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BITE* (clip)
LIFELESS HOLE (clip)
BLOODY VALENTINE (clip)

from After Therapy Torn With The Teeth (2009)
lyrics and music by Dee Calhoun & Charlie Johnston, except *, lyrics and music by Dee Calhoun, Charlie Johnston & Steve Johnston

notes: Returning to After Therapy felt like coming home. More knuckle-dragging, no frills heavy goodness. "Bite" is about looking into someone and being absolutely shit-scared in what you see. The original intention was for it to be in some way regarding Dahmer, but it veered from that and kind of steered itself in its own direction. "Lifeless Hole" is for anyone who has bent over backwards in order to please someone, with disastrous results. "Bloody Valentine" is long overdue to be recorded, we've played it live since almost the beginning, and we're thrilled to finally have it tracked. It's for someone I've never met, but whose situation I'm aware of, and it's my way of telling him what he'll have to do to escape it.



BRINGER OF HATE
WHAT YA DO
THIS CURSED EARTH

from Land Of Doom Land Of Doom (2008)
lyrics and music by Dee Calhoun & Russ Strahan

notes: Nothing fancy here, just good ball-busting heavy rock. "Bringer Of Hate" is an update of a lyric from the Level days, much better utilized here. "What Ya Do" is my rallying cry for the (almost) middled-aged, it's about growing old gracefully and with fire still in your belly. "Cursed Earth" is my ode to H.P. Lovecraft's head honcho of all things creepy and cosmic.



COLD WAR
EYE OF A NEEDLE
END OF MY ROPE
LOST CAUSE

from Dee Brian C./Alex Vanderzeeuw End Of My Rope (2007)
lyrics and music by Dee Brian C. & Alex Vanderzeeuw

notes: Alex approached me online and asked if I would be interested in recording some vocals for some original tracks he had recorded. I asked him to send some along, and was immediately interested. The material had a strong 80s metal vibe, and I mean REAL metal, not that hair band shit that so many people associate all hard rock from that era with. I started thinking about lyrics, and it dawned on my that I had literally hundreds of lyrics from the 1980s that I'd never used. Working on this project has served as a sweet walk down memory lane.



I ENDURE (clip)
EIGHT YEARS (PRISON)* (clip)
KAREN (clip)
DEALER (clip)

from After Therapy Self-Inflicted (2005)
lyrics and music by Dee Brian C. & Charlie Johnston, except *, lyrics and music by Dee Brian C., Charlie Johnston & Steve Johnston

notes: Finally, a return to real metal after years of misguided and watered down shit. "I Endure" is quite simply about the place that you never want to end up; I feel that if I made it there and back that it should serve as inspiration for others to not give up either. "Eight Years (Prison)" is an old lyric (1988), that used to be very vague in its subject matter, but for this release I tweaked it and now the identity of the antagonist is quite clear. "Karen" is my tribute to the character of Karen Cooper from the original Night of the Living Dead, portrayed by Kyra Schon. "Dealer" is based on a character from the Kathryn L. Kerr novel Vampyr Snyper.


HOLE IN THE SKY

from Dee Brian C. Acoustic Funeral: an unplugged tribute to Black Sabbath (2004)
lyrics and music by Iommi, Osbourne, Butler & Ward

notes: Just to strictly amuse myself, I used to sit around the house with the acoustic and beat out Sabbath numbers with just guitar and vocals. My wife and daughter each liked them a lot, and finally my wife suggested to me that I record a few songs. This is one of the results of those sessions. It's not meant to be taken 100% seriously, but I have gotten really good feedback from people who have checked it out.


O HOLY NIGHT

from Dee Brian C. Davy Calhoun's Merry F**king Christmas (2004)
lyrics and music by Adolphe Adam

notes: Since I returned to being a singer/frontman, each of my sisters has given me constant hell for "never singing anything pretty." In the fall of 2004, it came to me to quiet them a little by recording a Christmas CD. Despite a few moments on the disc that are purely done for derrangement, this CD was done straight up. I've gotten a lot of comments from people who listened to this track and said "holy shit, you can sing."


FEVER DREAM
WILBUR

from Phantasm From The Attic (1992, rereleased in 2004)
lyrics and music by Dee Brian C. & Tim Wilhelm

notes: These are from the first purely metal release I ever recorded. "Fever Dream" is the first of a two-part story involving legends of ghouls and changelings. "Wilbur" is about Lavinia Whateley's dutiful son in H.P. Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror.

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LIVE TRACKS


I ENDURE
DEALER
(BLOODY) VALENTINE

unreleased live tracks with After Therapy (2006)
lyrics and music by Dee Brian C. & Charlie Johnston

notes: These tracks were recorded via minidisc outside of Prince Georges Stadium in mid-June 2006. We had a wonderfully raw live sound that day, the aggressive side of the material really stands out. There are a few rough edges here and there, but that's the best thing about live music.



EIGHT YEARS (PRISON)

from After Therapy Self-Inflicted (2005)
lyrics and music by Dee Brian C., Charlie Johnston & Steve Johnston

notes: This was recorded live via minidisc at Compound-a-Palooza 2005, just outside of Gaithersburg MD. The quality is bootleg at best, but we felt it captured the essense of our live show, and decided to include it on the EP.


BLACK SABBATH

from After Forever one night in the park (2004)
lyrics and music by Iommi, Osbourne, Butler & Ward

notes: When I joined After Forever in 2001, it ushered my homecoming to the music that I truly wanted to play. We recorded many shows, but none captured the live element the way that this CD did. This was recorded at Six Flags America in October of 2004.


I'M EIGHTEEN

unreleased partial track with BDS: Joe Bouchard of Blue Oyster Cult and Neal Smith & Dennis Dunaway of the original Alice Cooper Band (2003)
lyrics and music by Cooper, Smith, Dunaway, Buxton & Bruce

notes: On two occasions, After Forever had the privledge of sharing the stage with BDS. As a bassist, Dennis Dunaway was a huge influence on me, and I had given up hope of ever getting to see him play live. Well, in addition to getting to watch him play up close, I also got the chance to stand on stage with him when Joe Bouchard grabbed me onstage to sing this Alice Cooper classic. We only managed to get the last half of the song on tape, but it's a moment that I will never forget.

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DEMOS, COVERS, & OTHER FUN STUFF

BLOOD & LEATHER
(BLOODY) VALENTINE

demo tracks with After Therapy (2006)
lyrics and music by Dee Brian C. & Charlie Johnston

notes: These songs were demoed the same way our other stuff has been, very low quality and very piecemeal. CJ ripped the guitars to a click track, then I added the drums via drumsite software, recorded the bass line, then added the vocals.

B.F.A. (unreleased original) | with Iridium (2007)

TUSH (rehearsal cover) | with Straddle The Bomb (2007)

YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMIN' (rehearsal cover) | with Straddle The Bomb (2007)

JUMPIN' JACK FLASH (rehearsal cover) | with Straddle The Bomb (2007)

SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS) (demo cover) | with SAdyKaM (2005)

ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (demo cover) | with Rudy (2005)

All MY PAIN (demo original) | lyrics by Darlene (2005)