Undefeated is an American rock band from
Lewis County, New York
Lewis County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of New York, situated between the Adirondack Mountains and the Tug Hill Plateau, within the state's North Country region. As of the 2020 census, the county had a p ...
, formed in 2017. They released an EP, ''Shadows'', in 2020. Formed by Meredith and Christian Dunckel, the band the lineup formerly included Ian Birk, who later was replaced with Lis Dunckel.
History
The band formed in 2017 in
Lowville and
Croghan, New York
Croghan is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Lewis County, New York, United States. The population was 3,093 at the 2010 census. The town is in the northern part of the county and located northeast of the county seat, Lowvill ...
.
A music promoter, Matthew Sposato, had requested that Meredith Dunckel, who had just turned fourteen, perform at his festival, the Rock N Worship Show, in
Dalton, Massachusetts
Dalton is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. Dalton is a transition town between the urban and rural portions of Berkshire County. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The populatio ...
.
She enjoyed the experience and on the bus ride home she and her brother Christian decided to form a band. They chose the name Undefeated, after a song of the same name by the rapper
KB.
Meredith sings and plays guitar and Christian plays drums. Christian also
screams on some songs.
On August 5, 2017, the duo performed the band's inaugural concert on the lawn of a bookstore in
Inlet, New York
Inlet is a town in Hamilton County, New York, United States. The population was 355 at the 2020 census, up from 333 in 2010.US Census Bureau, 2020 Results, Inlet town, New York https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&cssp=SERP ...
.
Three months later, the siblings met Ian Birk and he joined on bass guitar. The group released their first single, "Shadows", in August 2019, and a five-song EP, ''Shadows'', on June 30, 2020.
On August 7, 2021, Birk stepped down from the band due to him being unable to commit to their touring schedule.
To replace him, Meredith and Christian brought in their fourteen-year-old sister, Lis Dunckel, even though at that time she did not know how to play bass guitar.
She then took seven months to learn the instrument.
On February 18, 2023, Undefeated opened for
Ronny Munroe
Ronny Munroe (born November 22, 1965) is an American singer, most noted as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Metal Church from 2003 until the band broke up in 2009. His second tenure with the band lasted from 2012 when the group reunite ...
's project Beyond the Wrath in
Oneida, New York
Oneida () is a city in Madison County in the U.S. state of New York. It is located west of Oneida Castle (in Oneida County) and east of Wampsville. The population was 10,329 at the 2020 census, down from 11,390 in 2010. The city, like b ...
.
On August 16, 2024, they performed at the annual
Soulfest
Dan Russell is an artist, singer songwriter, artist advocate, producer & concert and event promoter. A graduate of Walpole High School in Massachusetts and later Barrington College, Russell is known for managing both the American rock band The Ca ...
festival in
Greenfield, Massachusetts
Greenfield is the county seat, and sole city, of Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Greenfield was first settled in 1686. The population was 17,768 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Greenfield is home to Greenfield Commun ...
.
Style and influences
Undefeated performs rock and metal music.
Chris Gatto from
''Heaven's Metal Magazine'' noted the trio "for their colorful hair and transitions between harder edged music and lighter fair."
The New Release Today staff writer TommyG compared Meredith's voice to
Amy Lee
Amy Lynn Lee (born December 13, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She is the co-founder, lead vocalist, lead songwriter, and keyboardist of the rock band Evanescence. A classically trained pianist, Lee began writing music at ...
of
Evanescence
Evanescence is an American Rock music, rock band founded in 1994 by singer and keyboardist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody in Little Rock, Arkansas. After releasing independent extended play, EPs and a Origin (Evanescence demo album), demo ...
.
Influences for the band as a whole include
Lacey Sturm
Lacey Nicole Sturm ( Mosley, previously Carder; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer and songwriter, known for being lead vocalist of the alternative rock band Flyleaf (band), Flyleaf. In February 2016, Sturm became the first solo femal ...
of
Flyleaf,
Wage War
Wage War is an American metalcore band formed in Ocala, Florida in 2010 under the name Empires. The band consists of lead vocalist Briton Bond, lead guitarist Seth Blake, rhythm guitarist and clean vocalist Cody Quistad, bassist Chris Gaylord ...
, and
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 four piece with lead vocalist Brook Reeves as one of the two original remaining member ...
.
Meredith claims Sturm as a particular voice and lyrical influence.
She also cites
Tenth Avenue North
Tenth Avenue North is an American contemporary Christian music band from West Palm Beach, Florida. The band released a total of fifteen original music projects, including eight full-length studio albums (six of which reached the Billboard 200, i ...
as her "first love".
Christian Dunckel is influenced by metal,
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
screamo
Screamo (also referred to as skramz) is a subgenre of emo that emerged in the early 1990s and emphasizes "willfully experimental dissonance and dynamics".Jason Heller, "Feast of Reason". ''Denver Westword'', June 20, 2002 Access date: June 15, 2 ...
.
Specifically, he cites older
Random Hero,
Red
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...
,
Nine Lashes
Nine Lashes is an American Christian rock band from Birmingham, Alabama formed in 2006. They independently released their first album, ''Escape'', in 2009 before Trevor McNevan of Thousand Foot Krutch brought them to the attention of Tooth & Nail ...
,
Demon Hunter Demon hunter is a demonology-related historic occupation or folkloric character which specializes in killing demons, monsters, or undead creatures.
Demon hunter or variations may also refer to:
Characters
* Demon Hunter (comics), an Atlas/Seab ...
,
Luke Holland
Luke Daniel Holland (born June 14, 1993) is an American musician, popular for his playthrough videos and having previously played in The Word Alive. He has recorded drums for many artists including Jason Richardson (musician), Jason Richards ...
and
Gojira
is the original Japanese name for Godzilla, a giant monster at the center of a media franchise.
It may also refer to:
Films
*Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' franchise, known as in Japan
**Godzilla (1954 film), ''Godzilla'' (1954 film), relea ...
's
Mario Duplantier
Mario François Duplantier (born 19 June 1981) is a French-American musician and artist best known as the drummer for heavy metal band Gojira. He established himself as a powerful, technically precise drummer, using polyrhythmic patterns and d ...
as influences.
Ian Birk, the previous bassist, drew influence from
classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...
, especially
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
,
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
,
Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...
, and
the Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Within a few months of their first gig, the line-up settled as Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussi ...
.
Birk also stated that "Literally everything influences me. Whether it's something good, or even if it's bad. Everyone needs a place to just be themselves."
Lis Dunckel claims influence from Impending Doom and Tanya O'Callaghan.
Members
>
File:Meredith Dunckel - Midwest Unity Fest.png, Meredith Dunckel, Midwest Unity Fest, Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
, 2024
File:Lis Dunckel - Creation Fest, 2024.png, Lis Dunckel, Creation Fest, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
, 2024
File:Christian Dunckel - Kingdom Come Fest, 2021.png, Christian Dunckel, Kingdom Come Fest, Indiana, 2021
Current members
* Meredith Dunckel – guitar, vocals (2017–present)
* Christian Dunckel – drums, backing screams (2017–present)
* Lis Dunckel – bass guitar (2021–present)
Former members
* Ian Birk – bass guitar (2017–2021)
Timeline
Discography
Extended plays
* ''Shadows'' (2020)
Singles
* "Shadows" (2019)
* "Where Are You" (2020)
* "Land of the Dead" (2021)
* "Cages" (2021)
* "Story" (2022)
* "Future" (2022)
* "Choke" (2022"
* "Two-Faced" (2022)
* "As You Are" (2022)
* "Insane" (2024)
* "Rise" (2024)
* "Just the Way It Is" (2025)
See also
References
{{Reflist, 30
Musical trios from New York (state)
Female-fronted musical groups
Hard rock musical groups from New York (state)
Heavy metal musical groups from New York (state)
Sibling musical trios
2017 establishments in New York (state)