Discography
1. Crimson Tears Demo(1997)
2. Thunder Perfect Mind Full-length(2001)
3. Eternity Revealed Full-length(2004)
4. Cemetery Earth Full-length(2007)
5. Crimson Tears Full-length Compilation(2008)
6. Imperial Anthems No. 6 /w Spiritus Mortis Split
7"(2011)
7. Painted Windows Black Full-length(2012)
8. Pale Divine Full-length(2018)
Current line-up Ex-members
Darin McCloskey - drums(1995- ) Jay Purnell - bass guitar(1995-98)
Greg Diener - guitars, vocals(1995- ) Jim Corl - bass
guitar(1998-05)
Ron McGinnis - bass guitar(2012 - ) Larry Stout -
bass guitar(2005)
Dana Ortt - guitar(2018) Perry
Grayson - bass guitar(2005)
John Gaffney - bass guitar(2006-08,
2012)
Jerry Bright - bass guitar(2008-10)
John Klein - guitars(2007-09)
Sometimes you stumble upon treasures by chance which alter
your life immediately. This happened to me in 2006 when I was browsing through
I Hate Records excellent label/distro website for goodies. All of a sudden a
band name and an album title popped out in front of my eyes: Pale Divine -
Thunder Perfect Mind. There was no photo of the artwork but the accompanying
text piqued my interest immensely. A copy was duly ordered and upon its arrival
I have never looked back. After all, the band quickly made its way into my Top
5 favourites of all time, rubbing shoulders with Thin Lizzy, Rush, UFO and
Marillion. And that's no mean feat!
The band was formed in 1995 by drummer Darin McCloskey and
guitarist/singer Greg Diener and they have remained the nucleus ever since. From the beginning they forged a formidable partnership which has
resulted in some truly fantastic albums. They were soon joined by bass player
Jay Purnell in 1995 and he appears on Pale Divine’s first recorded effort, a
demo called ‘Crimson Tears’ released in 1997. He left in 1998 and was replaced
by Jim Corl.
The new lineup released the stunning debut ‘Thunder Perfect
Mind’ in 2001. Many first albums are usually very good because the bands have
had time to work on them with no pressure coming from anyone. So they are
relaxed and unrestrained. The same applies for Pale Divine but with one huge
difference, ‘Thunder Perfect Mind’ is a masterpiece. It set the bar high,
something the band embraced immediately and have used to their advantage ever
since releasing stellar album after stellar album. Three years later this is
evident as ‘Eternity Revealed’ appeared, a recording which further enhanced the
band’s greatness. No second album jitters here.
Another three years would pass until their third album was
released. In the meantime however, Jim Corl left in 2005 and this triggered an
almost Spinal Tap-like situation regarding the four-string profession. Larry
Stout and Perry Grayson followed in quick succession the same year before John
Gaffney joined the fold in 2006. A year later this new formation recorded the
ground-breaking ‘Cemetery Earth’. A truly earth-shattering recording which
cemented the band’s stature as one of the best in the world. Shortly afterwards
Pale Divine experimented with the lineup by adding a second guitarist, John
Klein. Still, the bassist merry-go-round continued in 2008 when Gaffney left
with Jerry Bright replacing him. In the meantime, a compilation album, ‘Crimson
Tears’, was released and as the title suggests it is based on the 1997 demo
with additional material added. In 2009 the band reverted back to the
three-piece format as John Klein left.
Bright departed in 2010 and when the ‘Imperial Anthems’ split
single with Spiritus Mortis came out in 2011, Greg Diener not only sang and
played guitar, he also handled the four-string axe. As the band prepared to hit
the studio to record the excellent ‘Painted Windows Black’ in 2012, Jerry
Bright returned to lay down the bass parts but for the initial live shows John
Gaffney helped out before departing again. This, however, finally stabilized
Pale Divine’s struggle with bass players as bass maestro Ron”Fezzy”McGinnis
entered the fray and he’s been with them ever since.
After six long years studio album number five arrived. This
self-titled creation saw the light of day in 2018 and again, Pale Divine pushed
the envelope. The new opus is a mind-blowing experience and, even though I
wouldn’t expect anything less from them, it is such an elation when a great band
never stands still and delivers. After its release, Pale Divine reverted back
to the quartet formula with Dana Ortt joining on guitar from Beelzefuzz. So,
closing this out the future looks amazingly bright from one of the best bands
on the planet. The current lineup has so much potential to elevate their
stature to unchartered territory which I, for one, savor and relishes in
thought of what is to come from these gentlemen. The future is endless!
-Swedebeast
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