Downthesun

downthesun
Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1999 in Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Founder	Lance "Kuk" Collier, Nathan Church
Defunct	2004; 2011 (hiatus)
Headquarters	Kansas City, United States
Key people	Lance "Kuk" Collier, Nathan Church, Aaron Peltz, Anthony "Satone" Stevens, Danny Spain, Bruce Swink
Products	Music albums
Number of employees	6 (final lineup)
Parent	Maggot Corps. (formerly), Roadrunner Records (label)
Website	myspace.com/downthesun

downthesun (stylized in all lowercase) was a nu metal group from the United States, established in Kansas City, Missouri in 1999. Renowned for their intense sound and association with Slipknot, they stood as the exclusive artist signed to Slipknot’s brief imprint, Maggot Corps. Their discography includes a single studio album, 2002’s Downthesun, before disbanding in 2004. The band briefly regrouped between 2010 and 2011.

Origins and initial phase (1999–2001)

Bassist Lance "Kuk" Collier and keyboardist Nathan Church, both formerly part of Kansas City’s rap metal outfit Canvas, founded downthesun. After serving as an opening act for Slipknot, Collier and Church connected with Slipknot percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan. He introduced them to drummer Danny Spain and vocalist Anthony "Satone" Stevens, who had previously worked as Crahan’s drum technician. As Canvas moved away from metal, Collier and Church departed to focus on their new project. The group expanded with the addition of vocalist Aaron Peltz and guitarist Bruce Swink before officially adopting the name downthesun. In October 2001, they became the inaugural signing to Maggot Recordings (later renamed Maggot Corps.), a label founded by Slipknot and owned by London-Sire Records, a division of Warner Music Group.

downthesun era (2001–2002)

From May to June 2001, downthesun recorded their self-titled debut album over a six-week period at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, collaborating with producer GGGarth and executive producer Shawn Crahan. The album was finalized in December, with Crahan contributing to its artwork. When the original guitarist suffered a hand injury, Lance Collier enlisted Neil Godfrey of Ultraspank to perform guitar tracks. Godfrey nearly joined the band permanently but ultimately departed to pursue opportunities with Lo-Pro and Motograter. Subsequently, Bruce Swink was brought on for live guitar performances.

Although initially scheduled for early February 2002, the album’s release was postponed due to the shutdown of London-Sire Records in late 2001. Following the collapse of London-Sire and Maggot Corps. in January 2002, downthesun was forced to withdraw from a European tour supporting Slipknot. Unable to secure a new deal with Warner Music Group, the band sought other labels for distribution. After A&R representative Monte Conner reviewed their work—and with backing from Crahan—they secured a contract with Roadrunner Records in May 2002, publicly announced on June 24. A music video for the track "Medicated" was made available on their official website.

Downthesun embarked on their first official tour during the H82K2 Tour, supporting Slayer and In Flames from August through September 2002. Their debut album was finally released on October 1, 2002, peaking at number 37 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart and achieving global sales of approximately 50,000 copies. Promotion included touring alongside Soulfly and Slipknot as well as a New Year’s Eve performance with Murderdolls and Stone Sour.

Member departures and dissolution (2003–2004)

By February 2003, Bruce Swink, Aaron Peltz, Danny Spain, and Anthony Stevens had exited the band, coinciding with downthesun’s split from Roadrunner Records due to insufficient touring support. Despite these setbacks, Church and Collier aimed to keep the project alive. A refreshed lineup emerged featuring vocalist Matthew Burns, drummer Cameron Fitzmaurice, and guitarists Jason Martz and Nick Trotter. Plans were made in September 2003 to release an EP independently through their own label with distribution assistance from indie or major partners; by December seven preview clips had been shared online. However, by February 2004 downthesun had officially disbanded. In May of that year, Lance Collier described the situation as an "extended hiatus," emphasizing that new material would only be developed if the original six-member lineup reunited: "There was a real magic with the six of us and that's the only way downthesun will ever BE again."

Post-breakup developments, reunion, and indefinite pause (2004–2011)

Following downthesun's dissolution, Collier and Church each pursued new musical projects. Collier initiated The Hell Pigs, characterized as a fusion of southern rock and hardcore with a distinctive edge. In May 2004, Church established ADAYAFTER, which included Burns and Fitzmaurice; this group went on hiatus by October 2004 after Burns underwent a kidney donation surgery for his father. Anthony "Satone" Stevens re-emerged in March 2007 as the frontman for Common Diseases of Swine, a band blending progressive and hardcore genres, which disbanded in 2010. Communication among the original downthesun members ceased for seven years.

In May 2010, Peltz and Collier revealed plans to revive the band and discussed re-recording their initial album. They commenced work on a follow-up project tentatively named Revelations, aiming for a 2012 release. Nevertheless, on October 15, 2011, they declared an indefinite hiatus due to Collier focusing on sobriety. Since then, the group has stayed inactive, although Collier expressed willingness to produce new material in 2017.

Musical style and lyrical themes

Downthesun is predominantly classified within the nu metal genre but has also been identified as part of alternative metal, extreme metal, and sludge metal. Critics at AllMusic likened their sound to Slipknot’s, highlighting their combination of alternative metal with death metal influences.

The band’s core belief system, termed "The Truth," stands in opposition to mainstream Americana culture. Lance Collier stated in 2002: "We're ugly, we're fat and we go against everything that rock stardom is supposed to stand for: we are the truth." Shawn Crahan summarized their ethos succinctly as "'Friend or foe. Truth or lies. On or off.'"

Both musically and lyrically, downthesun incorporates elements from mysticism, astrology, and numerology. Their name symbolizes an intention to channel solar energy to forge a unique magical circle. Known collectively as "The Six," alluding to their six-member lineup and the symbolic significance of sun (6) and moon (9), the band maintains equilibrium between three positively charged members and three negatively charged ones. This duality is personified by lead vocalists Anthony "Satone" Stevens ("evil") and Aaron Peltz ("good"), who frequently engage in vocal interplay. For instance, in the track "Lucas Toole," Peltz assumes the role of a detective pursuing serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole, while Satone voices the killers mocking him. According to Collier, this interplay between good and evil fosters the creation of "complete truth."

Discography

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
Title	Album details	US Heat.
2002	Downthesun Released: October 1, 2002 Label: Roadrunner Format: CD	37

Band members

Final lineup

Lance "Kuk" Collier – bass (1999–2004, 2010–2011)
Nathan Church – keyboards, samples, vocals (1999–2004, 2010–2011)
Aaron Peltz – vocals (1999–2003, 2010–2011)
Anthony "Satone" Stevens – lead vocals (1999–2003, 2010–2011)
Danny Spain – drums (1999–2003, 2010–2011)
Bruce Swink – guitar (1999–2003, 2010–2011)

Former members

Neil Godfrey – session guitar (2001)
Jason Martz – guitar (2003–2004)
Nick Trotter – guitar (2003–2004)
Cameron Fitzmaurice – drums (2003–2004)
Matthew Burns – lead vocals (2003–2004)

Additional links

downthesun – Official MySpace