The six piece Tremor was formed in 1189 BC and was resurrected in January 1994. At that time the band had only four members. Only two of the members of that line-up are still active in the band today, drummer Jeroen Simons and guitarist Martijn van der Bliek.

What started is a funny pastime has grown to a professional band with ambitions. Since that month in 1994 an evolution has taken place...

Tremor started as a thrash/death-metal band with heavy distorted guitars, double-bass drumming and the accompanying deathgrunt.. The promo "Spectral Insanity" contains four of these compositions.

After that, around September 1994 they change the formula a little bit. Guitarist/vocalist Bart Dietvorst leaves the band, to be replaced with Jasper van der Bliek, who takes over the bass and the vocals. The band becomes a trio and this will remain that way for the next year and a half. In that period they record a rehearsal tape.. On this rehearsal called "Ear protection required", there are six songs, characterised by an enormous amount of riffs.. On this tape they try to take some different paths besides the traditional thrash/death metal genre..

The first somewhat professional product of the band arrives in May 1995. With "Until all shocks have faded away" the band gets rid of the death metal. Not so surprisingly in an area where the death metal is supposed to be dead. This demo-tape contains five melodic, kind of thrashy compositions with an extensive use of acoustic guitars and where some influences from classical music can be heard. The deathgrunt has completely disappeared.

The drums remain fast with the heavy use of double bass and rare complicated rhythms. After the release of "Until all shocks have faded away" the band changes to a quartet again with the coming of second guitarplayer Richard Voet.

In the summer of 1996 the band decides that the time has come to make some radical changes, a CD will be recorded and the songwriting should be brought to the highest possible level. Due to lack of time Jasper van der Bliek leaves to band to start a career as a journalist. The band decides to take a different course. New musicians are attracted: Oscar Postema on vocals and keyboards, singer Carlien Stadhouders, and Bram Huisson as a temporary bassplayer, now replaced by Roel Aldewereld.

The months after that they start writing songs to be recorded on their first CD.

The CD contains normal tunes alternated with some metal songs. "Clean" vocals alternated with grunts and female vocals.. Acoustic guitars alternated with a heavy rock sound. Quick tempos alternated with dreamy classical-like pieces. For the recording of the song "Shocks" they even use a stringquartet.

In December 1996 the band leaves for Tilburg, The Netherlands, to start the recordings in the studio of Paul François. After 4 days of recording all the songs are on the digital 24-track tape.

After another 5 days of mixing Tremor’s first CD was born..

"A storm is brewing" is the title of Tremor’s first CD.

After the recording of the album it takes six months to get it released. Various concerts and fesivals are played after the release in july 1997, with the highlights being: opening for Within Temptation and the CD launch party on December 20th 1997. In march 1998 Richard Voet leaves the band, now to be replaced by Ad Sluyter.
In July 1998 Maaike Rijk joins the band to replace Carlien Stadhouders, who went studying in Paris.

Words by Jasper van der Bliek