Ilium

Illium
Also known as	Oracle
Origin	Newcastle, NSW
Genres	Melodic power metal
Years active	1998 - present
Labels	SteelHeart
Associated acts	LORD, Dungeon, Vaticide, Addictive, Nazxul, Riot, Masterplan, Treasureland, Enticer, Austere, Malice, Black Reign, Stormwind
Members	Kaspar Dahlqvist, Mike DiMeo, Jason Hodges, Adam Smith
Past members	Lord Tim, Corey Gilchrist, Peter Gilchrist, Steve Moore, Michael Noonan, Mark Snedden, David Walmsley, Mark Snedden, Tim Yatras

Band members

• Current line-up
  • Kaspar Dahlqvist (keys)
  • Mike DiMeo (vocals)
  • Jason Hodges (guitar)
  • Adam Smith (guitar, bass, keyboards)
  • Tim Yatras (drums)

• Former members
  • Lord Tim (vocals) (2003 - 2007)
  • Corey Gilchrist (keys) (2005)
  • Peter Gilchrist (bass) (2003, 2005)
  • David Walmsley (drums) (2003, 2005)
  • Mark Snedden (vocals) (1998 - 2003)
  • Matt Woodland (bass) (1999)
  • Steve Moore (drums) (1999)
  • Michael Noonan (bass) (1998 - 1999)

Band information

Epic-style power metal band from Newcastle with some similarities to Virgin Steele. The band's history is a litany of line-up hassles that borders on the contrived and confusing. The first version of the band came together under the name Oracle with Mark Snedden (vocals), Hodges, Troy McLellan (guitar), Keith Jacobsen (bass) and Jason Dohmen (drums). Jacobsen and McLellan were shortly replaced by Eric Pederson and Kris Arendse, but these two also stayed only briefly. A variety of personnel shifts continued with various members leaving, returning briefly and then leaving again. Smith came and went and there was a string of bass players.

After several years of to-ing and fro-ing Oracle was put to rest but some time later revived once more. After a name change to Iliad, then Ilium, the line-up of Snedden, Hodges, Smith and Michael Noonan (bass) began work on a debut CD but during the recording Noonan left, so Smith and Matt Woodland completed bass tracks. A follow-up album was then recorded with drumming by Steve Moore of Dungeon. Peter Gilchrist (bass) and David Walmsley (drums) joined the fold in short order. After tying up a deal with Adrenaline Records in Italy, Ilium began work on a further two albums at the same time, but Snedden left the band in July 2003 before recording could be completed. Dungeon's Lord Tim recorded the vocal tracks on both albums, but Ilium's progress again stalled with Gilchrist and Walmsley leaving the band in late 2003.

Smith and Hodges completed sessions for the Permian Dusk album and then late in 2004 Gilchrist and Walmsley rejoined the band, followed in short order by Gilchrist's son Corey on keyboards, who had shared a brief moment of national fame as a teenage contestant on Australian Idol. Work began on a third album as Permian Dusk was shipped off for mastering but Walmsley quit once more. Tim Yatras of Dungeon and a string of other bands was recruited for the sessions but before work could get underway, Corey Gilchrist lost a foot after being hit by a train in October 2005. This tragic event caused both he and his father to leave the band, but did not stall the release of Ilium's second album and it appeared in December 2005.

Ilium's line-up was augmented by the addition of Kaspar Dahlqvist, a former member of Swedish bands Treasure Land and Stormwind in 2006. As Ilium geared up for the release of its third album, Lord Tim announced in November 2007 that would no longer be working with the group. Since then Ilium has been working on their third album with vocalist Mike DiMeo of Riot and Masterplan.

Discography

Albums:

	2003	Sirens of the Styx	SteelHeart
	2005	Permian Dusk	SteelHeart
	2008	Vespertillion	SteelHeart

EP:

	2002	Ilium	self release