Black Tide
American heavy metal band from Kendall, Florida.
Black Tide, an American heavy metal band, started in Kendall, Florida in 2004. Their debut album Light from Above came out on Interscope in 2008, when frontman Gabriel Garcia was just 15. The band split in 2016, but got back together in January 2026, hinting at new music and revisiting older material.
Quick Facts
- Alias
- Radio (2004–2007)
- Origin
- Kendall, Florida, U.S.
- Genre
- Heavy metal
- metalcore
- alternative metal
- Years active
- 2004–2016, 2026–present
- Label
- Interscope, Pavement
- Current members
- Gabriel Garcia, Raul Garcia
- Past members
- Alex Nuñez
- Spencer Osborne
- Austin Diaz
- Tim D'Onofrio
- Steven Spence
- Zakk Sandler
- Ronny Gutierrez
- Cody Paige
Facts from the source article.
History
Black Tide started in Kendall, Florida back in 2004, originally going by the name Radio. The band was put together by lead guitarist Gabriel Garcia and his older brother Raul. Raul brought in rhythm guitarist Alex Nuñez, and later bassist Zachary Sandler joined. At the time, Gabriel was just 11 years old and Nuñez was 13. After Raul left the group, the remaining members recruited drummer Steven Spence to round out the lineup. The band played local shows, and their youth combined with their skill caught the attention of record labels. An earlier drummer, Winder Marin, was let go, and a replacement was brought in to keep the band's youthful image intact. In 2005, still called Radio, they signed a demo deal with Atlantic Records, but it only lasted a year. Then a record executive from EMI noticed them and tipped off Interscope Records, and by mid-2007—now under the name Black Tide—they had signed with Interscope. The band started touring and landed a spot on Ozzfest's second stage, but got pulled because that stage was sponsored by Jägermeister and all the band members were underage. Even so, they managed to open for acts like Lordi, Static-X, Lamb of God, and Ozzy Osbourne on the main stage in some cities. After Ozzfest, they toured with Avenged Sevenfold and All That Remains. In early 2007, six months before Ozzfest, Black Tide went into a Chicago studio with producer Johnny K and recorded 12 songs, including a cover of Metallica's first song, "Hit the Lights." That album, Light from Above, came out on March 18, 2008. It debuted at number 73 on the Billboard 200, selling 11,400 copies in its first week. The band also won the Kerrang! Award for Best Newcomer. On March 27, 2008, they performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Musical style and influences
Black Tide's music changed across each release. Light from Above incorporated sounds of classic heavy metal. Post Mortem shifted to metalcore. Their latest release, Just Another Drug EP, featured a hard rock sound mixed with some metalcore. Gabriel Garcia stated, 'We don't like to limit ourselves; If I did have to say something, I'd just say we're a rock band.' The band's influences include Megadeth, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Pantera, Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, Jimi Hendrix, Testament, Bullet for My Valentine, Trivium, Children of Bodom, Death, Van Halen, Kreator, Black Label Society, Avenged Sevenfold, Yngwie Malmsteen, Racer X, Incubus, Lamb of God, and The Beatles. They covered Iron Maiden's 'Prowler' and Metallica's 'Hit the Lights'. Garcia noted he listens to everything from Justin Timberlake to U2 to Incubus to Pantera, and that Guns N' Roses is one of his favorite bands. Garcia's favorite band is Megadeth, Sandler's is Iron Maiden, and Spence's is Pantera.
In other media
Black Tide's singles 'Shockwave' and 'Warriors of Time' were made available as downloadable content in the rhythm-based video game Rock Band; 'Show Me the Way' was added later. 'Shockwave' also appears in Skate 2 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. 'Show Me the Way' is in MotorStorm: Pacific Rift for PlayStation 3 and appears on Rock Band Unplugged for PlayStation Portable. 'Warriors of Time' is the title theme in NHL 09 and is occasionally played during NHL ice hockey matches. 'Shout' is on the soundtrack for Colin McRae: Dirt 2 and NFL Tour. 'Warriors of Time', 'Shockwave', 'Light from Above', 'Black Abyss', and 'Shout' are downloadable content for Tap Tap Revenge 2. 'Shockwave' is the final song in Guitar Hero: Modern Hits and appears on the soundtrack for SCORE International Baja 1000. 'Honest Eyes' was featured in Street Fighter X Tekken in promotional trailers and as the background song for the introduction. 'That Fire' is a level-up bonus in Tap Tap Revenge 4, appears in NHL 12, and is a playable song in the GHTV section of Guitar Hero Live.
More in American Alternative Metal Musical Groups
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced