Bryan Ottoson

Guitarist for American Head Charge

Bryan Ottoson was a talented and influential guitarist who contributed significantly to the nu metal band, American Head Charge. Born on March 18, 1978, Ottoson joined the Minneapolis-based group during their rise to fame in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Ottoson's tenure with American Head Charge began after they settled on their final band name and released their debut album, Trepanation, independently in 1999. When the band gained recognition through their contributions to Dwell Records tribute albums for Ministry and Marilyn Manson, Ottoson was already a part of the lineup as a second guitarist, joining Justin Fowler on keyboards and Aaron Zilch on samplers/sound programming. In 2000, American Head Charge signed with Rick Rubin's American Recordings label, moving to Los Angeles to record their first major label album, The War of Art.

American Head Charge's professional touring experience took off in 2001, as they played Ozzy Osbourne's Ozzfest on the "Second Stage" for the entire tour. Ottoson was a part of this historic run, supporting acts such as System of a Down, Mudvayne, Rammstein, and Slipknot. The band's live schedule continued with a slot on the Pledge of Allegiance festival tour, followed by co-supporting Slayer alongside Chimaira for the first two months of their American "God Hates Us All" tour. Ottoson and his bandmates then embarked on a four-month European/Scandinavian/UK/Japanese tour headlined by Slipknot.

Ottoson's legacy in American Head Charge lies not only in his musicianship but also his dedication to the band during their critical period of growth and success. Although his life was cut tragically short when he died on April 19, 2005, Ottoson's impact can still be felt through American Head Charge's music and touring history. His contributions helped shape the nu metal sound that captivated audiences in the early 2000s and left a lasting impression on fans around the world.