| Magdallan | |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Years Active: | 1990–1992 (As Magdallan) 1992–2013 (As Magdalen) |
| Genre: | Hard rock, glam metal, Christian rock, Christian metal |
| Label: | Intense, Essential |
| Associated Acts: | Ken Tamplin, House of Lords (band) |
| Past Members: | Ken Tamplin Lanny Cordola Chuck Wright Ken Mary Phillip Bardowell |
Magdallan (later known as Magdalen), was an American Christian metal collaboration between Ken Tamplin and Lanny Cordola. The band was active as Magdallan from 1990 to 1992 and released the album Big Bang, signed to Intense Records.
The band's original lineup was Ken Tamplin, Lanny Cordola, Brian Bromberg, and Ken Mary. After the first album Ken Tamplin departed and Phillip Bardowell took over vocal duties. Chuck Wright would later replace Bromberg for the Magdalen releases.
Ken Tamplin, known for his involvement with Shout, was joined in Magdallan by Lanny Cordola, Chuck Wright, and Ken Mary, who were previously associated with the band House of Lords.
The band's first release, Big Bang, was notable as one of the most expensive Christian albums produced by that time, with a budget reported as being $250,000,[1] and the album faced some criticism for being overproduced. Nevertheless, Big Bang was nominated for one GMA Dove Award for Best Metal/Hard Rock Album in 1992,[2] but did not win.
After the first album was released, Tamplin left the band. Tamplin commented that he felt the need for a fresh start after he learned that Intense Records had planned to shelve the Big Bang album after two years of hard work.[3] After Tamplin's departure, the studio project of Magdallan was turned into a full band and thus the name was changed from Magdallan to Magdalen.
The project initially began as a studio endeavor under the moniker Magdallan in 1990, with Ken Tamplin as the vocalist. Following Tamplin's exit in 1992, the name was altered to Magdalen, marking the transition from a studio project to a full-fledged band. This change signified the new phase of the project, distinguishing between its studio origins and the live band it had evolved into. In 1995, a subsequent name change occurred, rebranding the band as Chaos Is The Poetry. While the compilation album End of the Age was released in 1999 under the original name spelling, the releases Revolution Mind and The Dirt EP carried the Magdalen name, reflecting the band's ongoing evolution.