Unexpect

{{Short description|Canadian extreme metal band}} {{Refimprove|date=October 2020}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2025}}

{{Infobox musical artist  | name = Unexpect | image = Unexpect 2009.jpg | caption = Unexpect on the Progressive Nation European tour in 2009 | landscape = yes | background = group_or_band | alias = | origin = Montréal, Québec, Canada | genre = Avant-garde metal, extreme metal | years_active = 1996–2015 | label = The End, Galy Records | website = | current_members = Syriak Artagoth ChaotH Leïlindel Landryx Blaise Borboën-Léonard | past_members = ExoD Le Bateleur Elda Zircon Merzenya Dasnos Anthony Trujillo }}

'''Unexpect''' (often stylized as '''uneXpect''', '''unexpecT''',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unexpect.com/en/utopians.asp|title=UnexpecT biography|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100314072922/http://www.unexpect.com/en/utopians.asp|archive-date=March 14, 2010}}</ref> and '''UnexpecT''') was a Canadian avant-garde extreme metal band from Montréal, featuring an amalgamation of progressive metal, death metal, black metal, melodic heavy metal, and other styles including European classical, medieval, opera, gypsy jazz, electro, ambient, noise, and circus music.<ref>[https://www.sputnikmusic.com/bands/Unexpect/958/ Unexpect reviews, music, news], Sputnikmusic.com, Retrieved September 11, 2015</ref>

The band's debut album, ''Utopia'', was independently released. With unorthodox distribution and online support, the album sold successfully.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bmg.com/us/|title=BMG: The New Music Company|date=October 1, 2015|website=Bmg.com|access-date=October 8, 2020}}</ref> They released their two following albums via The End Records, before returning to independent releases.

== History == Two of the founding members had a long tenure with the band: Artagoth and SyriaK. Unexpect recorded their first album, ''Utopia'', in 1998, and released it in 1999 independently. The 2003 EP ''_We, Invaders'' was released in November 2003 on the Canadian label Galy Records. They then signed with New York-based The End Records and the band's second album ''In a Flesh Aquarium'' was released on August 22, 2006, in North America. Unexpect released their third album, ''Fables of the Sleepless Empire'', on May 31, 2011. The band won the 7th annual Independent Music Awards Vox Pop vote for best Hard Rock/Metal Album with ''In a Flesh Aquarium''.

On August 22, 2015, after the band had been inactive for almost three years, and with few updates, an announcement was made on their official Facebook page stating the members had decided to disband for good and pursue their own personal musical endeavours.<ref>[http://www.sputnikmusic.com/news/34821/Unexpect-disband/ Unexpect disband], Sputnikmusic.com, Retrieved September 11, 2015</ref>

== Members == {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} '''Last line-up''' * Eryk "Syriak" Chapados – lead vocals, guitar (1996–2015) (ex-Ekinox, ex-Magister Dixit) * Stéphane "Artagoth" English – lead vocals, guitar (1996–2015) * Roxanne "Leïlindel" Hegyesy – lead vocals (2001–2015) * Frédérick "ChaotH" Filiatrault – bass (2001–2015) (Humanoid) * Landryx – drums (2004–2015) (ex-Decadawn, ex-Eclipse Prophecy) * Blaise Borboën-Léonard – violin (2007–2015)

'''Session members''' * Nathalie Duchesne – additional violin, cello (2003–2015) * Stéphanie Colerette – additional violin, cello (2003–2015) * Amélie Blanchette – clarinet (2006–2015) {{col-2}}

'''Former members''' * Véronique "Elda" Michaud – lead vocals (1996–2001) * Mathieu "Zircon" Phaneuf – bass (1996–2001) * Olivier "Merzenya" Genest – keyboards (1996–2001) * Anthony Trujillo – drums (2002) * Dasnos – drums (2003) * Charles "Le Bateleur" Crépeau – violin (1996–2006) * Stéphane "ExoD" Primeau – drums (1996–2002), keyboards, piano, sampling (2002–2010) {{col-end}} <div align="left">

=== Timeline === <timeline> ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:60 bottom:80 top:5 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1996 till:01/01/2016 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy

Colors = id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:violin value:drabgreen legend:Violin id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:keyboards value:purple legend:Keyboards id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:lines1 value:black legend:Studio_release id:bars value:gray(0.95)

BackgroundColors = bars:bars

Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:2 start:1996 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1997

BarData = bar:Elda text:Elda bar:Leïlindel text:Leïlindel bar:LeBateleur text:Le Bateleur bar:Blaise text:Blaise bar:Syriak text:Syriak bar:Artagoth text:Artagoth bar:Merzenya text:Merzenya bar:Zircon text:Zircon bar:ChaotH text:ChaotH bar:ExoD text:ExoD bar:Anthony text:Anthony bar:Dasnos text:Dasnos bar:Landryx text:Landryx

PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)

bar:Elda from:start till:01/01/2001 color:vocals bar:Leïlindel from:01/01/2001 till:end color:vocals bar:Syriak from:start till:end color:guitar bar:Syriak from:start till:end color:vocals width:3 bar:Artagoth from:start till:end color:guitar bar:Artagoth from:start till:end color:vocals width:3 bar:Zircon from:start till:01/01/2001 color:bass bar:ChaotH from:01/01/2001 till:end color:bass bar:Merzenya from:start till:01/01/2001 color:keyboards bar:ExoD from:start till:01/01/2002 color:drums bar:ExoD from:01/01/2002 till:01/01/2011 color:keyboards bar:Anthony from:01/01/2002 till:01/01/2003 color:drums bar:Dasnos from:01/01/2003 till:01/01/2004 color:drums bar:Landryx from:01/01/2004 till:end color:drums bar:LeBateleur from:start till:01/01/2007 color:violin bar:Blaise from:01/01/2007 till:end color:violin

LineData=

at:01/01/1999 color:lines1 layer:back at:11/01/2003 at:08/22/2006 at:05/31/2011

</timeline> </div>

== Discography == * ''Utopia'' (1999, self-released) * ''_wE, Invaders'' EP (2003, Galy Records; distributed by The End Records) * ''In a Flesh Aquarium'' (2006, The End Records) * ''Fables of the Sleepless Empire'' (2011, self-released)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=66087|title=Unexpect Posts New Song "Orange Vigilantes" Online|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008113914/http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=66087|date=March 10, 2011|archive-date=October 8, 2012}}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * {{Official website|http://www.unexpect.com}}, [https://web.archive.org/web/20150728115723/http://unexpect.com/unxpct/ archived] on July 28, 2015 * [http://www.theendrecords.com/label/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=38 UneXpect] at The End Records

Category:Canadian progressive metal musical groups Category:Avant-garde metal musical groups Category:Musical groups from Montreal Category:Musical groups established in 1996 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2015 Category:1996 establishments in Quebec Category:2015 disestablishments in Quebec