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AboutThe Oedipus Complex is an American rock band from California, started by former Fallacy lead vocalist Ben Peck. The band was officially founded in 2001. Shortly after Fallacy's touring for their major label debut album, the group disbanded and Ben Peck dedicated his full time to The Oedipus Complex. The Oedipus Complex's sound is characterized by an emphasis on progressive rock and experimental influence to their alternative rock.
In 2001, the band was officially formed with the announcement on the Fallacy and then new TOC website, with the line up of Ben Peck on vocals and guitar, Takeshi "Kesh" Ikeda (formerly of an LA-based industrial rock group Technicality Zero) on guitar and various other instruments, and Tom Dresden on drums. Peck and Ikeda also contributed the various keyboards, synthesizers and production effects to the group's recordings. The group's first concerts were performed in California in the summer of 2001 featuring this lineup with standing in bassists Eric Dufresne and Anthony Chandler. In 2002 the band was signed to Vagrant records and released their debut, an EP titled This is a Journey into the Ground. The album featured the only recorded material of the 3 piece lineup with Peck and Ikeda performing all the bass guitar. The band's touring lineup was now Ben Peck (vocals, guitar), Kesh Ikeda (guitar), Eric Dufresne (bass), Matthew Mouless (keyboards, synthesizers) and Tom Dresden (drums). The groups early work was characterized by a free form and jam based song structure, with influences from noise rock, progressive rock, metal and improvisational music.
...It Was Then I Realized What I Had Become was the title of the band's debut full length album, released in June of 2003. Performing on the album were Ben Peck, Kesh Ikeda, Eric Dufresne, Matthew Mouless, Jake Weider, and Tom Dresden. Weider replaced Mouless as primary full time keyboard player. The band toured in support of the album throughout 2003 and 2004. While not an initial success, the album gained positive critical reception and eventually gained a following. In late 2004 Tom Dresden left the group and was replaced in 2005 by Markos Echeverria, Alan Bloom also became the group's new full time bass guitarist in 2005.
In 2006, the band attracted the attention of well known progressive metal band Skar. In 2000, one of that band's earliest live performances was opening for Peck's former band Fallacy in Cleveland, Ohio. Skar vocalist Speed Pitman asked Ben Peck to have TOC open for Skar on their 2006 "Artificial Sanity" tour. The band agreed, and thus broke into a much wider audience. A deluxe reissue of the album was released in the spring of 2006. In the fall of 2006, the band recorded their second album, and announced they had signed a deal to release through a distribution deal with the major record label Reprise Records on the independently operated The Independent Label Group.
On April 3, 2007, the band released their long awaited second album, after nearly 4 years. Anywhere but Nowhere featured the current live lineup primarily featured on their respective instruments. The album had some success on the charts, debuting at #47 in the US and selling over 20,000 copies. The band embarked on nearly 2 years of touring in support of the album. "My Teeth in Your Veins" was released as a single, and reached #34 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart.
In late 2009 the band recorded their third album, and the first to feature new drummer Pete Ringstrom, although many of the drum parts on the album were electronically composed. The Passage of Times and Places was released on May 4, 2010 to positive accolades. It was their only album released through major label Reprise Records. First week sales were over 22,000 copies in the US, and the album entered the charts at #23. It was preceeded by the single "Soilent". The band began their second nationwide headlining tour of the US in June. "Tumultuous World" was released as a single in August 2010.
In 2011 the band made sporadic live appearances for the first half of the year. A music video was released in February 2011 for the song "In Between Dreams" from The Passage of Times and Places album. Ben Peck worked with members of Fallacy, Skar, The Oedipus Complex and She Wants Revenge in 2011 and 2012 in the band Pretend Eyes. Takeshi Ikeda and Jake Weider produced a number of other artists' recordings throughout 2011 and 2012.
In late 2012 it was announced that both recording for a new album would begin in 2013 and that former member Tom Dresden was performing drums on the group's latest recordings. In the summer of 2013 The Oedipus Complex went on their first full tour since 2010, featuring Tom Dresden on drums for the first time in concert since 2004 and new bass guitarist Stu Hammond, formerly of the UK group The Fire Hive.
The group's fourth full length studio album Grey Skies Bruising was released on February 4, 2014. This album is the first since 2003 to feature Tom Dresden on drums and features a noted influence of space rock and shoegaze in the sound. The album was released independently through the band's own label, Scary Places Music, and distributed by Universal Records. The first single from the album was "The Follower", released on December 1, 2013 and received minor radio airplay charting at #37 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the US. Grey Skies Bruising sold 19,000 copies in the first week and debuted at #14, their highest position on the United States album chart. The group has toured in support since with a short headlining run from mid-February to March in the US and opening for Skar in Australia in April. "Screens" was released as a single in late February and has since become a minor hit on the US rock charts, reaching #25 on the Alternative Tracks chart, #29 on the Rock Singles chart and #31 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The Oedipus Complex continued to tour throughout 2014 and released a remix EP Gods and Screens in September, which coincided with the release of "God of the Day" as a single and featured the new song "In Theory and In Practice". The Oedipus Complex toured in Europe and North America in the spring of 2015.
After a year on break, The Oedipus Complex began recording in 2017 with V.S.P. of Skar producing in the Spring, when he departed production duties after finishing 3 songs and the band completed the last 7 songs over the summer. The band announced their new album would be called The Number One Album in North Korea and would be released on January 12, 2018 on November 1st, with the release of the song "Cold War II". That song was recorded during the sessions with V.S.P. producing, along with the upcoming first official single "Divided By Zero" which was released on November 10th. "Trypophobia" was released on December 5th as another preview for the album.
The Number One Album in North Korea was released January 12, 2018. In South Korea and China the album was released without a title and referred to as a self titled album, in Japan it retained the translated title "North Korean album". In the US, first week album sales totaled 18,850, with an additional 1,000 sales from streaming which led to a #20 chart position on the Billboard 200. The album debuted at #1 on the Independent Albums chart in the US, and saw the band's first charting effort overseas reaching #34 in Australia and #58 in Denmark. A music video for "Divided By Zero" was released on February 5th, coinciding with the song breaking into the top 20 of the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, where it peaked at #18.
The Oedipus Complex will be touring in support of their new album in March of 2018 and onward.
Band members:
Current:
Ben Peck - Vocals, guitar, keyboards, synthesizers, production effects, various additional instruments (2001 - present)
Takeshi "Kesh" Ikeda - Guitar, keyboards, synthesizers, production effects (2001 - present)
Jake Weider - Keyboards, synthesizers (2003 - present)
Stu Hammond - Bass (2013 - present)
Tom Dresden - Drums (2001 - 2004, 2012 - present)
Former:
Matthew Mouless - Keyboards, synthesizers - (2002 - 2003)
Eric Dufresne - Bass (2001, 2002 - 2005)
Alan Bloom - Bass (2005 - 2012)
Pete Ringstrom - Drums (2009 - 2011)
Markos Echeverria - Drums (2005 - 2009)
Discography:
This is a Journey Into the Ground EP - 2002 (Vagrant)
...It Was Then I Realized What I Had Become - 2003 (Vagrant), 2006 (ILG reissue)
Anywhere but Nowhere - 2007 (ILG/Reprise)
The Passage of Times and Places - 2010 (Reprise)
Grey Skies Bruising - 2014 (Universal/Scary Places Music)
Gods and Screens EP - 2014 (Universal/Scary Places Music)
The Number One Album in North Korea - 2018 (Scary Places Music)
In 2001, the band was officially formed with the announcement on the Fallacy and then new TOC website, with the line up of Ben Peck on vocals and guitar, Takeshi "Kesh" Ikeda (formerly of an LA-based industrial rock group Technicality Zero) on guitar and various other instruments, and Tom Dresden on drums. Peck and Ikeda also contributed the various keyboards, synthesizers and production effects to the group's recordings. The group's first concerts were performed in California in the summer of 2001 featuring this lineup with standing in bassists Eric Dufresne and Anthony Chandler. In 2002 the band was signed to Vagrant records and released their debut, an EP titled This is a Journey into the Ground. The album featured the only recorded material of the 3 piece lineup with Peck and Ikeda performing all the bass guitar. The band's touring lineup was now Ben Peck (vocals, guitar), Kesh Ikeda (guitar), Eric Dufresne (bass), Matthew Mouless (keyboards, synthesizers) and Tom Dresden (drums). The groups early work was characterized by a free form and jam based song structure, with influences from noise rock, progressive rock, metal and improvisational music.
...It Was Then I Realized What I Had Become was the title of the band's debut full length album, released in June of 2003. Performing on the album were Ben Peck, Kesh Ikeda, Eric Dufresne, Matthew Mouless, Jake Weider, and Tom Dresden. Weider replaced Mouless as primary full time keyboard player. The band toured in support of the album throughout 2003 and 2004. While not an initial success, the album gained positive critical reception and eventually gained a following. In late 2004 Tom Dresden left the group and was replaced in 2005 by Markos Echeverria, Alan Bloom also became the group's new full time bass guitarist in 2005.
In 2006, the band attracted the attention of well known progressive metal band Skar. In 2000, one of that band's earliest live performances was opening for Peck's former band Fallacy in Cleveland, Ohio. Skar vocalist Speed Pitman asked Ben Peck to have TOC open for Skar on their 2006 "Artificial Sanity" tour. The band agreed, and thus broke into a much wider audience. A deluxe reissue of the album was released in the spring of 2006. In the fall of 2006, the band recorded their second album, and announced they had signed a deal to release through a distribution deal with the major record label Reprise Records on the independently operated The Independent Label Group.
On April 3, 2007, the band released their long awaited second album, after nearly 4 years. Anywhere but Nowhere featured the current live lineup primarily featured on their respective instruments. The album had some success on the charts, debuting at #47 in the US and selling over 20,000 copies. The band embarked on nearly 2 years of touring in support of the album. "My Teeth in Your Veins" was released as a single, and reached #34 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart.
In late 2009 the band recorded their third album, and the first to feature new drummer Pete Ringstrom, although many of the drum parts on the album were electronically composed. The Passage of Times and Places was released on May 4, 2010 to positive accolades. It was their only album released through major label Reprise Records. First week sales were over 22,000 copies in the US, and the album entered the charts at #23. It was preceeded by the single "Soilent". The band began their second nationwide headlining tour of the US in June. "Tumultuous World" was released as a single in August 2010.
In 2011 the band made sporadic live appearances for the first half of the year. A music video was released in February 2011 for the song "In Between Dreams" from The Passage of Times and Places album. Ben Peck worked with members of Fallacy, Skar, The Oedipus Complex and She Wants Revenge in 2011 and 2012 in the band Pretend Eyes. Takeshi Ikeda and Jake Weider produced a number of other artists' recordings throughout 2011 and 2012.
In late 2012 it was announced that both recording for a new album would begin in 2013 and that former member Tom Dresden was performing drums on the group's latest recordings. In the summer of 2013 The Oedipus Complex went on their first full tour since 2010, featuring Tom Dresden on drums for the first time in concert since 2004 and new bass guitarist Stu Hammond, formerly of the UK group The Fire Hive.
The group's fourth full length studio album Grey Skies Bruising was released on February 4, 2014. This album is the first since 2003 to feature Tom Dresden on drums and features a noted influence of space rock and shoegaze in the sound. The album was released independently through the band's own label, Scary Places Music, and distributed by Universal Records. The first single from the album was "The Follower", released on December 1, 2013 and received minor radio airplay charting at #37 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the US. Grey Skies Bruising sold 19,000 copies in the first week and debuted at #14, their highest position on the United States album chart. The group has toured in support since with a short headlining run from mid-February to March in the US and opening for Skar in Australia in April. "Screens" was released as a single in late February and has since become a minor hit on the US rock charts, reaching #25 on the Alternative Tracks chart, #29 on the Rock Singles chart and #31 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The Oedipus Complex continued to tour throughout 2014 and released a remix EP Gods and Screens in September, which coincided with the release of "God of the Day" as a single and featured the new song "In Theory and In Practice". The Oedipus Complex toured in Europe and North America in the spring of 2015.
After a year on break, The Oedipus Complex began recording in 2017 with V.S.P. of Skar producing in the Spring, when he departed production duties after finishing 3 songs and the band completed the last 7 songs over the summer. The band announced their new album would be called The Number One Album in North Korea and would be released on January 12, 2018 on November 1st, with the release of the song "Cold War II". That song was recorded during the sessions with V.S.P. producing, along with the upcoming first official single "Divided By Zero" which was released on November 10th. "Trypophobia" was released on December 5th as another preview for the album.
The Number One Album in North Korea was released January 12, 2018. In South Korea and China the album was released without a title and referred to as a self titled album, in Japan it retained the translated title "North Korean album". In the US, first week album sales totaled 18,850, with an additional 1,000 sales from streaming which led to a #20 chart position on the Billboard 200. The album debuted at #1 on the Independent Albums chart in the US, and saw the band's first charting effort overseas reaching #34 in Australia and #58 in Denmark. A music video for "Divided By Zero" was released on February 5th, coinciding with the song breaking into the top 20 of the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, where it peaked at #18.
The Oedipus Complex will be touring in support of their new album in March of 2018 and onward.
Band members:
Current:
Ben Peck - Vocals, guitar, keyboards, synthesizers, production effects, various additional instruments (2001 - present)
Takeshi "Kesh" Ikeda - Guitar, keyboards, synthesizers, production effects (2001 - present)
Jake Weider - Keyboards, synthesizers (2003 - present)
Stu Hammond - Bass (2013 - present)
Tom Dresden - Drums (2001 - 2004, 2012 - present)
Former:
Matthew Mouless - Keyboards, synthesizers - (2002 - 2003)
Eric Dufresne - Bass (2001, 2002 - 2005)
Alan Bloom - Bass (2005 - 2012)
Pete Ringstrom - Drums (2009 - 2011)
Markos Echeverria - Drums (2005 - 2009)
Discography:
This is a Journey Into the Ground EP - 2002 (Vagrant)
...It Was Then I Realized What I Had Become - 2003 (Vagrant), 2006 (ILG reissue)
Anywhere but Nowhere - 2007 (ILG/Reprise)
The Passage of Times and Places - 2010 (Reprise)
Grey Skies Bruising - 2014 (Universal/Scary Places Music)
Gods and Screens EP - 2014 (Universal/Scary Places Music)
The Number One Album in North Korea - 2018 (Scary Places Music)
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