Lioness

Crafting an unlikely but danceable mix of Black Sabbath-style riffs, electro-house rhythms and synths à la Daft Punk, and powerful vocals, Toronto, Ontario, Canada's Lioness was formed in 1997 by Controller's bassist Ronnie Morris and drummer Jeff Scheven, and vocalist Vanessa Fischer, formerly of No Dynamics. The trio's self-titled debut EP arrived on New Romantic Records in late 2008, and they played supporting gigs that featured Scheven's background visuals. While the group continued to work on its music, Scheven also directed videos for TV on the Radio and Diamond Rings. In mid-2011, the band convened in the studio with producer Leon Taheny to record its debut album, The Golden Killer, which was released in June 2012. ~ Heather Phares