Brainoil
American doom and sludge metal band from Oakland.
Brainoil, a doom and sludge metal act, hails from Oakland, California. Its members have been enduring figures in the East Bay underground punk and metal scenes. The band’s sound is rooted in sludge metal, drawing influence from groups like Eyehategod, Melvins, and Dystopia.
Greg Wilkinson started the project in 1998 as a solo endeavor called Mr. Brainoil, using a Boss drum machine. Nate joined in the summer of 2000, and the pair worked on material through that season, recording a demo by fall. They abandoned the drum machine that winter, and Ira Harris came on board. Brainoil played its first show on March 3, 2001, at Mission Records in San Francisco.
In early 2001, the band recorded for a split CD with fellow Oakland sludge band Cruevo, engineered by Neurosis’s Noah Landis at Mr. Toad’s studios. Released by the end of 2002 across four labels—Shifty Records, Boredom Noise, Berserker, and Unknown Controller—the CD was never repressed and became a collector’s item. One track from those sessions appeared on a split 7-inch with Seattle’s Iron Lung, put out by Wilkinson’s now-defunct Boredom Noise label. Brainoil played extensively around the Bay Area and West Coast from 2001 to 2003.
In March 2002, the band recorded its debut LP at Polymorph Studios with engineer Dan Rathbun. Released in early 2003 on Life is Abuse Records (run by Dystopia’s Matt Parillo), the self-titled album drew comparisons to Eyehategod and was called “the best sludge album so far this year” by reviewer Jeb Branin. At the request of Uge from Throne Records in Spain, a re-mastered, re-sequenced European edition came out in winter 2003, boosting high-end frequencies and overall volume. To support it, Brainoil toured Western Europe in March 2004 with label-mates Moho. After returning, the band played less frequently in the Bay Area from late 2004 through 2006. From 2005 to 2007, Ira Harris toured heavily with Watch Them Die; unwilling to replace him, Greg and Nate focused on other projects until the timing was right to resume.
By 2009, Brainoil was playing regular shows again in the Bay Area, sharing bills with Ghoul, Cannabis Corpse, Eyehategod, Deviated Instinct, Buzzoven, Doom, Saviours, Lecherous Gaze, Rorschach, and Dropdead. In August 2011, the band released its self-produced second LP, *Death of This Dry Season*, on 20 Buck Spin.
- Origin
- Oakland, California, United States
- Genre
- Doom metal, sludge metal
- Years active
- 1998–present
- Label
- Life Is Abuse Records, Throne Records, 20 Buck Spin, Tankcrimes
- Members
- Greg Wilkinson, Nathan Smith, Ira Harris
Lore & Background
Brainoil was originally formed in 1998 by Greg Wilkinson as a solo project called Mr.Brainoil with a Boss drum machine. Greg was joined by Nate in the summer of 2000, and they continued to work on material throughout that summer, writing and recording a demo by the fall of 2000. They ditched the drum machine by the winter of 2000 and were joined by Ira Harris. Brainoil's first show was on March 3, 2001, at Mission Records in San Francisco.
In early 2001, Brainoil entered the studio to record for a split CD with fellow Oakland sludge rockers Cruevo, recorded by Noah Landis of Neurosis at Mr. Toad's studios in San Francisco. The CD was released by the end of 2002 as a 4-label split release between Shifty Records, Boredom Noise, Berserker, and Unknown Controller. This release has since been lost to obscurity through a lack of repressing by any of the labels and has become something of a collector's item in the sludge world. One song from that session was released as a Split 7" with Seattle's Iron Lung on Greg Wilkinson's label, Boredom Noise.
Brainoil entered Polymorph Studios in March 2002 to record their debut LP with engineer Dan Rathbun. The self-titled LP was released in early 2003 by Matt Parillo of Dystopia on Life is Abuse Records. The LP received many positive reviews, often comparing the band's initial LP to Eyehategod. At the request of Uge from Throne Records in Spain, the LP was re-released in Europe in the winter of 2003 with remastering and a re-arrangement of songs. To support the LP, Brainoil toured Western Europe in March 2004 with fellow Throne Records label-mates Moho.
Reader's Guide
Brainoil's significance lies in their consistent presence within the East Bay underground punk and metal scene, contributing to the sludge metal genre with a sound influenced by Eyehategod, Melvins, and Dystopia. Their debut self-titled LP, released in 2003, was critically well-received and helped establish them as a notable act in the sludge world. The band's split CD with Cruevo, released in 2002, became a collector's item due to its limited repressing. After a period of decreased activity from late 2004 to 2006, Brainoil resumed regular live shows by 2009 and released their second full-length LP, Death of This Dry Season, in August 2011 through 20 Buck Spin. The band's legacy is also tied to the individual members' involvement in other projects, such as Greg Wilkinson's work with Autopsy and Deathgrave, and Ira Harris's touring with Watch Them Die. Brainoil's discography includes several LPs, a split 7", and a split CD, with their 2018 LP Singularity to Extinction released on Tankcrimes.
Did You Know?
- Brainoil was originally formed in 1998 as a solo project called Mr.Brainoil using a Boss drum machine.
- The split CD with Cruevo was released as a 4-label split between Shifty Records, Boredom Noise, Berserker, and Unknown Controller.
- Greg Wilkinson currently plays in Autopsy (as of 2021), Deathgrave, and Shrinkwrap Killers.
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