There are several bands known as Piledriver.
1 - Canadian speed/thrash metal band.
2 - Japanese Hardcore Punk band in existence from 1987
3 - An industrial metal act from Oslo, Norway
4 - A Status Quo tribute band
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1 - Piledriver is a Canadian thrash/speed metal band, formed in 1984 by Gord Kirchin. They are known for an over-the-top image and flamboyant song titles and lyrics (as exemplified by such tracks as "Sex with Satan", "Alien Rape", "Sodomize the Dead", "Witch Hunt" and "Human Sacrifice"). Their best known song is possibly the title track of their debut album, Metal Inquisition from 1984. The album was followed by Stay Ugly two years later in 1986. These two early recordings have globally sold nearly 500,000 copies to date.
The band soon disappeared. However, some years later, Kirchin revealed that the band and albums were just a studio project and that the band never really existed at all, with all the names and virtually everything else about the band being made up. Kirchin later formed his own band, Dogs with Jobs, sporadically working on solo material.
In 2005, a new band was formed under the revised name of The Exalted Piledriver. A long search began for Kirchin to find the right musicians to fill the promise of the original albums. In the summer of 2006 the line-up was finalized: Mark Kopernicky (stage name Kinky Pork Cream, guitars), Gerry Keough (stage name Glace Frothfritter, drums) and Robert Tollefson (stage name Lobo Elf Snort, bass). After many live shows in Canada, the US and in Europe, the band entered the studio in late 2007 to record the first album to feature an actual band. The album, entitled Metal Manifesto, was released in 2008. The band will be playing shows in Canada and Europe during 2009, including a date at the Headbanger's Open Air festival in Itzehoe, Germany in July.
The band was reassembled with new supporting members in 2009.
Gord Kirchin (aka 'Pile Driver', vocals)
Steve Macpherson (aka 'Reverend Tom Cheapness', guitar)
Ken Gibson (aka 'Steele McFearsome', bass)
Mark Macpherson (aka 'Hank Momscraper', drums)
This line-up has toured Brazil (fall 2017) and Columbia (2018), and played festivals such as Calgary MetalFest V (2016), Amsterdam Heavy Metal Maniacs (2018) and Storm Crusher Festival (2019), and headlined shows in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City.
Lead vocalist Gord Kirchin of the Canadian cult metal band PILEDRIVER has died after a battle with lung cancer. He was 60 years old.
2 - Japanese Hardcore Punk band in existence from 1987 and still around today
3 - An industrial metal act from Oslo, Norway who released 3 albums between 1995 and 2002, as well as several tracks on various compilations. Piledriver dubbed their form of industrial metal "dunderdisco" (thundering disco), and combined harsh hardcore guitar with simple drum machine beats, strange synthesized melodies and angry vocals. The result is a blend that is perhaps closer to synthesizer-punk than your average industrial metal. This is further underlined by their use of humoristic lyrics and title references (among other titles we find "bohemian idiocy", a parodic medley of queen covers).
A Mouthful of Venus' Soda (1995) (Maxhine head)
Staying Up Late With Piledriver (1996) (Maxhine head)
Heavy Electricity (2002) (Hard records)
Band members have links to Norwegian rock acts Turbonegro, Gluecifer and Snuten amongst others, as well as the nationally well known squat Blitz, in Oslo.
4 - PILEDRIVER were originally established as a STATUS QUO tribute band and have been playing on classic rock festivals all over Europe for more than 20 years. PILEDRIVER are on a mission: to carry the original STATUS QUO sound of the 1970s into a new era without performing only the old classics as a mere cover band. Debut album "Piledriver" (1997), a Maxi-CD called "Hi!" (2000), "Piles of Rock" (2004), third album "Brothers In Boogie" (2016), "The Boogie Brothers Live In Concert" (2017), "Rockwall" and "Live In Europe – The Rockwall Tour" (2023).
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