Powerman 5000

Powerman 5000

Powerman 5000, sometimes abbreviated as PM5K, is an American group from Boston, Massachusetts, active since 1991. The band works in alternative metal, industrial metal and nu metal, and also draws on rap rock, punk rock, electronic rock and science fiction themes in its music and imagery. Spider One is the only constant member since the group begins.

Formation and early releases

Spider One founds Powerman 5000 in 1991 after earlier local recognition that includes a Boston Phoenix/WFNX Readers’ Poll award for Best Rap Act and a Boston Music Award nomination. Before the band forms, he records the 12-inch single “Much Evil” with producer Lamar Lowder. Early members include Al Pahanish Jr. on drums, Dorian Heartsong on bass, Adam 12 on guitar, percussionist Jordan Cohen, and briefly turntablist Brian Collymoore.

The band releases its first independent EP, A Private Little War, in 1993. It is limited to 500 copies and sold mainly at live shows. Further independent releases follow with the EP True Force and the full-length album The Blood-Splat Rating System in 1994 and 1995.

Major-label period and commercial peak

In 1996, Powerman 5000 appears on the second stage of Ozzfest and in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. That year the band signs to DreamWorks Records and issues a remastered version of The Blood-Splat Rating System as Mega!! Kung Fu Radio. It later appears on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and performs on the main stage of Ozzfest in 1997. Singles from this era include “Tokyo Vigilante #1” and “Organizized”.

Guitarist M.33, also known as Mike Tempesta, joins in 1998 after Jordan Cohen leaves. The group’s biggest commercial success comes with Tonight the Stars Revolt! in 1999, produced by Sylvia Massy. The album reaches number 29 on the Billboard 200, sells more than one million copies and receives platinum certification. Its singles include “When Worlds Collide”, “Nobody’s Real” and “Supernova Goes Pop”. The band also receives Boston Music Awards nominations for Album of the Year and Best Rock Band, and wins the Rising Star Award. During this period it tours internationally and appears with Metallica, Korn, Kid Rock and System of a Down on the Summer Sanitarium Tour.

2000s releases and lineup changes

A follow-up album, Anyone for Doomsday?, is completed in 2001. The single “Bombshell” is sent to radio, but the album is cancelled before release and later issued through Spider One’s label, Megatronic Records. Spider One says the record is shelved because it is considered too close in style to Tonight the Stars Revolt!. Around the same time, longtime members Dorian Heartsong and Al Pahanish Jr. leave and are replaced by Siggy Sjursen and Adrian Ost.

The band’s cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “Relax” appears in the 2001 film Zoolander. In 2003, Powerman 5000 releases Transform, which shifts toward a more punk-oriented sound and moves away from the visual style associated with the earlier era. Singles from the album include “Free” and “Action”, and the band promotes it with touring and television appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Late Late Show. After DreamWorks is acquired by Interscope Records, the band is no longer promoted by the label, while Spider One continues to run Megatronic Records independently.

In 2004 the band issues the compilation The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Vol. 1. Mid-2000s lineup changes bring further shifts: M.33 and Adam 12 depart, while Terry Corso and Johnny Rock Heatley join for touring. Powerman 5000 performs at the Gathering of the Juggalos in 2005. It then signs with DRT Entertainment and releases Destroy What You Enjoy in 2006. The single “Wild World” is supported by a video, and the band continues touring across the United States and appears on Attack of the Show!.

Later albums

Evan Rodaniche joins on guitar in 2007, followed by Dave Pino. Bassist Gustavo Aued and drummer Gordon Heckaman join in 2008, creating the lineup that records the next studio album. In 2009 the band releases Somewhere on the Other Side of Nowhere, with pre-release online tracks including “Super Villain”, “V Is for Vampire” and “Do Your Thing”. The album is supported by a national tour, and the video for “Super Villain”, directed by Spider One, features actor Johnathon Schaech. The band also performs at events such as U-Fest in Phoenix, Arizona.

In 2011, Powerman 5000 posts cover versions of Devo’s “Whip It”, David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” and Van Halen’s “Jump”. These appear on Copies, Clones & Replicants, released by Cleopatra Records, alongside covers of songs by The Fixx and Eddy Grant. Builders of the Future follows in 2014 and is co-produced and co-written by former guitarist Nick Quijano, with additional production by Evan Rodaniche. The band plans a co-headlining tour with Wayne Static and American Head Charge, but Wayne Static dies before it begins.

Powerman 5000 releases New Wave in 2017, with “Sid Vicious in a Dress” as a single, and tours heavily in support of the album through 2018. It is also scheduled for the Summer of Screams tour with Mushroomhead and The Browning, though several performances are cancelled because of Spider One’s vocal issues. In 2020 the band signs with Cleopatra Records and releases The Noble Rot, led by “Black Lipstick”, whose video is directed by Spider One. The album also includes a remixed version of “When Worlds Collide”.

The band’s eleventh studio album, Abandon Ship, is released in 2024. Physical editions include a remixed version of the 2001 single “Bombshell” as a bonus track.