Coming together in 1982 under the name Shylock in Skovde, Sweden, Bassist Tim Skold and guitarist Harry Cody later changed the name to Kingpin, and grabbed the outrageously named drummer Stixx Galore and vocalist Zinny J. San (from Easy Action) before recording their debut single, 'Shout It Out' in 1987. They followed this with a Swedish only album 'Welcome To Bop City' a year later, and when this became a smash hit in their native country, they decided to relocate to L.A. and rename themselves Shotgun Messiah. The album was re-released as simply 'Shotgun Messiah' in 1989 and they caught the attention of metal magazines such as Kerrang!, as well as many fans of the glam metal genre.
Soon after, though, San left, although the band continued after taking on a new bassist so that Skold could take over lead vocals. This version of Shotgun Messiah recorded the 'Second Coming' album (which took on a more traditional American rock sound) and an E.P. of punk covers in 1991, but yet again this signalled a split, with
only Skold and Cody remaining.
Despite this, they carried on undaunted and transformed into an Industrial metal band, with a sound not entirely dissimilar to that of innovators Ministry. 1993's 'Violent New Breed' was a bold change of direction, but the public weren't interested and the pair eventually decided to go their separate ways.
Skold later pursued a solo career and worked as a producer with KMFDM and later joined Marilyn Manson as bassist, replacing the departed Twiggy Ramirez.
Zinny J. Zan also released a solo album under the name Zan Clan, called 'Citizens of Wasteland'(1994), and 'City Boy Blues' under his own name in 2002, which is available from www.fastlanerecords.com.
IF YOU LIKE THESE, YOU'LL LIKE SHOTGUN MESSIAH: Aerosmith, Guns n' Roses, Motley Crue, Poison, Hanoi Rocks, AC/DC, Michael Monroe, Ministry, Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, KMFDM.