Next to None

Next to None
OriginLehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, United States
GenresProgressive metal
Years active2013 (2013)–present
LabelInside Out
SpinoffsTallah
MembersThomas Cuce
Derrick Schneider
Kris Rank
Max Portnoy
Past membersRyland Holland

Next to None is an American progressive metal band formed in 2013 in the Lehigh Valley[1] area of Pennsylvania by a group of teenagers. They toured the United States with Metal Allegiance and the United Kingdom with Haken[2] and have released two studio albums, the most recent in 2017.

History

Drummer Max Portnoy and bassist Kris Rank are childhood friends and used to jam together when Kris was focused on guitar.[2] Guitarist Ryland Holland also participated, having met both in Spanish lessons they were taking at that time.[3] They later met Thomas Cuce (vocals/keyboards), with whom Portnoy started writing music as early as 2011[2] or 2012,[1] when they also recorded an EP,[4] and the band was officially founded in March 2013, when Portnoy was 12 years old,[5][6] and named Next to None after several different suggestions that were already taken.[3] Soon, they were supporting Portnoy's father Mike Portnoy's then band Adrenaline Mob in a few shows in the United States.[5]

In 2014, they recorded an EP with three songs, including "Fortune Cookie", which received a video featuring Dee Snider, Chris Jericho, Anthrax and hosts of That Metal Show.[7]

In April 2015, the group released the song "You Are Not Me" and announced their first album, A Light in the Dark, released later that year (on June 29[8]) via Inside Out and produced by Mike Portnoy.[2][9] It featured guest performances by guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex-Guns N' Roses) on "A Lonely Walk" and keyboardist Neal Morse (Transatlantic, Flying Colors) on the mellotron.[3][10] Six of the album tracks form a concept about a man with a mental illness and dissociative identity disorder who eventually gives in to the voice in his head persuading him to commit crimes, with the title "A Light in the Dark" alluding to the reward he believes he will get from the bad things he's doing.[10]

Holland eventually left the band to go to college and was replaced by Derrick Schneider, introduced to them by Bumblefoot.[2] With Schneider, they recorded and released in 2017 their second album Phases,[2] which began to be written right after the release of their debut.[11] Phases was mostly self-produced at Cuce's home studio, with drums being recorded at Neal Morse's Radiant Studios with the assistance of engineer Jerry Guidroz.[2] It was announced in May 2017 for a July 7 release.[12] On June 23, the song "Pause" was premiered at Loudwire.[13]

Musical style and influences

Next to None is usually described as a progressive metal act.[14][15][16] Portnoy cites Slipknot, Lamb of God, Metallica, Mudvayne, System of a Down and Korn as his influences,[2][3] and says Cuce likes metalcore a lot.[2] He also cites progressive influences on the band's sound, such as Tool, Dream Theater, Haken and Pain of Salvation.[2] Mike Portnoy described their first album as "Slipknot meets Dream Theater".[17]

When asked about influences on their second album Phases, Portnoy and Cuce mentioned System of a Down, Babymetal, Dream Theater, Periphery, Born of Osiris and Slipknot's .5: The Gray Chapter.[11]

Members

Current members

  • Thomas Cuce – vocals, keyboards
  • Derrick Schneider – guitars
  • Kris Rank – bass
  • Max Portnoy – drums

Former members

  • Ryland Holland – guitars

Discography

Studio albums

  • A Light in the Dark (2015)
  • Phases (2017)

References

  1. ^ a b "On the Beat with Max Portnoy of Next To None: Talks New Release and Upcoming Tours". Modern Drummer. June 21, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mascheroni, Giulia (August 1, 2017). "What's it like being a drummer in a prog band when your dad is Mike Portnoy?". Prog. Future plc. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d Marchante, Toni; Fuzz, Edko (September 9, 2015). "Entrevista a Max Portnoy - Next to None". Metal Symphony (in Spanish). Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  4. ^ Oakley, Jay. "Next To None's Max Portnoy". Just a Rock N Roll Junkie. Archived from the original on April 14, 2025. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  5. ^ a b Beleña, Pablo M. (April 1, 2013). "Mike Portnoy 'enchufa' a la banda de su hijo Max: será telonero de Adrenaline Mob". Rock-Progresivo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  6. ^ Beleña, Pablo M. (March 26, 2013). "El hijo de Mike Portnoy, Max, con 12 años, ya tiene su propia banda de metal". Rock-Progresivo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  7. ^ "Quick Chord: Lehigh Valley teens storm onto the metal scene with prog rock outfit Next to None". The Weekender. December 2, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  8. ^ Lach, Stef (May 27, 2015). "Next To None Max Portnoy on dad's influence". Prog. Future plc. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  9. ^ Kielty, Martin (April 24, 2015). "Portnoy prodigies reveal 1st track". Prog. Future plc. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  10. ^ a b g0nda, chr1stoph3r (October 5, 2015). "Interview with Next To None; Drummer Max Portnoy Elaborates on His Band and New Album 'A Light in the Dark'". V13.net. Archived from the original on January 12, 2026. Retrieved May 18, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ a b Sciaky, Davide (July 24, 2017). "Intervista Next to None (Max Portnoy, Thomas Cuce)". True Metal. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  12. ^ "Next To None announce second studio album "Phases"". The Prog Report. May 12, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  13. ^ Hill, John (June 23, 2017). "Next To None, 'Pause' - Exclusive Lyric Video Premiere". Loudwire. Townsquare Media. Archived from the original on November 10, 2025. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  14. ^ Macher, Nils (June 19, 2015). "Review Next To None/A Light In The Dark - Nils Macher". Powermetal.de (in German). Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  15. ^ Lawson, Dom (June 22, 2017). "Next To None - Phases album review". Prog. Future plc. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  16. ^ Sharp, Johnny (June 26, 2015). "Next To None: A Light In The Dark". Prog. Future plc. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  17. ^ Stemkovsky, Ilya (December 2, 2015). "Max and Mike Portnoy on the Making of Next to None's A Light in the Dark". Modern Drummer. Archived from the original on January 14, 2026. Retrieved May 21, 2026.

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