (2000)
• This Is My Blood (2002)
• Immune (2003)
• Dead Alive (2008)
• Mythos (2013)

With Living Sacrifice

• The Hammering Process (2000)
• Subtle Alliance (2002)
• Conceived in Fire (2002)
• In Memoriam (2005)
• Death Machine (2008)
• The Infinite Order (2010)
• Ghost Thief (2013)

With Evanescence

• Anywhere But Home (2004)
• The Open Door (2006)

With Kill System

• Kill System (2002)

With Machina

• Machina EP (2007)
• To Live And Die in the Garden of Eden (2012)

With We Are the Fallen

• Tear the World Down (2010)

With Solus Deus

• Solus Deus (2012)
• The Bloodtrail (2014)
• The Plague (2016)

As Rocky Gray

• Accursed (2015)

With Cryptic Memoirs

• Weight of the World EP (2017)

As Scorer

• The Barn (2015)^[17]

Other credits

• Inner War – Inner War (producer, 1999)
• Thy Pain – More Than Suffering (producer, 2002)
• Fatal Thirteen^[18] – Music From the Soundproof Torture Chamber (Producer, 2006)
• Austrian Death Machine – Double Brutal (guitar solo on track 13, 2009)
• Believer – Gabriel (guitars, 2009)
• At Wars End – Take Off the Mask (producer, 2012)
• Every Knee Shall Bow - Weary Warrior (producer, 2012)^[5]
• Project 86 – Wait for the Siren (drums, 2012)
• Lust Control - Tiny Little Dots (Producer, 2013)^[19]
• Final Surrender - Empty Graves (Producer, 2013)^[20][21]
• Abated Mass of Flesh - Brutal Death (Mastering, 2013)^[21]

CrimeWave

In 2005, Rocky launched a clothing line called CrimeWave Clothing, which he has since abandoned. CrimeWave is also the name of Rocky's record label that currently features Fatal Thirteen.

References

We Are the Fallen
Rocky Gray John LeCompt Ben Moody Marty O'Brien Carly Smithson
Studio albums	Tear the World Down
Singles	"Bury Me Alive" "Tear the World Down"
Related articles	Evanescence American Idol Universal Republic Records
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