From the bowels of North Little Rock are born what would become Sickshine, whose musical influence on underground '90's metal is still understated. The original lineup was comprised of Clay Latch (Grasshopper, 1000 Points of Pain), Jay Lytle (Tem Eyos Ki, Shitfire, Tom Sweet, former "manager" of The Numbskulz), Bobby Redd (Copsodomy, Mullatorius; RIP 1973-2006), and Rocky(Evanescence,Living Sacrifice) In a bizarre twist of fate, Sickshine records two demos in Manhattan in 1993 and 1994 with Tony BonGiovi (producer of Talking Heads 77, The Ramones Rocket To Russia, and uncle of Jon Bon Jovi). These recordings coincide with Arkansas metal comrades Mutha's Day Out scoring an album on Chrysalis Records and a song on the Mortal Kombat soundtrack; Arkansas "swamp metal" melds in with the current climate typified by Judgement Night and Pantera's Far Beyond Driven, adding a more pensive, mature hip-hop sensibility to lyrics and song structure.
