Facecage

Facecage are an Iowa-based nu metal and alternative metal band active since 2001. The group builds its identity around a Midwest touring circuit and an independent approach to promotion, and it develops a large fan base across the region through extensive live work.

Early releases and touring

The band releases two independent records in its early period: Facecage in 2002 and II in 2004. It tours widely in the Midwest and beyond, building a live resume that includes support slots for Staind, Static X, Nonpoint, Powerman 5000, HED PE, Ra, Adema, Unloco, Double Drive, Lo Pro, Spineshank, Genitorturers, Black Label Society and Prong. Its touring network reaches Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Nebraska, Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Missouri, South Dakota, Kansas and Colorado.

Recognition and radio play

In January 2003, Facecage performs at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas and appears on the SXSW compilation CD. The band is named Best Independently Released CD of 2002 by the Metal Post of San Francisco and is listed by XM Radio’s Liquid Metal as one of the top 20 unsigned bands. It also receives regular rotation on XM Radio, with at least five tracks from Facecage II reported in daily rotation by 2005.

Facecage III and Corey Taylor

In 2005, Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Stone Sour produces the band’s album Facecage III, which is recorded in Des Moines, Iowa. Taylor describes the band’s sound as combining the heaviness of Sepultura, the groove of Black Sabbath, dark Midwestern melodies and the drive of bands from both coasts. He also singles out tracks including “Weakness Inside You”, “Drill Bits” and “Nothing But Contempt” when discussing the album’s range and impact.

Great Big Mouth Records

In 2006, Facecage and Corey Taylor help form Great Big Mouth Records, an independent Iowa label focused on grass-roots promotion and artist development. The label is based in the Midwest and is created with the aim of keeping the band’s releases and wider activity rooted there.