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Dope (band)

From Alfawiki
Dope
Company typeBand
IndustryMusic
Founded1997
FounderEdsel Dope
Headquarters
New York City
,
United States
ProductsMusic albums, live performances

Dope is a New York City-based American industrial metal group established in 1997. They have produced seven studio albums to date, with their most recent release, Blood Money Part Zer0, arriving in February 2023. The band’s current roster features founding member and lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Edsel Dope, lead guitarist Virus, bassist Acey Slade, and drummer Daniel Fox. By 2022, Dope had achieved global sales exceeding one million albums.

Formation and Early Period (1997–1998)

The band was created in 1997 by songwriter and frontman Edsel Dope, originally comprising his brother Simon Dope on keyboards and samples, guitarist Sloane Jentry, drummer Preston Nash, and bassist Tripp Eisen. Their musical style fuses heavy metal with industrial rock influences drawn from bands such as Ministry and Skinny Puppy.

In their formative stage, the members funded their equipment purchases through drug sales. The band’s name, "Dope," is a nod to heroin, which was also depicted on their initial merchandise featuring syringe imagery.

Dope maintained early connections with prominent rock personalities: former drummer Ginger Fish once shared living space with Edsel prior to both artists’ rise in the music scene. Guitarist Zim Zum falsely claimed involvement as producer of their debut album to help them secure a record deal but was ultimately unavailable due to obligations with Mechanical Animals. Edsel also retains a friendship with ex-Marilyn Manson guitarist Daisy Berkowitz.

Felons and Revolutionaries Era (1999–2000)

Following a series of club performances in New York City and distribution of promotional cassettes, Dope signed with Epic Records and released Felons and Revolutionaries. During this period, Sloane Jentry exited the band, Tripp Eisen transitioned to guitar duties, and Acey Slade joined as bassist. The album featured fourteen tracks, including covers of "Fuck tha Police" by N.W.A and "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" by Dead or Alive (band), the latter gaining exposure through its inclusion in American Psycho. The track "Debonaire" was notably featured on the soundtracks of both Scream 3 and The Fast and the Furious, accompanying a pivotal scene.

The band embarked on extensive tours across the United States alongside artists such as Alice Cooper and Kid Rock, contributing to Felons and Revolutionaries selling over 250,000 copies according to SoundScan. A live performance video for "Sick" highlighted their energetic stage presence. Although the lead single "Everything Sucks" did not chart, their rendition of "You Spin Me Round" received significant radio airplay, peaking at No. 37 on the US Mainstream Rock charts.

Release of Life (2001–2002)

Building upon their initial success, Dope unveiled their second album, Life, which saw further lineup changes: Tripp Eisen was dismissed and subsequently joined Static-X, Virus took over guitar responsibilities after originally being hired as bassist, Acey Slade moved to guitar, Sloane Jentry returned on bass, and Racci "Sketchy" Shay replaced Preston Nash on drums.

Singles such as "Now or Never" and "Slipping Away" attained positions No. 28 and No. 29 respectively on the Mainstream Rock charts. The album reached No. 180 on the Billboard charts and climbed to No. 6 on the Top Heatseekers, marking the highest charting position for the band at that time. Following this release, Simon Dope departed to focus on a career in video game development.

Dope contributed tracks to various soundtracks including Vince McMahon's WWE entrance theme "No Chance" featured on WWF Forceable Entry. Their music had previously been utilized in ECW, with "Debonaire" serving as entrance music for wrestler Rhino.

During this timeframe, Edsel Dope became involved in a public feud with Murderdolls, particularly targeting vocalist Wednesday 13. Notably, Murderdolls included former Dope members drummer Racci Shay and guitarist Tripp Eisen. Midway through 2002, Acey Slade left Dope to join Murderdolls.

Group Therapy and American Apathy (2003–2007)

Dissatisfied with Epic Records' minimal promotional efforts, the band parted ways and signed with Recon Records, which was subsequently absorbed by the independent Artemis Records based in New York. Their third studio release, Group Therapy, included the track "Today is the Day," chosen as the official theme for WWE's No Mercy 2003 pay-per-view event.

By 2005, Dope introduced Brian "Brix" Milner, formerly of Orlando's Skrape, as their new bassist. Their album American Apathy marked a return to a more intense industrial metal style reminiscent of their debut record. Despite being released on an independent label, it became their first album to top the Top Heatseekers chart and attained their highest position on the Billboard charts up to that point.

Ben Graves, known from the Murderdolls, joined as the live drummer for their tour in Japan. In 2006, bassist Brix Milner performed with Murderdolls frontman Wednesday 13’s solo project. Additionally, Edsel Dope and Virus explored an alternative pop/rock direction through their side project Makeshift Romeo.

In April 2006, Dope secured a deal with V2 Records, but were dropped in January 2007 along with all other V2 artists due to company restructuring.

No Regrets (2008–2012)

Dope’s fifth studio album, No Regrets, was released on March 10, 2009, debuting at No. 88 on the charts with first-week sales of approximately 6,200 copies—making it the band’s highest-charting release. The album features multiple tracks repeating the title phrase, including "Dirty World," "My Funeral," and "We Are." The third single, "Addiction," showcases a guitar solo by guest artist Zakk Wylde.

The band embarked on a 22-date spring U.S. tour lasting two months, featuring Tripp Lee on bass and new drummer Angel Bartolotta, previously associated with Pig and The Genitorturers. On October 15, 2008, they released their lead single "Violence," which was made available on their MySpace page. Prior to the album’s launch, "Nothing for Me Here" appeared as a bonus track in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

Early in 2009, Dope promoted No Regrets through their website by offering previews of eight tracks alongside the full music video for "Addiction" featuring Zakk Wylde. The album also contains a cover version of Billy Idol’s "Rebel Yell".

On July 29, 2008, they released American Apathy Reloaded, which included remixes and alternate takes from their previous album along with a live DVD. A video was also produced for the second single "6-6-Sick".

Lead guitarist Virus contributes to the music industry by teaching at the Paul Green School of Rock in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania; producing emerging artists; and composing for television and video game companies such as Activision, Disney, and ESPN.

In 2011, Dope performed at the Gathering of the Juggalos and held a show at Mojoes in Joliet, Illinois. By 2012, Virus had joined David Draiman’s band Device.

Blood Money Part 1 + Part Zer0 (2013–present)

On September 19, 2013, Dope unveiled a teaser for "Drug Music," a track from their upcoming sixth studio album Blood Money, originally planned for March 2014 but postponed until summer. The first single’s music video for "Selfish" premiered on August 26, 2014; frontman Edsel Dope also announced that Blood Money would be released as a two-part album.

In 2015, Dope launched the "Die Mother Fucker Die" reunion tour featuring the classic lineup: Edsel Dope, Virus, Acey Slade, and Racci Shay. That year they recorded their inaugural live album during a performance in Moscow, which was released in summer 2016 through fan funding on their official website. Contributors were credited in the liner notes and helped achieve goals including producing a live DVD and organizing a European tour.

Following this live release, Dope announced that Blood Money, Part 1 would be issued in fall 2016 with assurances that Part 2 would follow shortly thereafter. The title track’s video debuted July 16, 2016; this was followed by the single "Hold On" and its accompanying video on August 26. The album was officially released worldwide on October 28, 2016 via eOne Entertainment.

Afterwards, Dope headlined tours across Russia and the United Kingdom while continuing their reunion tour with Virus, Racci Shay, and Acey Slade. In early 2017 they toured during spring co-headlining with Combichrist, supporting acts like September Mourning and Davey Suicide; fall dates included touring alongside Hed PE.

In 2019, Dope toured across the United States with groups such as Static-X, DevilDriver, Wednesday 13, and Raven Black. By 2023 they participated in the Rise of the Machine tour alongside Static-X, Fear Factory, Mushroomhead, and Twiztid.

On July 19, 2022, Dope announced Blood Money Part Zer0, a prequel to Blood Money Part 1, which was planned for free digital distribution in 2023. Concurrently they released singles "No Respect" and "Believe," with a music video for "Believe" following on August 22. A third single titled "Fuck It Up" was issued on September 7.

Between December 2022 and February 2023, Dope released multiple EPs: Best Of Me (December), Dive (January), Dead World (February), and Lovesong (February), which included previous singles plus a cover of The Cure’s "Lovesong." On February 24, 2023, they made Blood Money Part Zer0 available as a free digital download.

Musical style, influences and lyrics

Dope's sound has been categorized under genres such as alternative metal, nu metal, and industrial metal. The band draws inspiration from acts like Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Kiss, Guns N' Roses, White Zombie, and Mötley Crüe. Their lyrical content is characterized by its aggressive tone and explicit nature. An NME review of the album Felons and Revolutionaries emphasized the band's bold and confrontational manner, highlighting their provocative challenge to societal conventions.

From a musical standpoint, Dope prioritizes straightforwardness. Edsel Dope, the lead vocalist, describes the track "Pig Society" as a representation of the band's essence: "Angry, simple, and full of middle fingers."

"Die MF Die" stands as Dope's most prominent song and has been notably adopted in military settings. Edsel Dope shared insights on the song’s unexpected resonance:


Current members

  • Edsel Dope – lead vocals and programming (1997–present), rhythm guitar (1997–2000, 2002–present), keyboards (2002–present)
  • Acey Slade – bass guitar (1998–2001, 2015–2017, 2018–present), occasional lead guitar and backing vocals (2023–present), rhythm guitar (2000–2002)
  • Virus – lead guitar and backing vocals (2000–2013, 2015–2017, 2018–present), keyboards (2002–2013, 2015–2017, 2018–present)
  • Daniel Fox – drums (2004–2005, 2013–2015, 2017, 2019–present), occasional bass and backing vocals (2023–present)

Current touring musicians

  • Chris Warner – drums (2017–2019, 2023–present; filling in for Daniel Fox)
  • Koichi Fukuda – lead guitar (2025–present; substitute for Virus)

Discography

Studio albums
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