Search - Five Victims Four Graves :: Desperation Never Felt So Good

Hailing from the talent rich area of Sacramento, Five Victim's Four Graves started in January 2004. They had one goal, to get their music out to the people. With a demo under their belts, long time friends of the band Red Tape thought this could be something their former label might be interested in hearingÃ? "I loved it", states Mike Hartsfield (New Age Records owner), "It was the way their music and lyrics psyched me up. It was dynamic, heavy, fast, posiÃ? every genre of our music in one band, I was hooked". Fast forward to a year laterÃ? The 5V line up alumni consisting of Phil Mengell, Grant Hodgdon and Matthew Sena, found themselves in search of a bass player and drummer weeks before their scheduled recording date. The scheduled release was to be a full length, but with the line-up in question, both label and band agreed doing a pretty good full length was no match for an off-the-scale, pissed off EP featuring only their best material. But where do they find a drummer? Working with producer Paul Miner (New Found Glory, Atreyu, Throwdown) usually pays off well. Paul lines up drummer Jarrod Alexander (A Static Lullaby, Death By Stereo, Throwdown, The Hope Conspiracy, American Nightmare, just to name a few) and the recording goes off without a hitch. The band travels to Los Angeles and creates what is sure to be a classic, the EP "Desperation Never Felt So Good". Mixing hard driving drums with intricate rifts, Mengel's vocals compliment the music, but at the same time the two never compete in a way that creates unwanted dissonance. The dueling guitar work of Hodgdon and Sena rivals the likes of Dave Murray and Adrian Smith. Five Victims music sounds both complex and loosely designed, making them stand out in an otherwise drab musical environment of double basses and overly loud instruments. So where do we go from here? Three guys searching for members with only a cd of their new EP in hand and drive and determination of completing the circle. The search begins, and time after time 5V finds themselves still without the perfect match. "Most labels would abandon a project with a band only partially complete entering the studio missing members, but I really have faith. After hearing what they bring, you just have to."-Mike Hartsfield. By the end of September, the search is over. Without a moment to spare Carl Chang (drums/ex The Revelry, Pummel, and The Lesdystics) and Ted Rauenhorst (bass/ex Even Ground and The Revelry) are found and the foundation is solid once again. Since having played together in the past the chemistry they brought to 5V was magnetic and the perfect match. "We've worked really hard but we're also aware that that means we need to work harder." Says Mengell. "We're looking forward to getting this new record out, and then touring as much as possible, we don't expect to have anything handed to us." Having shared the stage with the likes of Scars of Tomorrow, Hoods, Red Tape, and many others, the band anticipates the January 23rd. 2007 release of their 5 song New Age debut CD, "Desperation Never Felt So Good." Despite some line-up changes on the eve of this recording, Five Victims Four graves refused to let this "minor inconvenience" disrupt their plans. Let it begin!