Kings of Lovia

Kings of Lovia was a British-Lovian rock band formed in Blackburn University, Newhaven in 1982, and lasted until 1995. The main line-up consisted of George Plymouth ( lead vocals, guitar ), his twin brother Edgar Plymouth ( guitar, back-up vocals ), Elliot Gourdmann ( drums, back-up vocals ), and Matthew Patil ( keyboard, back-up vocals ). The band was primarily influenced by early progressive rock and psychedelic rock pioneers like The Beatles and Pink Floyd, but in their later years, leaned towards more hardcore forms of rock, such as metal. The band was founded in one of the many fraternities at Blackburn in 1982, and quickly moved onto the scene of early 1980's Lovian music, with album hits like Into the Rainbow ( 1986 ) and My Dear Caroline ( 1988 ). By the 90's, the group had become the largest influence of modern and progressive rock in Lovia, and had kick-started what many have called the Rock Epidemic ( late 80's - late 90's ), which kickstarted thousands of bands across Lovia and "leaving a permanent footprint into the history of music in Lovia", as many music enthusiasts in Lovia have proclaimed.

Origins ( 1982 - 1985 )
In early 1982, 18-year-old British-Lovian college freshmen and twin brothers George and Edgar Plymouth decided to form a band, since they already decided to attend college to earn degrees in music, and also due to the heavy amounts of rock such as Queen, Iron Maiden, and The Beatles that the twins had been persistently listening to for quite a while. The twins posted advertisements for drummers and keyboarders to be in their up and coming band all across their campus at Blackburn. Due to the twins' general timidness and social awkwardness on campus, only one person for each position auditioned for the role. Those two people were Anglo-German medicine student Elliot Gourdmann, and Anglo-Indian geography student Matthew Patil. Both freshmen were relatively suitable at their positions, so they got the job. The band decided to call themselves Kings of Lovia, as "they wanted to show the world they had respect and power," as Gourdmann put it. The band began playing at sponsored events at their campus and various clubs and public areas near the school, playing iconic rock anthems such as "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". The group had gained decent popularity at the school, and was even offered a record deal by a Label Records recruiter at one of their shows in 1984, but all of the members didn't want to join the label yet, as "they needed to graduate first so they could finish what they started," as K.o.L. enthusiast Paul Epich says. In March 1985, all band members graduated from Blackburn with seperate Bachelor's degrees. As soon as they graduated, the group joined Label Records in May 1985.

First years with Label Records, Lovian Might and Into the Rainbow ( 1985 - 1986 )
After around four months of recording and polishing, the band's first official single and EP, Lovian Might, was released under Label Records on August 8, 1985. The EP gained very positive responses by critics; Baldwin William of The National Post called the EP "A great debut from the band, and and a very decent EP in general." The EP sold rather mediocre despite its praise by critics, and the EP's main single, Post-Mortem Delirium, only sold around 20,000 copies, and didn't even make it on the Top 100. But, the EP is still considered a gem today, as Epich agrees that "the EP is a nostalgic trip for most, and shows when the band was still in its infancy stages." After their debut, the band then almost immediately went to work on their first album, Into the Rainbow, which was released on March 23, 1986. The album quickly gained critical acclaim and praise by many critics throughout Lovia, with Harry Oliver of The National Post calling the album "a critical masterpiece, with clear influences from bands like Queen and Pink Floyd." The album almost topped the charts upon release, being at number 2 on the charts just a week after release, and later completely topping the charts for 9 straight months. The three main singles of the album, Flatulence, Simplistic Reality, and the eponymous single Into the Rainbow also topped the single charts, with Into the Rainbow staying for almost a whole half-year. The album had completely kick-started the band's fame and fortune throughout their career.

Death to the King, Odd Occurrences, and My Dear Caroline ( 1986 - 1989 )
On December 2, 1986, the band's second EP, Death to the King, was released and was also accompanied by the band's almost 4-hour performance at the Olympia Hotel and Theater in the same year, which helped push sales of the EP, which also gained critical praise as well. Just 2 months later, on February 30, 1987, the band released another EP named Odd Occurences, which didn't do as well as Death to the King, but still helped the band gain popularity throughout Lovia. Then, on September 17, 1987, the band's second album, My Dear Caroline was released. The album gained lots of praise and acclaim from multiple critics, and had completely catapulted to the top of the charts, staying on for 2 whole years. The two singles from the album, True Business and My Dear Caroline had stayed on the charts for almost a whole year.

Disagreements with Label Records, the founding of Harmony Records ( 1989 - 1992 )
Throughout all of the fame and fortune the band gained, they always disagreed with Label Records. Thomas Sangdon, the President of the company at the time severely restricted the band's abilities and free will, and only let the band have 10 percent of all the revenues gained, which the band never truly agreed with. This grudge lasted until it finally broke out into the mainstream in 1990, when band members Matthew Patil and Elliot Gourdmann severely beat Sangdon's vice-president in the elevator up to Sangdon's office. The band was forced to leave the record company, and was sued almost 5 million dollars. The band, along with a few ex-employees of Label founded Harmony Records in 1992, naming Randall Weltis, one of the ex-employees, the CEO.

Harmonicus and A Story To Tell 1992 - 1994 )
When the band had finished all their court appearances, the band recorded and released their third album Harmonicus on May 6, 1993, with critics being openly mixed with the product. Garvey Quincy called the album "a lot more dark and having a lot more of a heavy metal-like sound instead of the smooth, easy-to-flow progressive and psychedelic rock of the band's earlier albums." The album nevertheless topped the charts in 1993, but with it only lasting a few months. A year later, on November 5, 1994, the band's fourth and final non-postmortem album, A Story To Tell, was released. It opened to extreme amounts of critical acclaim, with many calling it the magnum opus of the band. The album also topped the charts for 3 years, the longest of any of the band's other albums.

The fateful night and destruction of the band ( 1995 )
Around the midnight of July 28, 1995 in the Artista neighborhood of Noble City, George and Elliot Plymouth, the two main members of the band, were walking out of the building of their fellow band member Matthew Patil's apartment after a major party occured. The two were heavily drunk, and decided to get a taxi. The twins wobbled on Freedom Avenue, until a man who seemed friendly enough walked up to the men and said if they needed somewhere to ride. The twins said they wanted a taxi, and the man pointed at the opposite direction and said, "Look!". The twins turned around, and the man quickly brought out a small revolver from his left pocket and blindly fired near the men five times. The first shot bounced off the pavement and hit George in the armpit area, narrowly missing the lung. The second shot also bounced off the pavement, and again hit George, but this time right in his heart and leaving out of his lower back. All of the other shots hit Elliot multiple times near the groin area, and the man quickly ran off to leave the men dead. However, one person called an ambulance. But sadly, both twins were announced dead just days after arrival at 6:00 PM on July 30, 1995. The band then announced its retirement on August 1, 1995.

Legacy
The band had kick-started the Rock Epidemic in Lovia, which influenced thousands of people across Lovia.