Sister Kill Cycle is a five piece Dark Alternative band hailing from Tampa, Florida consisting of members Raven Chain, Mykill Mayhem, John Pyres, Vii and Erock. Led by front man and vocalist Raven Chain, the Florida based band is breathing new life into the Alternative music scene. SKC's story begins in the cold, desolate hills of coal mining country in Charleston, West Virginia. The band was formed initially by front man Raven Chain, originally born in Dayton Beach, Florida who was transplanted in Charleston, West Virginia by his parents at a young age. A poor kid from the wrong side of the tracks, Raven and his brother Jon Chain wanted an artistic outlet to serve up some controversy to an already stale and safe music scene. The brothers grew up in a family and part of the nation that was immersed in country and gospel music, a stark contrast of the vision Raven Chain had for his band. Lending from childhood heroes Alice Cooper and David Bowie, Raven wanted a band that was very theatrical, dangerous and also very visually appealing. With a perfect backdrop set to sow the seeds of angst, SKC started playing the very limited musical circuit of Charleston and Huntington in October of 2000 and immediately gained attention.
In the summer of 2001, SKC were invited to perform on the Locobazooka tour featuring Sevendust, Filter, Nonpoint and Mushroomhead. The band quickly impressed show promoters and were asked to do two more shows on the tour in the regional area, which gained the band national recognition. Deciding it was time to take the band to the next level; Raven decided to focus on being the vocalist and front man and hire a new guitarist. An ad was placed on the internet searching for an extreme guitarist with a heavy hand and unique style. Answering the ad was Ohio born Mykill Mayhem who was currently residing in Florida after his tour of duty with the United States Army. After some discussion about the possibilities, everyone decided that it wouldn't work at that time. However, after a year of touring the northeast, the band rolled the dice and relocated to Tampa in 2002. After losing contact with Mykill for over a year, a chance meeting at a local bar would prove to be the fateful event that would join the two forever.
Immediately the band began working on material and soon was ready to take on the Tampa music scene. Sister Kill Cycle's first show in Tampa was at The Masquerade in famous Ybor City. Arranged by local hero Gen from the Genitorturers, the show was all the band needed to ignite a buzz that there was a new sheriff in town. After performing most of 2002, SKC had established a large fan base locally as well as gaining attention from other areas nationally and internationally through internet promotions and live performances. The band also gained attention from rock veterans Sara Lee Lucas (Marilyn Manson) and Chris Telkes (Nocturne) who would both go on to produce and mix the bands first record. "Massacre the Guilty" was released in 2003 as an independent album and quickly started making noise. Raw, edgy rock fused with electronic synth and raspy vocals proved to be the key to solidifying the bands presence and acceptance with fans alike. Without a record label, SKC pressed on and continued to perform live as much as possible and promote themselves on the internet through sites such as myspace.com and in 2004 reached the #1 spot on the website's music charts. Through endless touring with acts such as Cradle of Filth, Bile, Arch Enemy, KMFDM, The Genitorturers, Nocturne, Prong and CC Deville(Poison) and winning Best Hard Rock Artist at Tampa's 2005 Hard Music Awards, SKC was invited to attend winter NAMM in Anaheim, CA and secured endorsement deals with DDRUM, BC RICH guitars, Kustom Amps, Hosa Cables, Hotpicks USA, Floyd Rose, EMG and Roland to name a few.
Sister Kill Cycle continued to tour throughout 2007 until finally slowing down enough to get back into the studio to record their first full length album. Proving to be more difficult than the first record, the band's second album would cause several studio changes as well as line-up changes and inevitably a delay in the release which lasted nearly two years. After an exhausting search for new band members which lasted until mid 2009, Mykill and Raven found the answer they were looking for. Erock and Vii were recruited from local bands and were quickly rushed into rehearsals to prepare for the new album. "Redemption Through Rebellion" was released in April 2010. The album was recorded and mixed at Advanced Media Studios in St. Pete, FL by long time metal producer Dana Walsh and mastered yet again by Sara Lee Lucas (Marilyn Manson) and Trace (NIN, Celine Dion) at their Masterlab Facility in Orlando, FL. The summer of 2010, Sister Kill Cycle embarked on an East Coast tour with pals Team Cybergeist and Fractured Fairytales and continued to tour regionally through 2010. The band released the video to the first single "Cruel World" directed by Adam Rohrman on Youtube and filmed a video for the second single "No Surrender" directed by Michael Snyder which will be released in Jan. 2011. Sister Kill Cycle are currently in the studio writing material for their sophomore record and preparing for a national Summer tour as well as securing deals with a record label and management firm.
