Matt Greiner, born Matthew Wilson Greiner, is an American
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 ...
drummer. He's most well known as a founding member for the band
August Burns Red
August Burns Red is an American metalcore band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, formed in 2003. The band's current lineup consists of lead guitarist John Benjamin "JB" Brubaker, rhythm guitarist Brent Rambler, drummer Matt Greiner, lead vocalist ...
. Greiner was
homeschool
Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or an onlin ...
ed as a child.
Greiner cofounded the drum company ''Greiner&Kilmer'' with fellow drummer Kaleb Kilmer, which they founded in 2012. Greiner is an outspoken
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
. While Greiner is best known for his drumming, he also plays the
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a musica ...
.
History
In 2003, Matt Greiner started his musical career. JB Brubaker (lead guitar) hired Greiner, Jon Hershey (vocals), Brent Rambler (rhythm guitar) and Jordan Tuscan (bass) to help form the band
August Burns Red
August Burns Red is an American metalcore band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, formed in 2003. The band's current lineup consists of lead guitarist John Benjamin "JB" Brubaker, rhythm guitarist Brent Rambler, drummer Matt Greiner, lead vocalist ...
.
The band formed in March 2003 in Greiner's basement. The band recorded the ''Looks Fragile After All'' EP in 2004 and was released by
CI Records
CI Records is an independent record label in Lancaster, Pennsylvania owned by Jeremy Weiss. Originally created to distribute the releases of his band, Stand Up, an early 1990s melodic hardcore band, CI expanded to include releases from bands ...
, a label local to where Greiner and the members lived. In 2005, Vocalist Jon Hershey left the band to eventually start Bells. He was replaced by Josh McManness. After McManness joined, the band signed to
Solid State Records
Solid State Records is a Christian metalcore record label, an imprint of Tooth & Nail Records. Unlike Tooth & Nail, Solid State signs hardcore punk and heavy metal bands. Like Tooth & Nail, Solid State is primarily a Christian label. However, ...
. On November 8, 2005, ABR released their debut album, titled ''
Thrill Seeker''. After the album was released, Greiner started endorsing Truth Custom Drums. In 2006, McManness and Tuscan left the band, and were replaced by
Jake Luhrs
William Jacob "Jake" Luhrs is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist of American metalcore band August Burns Red.
Background
Luhrs first entered the music scene in Columbia, South Carolina where he was the frontman for a band kn ...
and Dustin Davidson. On June 19, 2007, the band released their sophomore album, ''
Messengers'' on Solid State. The album did extremely well and sold 108,000 copies by May 2011. Throughout 2008, the band toured with bands such as
As I Lay Dying
''As I Lay Dying'' is a 1930 Southern Gothic novel by American author William Faulkner. Faulkner's fifth novel, it is consistently ranked among the best novels of 20th-century literature.The New Lifetime Reading Plan: The Classical Guide to Wo ...
,
Misery Signals
Misery Signals is an American-Canadian metalcore band formed in Wisconsin in 2002.
History Formation (2002–2003)
Misery Signals was formed after the disbanding of several bands, including 7 Angels 7 Plagues, Hamartia, and Compromise. Having ...
,
A Skylit Drive
A Skylit Drive is an American post-hardcore band from Lodi, California. The band has released one DVD, one EP and five studio albums: '' Wires...and the Concept of Breathing'' (2008), '' Adelphia'' (2009), ''Identity on Fire'' (2011), '' Rise ...
, and
This or the Apocalypse
HAWK (formerly This or The Apocalypse) is an American metalcore band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania that formed in 2005.
History ''Monuments'' (2005–2009)
In 2008 the band signed to European metal label Lifeforce Records, and released the ...
. On February 24, 2009, the band released some of the tracks that were not released with ''Messengers'', titled ''
Lost Messengers: The Outtakes''. ''
Constellations
A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object.
The origins of the earliest constellatio ...
'' came out later in the year of 2009. The band released ''
Leveler
An audio leveler performs an audio process similar to compression, which is used to reduce the dynamic range of a signal, so that the quietest portion of the signal is loud enough to hear and the loudest portion is not too loud.
Levelers work ...
'' in 2011 and ''
August Burns Red Presents: Sleddin' Hill'', a Christmas album, in 2012. In 2011, Greiner started Greiner&Kilmer with local drummer and woodworker Kaleb Kilmer. On October 25, 2011, the
Christian hardcore
Christian hardcore or Christcore is a subcategory of hardcore punk bands which promote Christian belief. The method and extent of doing so varies between bands. Christian hardcore bands have often openly stated their beliefs and employ Christia ...
band,
Life in Your Way
Life in Your Way (also known as LIYW) is a Christian hardcore band from Connecticut.
History
Origins (1999-2002)
The band was formed by two childhood friends Josh Kellam and Todd Mackey. Jeremy Kellam joined the band to play bass after th ...
released their fifth studio album, ''
Kingdoms
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
'', which Greiner produced the drums.
The album also features Greiner's fellow ABR member, Jake Luhrs.
On May 13, 2013, 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,
Texas in July
Texas in July was an American metalcore band from Ephrata, Pennsylvania, formed in 2007. They released an EP, ''Salt of the Earth'', and their debut full-length album, ''I Am'', through CI Records. After signing with Equal Vision Records, the ...
released their
self titled album.
Greiner was featured on the album's final track, "Cloudy Minds".
Later, on June 25, 2013, ABR released their sixth full-length album, called ''
Rescue & Restore
''Rescue & Restore'' is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band August Burns Red. It was released on June 25, 2013, through Solid State Records and was produced by Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland. The album peaked at No. 9 on the ''B ...
''. The album did extremely well, charting very high on the
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
charts. In 2014, ABR's only development, announced they had left Solid State Records to sign to
Fearless Records
Fearless Records is an American independent record label that was founded in 1994. Fearless is based in Culver City, California, and is best known for its early pop punk moments captured in the ''Fearless Flush Sampler'' and ''Punk Bites'' releas ...
and the band's new album, ''
Found in Far Away Places
''Found in Far Away Places'' is the seventh studio album by American metalcore band August Burns Red. It was released on June 29, 2015, through Fearless Records and was produced by Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland. It is their first release on t ...
'', would be available for pre-order on April 13, 2015 along with their new single "The Wake". On June 29, 2015, the band released ''Found in Far Away Places'' on Fearless. The band was
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
nominated for "Best Metal Performance" for their song "
Identity
Identity may refer to:
* Identity document
* Identity (philosophy)
* Identity (social science)
* Identity (mathematics)
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* Identity (1987 film), ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film
* Identity ...
".
Legacy
Greiner is a highly influential drummer. In the
Christian metal
Christian metal, also known as white metal, Jesus metal or heavenly metal, is heavy metal music distinguished by its Christian themed song lyrics and the dedication of the band members to Christianity. Christian metal is typically performed by ...
genre, Greiner, as well as
Lance Garvin
Lance Garvin is an American musician and, along with Bruce Fitzhugh, DJ Johnson and Jason Truby, a founding member of the Christian metal band Living Sacrifice. Garvin is mostly known for using a Ride Cymbal in modern metal without making it ...
(
Living Sacrifice
Living Sacrifice is an American Christian metal band formed in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1989. The band has released eight studio albums, out of which the first three were recorded under R.E.X. Records with their original vocalist Darren Johnson ...
,
Soul Embraced
Soul Embraced is a Christian melodic death metal band from Little Rock, Arkansas, United States. It was originally a side project for Rocky Gray and David Sroczynski.
History
Originally a side project of drummer David Sroczynski and William ...
), Brandon Trahan (
Impending Doom
Impending Doom is an American Christian deathcore band from Riverside, California. The group has released six full-length studio albums and are currently a five piece with lead vocalist Brook Reeves as one of the two original remaining member ...
,
xDeathstarx), and
Ted Kirkpatrick
Ted Kirkpatrick (May 22, 1960 – August 19, 2022) was an American musician and songwriter, best known for his work with the American Christian thrash metal band Tourniquet. Primarily a drummer, Kirkpatrick was the principal songwriter for the ...
(
Tourniquet
A tourniquet is a device that is used to apply pressure to a limb or extremity in order to stop the flow of blood. It may be used in emergencies, in surgery, or in post-operative rehabilitation.
A simple tourniquet can be made from a stick an ...
,
Trouble
Trouble may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Trouble'' (1922 film), an American silent comedy-drama film directed by Albert Austin
* ''Trouble'' (1933 film), a British comedy film
* ''Trouble'' (1977 film), a Soviet drama film
* ''Trouble'' ...
) are thought to be the most influential drummers for the genre.
Personal life
Greiner is an outspoken Christian. He was homeschooled as a child, which gave him more time to practice drumming. On the album ''Constellations'', the song "Indonesia" was written as a tribute to David Clapper, who was Greiner's second cousin.
Discography
August Burns Red
* ''
Thrill Seeker'' (2005)
* ''
Messengers'' (2007)
* ''
Constellations
A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object.
The origins of the earliest constellatio ...
'' (2009)
* ''
Leveler
An audio leveler performs an audio process similar to compression, which is used to reduce the dynamic range of a signal, so that the quietest portion of the signal is loud enough to hear and the loudest portion is not too loud.
Levelers work ...
'' (2011)
* ''
August Burns Red Presents: Sleddin' Hill'' (2012)
* ''
Rescue & Restore
''Rescue & Restore'' is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band August Burns Red. It was released on June 25, 2013, through Solid State Records and was produced by Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland. The album peaked at No. 9 on the ''B ...
'' (2013)
* ''
Found in Far Away Places
''Found in Far Away Places'' is the seventh studio album by American metalcore band August Burns Red. It was released on June 29, 2015, through Fearless Records and was produced by Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland. It is their first release on t ...
'' (2015)
* ''
Phantom Anthem
''Phantom Anthem'' is the eighth studio album by American metalcore band August Burns Red. It was released on October 6, 2017, through Fearless Records and was produced by Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland. The album peaked at No. 19 on the ''Bi ...
'' (2017)
* ''
Guardians
Guardian usually refers to:
* Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another
* ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper
(The) Guardian(s) may also refer to:
Places
* Guardian, West Virginia, Unit ...
'' (2020)
Guest appearances
* ''
Texas in July
Texas in July was an American metalcore band from Ephrata, Pennsylvania, formed in 2007. They released an EP, ''Salt of the Earth'', and their debut full-length album, ''I Am'', through CI Records. After signing with Equal Vision Records, the ...
'' by
Texas in July
Texas in July was an American metalcore band from Ephrata, Pennsylvania, formed in 2007. They released an EP, ''Salt of the Earth'', and their debut full-length album, ''I Am'', through CI Records. After signing with Equal Vision Records, the ...
(2013)
* ''
Kingdoms
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
'' by
Life in Your Way
Life in Your Way (also known as LIYW) is a Christian hardcore band from Connecticut.
History
Origins (1999-2002)
The band was formed by two childhood friends Josh Kellam and Todd Mackey. Jeremy Kellam joined the band to play bass after th ...
(2011)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greiner, Matt
Christian metal musicians
American performers of Christian music
American male drummers
American drummers
American pianists
Living people
August Burns Red
1985 births
People from Manheim, Pennsylvania
American male pianists
21st-century American drummers