I AM I

I AM I

I AM I, styled I ΛM I, is a heavy metal band led by former DragonForce vocalist ZP Theart. The group forms in the United States as a Virginia-based rock band and is active from 1991 to 1996. It later appears in the heavy metal scene with a different lineup and identity centred on Theart.

Career and recordings

The band releases its debut album, Event Horizon, in 2012. The album is written and produced by ZP Theart and guitarist Jacob Ziemba, and it is mixed and mastered by Roland Grapow, known for work with Helloween and Masterplan. The record combines melody, riffs and metal, with Theart’s vocals as a defining feature.

The debut video is for “Silent Genocide”, which comes from Event Horizon. The band also issues two singles after the album: a cover of John Farnham’s “You’re the Voice” and the original track “See You Again”.

Line-up

At a later stage, the listed members are ZP Theart on vocals, Rich Smith on drums, Andrew Kopczyk and Gavin Owen on guitars, and Dean Markham on bass. Theart is the central figure in the project after leaving DragonForce in 2010 and assembling the group with other musicians.

Style and reception

I AM I is described as drawing on a wide range of influences rather than remaining within one rock or metal category. Its music is associated with heavy metal, power metal, speed metal and epic metal, and it is also tagged with indie rock. The band’s debut is presented as appealing across a broad range of rock and metal listeners, from AOR to heavier styles.

Later activity

A second album is planned for release in late 2015, but it does not appear by October 2019. During that period, Theart prioritises his work with Skid Row, while the band’s website carries a notice saying that a new site is coming soon.