Attack Attack!
Encyclopedia
Attack Attack! is an American metalcore
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...

 band from Westerville
Westerville, Ohio
Westerville, once known as "The Dry Capital of the World", is a city in Franklin and Delaware counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 35,318 at the 2000 census.-Early history:...

, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, formed in 2005. Attack Attack!'s first release, an independent EP titled If Guns Are Outlawed, Can We Use Swords?
If Guns Are Outlawed, Can We Use Swords?
If Guns Are Outlawed, Can We Use Swords? is the first release by American metalcore band Attack Attack!. It was self-released during 2008.-Background:...

, was released in 2008, which lead to the signing of the band to Rise Records
Rise Records
-History:Rise was founded in 1991 by Craig Ericson in Roseburg, Oregon. He released a small number of 7" records before putting the label on hiatus to attend college. Ericson didn't release anything further until 1999, after moving to Portland, Oregon. He began issuing small-print 7" records, and...

 the same year. They then released their two full-length albums, Someday Came Suddenly
Someday Came Suddenly
Someday Came Suddenly is the debut studio album by American metalcore band Attack Attack!. It was released on November 11, 2008 through Rise Records. The album's name derives from the third track, "Bro, Ashley's Here"...

and a self-titled album
Attack Attack! (album)
Attack Attack! is the second studio album by American metalcore band Attack Attack! It was released on June 8, 2010 through Rise Records. It was produced by Joey Sturgis. The album was initially titled Shazam, but due to copyright issues, it was self-titled...

 both through Rise. Ohio metalcore act Attack Attack! have announced plans for a new album — appropriately entitled "This Means War" coming out January 17 on Rise Records.

Although some of the group's songs contain Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

-based lyrics, not all members of Attack Attack! are Christian, and do not consider themselves a Christian band.

Formation and Someday Came Suddenly (2005–2008)

Attack Attack! was founded during 2005 by members Austin Carlile, Ricky Lortz, Andrew Whiting, Nick White, and Andrew Wetzel. Several months later, Ricky Lortz announced his departure and was soon replaced by Johnny Franck as the new vocalist/rhythm guitarist at the time. Later, Nick White also announced his departure from the group and John Holgado was added on bass and in 2008, Caleb Shomo joined the band on keyboard. In early 2008, they self-released their debut EP titled If Guns Are Outlawed, Can We Use Swords?
If Guns Are Outlawed, Can We Use Swords?
If Guns Are Outlawed, Can We Use Swords? is the first release by American metalcore band Attack Attack!. It was self-released during 2008.-Background:...

. Later they signed to Rise Records
Rise Records
-History:Rise was founded in 1991 by Craig Ericson in Roseburg, Oregon. He released a small number of 7" records before putting the label on hiatus to attend college. Ericson didn't release anything further until 1999, after moving to Portland, Oregon. He began issuing small-print 7" records, and...

 in June 2008 and released their debut album, Someday Came Suddenly
Someday Came Suddenly
Someday Came Suddenly is the debut studio album by American metalcore band Attack Attack!. It was released on November 11, 2008 through Rise Records. The album's name derives from the third track, "Bro, Ashley's Here"...

, on the label late that year. Upon the release of Someday Came Suddenly, it peaked at #25 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

Independent Albums chart and #193 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

, with sales of more than 3,600 in its first week despite its mediocre to overwhelmingly negative reviews.

Carlile's departure and Barham's arrival (2008–2009)

Later, halfway through a tour supporting Maylene and the Sons of Disaster
Maylene and the Sons of Disaster
Maylene and the Sons of Disaster is an American, Southern metalcore band formed in 2004 in Birmingham, Alabama. In 2005, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster signed to Mono Vs Stereo and released their self-titled debut album...

, vocalist Austin Carlile
Austin Carlile
Austin Robert Carlile is an American musician. He was previously the lead vocalist for the band Attack Attack! and currently lead vocalist for Of Mice & Men. He is known for his chirping high-pitched screamed vocals done in the fry scream technique. During his time living in Ohio, Carlile was a...

 was fired by the group due to personal differences. Carlile was replaced by Nick Barham, former vocalist of For All We Know. In 2009 for Fearless Records
Fearless Records
Fearless Records is an alternative rock-oriented record label that has been signing artists since 1994. Fearless is based in Westminster, California and are best known for their early pop-punk moments captured in the Fearless Flush Sampler and Punk Bites releases, as well as additional releases by...

' eighth Punk Goes...
Punk Goes...
Punk Goes... is a series of compilation albums released by Fearless Records in which bands that are in some way linked to punk rock perform covers of songs from other genres or time-periods. The deviations from this theme are Punk Goes Acoustic and Punk Goes Acoustic 2 in which the featured bands...

album, Punk Goes Pop 2
Punk Goes Pop 2
Punk Goes Pop 2 is the eighth compilation album released from the Punk Goes... series created by Fearless Records to feature covers by various artists of pop songs, and is the eighth album in the series overall. It was released on March 9, 2009, in the United Kingdom, and March 10, 2009, in the...

, Attack Attack! covered Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...

's "I Kissed a Girl" with Austin Carlile performing the lead vocals, before his departure from the band. Attack Attack! then toured with Escape the Fate
Escape the Fate
Escape the Fate is an American post-hardcore band from Las Vegas, Nevada formed in 2005 and originally from Pahrump, Nevada. They have released three EPs and three full-length studio albums. Dying Is Your Latest Fashion was the band's debut album and only album to feature vocalist Ronnie Radke...

, William Control
William Control
William Control is an American electronica band and the side project of Aiden's wiL Francis. He was signed to Victory Records and has released two albums, "Hate Culture" and "Noir", the latter of which was released on June 8, 2010.-History:...

, Black Tide
Black Tide
Black Tide is an American heavy metal band from Miami, Florida. Formed in 2004, the group is currently signed to Interscope Records and is composed of Gabriel Garcia , Austin Diaz , Zachary Sandler , and Steven Spence...

 and Burn Halo
Burn Halo
Burn Halo is a hard rock band, originating from Orange County, California and Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was formed by James Hart, former lead singer of Orange County metalcore band Eighteen Visions.-Formation and self-titled debut album :...

 early in 2009.
Attack Attack! was included on Warped Tour 2009
Warped Tour 2009
Warped Tour 2009 was the 15th installment of the annual Summer Warped Tour festival. Vans Shoes was again the tour's primary sponsor. Tour founder/organizer Kevin Lyman announced that this year's tour would feature only one main stage with bands playing 40 minutes each instead of two main stages...

 and did signings for the non-profit organization Music Saves Lives
Music Saves Lives
Music Saves Lives is a not for profit 5013 organization and is listed in the IRS publication 78. Established in January 2006 by founder Russel Hornbeek in Seal Beach, California. Music Saves Lives has educated students and encouraged over 120,000 summer blood donations from youth under the age of 25...

 where they met with fans who gained special access to the band by donating blood
Blood donation
A blood donation occurs when a person voluntarily has blood drawn and used for transfusions or made into medications by a process called fractionation....

.

Barham's departure (2009–2010)

Attack Attack! released a music video for their highly criticized song "Stick Stickly", and made its premiere on MTV2's Headbangers Ball
Headbangers Ball
Headbangers Ball is a music television program consisting of heavy metal music videos airing on MTV2, MTV Australia, MTV Two , MTV Adria , MTV Brand New, MTV Portugal, MTV Finland, MTV Arabia, MTV Norway, MTV Sweden, MTV Denmark, MTV Greece, MTV Türkiye, MTV...

. Two music videos were created, with one of them being produced by a company named DecembersEdge. The band decided to go with the other video featured on their Myspace profile. The "Stick Stickly" video has led to a number of criticisms, including lengthy pieces by Buddyhead
Buddyhead Records
Buddyhead is a music "webzine" and independent record label formed by Travis Keller in the summer of 1997 in Hollywood, California. Keller is notorious for outspoken criticism of popular culture and the music industry...

 and the British newspaper The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

. The band also has a "live" video for the song "Dr. Shavargo Pt. 3".

On October 19, 2009, lead vocalist Nick Barham announced his departure from Attack Attack! just two days short of their headliner tour. He stated in his blog on MySpace that "It was just time for change," and that there was no conflict between him and the other band members. The band then made the decision of Caleb Shomo to be moved as the band's primary vocalist but still remaining at his place as the keyboardist as well.

Near the end of 2009, Attack Attack! toured with I Set My Friends On Fire
I Set My Friends On Fire
I Set My Friends on Fire is an American Experimental group from Miami, Florida. The band was formed in 2007 by Matt Mehana and former member Nabil Moo. The group signed with Epitaph Records before releasing their debut album, You Can't Spell Slaughter Without Laughter, in 2008...

, Miss May I
Miss May I
Miss May I is an American metalcore band from Troy, Ohio. On December 6, 2008, Miss May I announced that they had been signed to Rise Records. The band's debut album, Apologies Are for the Weak, reached #29 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers, and #66 on Top Independent Albums. Their song, "Forgive and...

, Our Last Night
Our Last Night
Our Last Night is a Post-Hardcore band, formed in 2004 by five members, consisting ofTrevor Wentworth , Matthew Wentworth , Alex "Woody" Woodrow , Colin Perry , Tim Molloy , who were "fed up with merely jamming and playing cover songs".-Early years :After a few lineup changes, the group was...

, and The Color Morale
The Color Morale
The Color Morale is an American Christian Metalcore 5 piece band from Rockford, Illinois. The group is currently signed to Rise Records. They have released two albums to date, We All Have Demons, released on September 1, 2009, and My Devil In Your Eyes, released on March 8, 2011...

 as part of the "Shred Til You're Dead" tour. Attack Attack! started playing "Sexual Man Chocolate", which was the first song leaked from their self-titled album
Attack Attack! (album)
Attack Attack! is the second studio album by American metalcore band Attack Attack! It was released on June 8, 2010 through Rise Records. It was produced by Joey Sturgis. The album was initially titled Shazam, but due to copyright issues, it was self-titled...

.

Self-titled album and Franck's departure (2010-2011)

Attack Attack! headlined the 2010 Artery Across the Nation Tour with support from Asking Alexandria
Asking Alexandria
Asking Alexandria are a British metalcore band from York, North Yorkshire. Founded in 2008 when Ben Bruce contacted his old companions upon returning to the UK after residing in Dubai...

, I See Stars
I See Stars
I See Stars is a post-hardcore band formed in 2006 from Warren, Michigan. They have released two full length albums. Their debut album, 3-D, featured a guest appearance from Bizzy Bone of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. The album peaked at #176 on the Billboard 200...

, Breathe Carolina
Breathe Carolina
Breathe Carolina is an American electronic rock musical duo from Denver, Colorado, composed of David Schmitt and Kyle Even. Breathe Carolina have released three albums, one EP, and five music videos to date.-Beginnings :...

 and Bury Tomorrow
Bury Tomorrow
Bury Tomorrow are a five piece British metalcore band from Hampshire, England. The Band is composed of vocalist Dani Winter-Bates, guitarist Mehdi Vismara, guitarist and singer Jason Cameron, bass guitarist Davyd Winter-Bates and drummer Adam Jackson...

 in early 2010. The group performed three songs off their self-titled album
Attack Attack! (album)
Attack Attack! is the second studio album by American metalcore band Attack Attack! It was released on June 8, 2010 through Rise Records. It was produced by Joey Sturgis. The album was initially titled Shazam, but due to copyright issues, it was self-titled...

 live during the tour before its release. The songs performed were "Sexual Man Chocolate", "AC-130", and "A For Andrew". The self-titled album was released on June 8, 2010. The working title for it was intended to be "Shazam!", but was changed due to copyright issues.

The group performed on the Altec Lansing Stage during Warped Tour 2010
Warped Tour 2010
Warped Tour 2010 is the 16th installment of the annual Summer Warped Tour festival. Vans Shoes was again the tour's primary sponsor. The first bands were announced on December 18. The 43-date tour kicks off on June 25, 2010 in Carson, California and ends August 15, 2010 in Hillsboro, Oregon.On...

 for the entire tour. They headlined the This Is a Family Tour in November of 2010.

On November 10, 2010 Johnny Franck announced he had departed from the band to focus on his relationship with God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....

. He has started a new project called The March Ahead. With this news also came a clip of a new song featuring Caleb Shomo doing both clean, and unclean vocals. Sean Mackowski of My Ticket Home replaced Franck's position in the band. The music video for "Smokahontas" was released on January 21, 2011 and was directed by Thunder Down Country films. The music video featured Sean Mackowski of My Ticket Home and Cody Anderson, the former unclean vocalist of In Fear and Faith
In Fear and Faith
In Fear and Faith is an American rock band from San Diego, California. Formed in 2006, the group is currently signed to Rise Records and have released two studio albums and two EPs. Their debut full-length, Your World on Fire, being released nearly a year after the band's signing to Rise in 2008,...

. Attack Attack! performed on the main stage at the 2011 Vans Warped Tour
Warped Tour 2011
Warped Tour 2011 is the 17th annual Summer Warped Tour festival. Vans Shoes is again the tour's primary sponsor. The tour dates were announced on November 22, 2010, with the first official band announcement on December 8...

.

The band has announced that they are set to re-issue their self-titled album on July 19, 2011 with four new songs, two acoustic songs, and two remixes. A new track entitled "Last Breath" was released on June 7, 2011, to promote the album's re-issue. It is the first song by the band to feature Caleb Shomo on both clean and screamed vocals, and was produced by John Feldmann
John Feldmann
John William Feldmann is an American musician and producer who is the lead singer/guitarist of the band Goldfinger. He is known as an animal rights advocate.- Music :...

. The band's third album, This Means War, is set to follow sometime in January 2012, according to Andrew Wetzel's Formspring. The band has also begun writing a new album with the hopes of releasing a second album in 2012 produced by John Feldmann.

This Means War (2011–present)

On November 14th it was announced that, This Means War would be released on January 17th, 2012. Along with this news they also posted dates for the "This Means War Tour" with supporting acts from The Ghost Inside
The Ghost Inside
This article is about the Chinese film. For the American Hardcore band, see The Ghost Inside .The Ghost Inside is a 2005 Chinese horror film directed by Herman Yau, and starring Mainland actors, Liu Ye and Gong Beibi and Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu.The film was produced by the China Film Group...

, Sleeping With Sirens
Sleeping with Sirens
Sleeping with Sirens is an American post-hardcore band from Orlando, Florida currently residing in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Formed in 2009 by members of For All We Know, Broadway and We Are Defiance...

, Chunk! No Captain Chunk, and Dream On, Dreamer
Dream On, Dreamer
Dream On, Dreamer is an Australian six piece post-hardcore band from Melbourne. Formed in 2009 they released their début EP through Boomtown Records on 4 June 2010 titled Hope. The release of the EP was followed by many national tours with bands such as Pierce the Veil, Attack Attack! and Deez Nuts...

. More news and the album artwork was released in the Hot Topic website "News."

Musical style

Attack Attack! have been known to perform the metalcore
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...

 and post-hardcore
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...

 genres combined with electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...

 influences. This combination usually features distinct traits into Attack Attack!'s music which include (but are not limited to) techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...

-influenced breakdowns
Break (music)
In popular music, a break is an instrumental or percussion section or interlude during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main parts of the song or piece....

 and keyboard solos.

Band members

Current
  • Andrew Wetzel - drums
    Drum kit
    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

    , percussion (since 2005)
  • Andrew Whiting - lead guitar
    Lead guitar
    Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...

     (since 2005)
  • John Holgado - bass guitar
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

     (since 2007)
  • Caleb Shomo - lead vocals
    Lead vocalist
    The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...

     (since 2009), programming
    Programming (music)
    Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...

    , synthesizer
    Synthesizer
    A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...

    s, keyboards
    Keyboard instrument
    A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...

     (since 2007)


Former
  • Johnny Franck - rhythm guitar
    Rhythm guitar
    Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...

    , clean vocals
    Singing
    Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...

     (2007–2010)
  • Nick Barham - lead vocals (2008–2009)
  • Austin Carlile
    Austin Carlile
    Austin Robert Carlile is an American musician. He was previously the lead vocalist for the band Attack Attack! and currently lead vocalist for Of Mice & Men. He is known for his chirping high-pitched screamed vocals done in the fry scream technique. During his time living in Ohio, Carlile was a...

     - lead vocals (2006–2008)
  • Ricky Lortz - rhythm guitar, clean vocals (2005–2007)
  • Nick White - bass guitar (2005–2007)


Touring
  • Sean Mackowski - rhythm guitar
    Rhythm guitar
    Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...

    , clean vocals
    Singing
    Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...

     (since 2010)

Discography

Studio albums
Year Title Label Chart positions
Top 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

US Indie US Heat
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...

2008 Someday Came Suddenly
Someday Came Suddenly
Someday Came Suddenly is the debut studio album by American metalcore band Attack Attack!. It was released on November 11, 2008 through Rise Records. The album's name derives from the third track, "Bro, Ashley's Here"...

Rise
Rise Records
-History:Rise was founded in 1991 by Craig Ericson in Roseburg, Oregon. He released a small number of 7" records before putting the label on hiatus to attend college. Ericson didn't release anything further until 1999, after moving to Portland, Oregon. He began issuing small-print 7" records, and...

193 25 9
2010 Attack Attack!
Attack Attack! (album)
Attack Attack! is the second studio album by American metalcore band Attack Attack! It was released on June 8, 2010 through Rise Records. It was produced by Joey Sturgis. The album was initially titled Shazam, but due to copyright issues, it was self-titled...

26 1 -
2012 This Means War - - -


EPs
  • If Guns Are Outlawed, Can We Use Swords?
    If Guns Are Outlawed, Can We Use Swords?
    If Guns Are Outlawed, Can We Use Swords? is the first release by American metalcore band Attack Attack!. It was self-released during 2008.-Background:...

    (2008)


Singles
Song title Release date Album
"Stick Stickly" June 4, 2009 Someday Came Suddenly
"Dr. Shavargo Pt. 3" August 25, 2009
"The People's Elbow" September 9, 2009
"Smokahontas" January 11, 2011 Attack Attack!
"Last Breath" June 27, 2011 Attack Attack! (Deluxe edition re-issue)
"The Wretched" TBA This Means War

Videography

  • "Stick Stickly" (2009)
  • "Dr. Shavargo Pt. 3" (2009)
  • "Smokahontas" (2011)
  • "Last Breath" (2011)
  • "The Wretched" (TBA)
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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