24-7 Spyz Changing how the game is played with ...

24-7 Spyz (pronounced “twenty-four-seven spies”) are a band from the South Bronx, New York, formed in 1986. The band is best known for mixing soul, funk, reggae, and R&B with heavy metal and punk into the style they call HeavyMetalSoul! The fact that they are African Americans playing variations of heavy metal led critics to compare them to bands such as Living Colour and Bad Brains. They were pioneers in the fusion of these particular music styles, influencing many bands. After several lineup changes, the band broke up in 1998, but reformed in 2003 before releasing their first new album of original material in over a decade in 2007.

Early Days

Upon their formation in 1986, the band immediately earned a dedicated following in New York due to the eclectic mix of their music. The band would switch gears from Motown and soul sounds with lush vocal harmonies to violent heavy metal and punk with ease, sometimes several times within the course of one song. The band was frequently compared to Living Colour but the Spyz musical output was much more diverse, sometimes containing several different styles of music and many quick tempo changes and odd time signatures.

In-Effect Records

In 1988, In-Effect Records, a subsidiary of Relativity, signed the band and released their debut album, the genre-hopping Harder Than You, produced by Bob Musso and Jimi Hazel, in December 1989. The first single was a cover of the Kool & The Gang song “Jungle Boogie.” Critics and fans took notice of the band’s unique and original sound and of their tight-knit, high-energy music. The album sold 300,000 units due to non-stop touring worldwide and became an underground hit. It remains a pioneering classic in the rock/funk/hip hop genre made popular by such bands as 311, Limp Bizkit, and Kid Rock. The video for “Jungle Boogie” holds the dubious distinction of being the first video on MTV to air on the specialty shows 120 Minutes, Yo! MTV Raps, Hard 60, and Headbanger’s Ball.

The band’s second album, 1990’s Gumbo Millennium, produced by Jimi Hazel and Tom Soares, was once again released through In-Effect Records. The album was much softer than the previous effort, focusing mostly on clean guitar and lush R&B harmonies and grooves although it still contained elements of thrash metal and punk. The album sold just over 400,000 units once again due to massive amounts of touring and proved to be an underground success. It soon brought the attention of several major labels. The band were soon opening for Jane’s Addiction on the Ritual De Lo Habitual tour. The tour brought the band to a new audience but their growing success could not halt the sudden departure of (drummer) Anthony Johnson and (vocalist) P. Fluid. While Johnson desired to return to school, Fluid wanted to start his own band. Fluid made the announcement of his departure during the band’s live performance on the final date of the Jane’s Addiction tour. As a result of the departures, the band dropped out of a planned co-headlining tour with Suicidal Tendencies.

EastWest America

Despite the loss of two of the band’s four members, Rick Skatore and Jimi Hazel decided to continue on. After playing with Cro-Mags and Bad Brains drummer Mackie Jayson on a temporary basis, Hazel and Skatore hired drummer Joel Maitoza along with vocalist Jeff Brodnax. The new lineup received rave reviews and the band was soon signed to EastWest America records, a division of Atlantic Records headed by Sylvia Rhone. The company tested the marketability of the new Spyz by releasing a five-song EP entitled This is…24-7 Spyz!, produced by Jimi Hazel and Bruce Calder in 1991.

In 1992, the band received their largest commercial exposure by appearing in a Budweiser television commercial that aired for the first five months of the year. Soon after, the hour-long Strength In Numbers album, produced by Terry Date and Jimi Hazel, was released and proved to be the band’s most critically acclaimed release to date. The album saw the band depart from its New York hardcore roots to concentrate more on heavy metal and soul. Unfortunately, at the time, popular music was shifting away from musical dexterity and towards the simplicity of grunge. The album’s single, “Break The Chains,” received minor radio airplay and MTV exposure but Sylvia Rhone, president of EastWest America, pulled the label’s support before dropping the band in the midst of what many feel was their creative peak. To add insult to injury, the label only pressed 18,000 pieces and allotted 2,000 for press purposes, thus making the disc widely unavailable almost immediately.

Enemy Record (Europe)

When Hazel and Skatore discovered how popular the original lineup still remained in Europe, they reunited with Anthony Johnson and P. Fluid to release Temporarily Disconnected, produced by Jimi Hazel. The album was released exclusively in Europe by the Enemy label, and was followed by a quick tour of the continent before Johnson and Fluid left the band once more.

Alternate versions of the next studio album were released in 1996. In March, 6, produced by Jimi Hazel, was released exclusively in Europe through the Enemy label. The album contained covers of The Association’s “Along Comes Mary” and Love’s “7 and 7 Is.” The album was titled 6 due to it being the sixth release by the band.

In September 1996, What Are Records released Heavy Metal Soul by the Pound, the American version of 6. The track listing would remain almost identical to 6 with the exception of the removal of “Along Comes Mary” and “7 and 7 Is” and the additions of “Earth And Sky” and “Save The World” as replacements.

Both versions of the album saw the band returning as a trio with Jimi Hazel on guitar and lead vocals, Rick Skatore on bass and Joel Maitoza returning to the drums for the first time in four years. Two tracks recorded before Maitoza’s return featured guest drummer Carlton Smith of Royal Crescent Mob. Additional vocals were contributed by Doug Pinnick of King’s X for the songs “Love And Peace” and “Yeah X 3”.

The next release was the If I Could EP, available exclusively through their fan club and featuring remixes and live performances of several songs. In 1998, a disagreement between Hazel and Skatore led to the dissolution of 24-7 Spyz.

Solo albums and Reformation

In 2000, Hazel co-wrote several songs for a band named Crime, who were using the material to shop for labels. Skatore re-emerged in 2001, playing bass in a band named Blockk 16. The band’s first release, Too Brutal For Radio, would feature guest appearances by Savatage guitarist Chris Caffrey and Spread Eagle vocalist Ray West. After the release of the album, Skatore suffered from a collapsed lung. Despite prior disagreements, Hazel came to the aid of his friend by performing together as 24-7 Spyz for a benefit concert at New York City’s CBGB’s. Proceeds from the show went towards Skatore’s medical bills.

And then……

In 2002, Hazel released his first solo CD, 21stCenturySouthBronxRockStar on his own label, The Gumbo Recording Company. 2003 also saw Hazel and Skatore reunite for a second CBGB’s performance with Tony Lewis on drums. Later that year, Hazel and Skatore would announce the official re-formation of 24-7 Spyz. In 2005, the band released a limited edition DVD titled HMS4L: The Many Lives of Walter Rattamus. The DVD tells the history of the band through the various incarnations and also includes commentary from Jimi Hazel and Rick Skatore.

In 2007, the band released Face the Day, with new drummer Tobias Ralph, through The Gumbo Recording Company label. The disc was produced by Jimi Hazel and Ron Thal (aka Bumblefoot of Guns N’ Roses) and was the first 24-7-Spyz studio album in a decade. In 2009, the disc was remastered and made availiable again after selling 12,000+ copies without any promo, touring or hype! It is now available at www.cdbaby.com/247spyz and for 2010, the band plans to record & release a new studio disc and hopes to tour in support of it to make the fans worldwide happy! HEAVYMETALSOUL4LIFE IS REAL AND U KNOW THIS!!!

24-7 Spyz are:

• Jimi Hazel – Vocals & Guitar


• Rick Skatore – Bass & Vocals


• Tobias Ralph – Drums & Vocals

24-7 Spyz Discography:

Studio Albums

• Harder Than You (1989)


• Gumbo Millennium (1990)


• Strength in Numbers (1992)


• Temporarily Disconnected (1995)


• 6 (alternate version released in America as Heavy Metal Soul by the Pound) (1996)


• Heavy Metal Soul by the Pound (alternate version released in Europe as 6) (1996)


• Face the Day (2006)


• Face the Day (remastered) (2009)

• Can You Hear the Sound? (2006, recorded live in 1998)

• This is…24-7 Spyz! (1991)


• If I Could (1997)

• HMS4L: The Many Lives of Walter Rattamus (2005 – band retrospective 1986-2004)