Training for Utopia (TFU) was a metalcore band which existed from 1996–2000. The band first signed with Tooth & Nail Records and was later moved to Solid State Records, the Tooth & Nail sublabel which promotes heavy Christian music. Training for Utopia subsequently became popular in the Christian metal scene during its active years, although its music was not specifically religious.

Their brief existence included a tour with Zao and at the time the upcoming band Spitfire. It was during this time that the band hired Carlos Colón (later to join The Deadlines) for their 1998 tour providing synthesizers to their live show. Immediately following the tour Carlos left the band to pursue other aspirations. After a temporary hiatus the band returned with their second full length “Throwing a Wrench into the American Music Machine”. After a small tour of the material the band disbanded.

At the demise of Training for Utopia, members Ryan and Don Clark announced that they were starting a new project called The American Spectator which never was realized. Don and Ryan Clark started “Asterik Studio” in Seattle, a graphic design shop where they completed many projects, including album artwork for former label-mates. In 2000, they founded the Christian metal band Demon Hunter.

Members of Training For Utopia:
 - Ryan Clark – vocals, guitar (Currently with Demon Hunter)
 - Don Clark – guitar
 - Steve Saxby – bass guitar (Currently with Out Of Place)
 - Morley Boyer – drums

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There comes a time in every artist’s life in which he must find himself through his medium. He must pry himself from any hint of reliance upon others and their art, and embrace who he is and what he was born to create.

Such is the case for Destroy The Runner, and their sophomore effort, ‘I, Lucifer’. 2006 saw the release of their debut album ‘Saints’, and while a solid effort, the record did not point towards a band satisfied with their sound, but rather, one developing it. ‘I, Lucifer’ sees Destroy The Runner as a band fully realized. The release boasts a radiant originality that is almost nonexistent in a practically dormant music scene.

“We realized very quickly after the release of ‘Saints’ that our musical passion had shifted” explains the band. “We knew we needed to do something on our own terms, regardless of what people thought or wanted to hear. We needed to be who we really were and make an album that reflected that.” That album, ‘I, Lucifer’, is set to change the face of aggressive music as we all know it. Full of an unbridled passion and energy, the album does not let up throughout its 11 tracks. Each track shines with a uniqueness and feel unlike its predecessor, but the album flows soundlessly. ‘I, Lucifer’ is something that artistically has not been attempted, much less fully realized, by any of the bands peers. This is the album that will put Destroy The Runner on the map and solidify their position as a forerunner of aggressive music.

Destroy The Runner have birthed a giant with ‘I, Lucifer’. Prepare yourselves.

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The Great Commission formed in the fall of 2007 by Angela and Justin (ex EM4H) to bring something new and inventive to the scene. Mixing the dynamics of older, heavy, hardcore, and a new school brutality, they have formed a new genre of music that is winning fans on both sides.

This Redlands based, Southern California band prides itself on their incredible live show and their uncompromising message. With a strong 6 member lineup, they reinvent the meaning of heaviness with 3 guitar players and 3 full stacks of sound.

Breaking the boundaries of a male dominated genre, guitarist Angela Razo handles the lead guitar duties and backing vocals that will knock you off your feet. Their live performances demand the attention of the crowd and leave them wanting more. “We play every single show like it’s our last…we play every single show like we were playing for Jesus. This is more than just making music for us, this is our worship,” declares vocalist Justin Singh.

They believe their responsibility as a band is to be a light in the dark and to fulfill The Great Commission. Their vision is to write songs that are vessels of the presence of God. Through the music and touring they hope that people will experience God in such a way that they are inspired to draw closer to him.

Matthew 28:19

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Life In Your Way was a melodic hardcore band from Connecticut. In keeping with the lyrical content of their records, all the members of the band were proponents of the Christian faith, which was demonstrated by their demeanor toward other bands, promoters, and fans.

As an early incarnation of the band, they released a split record entitled The Heart and Flesh Cry Out, with a band from New York called Solace. However, the musical style of the band at that time was more influenced by metalcore than their later material. Todd Mackey who later played guitar for the band, played drums on this split record.

After a dramatic stylistic transformation, the band self-released a four song demo entitled All These Things Tie Me Down in 2002. This demo attracted Indianola Records, who signed the band, and released their first two full-length records. The first, The Sun Rises and the Sun Sets… and Still Our Time is Endless, which was released in 2003, and their second, Ignite and Rebuild, which was released in 2005. The latter was also released in the Christian Market by Floodgate Records, and in Europe by Guideline Records.

Once their contract with Indianola Records expired, the band signed with Solid State Records in June of 2006. Their first, and only full-length record for Solid State Records entitled Waking Giants, was produced by Garth Richardson, and released on March 6, 2007. The intended single from Waking Giants was Threads of Sincerity, which originally appeared on their second record Ignite and Rebuild, but was re-recorded for Waking Giants. Shortly after the release of Waking Giants, guitarist Dave Swanson left the band to play guitar for Texas based electro-pop-rock band PlayRadioPlay!, and not long after, was followed by James Allen. To replace the two departed guitarists, the band recruited former Life In Your Way guitarist, and With Honor singer, Todd Mackey, as well as Corey Stroffolino of fellow Connecticut band, The Risk Taken.

The band played its final concert at the Heirloom Arts Theatre in Danbury, Connecticut on July 12, 2008, to a sold-out crowd, reuniting with several former members who played with the band in a revolving line-up at the concert. Ironically, the band reunited for a concert not long after on December 20, 2008. At this concert the band performed alongside Wrench in the Works, The Risk Taken, Our Final Say, and With Honor, who had also reunited for the concert.

Current musical projects involving members of the band are: The Frozen Ocean (Dave Swanson), Barricades (James Allen), and Solidarity (John Gaskill).

There have been murmurs of several other members of the band forming a new musical project together, but nothing about this has been confirmed.

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The Devil Wears Prada is an American Christian metalcore band from Dayton, Ohio, formed in 2005. They are currently signed to Ferret Music. The band derives its name from an anti-materialistic mindset as stated by vocalist Mike Hranica, instead of directly refering to the novel with the same title. The Devil Wears Prada is a Christian band, consisting of the band members Mike Hranica (lead vocals), Chris Rubey (lead guitar), Jeremy DePoyster (rhythm guitar, vocals), Andy Trick (bass), Daniel Williams (drums) and James Baney (keyboards). To date the band has released three full-length albums one DVD and four music videos.

In 2005, the band released their demo entitled Patterns of a Horizon. Their debut full-length album was released on August 22, 2006, entitled Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord, which featured guest vocals from Cole Wallace formerly of Gwen Stacy. The demo version of their song “HTML Rulez d00d” was placed on the band’s MySpace profile on January 1, 2007. On July 11, absolutepunk.net began to stream their song “Don’t Dink and Drance”. Their second album Plagues was released subsequently on August 21, 2007. On a recent interview with East Coast Romper, the band states that their primary influences are Underoath and Still Remains, which was mistaken on their official website saying the exact opposite. The band performed a cover of the rap song “Still Fly”, originally performed by Big Tymers, the cover song was released on the compilation album Punk Goes Crunk.

Vocalist Mike Hranica, manages a clothing company called Shipshape Roolz Clothing with which he sponsors and endorses bands. Some of Shipshape’s scale money goes to charities such as Skate 4 Cancer. The Devil Wears Prada began writing and recording their third album With Roots Above and Branches Below after them attending 2008’s Warped Tour, the album was released May 5, 2009. Singer Mike Hranica, stated that they would add a little more production to their new album.”Expect a much heavier and more epic record,” he stated. Keyboardist, James Baney, also stated that their new album would be more mechanical but still containing their same distinct style whereas drummer, Daniel Williams, stated that the new album would be crazier and wilder than their previous albums. In Autumn 2008, they debuted a new song off their upcoming record while on tour with Underoath, Saosin, The Famine, P.O.S., and Person L.

The Devil Wears Prada have performed with A Day to Remember, Sky Eats Airplane and Emarosa. They have also performed at 2009’s Warped Tour. To promote the release of With Roots Above and Branches Below, on March 13, they released a new song entitled “Dez Moines” along with a new layout on their MySpace. On March 26, 2009, a song clip entitled “Assistant to the Regional Manager” was leaked onto YouTube. Before the release, the pre-order of their third album With Roots Above and Branches Below, the purchaser was given the option to receive several pre-orderd packages. One including a CD/DVD/shirt deal, also includes a card with a code that lets the purchaser download two new unreleased songs, “Dez Moines”, and “Assistant to the Regional Manager.” With Roots Above and Branches Below was released May 5, 2009. Since the released date, the sales to the album have been very satisfactory landing their third album #11 on the Billboard 200 for top albums.

On April 22, 2009, the song “Sassafras” was released on their MySpace profile in final promotion for the release of their third album. On the weekend of April 24-26, 2009, the entire album was available for listening to on Shockhound.com before its official scheduled release date on May 5, 2009. The band launched their official website, on May 5 2009. The song “Dez Moines” was released as downloadable content for the video game Guitar Hero World Tour on May 7, as well as the song “Hey John, What’s Your Name Again?” was released as downloadable content for Rock Band on June 30 2009. All 11 songs of their new album, With Roots Above and Branches Below, were released onto MySpace Music on Saturday, May 9, 2009. They played at the Main Stage at the 2009 Warped Tour. They played at the iMatter Festival in Elmira, New York on June 13 and played “Danger: Wildman” for the first time in concert.

The Devil Wears Prada Band Members:
Mike Hranica – lead vocals
Jeremy DePoyster – rhythm guitar, clean vocals
Chris Rubey – lead guitar
Andy Trick – bass guitar
Daniel Williams – drums
James Baney – keyboard, synthesizer, piano

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The Chariot is a Christian metal band from Douglasville, Georgia, formed in 2003. The band has been privy to frequent lineup changes. The current lineup consists of drummer David Kennedy, bassist Jon “KC Wolf” Kindler, vocalist and bandleader Josh Scogin, and guitarists Bryan Russell Taylor and Dan Vokey.The band plays an abrasive style of metalcore that does not adhere to typical stylings like melodic/abrasive dynamics and harmony singing. They have built a reputation around their live performances, which have been called “legendary” and “destructive”. Lyrics revolve around topics like materialism and sometimes touch on Christian themes.

The band was formed by Scogin shortly after he left his position of vocalist in Norma Jean. In 2004, a record deal was signed with Solid State Records and a debut album was released, entitled Everything Is Alive, Everything Is Breathing, Nothing Is Dead, and Nothing Is Bleeding. The band has toured constantly since then. They released the Unsung EP in 2005, which was followed by two studio albums; The Fiancée in 2007 and Wars and Rumors of Wars in 2009.

The Chariot was formed by Josh Scogin almost immediately after leaving his previous band. Scogin had been lead vocalist for Norma Jean, a metalcore group based in Douglasville, Georgia; he recorded one critically acclaimed album with them entitled Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child in 2002. Norma Jean performed at a music festival called Furnace Fest in Birmingham, Alabama later that year. After the band finished their set, Scogin shocked the audience and his unaware bandmates by announcing his departure. “I wish I had some great story about a big fight or aliens or something,” he later explained, “but really it was just something that I felt led to do.” When asked if his leaving was the result of internal conflict, Scogin replied “Not at all. My leaving them was completely a peaceful event. It was all something personal for me and had nothing really to do with the band at all.” The event generated a public outcry from fans in hardcore circles. Scogin returned to Douglasville in 2003 and started the Chariot with other musicians in the area; the first lineup included guitarists Keller Harbin and Tony “Taco” Medina, bassist Jason Beiser, and drummer Jeff Carter. The band’s name was inspired by the Biblical story of Elijah and the chariot of fire.

In 2004, a record contract was signed with Solid State Records, a metal subdivision of Tooth & Nail Records. The band traveled to Atlanta, Georgia and worked on their debut album with Matt Goldman. The entire album was recorded live in one take. “It is more comfortable for everyone,” said Scogin,” [We] wanted to record it all natural and leave many of our screw ups and many of our flaws. [...People] see perfect shows and they hear perfect recordings. We really wanted everyone to hear something that was authentically us and not a computer.” The album was released in November and titled Everything Is Alive, Everything Is Breathing, Nothing Is Dead, and Nothing Is Bleeding, which was a parody of albums that featured morbid names: “[Death], or killing, or bleeding,” Scogin explained, “[We] just sort of thought it would be a breath of fresh air to name our CD the exact opposite of all that.” The album debuted at #23 on Top Heatseekers, and received favorable reviews from critics. Touring followed with As Cities Burn, He Is Legend, and Showbread on the Young Bloods Tour in Winter.

Medina and Carter left the band soon-after; they were replaced by Brian Khounvichit and Mark Nicks respectively. Nicks was later replaced by drummer Jake Ryan. In September 2005, The Chariot began a 27-city tour at Poughkeepsie, New York with High On Fire, Every Time I Die, and The Red Chord. An EP, entitled Unsung, was released at the beginning of December. It featured two new tracks and four re-recordings from their debut. It was well received among critics. The band played shows with labelmates As Cities Burn, mewithoutYou, and Underoath later that month. Touring continued through 2006; the band shared a national tour with P.O.D. in spring, and garnered a spot in the Sounds of the Underground Tour with As I Lay Dying that summer. In June 2006, Beiser and Harbin stepped down and were replaced by bassist Dan Eaton and guitarist Jon Terry respectively. The two men had been longtime friends of the band.

The Chariot embarked on the Youngbloods II Tour in fall with Solid State labelmates August Burns Red, Destroy The Runner, Inhale Exhale. In January 2007, the band toured through Europe with Becoming the Archetype, and Shaped by Fate. By this time, yet another bass player had been recruited—Jon “KC Wolf” Kindler. In April of the same year, after delays relating to lineup changes, their second album, The Fiancée, was released. The record was produced by Matt Goldman. The writing and recording process had been driven by time constraints. “It was actually a very easy record to write,” said Scogin, “It came more naturally to us.” However, Scogin waited until the music was written before writing lyrics, an exercise he vowed never to attempt again. Hayley Williams of Paramore made a guest performance on the track “Then Came To Kill” as did Aaron Weiss of mewithoutYou when he played the harmonica on “Forgive Me Nashville”; Scogin had been friends with both artists for many years. The Fiancée broke the Billboard 200—it debuted at #169, selling 6,800 copies— and was well received in the Christian and secular markets. The group played a release tour with Misery Signals, I Am Ghost, and I Hate Sally, and then made a short run on the Warped Tour in summer. When Norma Jean vocalist Cory Brandan Putman became ill in Mexico, Scogin flew down and filled his place. Another leg of The Fiancée Tour extended into spring 2008 with LoveHateHero, Alesana, Our Last Night, and Sky Eats Airplane.

The group’s third album, entitled Wars and Rumors of Wars, was released in May 2009. The lineup changed once again, leaving Scogin as the only member to appear on their previous records; Ryan and Eaton left on amicable terms to form the indie pop band Queens Club and were signed to Tooth & Nail Records. The album title was inspired by Matthew 24:6, which contains the passage “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars…” Scogin explained that the album title referred to internal conflict that people experience, not literal war. The band hand-made the artwork and liner notes for the first 25,000 copies of the album. Wars and Rumors of War debuted at #112 on the Billboard 200, their highest to date. Critical reception was very positive about the release. The Chariot performed on the Scream the Prayer Tour with Haste the Day, Oh, Sleeper, and Project 86 that summer. Beginning late November, Norma Jean will headline the nationwide Explosions 2009 Tour with a group of handpicked artists, including The Chariot, Horse the Band, and Arsonists Get All The Girls.

The band’s music is characterized by a metal sound, and the screaming vocal style of band leader Josh Scogin. Journalists have frequently referred to the music as “chaotic”; Allmusic writer Alex Henderson described it as a “dense, clobbering sledgehammer”, while Brian Shultz of Alternative Press called it “manically pounding, distortion-soaked exercises of catharsis”. The Chariot has often been labeled a metalcore band. However, the music generally defies genre standards like melodic/abrasive dynamics and harmonizing vocals; it wouldn’t leave room for the “nonstop firestorm of exploding drums, heaving guitars, and visceral shrieking,” as Allmusic writer Corey Apar put it. The band utilize time changes and start-stop shifts, and typically write very short songs. Some journalists believe the music is challenging and an acquired taste.

Live performances are very important to the band. “We love playing live,” said Scogin, “That’s what this band are all about: playing live shows.” This mentality leaked into their recording process; the band’s first album was recorded entirely live in one take. Their next two efforts followed more traditional recording sensibilities: “We may go in and [fix] this one part,” explained Scogin, “but [...] there’s lots of stuff we probably should have tightened up. [Laughs.] But that [keeps] it feeling like a real record.” Despite their attentiveness to the recording process, Scogin has maintained that their focal point is live performances, “…recording records, that’s all circled around hopefully bringing more kids to the live show so we can perform for them.” The band’s shows have built up a reputation; MTV called them “the thing of metalcore legend”. When tasked to describe their set on the Scream the Prayer Tour, HM Magazine president Doug Van Pelt wrote:

“The best word I can find is destruction. There’s a frantic mix of bodies flailing, limbs flying, strings bending [..] Scogin threw his microphone twice, the guitarist climbed up on the stack of amps and hung from the rafters twice, and the set ended with the band piling up amps, drums, mic stands, lights and instruments in the middle of the stage and scraping their guitar strings across the edges of the pile. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they poured gasoline on the mess and lit it up.”

Artists who possessed strong showmanship skills have largely influenced Scogin; some of these artists include James Brown, Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley. He is also fond of Arcade Fire, The Beatles, Björk, Interpol, and The Killers. In an interview, Scogin expressed a desire to have seen At The Drive-In and Nirvana before they disbanded.

Scogin’s introspective lyrics have covered topics like materialism, death, and the Nashville Christian music industry. The lyrics for Wars and Rumors of Wars were formed after a family loss: “…only a year ago my father passed away. And I hate to say this, because it sounds like such a band-dude thing to say, but the lyrics are a lot darker than any other record just because of how personal they are for me.” Scogin usually refers to his lyrics as poems and has maintained that “a song is never finished but abandoned.” “…as an artist you can forever be changing a song or making a song ‘better’ or whatever but the moment that you stop recording and send it off to be mastered you have not ‘finished’ the song…you have only abandoned the song and that is how it will stay forever.” His lyrics sometimes espouse Christian themes and beliefs, albeit subtly. For example, the track “Yellow Dress: Locked Knees” from Everything… contains the Spanish lyrics “Jesus, yo quiero que este mundo te conosca.”; when translated, it says “Jesus, I want this world to know you.” The song “And Shot Each Other” from The Fiancée contains the lyrics “How happy is a child of grace, who feels his sins forgiven / This world, he cries, is not my place / I seek a place in Heaven.”

The Chariot is frequently called a Christian band, which Scogin agreed with in a 2005 interview: “We are Christians in a band therefore we are a Christian band. We are not ashamed of our beliefs but we don’t force feed people what we believe either.” In 2006, he reaffirmed his previous statements and further opined, “When I was growing up, if I liked [a band], I listened to it — and I went to the shows. If I didn’t, I didn’t. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, they don’t believe the same thing I do,’ [...] People care too much about the fashion of it all. To me, a band’s either good or they ain’t, and that’s the only thing that should matter.”

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Inked In Blood’s motto should be ‘never say die’. They have emerged from their trials as one of the most innovative and multi-faceted bands on the market. They have been up against such daunting circumstances that would cause most bands to run home with their tails between their legs.

A seemingly endless string of member changes after the release of “Lay Waste the Poets” in 2005 marked a period of desperate uncertainty and eleventh-hour resolve. Founding members Joey Trump and Matt McDonnell (vocalist and guitarist respectively) were determined that Inked In Blood should live out its intended life span and were by no means ready to close the book on the promise of how far their talent and tenacity could carry them.

But every cloud has a silver lining and even in the midst of the difficulties, the band continued to prosper. The video for “Poets” song “Lest I Sleep the Sleep of Death” was hand picked by Mtv’s Headbangers’ Ball, and the band continued extensive touring, (complete with live acrobatics and stage antics) to anticipatory crowds. After touring with the new members proved exceedingly successful, Inked In Blood secluded themselves within the confines of the Spectre Studios compound to work with Troy Glessner and Zach Varnell on the new album.

The result is “Sometimes We Are Beautiful” a record that is at once heavier and more melodic than any of their previous works. Says Trump of the new album “We were really inspired by Further Seems Forever for much of the songwriting on this record.” The hooks are founded on addictive melodies and singable choruses; in fact, the entire album is rooted firmly in the tradition of progressive ideals. According to Trump “from the sound of “Sometimes We Are Beautiful” we are entering the next level of what is and can be possible in the realm of heavier music.”

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Norma Jean is a metalcore and post-hardcore band from Douglasville, Georgia, USA, a suburb of Atlanta.

Evolving from Luti-Kriss, the original Norma Jean line-up featured everyone from Luti-Kriss, except a different bass player (who had been in Luti-Kriss at one point as well). Drummer Daniel Davison explained that the band got their name from actress Marilyn Monroe, whose real name is Norma Jeane Baker. It wasn’t until after they decided upon that name that they found out that “Norma” means “pattern”, and “Jean” means “God’s grace and mercy”, combined saying “Patterns of grace and mercy”. In 2002 the band released Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child on Solid State Records. Their original vocalist Josh Scogin left the band shortly after the release of Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child, stating that “it was just something that I felt led to do.” Scogin has been known to join in with Norma Jean during live performances to sing “Memphis Will Be Laid To Waste” since his departure. Original bassist Joshua Doolittle also left the band around the same time as Scogin. Doolittle was replaced by Jake Schultz. Scogin left the band and later went on to start The Chariot; he was replaced by Brad Norris for about a year and a half.

Brad Norris was later replaced by Cory Brandan, formerly of the bands Eso-Charis (Disbanded), Living Sacrifice (Disbanded but recently re-formed in the spring of 2008), and Uses Fire (Disbanded). In March 2005 they released their second album, titled O God, the Aftermath, the album took on a Mathcore direction, heavily influenced by the bands Botch and Isis, it was also Cory Brandan’s first album performance for Norma Jean. The artwork for the band’s second album, O God, the Aftermath was nominated for Best Recording Package at the Grammy Awards of 2006. The artwork was designed by Ryan Clark.

Redeemer, their third album, was recorded with producer Ross Robinson. On September 21, 2007, original drummer Daniel Davison announced that he would be leaving the band after their current tour ended, via the band’s official website. His last show was on November 7, 2007 at Irving Plaza in New York, NY.

On December 17, 2007, Norma Jean announced that they would start writing for their new album, The Anti Mother, in January, record in April, and will be playing the entire 2008 Warped Tour. Writing was officially announced on January 24. On February 13, Norma Jean announced in a Myspace bulletin that they are “about 6 songs deep.” They wrote a song with Page Hamilton of Helmet, and collaborated with Deftones’ frontman Chino Moreno. The band described the two songs they wrote with Moreno as diverse and anti-traditional. In early to mid February, they announced that their replacement drummer would be Chris Raines, who is also the drummer for the band Spitfire.

On August 5, 2008, Norma Jean released their latest full length album, entitled The Anti Mother. Prior to leaving for their headlining tour, Norma Jean shot a music video for “Robots 3 Humans 0″, with music video director Daniel Chesnut.

On January 3, 2009, Norma Jean announced on their official website that they will be writing songs

They were on Ozzfest 2006 with Ozzy Osbourne, Disturbed, Avenged Sevenfold, Hatebreed, Dragonforce, System Of A Down, Lacuna Coil, Black Label Society, Atreyu, Unearth, Bleeding Through, A Life Once Lost, The Red Chord, Walls Of Jericho, Strapping Young Lad, All That Remains, Full Blown Chaos, Between The Buried And Me, Bad Acid Trip.

In late 2006, they headlined the Radio Rebellion Tour with support from Between The Buried And Me, Fear Before The March Of Flames, Misery Signals, The Fully Down.

On October 3, 2008, Norma Jean embarked on a U.S. headlining tour called “The Anti-Mother Tour”. The tour lasted until November 15, 2008 and featured several other bands on Solid State / Tooth & Nail Records including Haste The Day, The Showdown, Mychildren Mybride, Children 18:3, and Oh, Sleeper. Children 18:3 only appeared on half of the tour dates (October 3 – October 26) while Oh, Sleeper filled in throughout the rest of the tour (October 28 – November 15).

On December 28, 2008, Norma Jean performed at the Unsilent Night 2 Festival in Plano, Texas. A total of 30 bands performed at the festival including Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Oh, Sleeper, The Secret Handshake, and Sky Eats Airplane.

On Sunday, July 12, 2009, Norma Jean performed at “LifeFest” in Oshkosh Wisconsin at 11:15 PM central time.

On Friday, July 17, 2009, Norma Jean performed at Sonshine Festival In Willmar, Minnesota.

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The Birmingham-based quintet I Am Terrified is a study in contrasts, always zigging when you thought you saw a zag coming. After six years of constant performing and forceful sonic development, the blazing metal core band serves up this self-titled 6-track EP from Mono vs Stereo as compelling documentation of their unique, spirit-driven journey.

Alabama continues its remarkable trend of turning out hard-driving players with serious southern grit. Founding IAT members Jeremy Folse (guitarist), Patrick Schefano (vocalist), and Joel Bailey (drums) knew each other from local schools and churches. Main songwriter Schefano, in fact, comes from a small, musically austere Southern Baptist Church that featured one woman on a tiny upright and a small choir. But all three members mined their church hymnals for spiritual perspective and sonic structure, the fruit of those excavations showing up years later in the innovative, experimental music of I Am Terrified. “Hymnals are a huge inspiration to our band,” shares guitarist Folse, “which you’ll hear in our lyrics, as that was what most of us grew up on.” Actually, I Am Terrified has traveled a great sonic distance from those early southern Baptist roots, but you will enjoy the stirring fire-and-brimstone component in their pounding hardcore sound. The band, performing for several years as Fixed Til Tuesday, was influenced early on by the tastes of emo-loving girlfriends who followed Finch and other screamers. Their worshipdriven message fit into a fresh rock format tapped right into the heart of Southern audiences, and the band quickly moved from performing for small groups of fans to selling out much larger area venues. Says Folse, “Without even trying, just having fun playing and worshipping, we were drawing out 800 to 1,000 kids. After a year or two, we couldn’t even play our favorite smaller venues because of capacity issues. It was a huge blessing, and it led us to see how far the Lord would take us.”

Apparently, pretty far. Joined now by bassist Dustin Carter and guitarist Brandon Henderson, I Am Terrified is driven, as Jeremy explains, “by the desire to give God straight-up worship, and to show the love of Christ to every kid we can possibly reach.” These motivations led them to change their name last year to I Am Terrified, ripped straight from Job 23:14-15: “He carries out his decree against me, and many such plans he still has in store. That is why I am terrified before him; when I think of all this, I fear him.” Unabashed, truth-laden fire and brimstone. I Am Terrified offers up no apologies for this very biblical orientation, choosing instead to let their bone-crushingly heavy sound speak for them. Thick with scorching metal riffs and throbbing bass lines, IAT’s sound still manages to be clear and melodic, much of it due to Schefano’s thoughtful virtuosity.

Zigging rather than zagging, IAT enjoys surprising fans with the unexpected. The guitar-driven rock track “Some Glad Morning” morphs fluidly from howling vocal to soaring melody line, while the searingly aggressive vocals and tasty guitar riffs of “Heaven Knocking, Hell Rising” play out beneath expressive lyrics of deep adoration. “Velvet Thunder” astonishes with hints of classic rock rhythms under its growling vocal. Showcasing strong songwriting and brutal sonic chops, I Am Terrified introduces a southern quintet that will keep you guessing in all the right ways.

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Whether you’ve been a fan of Haste the Day since the band’s inception in 2001 or you just discovered them while wandering around last year’s Vans Warped Tour, you need to remember one thing – with the release of “Dreamer”, the band’s 4th full length album on Solid State Records, what you thought you knew about Haste the Day is no longer relevant.

Over the last seven years Haste the Day have established a name for themselves touring across the country and selling over 200,000 records stateside. With each release, from their debut album “Burning Bridges” to their last record “Pressure the Hinges”, Haste the Day have refined, framed and continued to progress forward as musicians crafting their own unique sound. However, on “Dreamer”, Haste the Day have crafted their most experimental and triumphant record to date.

Produced by Andreas Magnusson (Black Dahlia Murder, Becoming the Archetype, etc) and recorded at Azmyth Studios, “Dreamer” finds the band traversing darker territory and engaging themes that were more muted on the bands past records.

“Andreas handled all of the production, mixing and helped structure these songs,” states Haste the Day bassist Mike Murphy. While Magnusson handled the technical aspect of the recording, the creation of the album was a collaborative effort. Vocalist Stephen Keech, who made his debut on the band’s third record “Pressure the Hinges” after the departure of original vocalist Jimmy Ryan, along side backing vocalist and guitarist Brennan Chaulk, contributed the bulk of the lyric and a significant portion of the music writing for “Dreamer”. However, each member’s fingerprint and personality are all over the new record. Whether Keech, Murphy, Chaulk and drummer Devin Chaulk, the credit for the uniqueness of “Dreamer” truly extends to each member of the band.

Songs like “Sons of a Fallen Nation”, “Babylon” and “Porcelain” are fine examples of the sound Haste the Day is known for. But it’s tracks like “Labyrinth”, a grandiose and ominous song unlike anything the band has recorded before, “Resolve” and “Autumn”, a track reshaped and rerecorded from the bands earliest recording, that demonstrate the growth of the Indiana based band. As a complete picture, “Dreamer” preserves the band’s style but it captures and highlights the gamble of stepping out into unconquered territory.

“While we were recording I’d stand outside the studio and ask the guys, ‘Is this working? How are all of these songs going to fit together?’” continues the bassist regarding some of the risks they took musically on this outing. “It really was a different approach for us.”

Since the release of the band’s previous record “Pressure the Hinges”, Haste the Day experienced what members of the band call one of the most trying things they’d ever faced – the departure of guitarist Jason Barnes. “That was one of the hardest things we’d gone through as a band,” states the bassist. “But it was through that experience that we matured and it forced us to really decide who we were and what our mission was not only as a band but as Christians as well.”

“Dreamer” will be released in October 2008 just as the band will be joining the Solid State fall tour where they will share the stage with Norma Jean, The Showdown and other upcoming bands from the label. After that they will travel to Australia for the second time playing support for Scary Kids Scaring Kids.

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