After the Burial is an American

progressive metal Progressive metal (often shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven sound of the former with t ...

band from

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. They are currently signed to

Sumerian Records Sumerian Records is an American record label based in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and London. The label was founded in 2006 by Ash Avildsen. and the departure of bassist Lerichard Foral. Lead guitarist Trent Hafdahl remains the sole remaining founding member. They are considered key contributors to the development of subgenres such as

djent Djent () is a subgenre of progressive metal, termed for an onomatopoeia of the guitar sound that characterizes it. While sources such as ''The Guardian'' and ''Guitar World'' describe djent as a Music genre, genre, some notable musicians includi ...

and

progressive metalcore Progressive metalcore (also called technical metalcore or ambient metalcore) is a fusion of progressive metal and metalcore characterized by highly technical lead guitar, "atmospheric" elements, and complex instrumentation. Some notable practiti ...

History

Formation and ''Forging a Future Self'' (2004–2007)

After the Burial was founded in 2004 by Nick Wellner, Trent Hafdahl, Justin Lowe (born Justin A. Lowe in

Flemington, New Jersey Flemington is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in and the county seat of Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Forging a Future Self'' was recorded in late 2005 and was released on March 1, 2006. It was distributed via Corrosive Records, though there was never an official record deal in place. They would later sign to Sumerian Records where Erickson and Wellner departed and Grant Luoma (of local act Nostalia) joined as vocalist. Eric Robles took Erickson's place as drummer but also departed before the recording of the band's second album.

''Rareform'' (2008–2009)

The band entered the studio in 2008 to record their second studio album '' Rareform''. All drum programming was done by the band's then current rhythm guitarist Lowe, while Hafdahl handled the lyrical writing duties due to the lack of output by then current vocalist, Luoma. Shortly after the release, vocalist Luoma was replaced. Anthony Notarmaso joined in his place, and the band recruited Dan Carle (also of Nostalia) on drums. In late 2008, the band supported

Suicide Silence Suicide Silence is an American deathcore band from Riverside, California, Riverside, California. The band was established in 2002, and has released seven studio albums, three EPs, and nineteen music videos. They were awarded the ''Revolver (ma ...

on The Cleansing The Nation Tour, and in early 2009, co-headlined a U.S. tour with Veil of Maya. The band decided to re-release ''Rareform'' with Notarmaso's vocals in September 2009. It also included bonus content, such as live footage from a sold-out concert the band performed at. In 2018, the band did a 10-year anniversary tour for ''Rareform'', alongside

The Acacia Strain The Acacia Strain is an American deathcore band that was founded in 2001 and originally based in Chicopee, Massachusetts, but now based in Albany, New York. The group is currently signed to Rise Records and initially consisted of high school f ...

''In Dreams'' (2010–2012)

The band's third full-length album, '' In Dreams'' was recorded and released in 2010 through Sumerian. In late 2010, the band supported Winds of Plague on The December Decimation Tour, and in 2011, headlined the Crush Em' All Tour 2. On March 14, 2011, an extended mix of the song "Pi (The Mercury God of Infinity)" was uploaded to YouTube.

''This Life Is All We Have'' EP and ''Wolves Within'' (2013–2014)

On April 2, 2013, Sumerian Records posted a re-mastered version of the song "A Steady Decline" and stated: "On April 1, 2006 After the Burial released their ground breaking album '' Forging a Future Self'', which helped shape the sound of modern metal. To celebrate seven years of shred ATB has released a new take on an old favorite!" On April 30,

Sumerian Records Sumerian Records is an American record label based in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and London. The label was founded in 2006 by Ash Avildsen.YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channel for After the Burial's three song EP entitled ''This Life Is All We Have''. The EP includes the following re-mastered songs from ''Forging a Future Self'', featuring Anthony Notarmaso on vocals: "A Steady Decline", "Fingers Like Daggers", and "Redeeming the Wretched". During live shows in 2013, After the Burial began playing two new songs called "A Wolf Amongst Ravens" and "Anti-Pattern" from their yet to be released album. On November 5, 2013, Sumerian Records released the band's new song entitled "A Wolf Amongst Ravens" on YouTube and revealed the band's new album '' Wolves Within'' being release on December 17, 2013. They also resigned to Sumerian Records. On November 18, 2013, the song "Of Fearful Men" was uploaded to YouTube and made available for purchase through iTunes and the entire album (''Wolves Within'') was released under Sumerian Records in December of the same year. On September 16, 2014, After the Burial began a co-headlining tour with

Texas in July Texas in July is an American metalcore band from Ephrata, Pennsylvania, formed in 2006. They released an EP, ''Salt of the Earth'', and their debut full-length album, ''I Am'', also produced by Slovak, through CI Records. After signing with ...

, featuring I Declare War, Reflections, and Come the Dawn.

Justin Lowe's departure and death (2015)

Guitarist and founding member Justin Lowe officially announced he left the band on June 24, 2015; he posted a lengthy statement on social media, accusing After the Burial, their record label (Sumerian Records) and most people in his life of plotting to ruin him; MetalSucks described his statement as "barely-coherent" and suspected it's a result of "a paranoid episode". After the Burial responded to Lowe's open letter the following day confirming he was under severe mental duress and requested their fans to support Lowe during his time of recovery. Lowe was under care with his family at the time. On the evening of July 20, 2015, Justin Lowe was pronounced officially missing, and search efforts had been put into place in order to find him. Lowe, aged 32, was found dead by a hiker on July 21, 2015, directly underneath the Soo Line High Bridge, while his car was found on the Minnesota side of the bridge. Authorities state that his death was consistent with that of a fall. It is currently unknown if the fall was accidental or intentional. On July 27, the band released a statement on their Facebook page saying that they had decided not to perform on the Summer Slaughter tour in the wake of Lowe's passing, and that they needed time to recover from the loss of their friend.

''Dig Deep'' and Lee Foral's departure (2016–2017)

On October 29, the band streamed the new track "Lost in the Static" and also announced a tour starting on November 5 in San Diego, being followed by The Faceless,

Rings of Saturn Saturn has the most extensive and complex ring system of any planet in the Solar System. The rings consist of particles in orbit around the planet made almost entirely of water ice, with a trace component of Rock (geology), rocky material. Parti ...

and Toothgrinder. On New Years Day 2016, the band announced their new album '' Dig Deep'', which was released on February 19, 2016. On December 22, They were announced to be part of the Sumerian Records 10th Anniversary Tour with Born of Osiris, Veil of Maya, Erra and

Bad Omens Bad Omens is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia, formed in 2015 by vocalist and producer Noah Sebastian, guitarist Nicholas Ruffilo, and bassist Vincent Riquier. The band was later joined by guitarist and pr ...

. The tour started on February 19 in Minneapolis. In June 2016, Lee Foral announced his departure to focus on his family. On December 3, 2016, Adrian Oropeza was announced as a full-time After the Burial member after the year of touring with them.

''Evergreen'' (2018–present)

On May 1, 2018, lead guitarist Trent Hafdahl announced on Instagram that the band had begun work on their sixth album. On July 20, recording wrapped up. On February 2, 2019, the band revealed that they would be shooting a music video for a song off the upcoming album the following weekend. On February 26, they released the music video for the album's first song "Behold the Crown" and also announced that their sixth album ''

Evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

'' would be released on April 19, 2019. After the Burial supported Parkway Drive and

Killswitch Engage Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, bassist Mike D'Antonio, and drummer Justin ...

on their "Collapse the World" tour throughout the Spring of 2019. Vein also took part on the show as support. After the Burial opened up for As I Lay Dying on their "Shaped by Fire" tour with Emmure in the fall of 2019. After the Burial, Carnifex, Rivers of Nihil, and Undeath supported The Black Dahlia Murder on their tour "Up From the Sewer" in the summer of 2021. On February 18, 2022, the band released the instrumental edition of their album ''Dig Deep'' to commemorate its 6th year anniversary. In spring 2022, the band went on a tour with

Thy Art Is Murder Thy Art Is Murder is an Australian deathcore band from Blacktown, Sydney, that formed in 2006. The band consists of vocalist Tyler Miller, guitarists Sean Delander and Andy Marsh, bassist Kevin Butler and drummer Jesse Beahler. Thy Art Is Murde ...

as a co-headliner. On March 30, 2023, the band released two singles "Nothing Gold" and "Death Keeps Us from Living" under the banner of a two-song single titled ''Embrace the Infinity''. Additionally, a music video for "Nothing Gold" was also published. In April 2023, After the Burial began a North American tour with Spiritbox and Intervals kickstarting the tour in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, Canada.

Musical style

After the Burial's musical style has been described as

metalcore Metalcore is a broadly defined fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, originating in the 1990s United States and becoming popular in the 2000s. Metalcore typically has aggressive verses and melodic choruses, combined ...

deathcore Deathcore is an extreme metal subgenre that combines death metal with metalcore. The genre consists of death metal guitar riffs, blast beats, and metalcore Breakdown (music)#Heavy metal and punk rock, breakdowns. While there are some precursors ...

, and

Members

Current * Trent Hafdahl – lead guitar, backing vocals (2004–present), rhythm guitar, programming (2015–present) * Anthony Notarmaso – lead vocals (2008–present) * Dan Carle – drums (2008–present) * Adrian Oropeza – bass (2016–present) Former * Greg Erickson – drums (2004–2006) * Nick Wellner – lead vocals (2004–2007) * Eric Robles – drums (2006–2008) * Grant Luoma – lead vocals (2007–2008) * Justin Lowe – rhythm guitar, programming (2004–2015; died 2015), drums (2008) * Lerichard "Lee" Foral – bass (2004–2016) Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

Music videos

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:After the Burial 2004 establishments in Minnesota American deathcore musical groups Metalcore musical groups from Minnesota American progressive metal musical groups Musical groups established in 2004 Musical quartets from Minnesota Sumerian Records artists Progressive metalcore musical groups Musical groups from Minneapolis