Dope (band)
American industrial metal band formed in New York City in 1997.
Dope is an industrial metal band that started in New York City in 1997. They have put out six full-length studio albums; the latest, *Blood Money Part Zer0*, came out in February 2023. By 2022, the group had sold more than a million albums worldwide. The current members are founder and frontman Edsel Dope (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards), lead guitarist Virus, bassist Tripp Eisen, and drummer Daniel Fox.
Edsel Dope founded the band in 1997. As kids, he and his brother Simon were split up when their parents divorced. After reuniting as adults, Simon joined Edsel’s project on keyboards, samples, and percussion. They brought in guitarist Sloane Jentry, drummer Preston Nash, and bassist Tripp Eisen. Unlike many 1990s bands, Dope took cues from heavy metal and mixed that with industrial rock acts from earlier in the decade, like Ministry and Skinny Puppy. Early on, the band sold heroin—the substance behind their name—to get by and buy gear. Their first T-shirts even showed hypodermic needles. Edsel has stayed friendly with former Manson guitarist Daisy Berkowitz.
After playing the New York club circuit and putting out promo cassettes, Dope signed with Epic Records for their debut, *Felons and Revolutionaries*. By then, Sloane Jentry had left, Tripp Eisen switched to guitar, and Acey Slade came in on bass. The album had fourteen tracks, including covers of N.W.A’s “Fuck tha Police” and Dead or Alive’s “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)”—the latter appeared in *American Psycho*. “Debonaire” landed on the *Scream 3* soundtrack and was used in *The Fast and the Furious* during a police raid scene. The band toured heavily with acts from Alice Cooper to Kid Rock, pushing the album past 250,000 copies sold. A live video for “Sick” captured their show energy. The first single, “Everything Sucks,” didn’t chart, but the “You Spin Me Round” cover got radio play and hit No. 37 on the US Mainstream Rock chart.
For the follow-up, *Life*, more lineup shifts happened.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- New York City, U.S.
- Genre
- Industrial metal / nu metal / alternative metal
- Years Active
- 1997–present
- Label
- Flip / Epic / Eat Me/Sue Me / Artemis / V2 / eOne / EPOD
- Current Members
- Edsel Dope / Acey Slade / Virus / Daniel Fox
- Past Members
- Simon Dope / Preston Nash / Tripp Eisen / Sloane "Mosey" Jentry / Racci "Sketchy" Shay / Brix Milner / Angel Bartolotta / Derrick Tribbett / Jerms Genske / Nikk Dibs
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The band was founded in 1997 by songwriter and lead vocalist Edsel Dope. As a child, Edsel and his brother Simon Dope were separated when their parents divorced; they reunited as adults, and Simon joined the band playing keyboards, samples and percussion. The pair then recruited Sloane Jentry as guitarist, Preston Nash as drummer, and Tripp Eisen as bassist. Unlike many popular bands from the 1990s, Dope derived their sound from heavy metal influences fused with industrial rock acts such as Ministry and Skinny Puppy. In their earliest days, the band sold drugs to survive and purchase instruments; the band name 'Dope' refers to heroin, which was the common substance Edsel and Simon sold around New York City, as shown by early T-shirt designs displaying hypodermic needles.
After performing on the New York City club circuit
Reader's Guide
Dope emerged in the late 1990s as part of the industrial metal wave, blending heavy metal riffs with electronic and industrial elements reminiscent of Ministry and Skinny Puppy. Their debut album Felons and Revolutionaries gained attention through covers and soundtrack placements, including 'You Spin Me Round' in American Psycho and 'Debonaire' in Scream 3 and The Fast and the Furious. The band's music also appeared in WWE programming, with 'Today is the Day' serving as the theme for No Mercy 2003 and 'No Chance' recorded for WWF Forceable Entry. Despite lineup changes—including members moving to or from bands like Static-X, Murderdolls, and Wednesday 13's solo band—Dope maintained a consistent output. Their album American Apathy reached No. 1 on the Top Heatseekers chart, and No Regrets debuted at No. 88 on the Billboard chart, their highest-charting album at the time. The band's longevity and sales of over one million albums worldwide underscore their place in the industrial metal scene, though they never achieved mainstream crossover success.
Did You Know?
- The band name 'Dope' refers to heroin, which Edsel and Simon Dope sold around New York City in their early days.
- Ex-drummer Ginger Fish of Marilyn Manson shared an apartment with Edsel Dope in Las Vegas during the early 1990s.
- The song 'Nothing for Me Here' was included in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock in 2007, two years before its album release.
- Dope's cover of 'You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)' reached No. 37 on the US Mainstream Rock charts.
More in American industrial metal musical groups 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced