Massive Attack

MASSIVE ATTACK

Members:

3D" Del Naja

Grant "Daddy G"

Marshal

Andy "Mushroom"

The band originated from Bristol and feature a combination of dark rhythms, reverb-laden guitars with atmospheric samples, this helped pioneer the laidback sound of trip-hop.

The bands history dates back to 1983. However, they were previously known as the wild bunch and not all members of the current band were featured back then. The wild bunch were one of the most successful sound system and DJ collectives in the UK to arrive in the music scene. The were commonly known for their intelligent use of seamless integration of different music styles collected from their inherited roots, from punk to reggae to R&B the group's parties quickly became can't-miss events for the Bristol club crowd. At the peak of their popularity they drew crowds so enormous that the local live music scene essentially ground to a halt.

When The wild bunch  folded during the mid-'80s, two of its members -- Andrew Mushroom Vowles  and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall -- teamed with local graffiti artist 3D to form Massive Attack in 1987. Another Wild Bunch album, Nellee Hooper, split his time between the new group and his other project, Soul II Soul. The group's first single, "Daydreaming," appeared in 1990, featuring the sultry vocals of singer Shara Nelson and raps by Tricky, another one-time Wild Bunch collaborator. The classic "Unfinished Sympathy" followed, as did another compelling effort, "Safe from Harm." Finally, in 1991 Massive Attack issued their debut LP, Blue Lines. While by no means a huge commercial success, the record was met with major critical praise, and was dubbed an instant classic in many quarters. Nelson, featured on many of the album's most memorable tracks, exited for a solo career soon after, and the group then changed its name to simply "Massive" to avoid any implication of approval for the U.N.'s policy toward Iraq.

After a three-year layoff, Massive Attack -- their full name now properly reinstated -- resurfaced with They worked with Madonna on a track for a Marvin Gaye tribute album. Finally, to promote their appearance at the annual Glastonbury music festival, the group issued the EP 'Risingson' during the summer of 1997.

The third full-length Massive Attack effort, Mezzanine, appeared in mid-1998. In addition to reggae singer Horace Andy making his third consecutive LP appearance with the group, vocal chores were handled by the Cocteau Twins' Elizabeth Fraser and newcomer Sara Jay. Mezzanine became a hit among critics, clubs, and the college crowds, spinning successful singles such as "Teardrop" and "Inertia Creeps." The album topped the U.K. chart and crossed into the Top 60 of the Billboard 200 in the U.S. A tour of America and Europe followed, but Vowles left the band after disagreeing with the artistic direction of Mezzanine. Del Naja and Marshall continued as a duo, later working with the likes of David Bowie and the Dandy Warhols, but Marshall later took a brief leave of absence to raise his family; producer Neil Davidge took up the slack.

In February 2003, after a five-year wait, Massive Attack released their fourth album, 100th Window, including collaborations with mainstay Horace Andy as well as Sinéad O'Connor. Danny the Dog, released in 2004, marked the group's entry into film score work and, perhaps unsurprisingly, often sounded much more like incidental background music than a typical Massive Attack release. From there, Del Naja and Davidge scored a handful of other films -- In Prison My Whole Life, Battle in Seattle, and Trouble the Water, for which they earned an Oscar nomination -- but their work was credited to their real names or the pseudonym 100 Suns rather than Massive Attack. The fifth Massive Attack album, Heligoland, released in 2010, featured collaborations with Horace Andy, TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe, Elbow's Guy Garvey, and Martina Topley-Bird. Burial remixed the album's "Paradise Circus" and the unreleased "Four Walls" for a limited 12" release in 2011. The group returned in 2016 with a four-track EP, Ritual Spirit, on which they were joined by Tricky, Roots Manuva, and Young Fathers. Del Naja and Heligoland contributor Euan Dickinson were credited as co-producers.