Right Stripped were formed in 2005 by high school friends Josh Carney (guitar) and Joe Kiesgen (vocals). Carney and Kiesgen recorded an initial demo, titled “Plaguing Words” shortly after teaming up, of which only 300 copies were printed. Later in 2005, the band added Dave Ross (bass) and Tim Diephouse (drums) to the line-up, and they started work on their 2006 album release “A Doubtful Life’s Anthology.” “ADLA” was full of orchestral and power metal inspired songs, with the title track being an eight-part, 25-minute epic that ends the album.
The band toured all over the US Midwest, mostly in the Great Lakes region, for 5 years, selling thousands of copies of “ADLA” and selling out their entire stock of the album in the process. During this time the band experimented with some new songs, with less prog and power metal influences. The band ultimately decided to change their sound a bit with a more modern metal approach on their 2010 album “Absence of Humanity.” The album features heavier riffs, shorter songs, and focuses more on the core rhythm section of the band, and less on orchestral elements.
Right Stripped took a hiatus from touring and writing in the 2010’s, to focus on family and side projects. In 2018 the band re-formed and started writing new material, blending the best of their original prog/power metal sound with modern American metal influences. In 2021, the band released their third, and hardest hitting album “Daylight into Darkness,” a blend of melodic metalcore, lyrical power metal, and impactful orchestral elements.
Band Line-up:
Joe Kiesgen: Lead Vocals
Josh Carney: Guitar, Backing Vocals, Orchestral Arrangements
Dave Ross: Bass, Backing Vocals
Tim Diephouse: Drums
Read our review here.
