Zug Izland

In its press materials, the Detroit sleaze metal band Zug Izland described its songcraft as "an exploration of imperfect human morality brought forth through the imagery of a pure fantasy." Maybe so, but the combo's origin as the backup band for Insane Clown person Violent J was a better indicator of sound and intent. Led by vocalist Syn, Zug also included sometime-ICP producer Mike P on guitar, drummer Little Pig, keys man Dan Miller, and bassist B Nestor, who quickly replaced original bassist Guido Milligan. Naming itself after a decaying industrial site in Detroit, the quintet settled into the Psychopathic Records family and began contributing here and there to others' tracks while writing its debut with J. Zug also stole the show at the 2002 Gathering of the Juggalos. Cracked Tiles, their full-length debut, finally appeared in January 2003. The band supported it with an aggressive round of touring, including dates with the like-minded NYC rap-metal unit Dope.