August Burns Red

Formed of members Jon Hershey on lead vocals, JB Brubaker on lead guitar, Brent Rambler on rhythm guitar, Matt Greiner on drums and piano, and Jordan Tuscan on bass guitar, the band began practicing during high school in bassist Matt Greiner’s basement. After a number of local shows in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S., area the band released their first EP named “Looks Fragile After All” on the label CI Records in 2004.

Soon after, lead singer Hershey quit and vocal responsibilities fell to Josh McManness and the band signed to the Christian label Solid State Records in 2005. On November 8, 2005 the band released their debut album “Thrill Seeker” along with a video for the single “Your Little Suburbia Is In Ruins”. The album’s release marked the departure of vocalist McManness and bassist Jordan Tuscan, who were replaced with Jake Luhrs and Dustin Davidson respectively.

Luhrs’ debut album with the band “Messengers” released in June 2007 became August Burns Red’s breakthrough album charting at No. 81 on the Billboard 200, and allowed the band an extensive tour schedule across North America and Europe. During which the band played alongside the likes of A Skylit Drive, Sky Eats Airplane and Greeley Estates. August Burns Red also appeared on the 2009 “Punk Goes Pop 2” compilation album covering Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time”.

The band’s sound is referred to commonly as metalcore, although due to the precise and powerful breakdowns, blissfully melodic guitar riffs have often been identified as melodic metalcore.

In 2009 the band released “Lost Messenger: The Outtakes” a multitude of material not thought appropriate for the “Messengers” album, as well as their third full-length LP “Constellations” which was available to stream via their MySpace before its release on July 14, 2009. The album charted at No. 24 on the Billboard 200 and led to a U.S. tour alongside Blessthefall and Enter Shikari and Australian tour with Parkway Drive and A Day to Remember.

August Burns Red’s fourth album “Leveller” continued and expanded on the commercial success of the band charting at No. 11 on the Billboard 200, only bettered by their fifth album “Rescue & Restore” which debuted at No. 9.

With a name drawn from “somewhere from the bible”, Underoath was formed by singer Dallas Taylor and guitarist Luke Morton in 1997. Fellow church attendee Aaron Gillespie was later invited to join the group on drums, followed by guitarist Corey Steger and bassist Octavio Fernandez during their time in high school. Following a series of festival appearances and local shows in Florida, the band ignore to Takehold Records in 1999 and released their debut full-length “Act of Depression” the same year. The record combined the Christian metal, death metal, and black metal genres, and marked the departure of guitarist Luke Morton.

The five-track full-length studio album “Cries of the Past” arrived in July 2000, extolled by music critics and featuring keyboard player Christopher Dudley. Following a Takehold Records merger with Seattle-based label Tooth & Nail/Solid State, Underoath returned to the studio, the fruit of which marked the group’s most experienced and progressive record to date. Released in February 2003, “The Changing of Times” received positive reviews from the press for its hardcore approach combined with indie rock, loop pedals and melodic vocal harmonies. To the surprise of fellow band mates and a host of fans, vocalist Dennis Taylor left the group during their 2013 Warped Tour, leaving Underoath’s longevity in doubt.

However, with the addition of bassist Grant Brandell, guitarist James Smith and vocalist Spencer Chamberlain, the band persevered to release “They’re Only Chasing Safety” in June 2004. Produced by longterm producer James Paul Wisner, the record again saw a shift in direction compared to its predecessors, with the band adopting a decidedly screamo approach. Led by the singles “Reinventing Yourself” and “It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Font Door”, the album proved hugely popular among critics, and won a Dove nomination for Best Rock Album.

The much heavier full-length “Define the Great Line” followed in June 2006, marked by complex time signatures and apt ambience. Peaking at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200, it was their highest charting album to date, as well as the highest charting Christian album since LeAnn Rimes’s “You Light Up My Life”."Lost in the Sound of Separation” hit the shelves in 2008 featuring a darker, more experimental sound, followed by Ø (Disambiguation)” in 2009.