At the Mercy of Inspiration

Lore & Background

At the Mercy of Inspiration was formed in 2000 by Tom Piraino (bass), Jett Janczak (drums), vocalist Andre Zadorozny, and guitarists Greg Gallagher and Scott Middleton. Piraino had previously played in Left Behind, SeventyEightDays, Dropping Bombs and Funerary. On December 27, 2000, they recorded a two-song demo cassette, Twolovesongsfortheroad. On May 11, 2001, they recorded a second two-song demo, The Fatality of Beauty.

Gallagher and Piraino then left the band; Piraino went on to join the band Cursed. Bassist Terry Clemente then joined. Gallagher was replaced by guitarist Jesse O'Hara. Clemente then left and was replaced by bassist Mario Bozza. In 2002, they released the seven-song EP A Perfect Way to Kill an Evening. The band played live in Ontario and Quebec with The End and A Day and a Deathwish, and toured eastern Canada with Alexisonfire, Hollow and Jersey.

In 2004, Bozza was replaced by former Jude the Obscure bassist Chuck Leach. They released the four-song EP Gone Are the Days. In late 2004, the band broke up. Scott Middleton and vocalist Liam Cormier then founded the band Cancer Bats. Leach would later join The Artist Life, while O'Hara played in the band Sun Satellite.

Reader's Guide

At the Mercy of Inspiration was a short-lived heavy metal band from Toronto, active from 2000 to late 2004. Their discography consists of two demo cassettes and two EPs, totaling fifteen songs. The band underwent several lineup changes, with bassists and guitarists rotating frequently. Their most notable legacy is that guitarist Scott Middleton went on to found the influential hardcore punk band Cancer Bats after the breakup. Other former members continued in bands such as Cursed, The Artist Life, and Sun Satellite. The band toured eastern Canada with Alexisonfire, Hollow, and Jersey, and played shows in Ontario and Quebec with The End and A Day and a Deathwish. While they did not achieve widespread fame, their connection to later notable acts gives them a place in the history of Canadian heavy music.

Did You Know?

• The band recorded their first demo, Twolovesongsfortheroad, on December 27, 2000.
• Guitarist Scott Middleton and vocalist Liam Cormier later founded the band Cancer Bats.
• Bassist Tom Piraino had previously played in Left Behind, SeventyEightDays, Dropping Bombs, and Funerary.
• The band released two EPs: A Perfect Way to Kill an Evening (2002) and Gone Are the Days (2004).