Allele

Allele was formed in 2002 by Wally Wood and ex-Otep guitarist Lane Maverick (who had also played in earlier projects with members of Shinedown) and later joined by Kelly Hayes, formerly of Cold. After refining their sound and gaining live experience, they were signed by Corporate Punishment Records, an independent record label which had previously been associated with Cold. The band started to work on their debut LP titled, Point of Origin, with producer Ben Schigel, also the singer in the nu metal group Switched. Allele describes their sound as "hard rock with a new feel" and Point of Origin has been received with a good amount of positive reviews. The band completed a tour with labelmates Switched and A New Revolution (featuring ex-Unloco frontmant Joey Duenas). In early June, 2006, it was announced that Kelly Hayes has been out of the band since January to deal with legal and personal issues. The band stated that they would continue as a four-piece. On June 29, 2006, it was revealed via Allele's MySpace blog that vocalist Wally Wood had left the group. The explanation given from the remaining members was the following: "Unfortunately when you put 5 people in a van for months at a time, every once in a while, one of them doesn't get back in". Andy Toole was immediately announced as the new vocalist, and the band will continue to tour and begin the recording process on their second album in the fall of 2006. Allele's track "Stitches" was featured in trailers and promos for TNT's Stephen King anthology series, "Nightmares and Dreamscapes". As of February 9, 2006, Point of Origin had sold over 5,000 copies in the US.