Artizan is a five piece melodic metal band from Jacksonville, Florida.

Founded by drummer Ty Tammeus in 2008, Artizan crafts powerful, melodic metal. Dynamic song structure, dominant rhythms and melodic hooks are key ingredients to the Artizan formula. Singer Tom Braden's vocals have been described by Metal Maniacs magazine as "pure and towering." His distinctive tone, strength and range are fundamental elements that personify the Artizan sound. Hit Parader describes Tom as "a combination of Geoff Tate and John Arch." Ty Tammeus is famous for his intense drumming. He applies a creative energy and is the driving impetus of Artizan. Ty has garnered favorable reviews in numerous publications including Modern Drummer and Metal Maniacs. Guitarists' Shamus McConney and Steffen Robitzsch compliment one another with stomping rhythms and transcending harmonies. Churning riffs, melodic phrases and searing solos are woven throughout the tapestry of Artizan. Jon Jennings provides the low end rhythms with his mastery of the bass guitar.

Dangerdog.com states "Artizan's debut EP is substantial evidence that this band is onto something very good. The work is blessed by well-crafted compositions which blend melodic hooks with developed, but not overbearingly complex, progressive arrangements. Each of the three songs quickly piques your interest and pulls you in. Braden's vocals may be the highlight here as he soars with a strength uncommon in most modern metal vocals. Equally impressive is the vigorous fret work which, at times, mimics old school classic metal yet with renewed energy and passion. This is solid stuff: an easy and entertaining listen for all melodic metal fans, yet with enough twists to keep prog fans happy. Any label worth its melodic heavy metal salt should hook up with Artizan at the first opportunity."

Early 2010 Artizan signed a management/booking deal with Intromental Management and shortly after signed a Worldwide deal with German-based record label Pure Steel Records in order to release the debut album "Curse Of The Artizan" April 2011, and effectively market the group for worldwide success.

"Curse Of The Artizan" consistently continues the high class of the progressive, pathos-drenched and extremely melodic US Metal-sound. The three songs from the EP ("Fire", "Game Within A Game" and "Rise") were also taken up once again and new pieces were added, all of which uphold the high level the fans have come to expect from ARTIZAN. In addition to that, the 10-minute title-song reveals in its lyrics what "Artizan" is all about.

From time to time memories of classic Heavy Metal bands like older Savatage, Judas Priest, or - especially in relation to the great twin-guitar-leads - Iron Maiden awake, but still the five musicians have a completely unique sound, as it has been played by no other band before. Sometimes very rampant passages are offered, then again there are some simple, yet striking songs, which have a real sing-a-long-character. The clear, yet powerful voice of the former Leviathan-singer Tom Braden also showcases the unique aspect of ARTIZAN, whilst building upon the progressive elements of his and drummer Ty Tammeus' former band very convincingly.

On the top of that the cover was done by fantasy-artist Marc Sasso, who also was responsible for covers from Dio and Halford. As you can imagine – this is a one-of-a-kind cover artwork, a painting depicting the "Artizan" in all of his might.

ARTIZAN take the balancing act between honest heaviness and great melodies: And they create that with a finesse that is second to none!

Tom Braden is originally from Denver, Colorado. Tom played with various cover bands through his teenage years.

In the early 90's, Tom showcased his vocals with prominent progressive metal group Leviathan. Tom received glowing reviews throughout the metal community. After leaving Leviathan due to artistic differences, Tom established his own business in Denver and continues to flourish.

Now, after a hiatus of more than ten years in the metal community, Tom is back and stronger than ever. He has already received multiple outstanding reviews for his work on the new Artizan EP , and we are excited for the world to experience his talent.

Ty Tammeus is originally from Denver Colorado and now resides in Jacksonville, Fl.

He was a founding member of progressive metal band, Leviathan. At the age of seven, Ty got his first drum kit and spent most days playing to Kiss records. Peter Criss was an early influence as well as Phil Collins. As he progressed as a musician, so did his taste in music. Heavy metal became very appealing after hearing Iron Maiden’s ‘Powerslave’ album in 1985. Nicko McBrain has been a huge inspiration since then as well as Vinnie Appice , Buddy Rich and Dave Lombardo.

After many years away from drumming, he decided to get back into the metal scene and form a new project. In early 2008 Ty initiated a vigorous search for the right musicians to complete the band. Shamus McConney responded to an ad for guitarist. He clearly had a parallel vision of what style of music Ty wanted to create, and songwriting began. When the time was right to retain a second guitarist to accompany rhythms and apply leads, Hermanus J. Rombouts was discovered via a guitar site on the internet. Bassist Jon Jennings came onto the scene in early 2009. The obvious choice for vocals was Tom Braden. Tom was the original singer for Leviathan and a friend since 1989. There simply isn’t anyone else who can produce the vocal strength that Artizan demands. As lyricist and co-songwriter for Artizan, Ty draws from experience and inspiration to craft the music of Artizan.

Shamus McConney started playing guitar at age 15. After less than two years of playing covers he started playing and writing original songs with several different bands and has not looked back since. While attending college he studied electro-acoustic, aka electronic art, music composition and world music.

While being influenced by guitarists like Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi, Grip Inc.'s Waldemar Sorychta, and Anthrax's Scott Ian, early exposure to writing original music and composing nontraditional music helps Shamus give Artizan's melodies and rhythms an original feel while never losing touch with their metal heritage.

(COMING SOON)

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Jonathan Jennings Jr. from Jacksonville, FL. Started playing bass and guitar as a teenager. He played in a few local rock, alternative, and worship bands.

Jon enjoys all styles of music. Some of his influences include: Victor Wooten, Rage Against the Machine, Mofro, Lincoln Brewster, Jimmy Eat World, Muse, Less than Jake, Rancid, Weather Report, Sly and the Family Stone. Jon uses Line 6, Ibanez, Dean, Hartke, and ProCo.

Besides playing , Jon is involved in music from the aspect of sound technician. He enjoys setting up systems and running sound for live events. He is an avid fan of mixed martial arts and trains in muay thai and jiu jitsu.