Gus Rios - Union Black Track Premier - Type O Negative Christian Woman Cover

Union Black is a new metal tribute band taking songs from artists such as Depeche Mode, Type O Negative, NIN, and others, and turning them into heavy metal jams! The band was formed and is led by Gruesome drummer, Gus Rios, who is now up front playing guitar and handling vocal duty. The idea was to take great songs that (mostly) weren’t metal at all and reimagine them as if they were. Gus originally started on guitar at 9-years-old, so he’s going back to his roots… playing guitar and singing. The band is rounded out by his brother, Hector Rios on lead guitar, drummer Ruston Grosse from the legendary Master, and Sondra Hemmerick of Godrot on bass.

Gus Talks About The First Single:

I chose this song because I clearly remember the first time I heard it back in 1995… it was such a game-changer for me! Type O Negative was one of the first clean vocal bands I listened to after being a giant thrash and death metal head for years up until then and the impact is still quite obvious. It has the darkness of Black Sabbath and a very melancholy sense of melody that really resonated with me…and still does. Christian Woman didn’t come out as drastically different from the original as most of the other songs we’re doing because it was perfect, to begin with, but hopefully, we did manage to give it some cool and unique updates while maintaining its greatness.

About Gruesome:

Gruesome released a pair of single-song demos in 2014 and were quickly signed by Relapse Records. The band’s debut full-length Savage Land, a truly gruesome slab of Leprosy-styled death metal, was released in April 2015. As evidenced by the Ed Repka (Death, Vio-lence, Megadeth, Massacre, etc) cover art, Gruesome was humbly determined to keep the classic sound of Death alive as faithfully as possible.

After the very positive reception of their debut from fans and critics alike, Gruesome continued their homage to the Death catalog, promptly sinking their teeth into the savagery of Scream Bloody Gore. Their 2nd release, the Dimensions of Horror EP, was a six-song slab of grisly, bone-breaking anthems that proved that no matter the decade, old-school death metal is always relevant, brutal, and irresistible. The music video for the title track perfectly captured the record’s VHS Horror sensibility and further raised the band’s profile, leading to shows across the US and Europe. The band followed Dimensions… up with a 7” titled Fragments of Psyche, which showcased their versatility. With guest drummer Sean Reinert (Death, Cynic), the band dove head-first into the more technical Human era of DEATH’s sound, which was a sharp contrast to the band’s first two releases, which exclusively reveled in old school glory.

Gruesome returned in 2018 with their second full-length sermon, Twisted Prayers. Twisted Prayers follows Death’s paradigm shift during the Spiritual Healing era. The album incorporates more cerebral, melodic instrumentation with elements of thrash as well as thought-provoking lyrics. The band returned to New Constellation Studios in Orlando Florida to work with producer Jarrett Pritchard (Exhumed, 1349, Goatwhore), who has been instrumental in crafting the band’s sonic homage. Cover artist Ed Repka created another classic piece that mirrors his work on the first 3 DEATH albums, and Gruesome has once again done what they do best: Deliver eight unholy hymns and 40+ minutes of sophisticated old-school brutality. The band even enlisted legendary guitarist James Murphy (Death, Obituary, Testament) for a pair of special guest guitar solos. Bow your heads and worship at the altar of Gruesome!

About Master:

The band was originally formed in 1983 as Death Strike, after the demise of the band War Cry. The band’s sound was influenced by Venom, Slayer, and Motorhead. In 1985, Speckmann renamed the band Master and obtained a record deal with Combat Records. An album was recorded but was shelved due to issues with the label. The recording sessions for the album were released in 2003 by Displeased Records as Unreleased 1985 album. In 1990, the band signed with the German label Nuclear Blast. The label also had Speckmann’s other band, Abomination, under contract. Master released their debut album, titled Master, in 1990. The album was recorded with Mittelbrun on guitars and Schmidt on drums. Nuclear Blast did not approve of the album; it was later re-recorded with Nickeas (drums) and Martinelli (guitar), and eventually released as the Speckmann Project in 1991.

Master released On the Seventh Day God Created… Master in 1991, which featured Paul Masvidal on lead guitar. Collection of Souls was released in 1993, but Master did not re-sign with Nuclear Blast. Master went on hiatus, in search of a new record label. Master released Faith Is in Season in 1998 through Pavement Music. Speckmann focused on several other projects, including the resurrected Abomination. Speckmann eventually joined the Czech band Krabathor and subsequently relocated to the Czech Republic.

Master released Let’s Start a War in 2002 on System Shock. After releasing Spirit of the West in 2004, Master signed with German label Twilight Vertrieb and released Four More Years of Terror in 2005. Slaves to Society was released in May 2007, and the band embarked on a European tour in May and June 2007.