Babylon A.D. (band)

Babylon A.D. is an American hard rock band formed in 1987.[2][3] Babylon A.D. hail from the San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States.[3] In 1989, Babylon A.D. caught the attention of Arista Records president and industry music mogul Clive Davis, who signed them at a live showcase in Los Angeles. The band's first lineup was Derek Davis on vocals, guitarists John Mathews and Ron Freschi, drummer Jamey Pacheco and bassist Robb Reid.

For the unrelated film, see Babylon A.D.
Babylon A.D.
OriginSan Francisco, California, United States
GenresHard rock, glam metal[1]
Years active1987–1994, 1998–2006, 2008–2010, 2013–present
LabelsArista
Apocalypse Records
MembersDerek Davis
Dan De La Rosa
Ron Freschi
Dylan Soto
Craig Pepe
Past membersEric Pacheco
James "Jamey" Pacheco
Robb Reid
John "Jones" Mathew
Nick Hernandez
Marc "Spyder" Webb
Websitebio.site/babylonad

The debut album, Babylon A.D., was released in 1989,[3] and included the hard rock songs "Bang Go the Bells", "Hammer Swings Down" and "The Kid Goes Wild", the latter used for the soundtrack and video for the Orion Pictures movie RoboCop 2.

Their sophomore effort, Nothing Sacred, was released in 1992.[3] It produced two singles, "Bad Blood" and "So Savage the Heart". The band toured throughout the early 1990s and put several videos on MTV.

After spending several years with Arista, the band signed with Apocalypse Records in 1999 and released Live in Your Face, a compilation of live tracks recorded at various cities throughout the United States. The band's next release American Blitzkrieg, followed in 2002. In 2006, the band released In The Beginning... Persuaders Recordings 8688 on Apocalypse/Perris Records, which contained songs from the original demo tapes that secured them their record deal with Arista Records.

In between breaks in the band, Davis released three more records. In 2005 he and band member Jamey Pacheco released a blues rock album with the band American Blues Box. In 2012, Davis released his first studio effort (Re-Volt). In 2014, Davis's band Moonshine was released, a blues based rock band which was recorded at Eddie Van Halen's 5150 studios with guest appearances by Michael Anthony and Jane Child.

Freschi was also busy during this time, recording and releasing his own band's debut Syrym in 2007.

After a long hiatus, Babylon A.D. regrouped with all original members and released a four-song EP Lost Sessions / Fresno, CA 93 in 2014. The band also played several shows in the U.S. and Nottingham, England's FireFest Rock Festival.

In 2015 the band released LIVE@XXV to celebrate their 25 years of recording and performing together. They played on the 2015 Monsters of Rock Cruise, along with Bay Area favorites Y&T, Tesla and Night Ranger as well as other play more select dates across the United States.

Revelation Highway was issued on Frontiers Records on November 10, 2017, and Davis spoke to The Rockpit about the making of the album and the return of original guitarist John Matthews.

Eric Pacheco, the band's former bassist who contributed to American Blitzkrieg, died at the age of 53 on December 6, 2020.[4]

In 2023, the band released a third live album, Live Lightning, featuring live performances of 14 of their songs.[5]

Personnel

Current members
  • Derek Davis – lead vocals, guitars, piano, songwriter (1987–1994, 1998–2006, 2008–2010, 2013–present)
  • Ron Freschi – guitars, backing vocals (1987–1994, 1998–2006, 2008–2010, 2013–2018, 2021-present)
  • Danny De La Rosa – guitars, banjo, backing vocals (1987–1994, 1998–2006, 2008–2010, 2013–2017, 2021-present)
  • Dylan Soto - drums, percussion (2023-present)
  • Craig Pepe - bass, backing vocals (2023-present)

Former members
  • James "Jamey" Pacheco – drums, percussion (1987–1994, 1998–2006, 2008–2010, 2013–2023)
  • Robb Reid – bass guitar, backing vocals (1987–1994, 1998–2006, 2008–2010, 2013–2017, 2021)
  • John "Jones" Mathew – guitars, keyboards, backing vocals (1987-1988, 2017-2021)
  • Eric Pacheco – bass guitar, backing vocals (2018-2020) (died 2020)[4]

Touring members
  • Nick Hernandez (2019-2021)
  • Marc "Spyder" Webb (2019)

Discography

Studio albums
  • Babylon A.D. (1989)
  • Nothing Sacred (1992)
  • American Blitzkrieg (2000)
  • Revelation Highway (2017)

Live albums
  • Live in Your Face (1998)
  • Live@XXV (2015)[6]
  • Live Lightning (2023)

Compilation albums
  • In the Beginning... Persuaders Recordings 8688 (2006)

Extended plays
  • Lost Sessions / Fresno, CA 93 (2014)

Promotional EPs
  • Live at the Roxy (1991)

Singles
  • "Hammer Swings Down" (1989)
  • "Bang Go the Bells" (1990)
  • "Desperate" (1991)
  • "The Kid Goes Wild" (1991)
  • "So Savage the Heart" (1992)
  • "Bad Blood" (1992)
  • "American Blitzkrieg" (2001)
  • "Sinking in the Sand" (2001)
  • "Crash and Burn" (2017)
  • "One Million Miles" (2017)

Promotional singles
  • "Slave Your Body" (1992)
  • "So Savage the Heart" (1992)

See also

References
  • "Babylon A.D." Archived from the original on 2005-08-19. Retrieved 2006-02-02.
  • "Syrym". Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
  1. McPadden 9/21/2015, Mike. "The Hair Metal 100: Ranking the '80s Greatest Glam Bands, Part 1". VH1 News. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  2. "Biography — Babylon A.D."
  3. Colin Larkin, ed. (1999). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Heavy Rock (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 43. ISBN 0-7535-0257-7.
  4. "Former BABYLON A.D. Bassist ERIC PACHECO Dead At 53". Bravewords.com. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  5. Gordon, Elliott (2023-03-17). "Interview - Babylon A.D.'s Derek Davis Talks About the Band's Latest Live Release, His Musical Journey, and His First MTV Moment". All Music Magazine. Archived from the original on 2023-04-08. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  6. "Babylon A.D. releases new live album "Live@XXV"". Babylonad.com. Retrieved 28 March 2015.

"Babylon A.D. announce new drummer Dylan Soto and departure of founding member Jamey Pacheco".

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