Justin Foley is an American musician, best known as the drummer of the

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use ...

band,

Killswitch Engage Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbanding of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and A ...

. He is also a former member of the band Blood Has Been Shed along with

's former lead singer, Howard Jones.

Biography

Early life

Foley is a classically trained percussionist who attended the University of Connecticut for his bachelor's degree and the University of Hartford's Hartt School for his master's degree. Before joining Killswitch Engage, Foley participated in a

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

thrash Thrash may refer to: *Thrashing (computer science), where increasing resources are used to do a decreasing amount of work * Thrash (surname) * Thrash, mascot of the Atlanta Thrashers *'' Thrash Rally'', a top-down perspective rally racing video ga ...

jazz metal Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and key ...

band called Red Tide. Red Tide began as a thrash metal outfit in 1993 then evolved into a jazz metal band in the late 1990s. As the primary lyricist and one of the songwriters for Red Tide, Foley earned local celebrityhood. With Red Tide, Foley released at least 5 demo tapes and two CDs. Red Tide disbanded in 2002 as there was a general lack of interest in continuing (cited by interview).

Killswitch Engage

Foley joined

after the departure of the previous drummer,

Tom Gomes Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

, in October 2003. Foley has played drums on six albums with Killswitch Engage, to date. Foley is one of the many advertising artists for Evans Drumheads, Yamaha Drums, and Zildjian Cymbals.

Guest percussion

Foley also plays drums on metalcore band

Unearth Unearth is an American metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 1998, the group has released seven studio albums. History Early career (1998–2002) Unearth was formed by Trevor Phipps, Buz McGrath, Ken Susi, Mike Rudberg, an ...

's 2011 album,

Darkness in the Light ''Darkness in the Light'' is the fifth studio album by American metalcore band Unearth. The album was released on July 5, 2011, in Europe through Metal Blade Records. The album features Justin Foley of Killswitch Engage on drums, on all tracks. ...

filling in for departed drummer Derek Kerswill.

Lybica

Foley started Lybica, a four-piece instrumental post-rock/metal band, in 2020. His primary role is guitarist, but he played both guitar and drums on their self-titled album, which was released on September 16, 2022. Lybica is signed with

Metalblade Records Metal Blade Records is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The US office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distri ...

Personal

Foley has been quoted as saying that if he did not play drums, he would like to try out for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...

, of whom he is an avid fan. He is also a ''

Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, an ...

'' fanatic. Foley is known for his love of cats, a major inspiration for the band Lybica, where Foley plays guitar.

Discography

Red Tide

*Themes of the Cosmic Consciousness (1997) *Type II (2001)

Blood Has Been Shed

*''Spirals'' (March 11, 2003; Ferret Records)

Killswitch Engage

*'' The End of Heartache'' (May 11, 2004; Roadrunner Records) *'' As Daylight Dies'' (November 21, 2006; Roadrunner Records) *''

'' (June 30, 2009; Roadrunner Records) *''

Disarm The Descent ''Disarm the Descent'' is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band Killswitch Engage. The album was released on April 2, 2013, under Roadrunner Records. It is the band's first album with Jesse Leach on vocals since 2002's ''Alive or Jus ...

'' (April 1, 2013; Roadrunner Records) *'' Incarnate'' (March 11, 2016; Roadrunner Records) *''

Atonement Atonement (also atoning, to atone) is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some other ...

'' (August 16, 2019;

Metal Blade Records Metal Blade Records is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The US office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distr ...

)

Lybica, drums and guitar

*Lybica (September 16, 2022;

)

As a guest

- ''

'' (July 4, 2011;

)

References

External links

* https://zildjian.com/artists/justin-foley {{DEFAULTSORT:Foley, Justin American heavy metal drummers 1976 births Living people People from Simsbury, Connecticut University of Connecticut alumni University of Hartford Hartt School alumni Musicians from Connecticut Killswitch Engage members 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Blood Has Been Shed members 21st-century American drummers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians