Arid

Arid came out of Ghent with Jasper Steverlinck's voice as their secret weapon, a high, aching instrument that could fill a hall on its own. Steverlinck sang and played guitar alongside David Du Pré on second guitar, Filip Ros on bass and Steven Van Havere on drums, and the four first turned heads as finalists in Humo's Rock Rally in 1996, which brought the label Double T calling.

Their debut, Little Things Of Venom, landed in 1998 (the American release went out as At The Close Of Every Day), and it opened doors fast: a tour with Suede and support slots for fellow Belgians K's Choice in 1999, then Counting Crows' European run the year after. Steverlinck even turned up on screen in 2001, starring opposite Harry Shearer in the IMAX 3-D film Haunted Castle, with the band's music framing the credits. All Is Quiet Now followed in 2002.

The later records are where the countdowns caught on. All Things Come in Waves, in 2008, brought "Words", and Under the Cold Street Lights, in 2010, delivered "Broken dancer" and "Come on", widescreen alternative rock that lets that voice soar over moody, slow-burning guitars. In between, Arjen Lucassen drafted Steverlinck to front his side project Guilt Machine.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.