Chris Hornbrook

Chris Hornbrook was born in Hollywood, Florida to French-Canadian immigrants, Donald Hornbrook and Moisette Maltais, in the early nineteen eighties. He started playing the drums around the age of twelve after a few failed attempts at pursuing electric guitar and alto saxophone. His father is also a musician, predominately playing bass with a little bit of guitar.

Hornbrook started playing local South Florida punk shows at the age of fifteen with his high school garage band before being asked to join a popular local punk band called Last Minute. He would meet his future band member Ryan Primack as he was playing bass in the band. At seventeen Hornbrook was asked to join an early incarnation of Poison the Well dubbed Doubting Thomas. Not too long after the bands' formation they had to change their name to An Acre Lost due to Doubting Thomas already being a side project of industrial band Skinny Puppy.

After a brief hiatus with An Acre Lost Hornbrook rejoined the band and the name was changed to Poison the Well. During his junior year of high school, he toured with the band during breaks from school. Then during his senior year Poison the Well would play a few shows up the east coast of the United States one weekend a month. He would leave Thursday and then resume school on Tuesday.

There is footage of the band performing at the now legendary defunct CBGB's on YouTube from around this period.[4] Once he graduated high school he started to pursue the band more seriously as a career.

His drumming style has been described as very musical and heavy hitting with an emphasis on groove and feel. He was quoted as saying:

“I think fundamentally I always strive to do what the song calls for. Whether it’s a lot, or really simple, or whatever. I think that’s the most important thing. That’s the role that the drummer has, to hold everything together. Play a beat and be really musical. Not to say that I don’t enjoy overplaying, but it has to be the right sort of environment for that. I’m not a big fan of guys that like to do a lot and it sounds like they’re trampling over the music because they’re trying to prove whatever point they’re trying to prove. Ultimately, I look to serve the song and do exactly what it needs to be effective from the drumming department."[5]

Ghostcult Magazine was quoted as saying "Chris is one of the most distinctive drummers in music for almost 20 years".[6]

Hornbrook has stated that he was "obsessed" with English rock band Queen drummer Roger Taylor when he first started playing.[7] Other early influences were Matt Cameron, Dave Abbruzezese and Dave Grohl.[8] His later influences expanded to players like Billy Cobham and Chris Dave.[9]

Hornbrook performing with Poison the Well at the Leeds Music Festival in Leeds, England in 2004.

Hornbrook started working with Poison the Well in the Fall of 1998. His tenure with the band spans well over twenty years, including drumming on all five of the bands' full-length records, both EPs and performing on all the touring in support of those records. Alongside being a founding member he is also considered to be a part of the core lineup alongside guitar player Ryan Primack and vocalist Jeffrey Moreira.[10] His drumming is an integral component of the band's sound as he has a strong influence over the songwriting.

In an interview he did with The Washington Post during the promotion of the bands' fourth record "Versions", he stated:

"I wanted to push the envelope. Thinking deep down I wasn’t trying to prove anything to anyone else, but prove to ourselves that we could make a record better than our last one and make something different and innovative.”[11]

Poison the Well is considered by many as the "fathers" of what is now referred to as contemporary "Metalcore" helping to popularize the genera.[12] They have also been acknowledged as being a very influential band during the early 2000's Post-hardcore "boom".[13]

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