Lightning Bolt emerged from Providence, RI, in 1995 as a three-piece art school project. Initially there was Brian Chippendale's explosive, nonstop drumming, Brian Gibson's Contortions-like basslines, and Hisham Baroocha's vocals propelling them in a fury of volatile noise and orgiastic tribalism. The group helped found Fort Thunder, a music and art collective, and recorded a self-titled album that was issued through Load in 1999. By 2001's Ride the Skies, Baroocha had departed (he eventually formed Black Dice). This left the vocal duties to Chippendale, who jammed the microphone into his mouth as he drummed. Lightning Bolt did a series of tours with bands like the Locust, Arab on Radar, Orchid, and Melt Banana before returning in 2003 with the studio album Wonderful Rainbow. The album did very well in underground music circles, and set up the release of 2005's Hypermagic Mountain. ~ Daphne Carr, Rovi