Kurt Ballou

Kurt Ballou is the guitarist from Massachusetts-based band Converge

Converge (band)

Converge is an American band from Salem, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore punk and metal since 1990, Converge has helped to define many of the elements of the metalcore genre.-Description:...

. Aside from his role in Converge, he is a prolific producer, engineering and producing out of his own Godcity studio.

GodCity studio

In the late 1990s, Kurt Ballou was working as a biomedical engineer when his then project got cancelled. Instead of selecting a different position within the same company that he had worked with for six years, Ballou opted to receive a severance package

Severance package

A severance package is pay and benefits an employee receives when they leave employment at a company. In addition to the employee's remaining regular pay, it may include some of the following:* An additional payment based on months of service...

 which he used to build his own recording studio. Established in 1998, GodCity studio is located in Ballou's home state of Massachusetts. One of the earliest recordings from the studio was Cave In

Cave In

Cave In is an American rock band that formed in 1995, in Methuen, Massachusetts. After several members changes in the late 90's, their lineup solidified with the 1998 release of Until Your Heart Stops through Hydra Head Records. Their early albums were prominent releases in the independent...

's Until Your Heart Stops

Until Your Heart Stops

Until Your Heart Stops is the debut album by Metalcore band Cave In. It was released in 1998 on Hydra Head Records.-Background:Despite being the band's second full-length release, Until Your Heart Stops represents the first time Cave In went into a studio to record a full album together...

. In the production of album Ballou deals with all production, engineering, and mastering. In 2005 Ballou remixed and remastered Converge's Petitioning the Empty Sky

Petitioning the Empty Sky

Petitioning the Empty Sky is an album by American hardcore punk band Converge. While many sources catalog the release as a studio album, the band considers this a compilation album as it's a collection of songs recorded at different times. It also features both studio recorded tracks among three...

 and When Forever Comes Crashing

When Forever Comes Crashing

When Forever Comes Crashing is the third album by Massachusetts, USA, band Converge. Originally released in 1998, the album was re-issued in 2005 with a bonus track and bonus enhanced material . The album was recorded at God City Studio from 22 December through 3 January 1998...

. Ballou has stated that because of the quality of our Converge's recordings has improved so much that the original recordings were "becoming distracting".

Equipment

• Guitars commonly used: Wild Customs The Savage One w/ EMG P85 bridge pickup, First Act Custom Sheena Guitar w/ EMG 81 bridge pickup, Warmoth Custom Jazzmaster W/ EMG 89 bridge pickup, First Act Custom Offset-Horns Double-Cutaway, Rickenbacker 650A w/ EMG 81 bridge pickup.
• Amps commonly used: Orange OR50 head, Orange Rockerverb 100 head, Bad Cat Black Cat head, Bad Cat Lynx head, THD Flexi head, 1978 Marshall 50-watt JMP non-master volume head, Ampeg V-4 head, Mesa/Boogie Quad preamp with Mesa/Boogie 2:90 power amp.
• Speaker Enclosures commonly used: Emperor 6x12 cabinet (2), Marshall customized 4x12 cabinet w/ four "Eminence vintage 30 clone" 12-inch speakers, Marshall 8x10 cabinet w/ stock 15-watt Celestions.
• Effects commonly used: TC Electronic G-SYSTEM, Providence Stampede Distortion, Boss GE-7 Graphic Equalizer, Akai Headrush, Line 6 MM4, Boss DD-5 Delay, Boss Pitch Shifter/Delay, Boss Heavy Metal, Boss Metal Zone, Boss Tuner, Boss Noise Suppressor.

As band member

With Blue/Green Heart

• Self Esteem Through Modern Science (2002)

With Converge

Note: Kurt Ballou has performed on all Converge recordings to date. Only studio albums have been listed here, for a more complete list of releases see Converge discography

Converge discography

The discography of Converge, an aggressive American band, with various genre influences. Ther discography consists of seven studio albums, two compilation albums, a video album, two extended plays and five split albums.-Studio albums:-Compilation albums:...

.

• Halo in a Haystack
  Halo in a Haystack
  Halo in a Haystack is the debut album from American metalcore band Converge, released in 1994 through Earthmaker Records. To fund the making of the album, vocalist Jacob Bannon saved up money from working at a nursing home....
  
  (1994)
• Petitioning the Empty Sky
  Petitioning the Empty Sky
  Petitioning the Empty Sky is an album by American hardcore punk band Converge. While many sources catalog the release as a studio album, the band considers this a compilation album as it's a collection of songs recorded at different times. It also features both studio recorded tracks among three...
  
  (1996)
• When Forever Comes Crashing
  When Forever Comes Crashing
  When Forever Comes Crashing is the third album by Massachusetts, USA, band Converge. Originally released in 1998, the album was re-issued in 2005 with a bonus track and bonus enhanced material . The album was recorded at God City Studio from 22 December through 3 January 1998...
  
  (1998)
• Jane Doe
  Jane Doe (album)
  Jane Doe is the fourth album by American hardcore band Converge. It was released September 4, 2001 through Equal Vision Records. The album is credited as Converge's best and has received many positive ratings and much critical acclaim for the band's musical style, lyrics and the album's...
  
  (2001)
• You Fail Me
  You Fail Me
  You Fail Me is an album by Massachusetts, USA, band Converge, released on September 20, 2004. It is their first release on Epitaph Records, previously being signed to Equal Vision Records....
  
  (2004)
• No Heroes
  No Heroes
  No Heroes is the sixth album by Converge. The album was released on October 24, 2006, on Epitaph Records. By January 11, 2007, it had sold 17,000 copies in the U.S. It peaked at number 151 in the Billboard 200. It topped the Top Heatseekers chart and reached number 13 in the Independent Albums...
  
  (2006)
• Axe to Fall
  Axe to Fall
  Axe to Fall is the seventh studio album released by American metalcore band Converge. It was released on October 20, 2009 through Epitaph Records and was released later on in the year through Deathwish Inc. as a vinyl record. It is their most commercially successful to date, peaking at number 74 in...
  
  (2009)

The Huguenots

• Discography (2007)

With Kid Kilowatt

• Guitar Method
  Guitar Method
  Guitar Method is the only album by indie supergroup Kid Kilowatt, initially released by Second Nature Recordings on vinyl in 2003, and later on CD by Hydra Head Records in 2004. It consists of material recorded over a period of three years, including after the band's breakup...
  
  (2004)

With Supermachiner

• Rise of the Great Machine (2001)

As guest musician

Year	Band	Album	Contributions
1998	Cave In Cave In Cave In is an American rock band that formed in 1995, in Methuen, Massachusetts. After several members changes in the late 90's, their lineup solidified with the 1998 release of Until Your Heart Stops through Hydra Head Records. Their early albums were prominent releases in the independent...	Until Your Heart Stops Until Your Heart Stops Until Your Heart Stops is the debut album by Metalcore band Cave In. It was released in 1998 on Hydra Head Records.-Background:Despite being the band's second full-length release, Until Your Heart Stops represents the first time Cave In went into a studio to record a full album together...	Guitar, percussion, vocals
2000	Garrison Garrison (band) Garrison was a post-hardcore/punk band based in Boston, Massachusetts from 1996-2004. Garrison released two full length albums, both on Revelation Records...	A Mile In Cold Water	Slide guitar
2002	Nationale Blue	A Different Kind of Listening	Melodica
2002	In Pieces	Learning to Accept Silence	Harmonica, melodica, slide guitar
2002	Curl Up and Die Curl Up and Die -History:After demos in 1998 and 1999, Curl Up and Die recorded its first release in early 2000, an album called 1998. An EP, The Only Good Bug Is A Dead Bug, was picked up by Status Recordings in early 2001....	Unfortunately, We're Not Robots Unfortunately, We're Not Robots Unfortunately, We're Not Robots is the debut release by the mathcore band Curl Up and Die.-Track listing:#"We" - 0:05#"Are" – 0:05#"All" – 0:05#"Dead" – 0:06#"100 M.P.H. Vomit Dedicated To Jon" – 0:24...	Vocals
2004	Old Man Gloom Old Man Gloom Old Man Gloom is a sludge/doom metal/post-metal band originally formed in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States, but now based in Massachusetts. The group, formed by Aaron Turner of Isis and Santos Montano, has now expanded to become a sort of supergroup in the Boston hardcore and metalcore scene....	Christmas Christmas (Old Man Gloom album) Christmas is the fourth full-length album by Old Man Gloom, released in 2004 by Tortuga Recordings. Aaron Turner, owner of Hydra Head Records and former Isis guitarist and vocalist, described this album as “one of the most engaging projects I have been involved with both musically and visually”.-...	Guitars, drums, drum programing
2004	Last Perfection	Drawing Conclusions	Guitar
2004	Suicide Note	Too Sick to Dance Forever	Guitars, vocals
2005	Mi Amore	The Lamb	Guitars, solos
2005	New Idea Society	You Are Awake or Asleep	Drums
2006	Kahoots	Fourteen Ghosts	Saxophone
2007	Animosity Animosity (band) Animosity was a death metal band from San Francisco, California, formed in 2000. The band released three studio albums and disbanded in 2009.-History:...	Animal Animal (Animosity album) #"Terrorstorm" - 3:53#"Tooth Grinder" - 2:54#"Bombs Over Rome" - 2:34#"Evangelicult" - 0:04#"Animal" - 2:44#"Plunder Incorporated" - 2:40#"Operating From The Ditch" - 2:47#"You Can't Win" - 3:47#"Progression in Defeat" - 2:37#"Elucidation" - 0:34...	Saxophone
2007	Pygmy Lush Pygmy Lush Pygmy Lush is a band from Sterling, Virginia formed by ex-Pg. 99 members Mike and Chris Taylor and Johnny Ward. Other members include Mike Widman and David Krepinevich, and previous associated acts include City of Caterpillar, Malady, Mannequin, etc.In 2007, they released an album of previously...	Bitter River	Saxophone, melodica, slide guitar
2007	Coliseum Coliseum (band) Coliseum is a punk rock band that formed in 2003. They released their latest album, House with a Curse, through Temporary Residence in June 2010.Exclaim! named "House with a Curse", as the No. 6 Punk Album of 2010.-History:...	No Salvation	Keyboards
2007	Trap Them Trap Them - Description :Trap Them's influences include hardcore punk bands, such as Black Flag, Born Against, and Tragedy; metal bands like Dismember and Entombed , and experimental bands like Swans...	Sleepwell Deconstructor Sleepwell Deconstructor Sleepwell Deconstructor is the first album by Trap Them, released on April 3, 2007 on Trash Art!. Like the last recorded output from core members Ryan McKenney and Brian Izzi, Backstabbers Inc's Kamikaze Missions , Sleepwell Deconstructor is produced by Kurt Ballou...	Guitars
2007	The Casual Lean	Swears	Guitars
2007	The One AM Radio	This Too Will Pass	Drum engineering
2007	New Idea Society	World Is Bright and Lonely	Guitars
2008	Verse Verse (band) Verse was a hardcore band from Providence, Rhode Island. They released three full-length albums and an EP on Rivalry and Bridge 9 Records and conducted a number of full U.S. tours...	Aggression	Drum engineering
2008	Torche Torche Torche is a band from Miami, Florida, whose sound is often described as stoner metal, or sludge metal.-Biography:The group was formed in 2004 by Steve Brooks , Juan Montoya , Jonathan Nuñez and Rick Smith Torche is a band from Miami, Florida, whose sound is often described as stoner metal, or...	Meanderthal	Guitars
2008	Pygmy Lush Pygmy Lush Pygmy Lush is a band from Sterling, Virginia formed by ex-Pg. 99 members Mike and Chris Taylor and Johnny Ward. Other members include Mike Widman and David Krepinevich, and previous associated acts include City of Caterpillar, Malady, Mannequin, etc.In 2007, they released an album of previously...	Mount Hope	Percussion
2008	Trap Them Trap Them - Description :Trap Them's influences include hardcore punk bands, such as Black Flag, Born Against, and Tragedy; metal bands like Dismember and Entombed , and experimental bands like Swans...	Seizures in Barren Praise Seizures in Barren Praise Seizures in Barren Praise is the 2nd full length album by extreme metal band, Trap Them. It was released on November 11, 2008. It continues the days in a now non-linear fashion in the fictional area of Barren Praise.-Track listing:All tracks by Brian Vincent Izzi & Ryan...	Bass, guitars, noise
2008	Clouds	We Are Above You	Synthesizer, saxophone, guitar, slide guitar

Production and recording discography

• Jesuit
  Jesuit (band)
  Jesuit was an American rock band from Virginia Beach, Virginia.- History :Jesuit formed in 1995 with drummer J. How, bassist Brett Matthews, and guitarists Nate Newton and Kelly Posadas. In 1996 the group released a self-titled 7" vinyl EP produced by Kurt Ballou through Reservoir Records...
  
   – Jesuit (1996)
• Jesuit
  Jesuit (band)
  Jesuit was an American rock band from Virginia Beach, Virginia.- History :Jesuit formed in 1995 with drummer J. How, bassist Brett Matthews, and guitarists Nate Newton and Kelly Posadas. In 1996 the group released a self-titled 7" vinyl EP produced by Kurt Ballou through Reservoir Records...
  
   – Jesuit (1999)
• Cave In – Until Your Heart Stops
  Until Your Heart Stops
  Until Your Heart Stops is the debut album by Metalcore band Cave In. It was released in 1998 on Hydra Head Records.-Background:Despite being the band's second full-length release, Until Your Heart Stops represents the first time Cave In went into a studio to record a full album together...
  
  (1999)
• Orchid
  Orchid (band)
  Orchid was a screamo band from Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Considered by many to be one of the pioneers of the "screamo" sound, Orchid combined this with a post-modern aesthetic, releasing several extended play and splits as well as three LPs...
  
   – Chaos Is Me
  Chaos Is Me
  Chaos Is Me is the debut studio album by American screamo band Orchid. It was released in 1999 through Ebullition Records. Chaos Is Me heralded the change of the guard for extreme music, and brought both Amherst, Massachusetts and Hampshire College to the forefront of the scene's attention.- Track...
  
  (1999)
• Orchid
  Orchid (band)
  Orchid was a screamo band from Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Considered by many to be one of the pioneers of the "screamo" sound, Orchid combined this with a post-modern aesthetic, releasing several extended play and splits as well as three LPs...
  
   – Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow!
  Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow!
  Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow! is the second studio album by screamo band Orchid. It was released on 10" vinyl by Ebullition Records. The vinyl press was limited to 3000 copies; 1000 each in Red, Yellow and clear.-Track listing:-Recording Personnel:...
  
  (2000)
• Jeromes Dream – Presents (2001)
• pg.99
  Pg. 99
  Pg. 99 was a screamo band from Sterling, Virginia on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. The band formed as a six-piece in fall 1997 and later expanded to an eight-piece...
  
   – Document #8
  Document 8
  Document #8 is the third studio album by the American screamo band Pg. 99. The album was originally released as a vinyl LP on June 13, 2001 through Robotic Empire, with various versions also be released through Electric Human Project and Scene Police...
  
  (2001)
• Carry On – A Life Less Plagued (2001)
• Isis
  Isis (band)
  Isis was a Los Angeles, California-based post-metal band, founded in Boston, Massachusetts, with a career spanning from 1997 to 2010...
  
   - Mosquito Control
  Mosquito Control
  The Mosquito Control EP is the first studio release by American post-metal band Isis, released in 1998 by Escape Artist. The piece runs fluently through all 29 minutes, and all four songs are linked through consistent bouts of chaos and lyrics glued by the metaphor of insect swarms for the failure...
  
  (2001)
• Eden Maine
  Eden Maine
  Eden Maine were a metalcore/avant garde metal band from Saint Albans, Hertfordshire, England, formed in 1999. As of September 2005, they are on an indefinite hiatus.-Biography:Eden Maine was formed in 1999 by vocalist Adam Symonds and bassist Nick Brown...
  
   – The Treachery Pact (2002)
• Suicide Note
  Suicide note
  A suicide note or death note is a message that states the author has died by suicide, and left to be discovered and read in anticipation of suicide....
  
   – You're Not Looking So Good (2002)
• Ramallah - But a Whimper (2002)
• Cursed
  Cursed (band)
  Cursed was a hardcore punk band featuring former and current members of numerous other Canadian DIY bands spanning from the early 1990s to the present, such as Haymaker, Left for Dead, The Swarm aka Knee Deep in the Dead, Acrid, Ruination, The Black Hand, Countdown to Oblivion, At the Mercy of...
  
   – One
  One (Cursed album)
  I is the debut album by Canadian hardcore punk band Cursed, released on February 25, 2003 via Deathwish, Inc.. It was recorded at Chemical Sound in Toronto ON from October 19 to October 23, 2002. It received moderate critical acclaim...
  
  (2003)
• Beecher – Breaking the Fourth Wall (2003)
• Embrace Today
  Embrace Today
  Embrace Today are an American straight edge metalcore–hardcore punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. They have toured with such bands as Bleeding Through, Champion, Bury Your Dead, Ion Dissonance, Premonitions of War, Since The Flood, and Haste the Day...
  
   – Soldiers (2003)
• Since By Man – We Sing the Body Electric (2003)
• The Static Age
  The Static Age
  The Static Age are an American post punk band originally from Burlington, Vermont consisting primarily of Andrew Paley and Adam Meilleur. The band's name is taken from the Misfits' long-unreleased first album, though the band's sound owes very little to the Misfits.- History :The Static Age began...
  
   – The Past and Now (2003)
• Another Breath – Not Now, Not Ever (2003)
• Examination of the... - "The Whitest of Elephants" (2003)
• Scars Of Tomorrow
  Scars of Tomorrow
  Scars of Tomorrow was a metalcore band out of Orange County, California.-History:Scars of Tomorrow released its first material on Thorp Records, issuing two albums before signing to Victory Records in May 2003. After Victory released the group's third album in February 2004, they toured with Himsa,...
  
   – Rope Tied To The Trigger (2004)
• Breather Resist
  Breather Resist
  -History:Breather Resist formed in 2002 and recorded 8 songs, 4 which were on handmade demos. These 8 songs became their first EP, "Only in the Morning", released on Deathwish, Inc.. Their first LP, Charmer, was released on Jade Tree Records in October 2004, having been produced by Kurt Ballou...
  
   – Charmer (2004)
• The Great Redneck Hope – "Behold The Fuck Thunder" (2004)
• Backstabbers Inc. – Kamikaze Missions (2004)
• Converge
  Converge (band)
  Converge is an American band from Salem, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore punk and metal since 1990, Converge has helped to define many of the elements of the metalcore genre.-Description:...
  
   – You Fail Me
  You Fail Me
  You Fail Me is an album by Massachusetts, USA, band Converge, released on September 20, 2004. It is their first release on Epitaph Records, previously being signed to Equal Vision Records....
  
  (2004)
• Sex Positions – Sex Positions (2004)
• The Power & The Glory – "Call Me Armageddon" (2004)
• Champion
  Champion
  A champion is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition.There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, and even further divisions at one or more of these levels, as in soccer. Their champions...
  
   – Promises Kept (2004)
• Mi Amore – The Lamb (2005)
• Beecher – This Elegy, His Autopsy (2005)
• Converge
  Converge (band)
  Converge is an American band from Salem, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore punk and metal since 1990, Converge has helped to define many of the elements of the metalcore genre.-Description:...
  
   – Petitioning the Empty Sky (Remastered)
  Petitioning the Empty Sky
  Petitioning the Empty Sky is an album by American hardcore punk band Converge. While many sources catalog the release as a studio album, the band considers this a compilation album as it's a collection of songs recorded at different times. It also features both studio recorded tracks among three...
  
  (2005)
• Converge
  Converge (band)
  Converge is an American band from Salem, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore punk and metal since 1990, Converge has helped to define many of the elements of the metalcore genre.-Description:...
  
   – When Forever Comes Crashing (Remastered)
  When Forever Comes Crashing
  When Forever Comes Crashing is the third album by Massachusetts, USA, band Converge. Originally released in 1998, the album was re-issued in 2005 with a bonus track and bonus enhanced material . The album was recorded at God City Studio from 22 December through 3 January 1998...
  
  (2005)
• Transistor Transistor- Erase All Name and Likeness (2005)
• Seventh Star – Brood of Vipers] (2005)
• Modern Life Is War
  Modern Life Is War
  Modern Life Is War , was a Marshalltown, Iowa-based melodic hardcore punk band. They were known for their incendiary live shows and unique take on the melodic hardcore and hardcore sound, usually avoiding standard songs structures and almost entirely abandoning the use of breakdowns...
  
   – Witness (2005)
• Swarm of the Lotus – The Sirens Of Silence (2005)
• Gospel – The Moon Is a Dead World (2005)
• Doomriders
  Doomriders
  Doomriders is a heavy metal band from Boston, Massachusetts. The band has released two albums on Deathwish, Inc. The band's vocalist/guitarist Nate Newton also plays bass in Converge and guitar in Old Man Gloom. Jebb Riley formerly played bass in "There Were Wires". Doomriders have toured with...
  
   – Black Thunder (2005)
• Bleeding Kansas – "Dead Under Decor" (2006)
• Genghis Tron
  Genghis Tron
  Genghis Tron is a three-piece experimental metal band formed in Poughkeepsie, New York, USA, and currently based in Brooklyn, New York and San Francisco, California. Genghis Tron signed to Relapse Records after releasing two recordings on Crucial Blast. The band is noted for its creative...
  
   – Dead Mountain Mouth
  Dead Mountain Mouth
  Dead Mountain Mouth is the debut full-length album by Genghis Tron. It was released on June 6, 2006, on Crucial Blast in CD format, and on June 27, 2006, on Lovepump United in vinyl format...
  
  (2006)
• The Hope Conspiracy
  The Hope Conspiracy
  The Hope Conspiracy is a hardcore punk band from Boston, Massachusetts that formed late 1999. They were picked up by Equal Vision Records and Bridge 9 Records before signing a deal with Deathwish Records.-Biography:...
  
   – Death Knows Your Name
  Death Knows Your Name
  Death Knows Your Name is the third full-length album from hardcore punk band The Hope Conspiracy. It was released September 19, 2006 through Deathwish Inc.-Track listing:# "They Know Not" – 3:35# "Deadtown Nothing" – 2:16...
  
  (2006)
• Converge
  Converge (band)
  Converge is an American band from Salem, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore punk and metal since 1990, Converge has helped to define many of the elements of the metalcore genre.-Description:...
  
   – No Heroes
  No Heroes
  No Heroes is the sixth album by Converge. The album was released on October 24, 2006, on Epitaph Records. By January 11, 2007, it had sold 17,000 copies in the U.S. It peaked at number 151 in the Billboard 200. It topped the Top Heatseekers chart and reached number 13 in the Independent Albums...
  
  (2006)
• Betrayed – Substance (2006)
• Rise and Fall
  Rise and Fall (band)
  Rise and Fall is a Belgian hardcore band. Formed 2002 in the aftermath of Belgian bands The Deal and Kingpin, Rise and Fall have become one of the most successful Belgian hardcore bands ever, among the few signed onto American labels such as Deathwish Inc...
  
   – Into Oblivion (2006)
• Killing The Dream
  Killing the Dream
  Killing the Dream was an American hardcore punk band that formed in 2002 and broke up in 2011. The group signed to Deathwish Inc. in 2004, and released three studio albums through the label: In Place Apart , Fractures and Lucky Me .- History :Killing the Dream formed in Sacramento, California in...
  
   – In Place Apart
  In Place Apart
  In Place Apart is the debut studio album by the American hardcore band Killing the Dream. The album was released on September 13, 2005 through Deathwish Inc....
  
  (2005)
• Blacklisted
  Blacklisted (band)
  Blacklisted was a hardcore band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They have toured North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the UK.-History:...
  
   – Peace on Earth, War on Stage (2007)
• The Freezing Fog
  The Freezing Fog (band)
  The Freezing Fog was a Hard Rock band from Manchester, UK.-Members:* James Longsden - Vocals* Liam Stewart - Guitars* Mark Lyons - Guitars* David Hopkinson - Bass Guitar* Todd Staszko - Drums & Percussion...
  
   – March Forth To Victory 2007
• Trap Them
  Trap Them
  - Description :Trap Them's influences include hardcore punk bands, such as Black Flag, Born Against, and Tragedy; metal bands like Dismember and Entombed , and experimental bands like Swans...
  
   – Sleepwell Deconstructor
  Sleepwell Deconstructor
  Sleepwell Deconstructor is the first album by Trap Them, released on April 3, 2007 on Trash Art!. Like the last recorded output from core members Ryan McKenney and Brian Izzi, Backstabbers Inc's Kamikaze Missions , Sleepwell Deconstructor is produced by Kurt Ballou...
  
  (2007)
• Seventh Star – The Undisputed Truth (2007)
• The Ghost of a Thousand
  The Ghost of a Thousand
  The Ghost Of A Thousand was an English five-piece punk rock band from Brighton, UK.-Career:The Ghost Of A Thousand confirmed on 31 March 2011 that they were as a band after 7 years together. After signing with Undergroove Records in 2007 the band toured extensively, playing alongside Gallows,...
  
   – This is Where the Fight Begins
  This is Where the Fight Begins
  This is Where the Fight Begins is the first full length album by Brighton, UK band The Ghost of a Thousand. The album was released on February 19, 2007 on Undergroove Records. It was given 5K's in the rock magazine Kerrang!...
  
  (2007)
• Animosity
  Animosity (band)
  Animosity was a death metal band from San Francisco, California, formed in 2000. The band released three studio albums and disbanded in 2009.-History:...
  
   – Animal
  Animal (Animosity album)
  #"Terrorstorm" - 3:53#"Tooth Grinder" - 2:54#"Bombs Over Rome" - 2:34#"Evangelicult" - 0:04#"Animal" - 2:44#"Plunder Incorporated" - 2:40#"Operating From The Ditch" - 2:47#"You Can't Win" - 3:47#"Progression in Defeat" - 2:37#"Elucidation" - 0:34...
  
  (2007)
• Coliseum – No Salvation (2007)
• Samsara
  Samsara
  thumb|right|200px|Traditional Tibetan painting or [[Thanka]] showing the [[wheel of life]] and realms of saṃsāraSaṅsāra or Saṃsāra , , literally meaning "continuous flow", is the cycle of birth, life, death, rebirth or reincarnation within Hinduism, Buddhism, Bön, Jainism, Sikhism, and other...
  
   – The Emptiness (2007)
• Trap Them
  Trap Them
  - Description :Trap Them's influences include hardcore punk bands, such as Black Flag, Born Against, and Tragedy; metal bands like Dismember and Entombed , and experimental bands like Swans...
  
   – Séance Prime
  Séance Prime
  Séance Prime is Trap Them's Deathwish Inc. debut, released on October 30, 2007, making it their third release of the year. Like Sleepwell Deconstructor, Séance Prime was produced by Kurt Ballou at Godcity Studios...
  
  (2007)
• I Hate Sally
  I Hate Sally
  I Hate Sally was a four-piece metal/post-hardcore band from Ontario, Canada. It was formed in 2000 in Kingston, Ontario by Marc Garniss, Ben Thomas and Kelly Payne.-Biography:...
  
   – Don't Worry Lady
  Don't Worry Lady
  Don't Worry Lady is the second full length album by the hardcore/thrash band I Hate Sally. The album was released in 2006; shortly after this I Hate Sally was signed to Vagrant Records and the album was re-released for the US and UK in 2007 on the band's second label.-Lyrical Themes:Song titles on...
  
  (2007)
• 108 – A New Beat From A Dead Heart (2007)
• Kruger
  Kruger
  Krüger, Kruger or Krueger without the Umlaut Ü are German surnames originating from Krüger, meaning tavern-keeper in Low Saxon or potter in High German.Notable people with the surname include:- People :* Alan B. Krueger, American economist...
  
   – Redemption Through Looseness (2007)
• The Casual Lean – Swears (2007)
• Disfear
  Disfear
  Disfear is a Swedish D-beat band that formed in the early 1990s. They have only recorded sporadically over the years. After releasing the albums Soul Scars in 1995 and Everyday Slaughter in 1997, the group did not release an album until 2003 with a 12 track album, Misanthropic Generation, featuring...
  
   – Live the Storm
  Live the Storm
  Live the Storm is the sixth album by Swedish hardcore punk/D-beat band Disfear, released on January 22, 2008.-Track listing:#"Get It Off" 3;17#"Fiery Father" 2:39#"Deadweight" 2:52#"The Cage" 4:00#"The Furnace" 4:12#"Live the Storm" 2:19...
  
  (2008)
• Pygmy Lush
  Pygmy Lush
  Pygmy Lush is a band from Sterling, Virginia formed by ex-Pg. 99 members Mike and Chris Taylor and Johnny Ward. Other members include Mike Widman and David Krepinevich, and previous associated acts include City of Caterpillar, Malady, Mannequin, etc.In 2007, they released an album of previously...
  
   – "Mount Hope" (2008)
• Adai
  Adai
  Adai is the name of a Native American people of northwestern Louisiana with a Southeastern culture...
  
  - "...I Carry"(2008)
• Blacklisted
  Blacklisted (band)
  Blacklisted was a hardcore band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They have toured North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the UK.-History:...
  
   – Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God
  Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God
  Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God is a full-length album released by Philadelphia hardcore band Blacklisted on Deathwish Inc. on April 1, 2008...
  
  (2008)
• Elysia
  Elysia (band)
  Elysia was an American deathcore band from Shingle Springs, California. Originally called Elysium's Revenge, the band was started in 2003 while the members were just freshmen and sophomores in high school. Since 2003, they have released two EPs and one full-length album, and have completed two US...
  
   – Lion of Judas
  Lion of Judas
  Lion of Judas is the second and final album by deathcore band Elysia. The album has a large change in style compared to the band's previous album, drawing heavy influence from Converge, Botch, and Cave In. It was released on June 10, 2008 on Ferret Records...
  
   (2008)
• Genghis Tron
  Genghis Tron
  Genghis Tron is a three-piece experimental metal band formed in Poughkeepsie, New York, USA, and currently based in Brooklyn, New York and San Francisco, California. Genghis Tron signed to Relapse Records after releasing two recordings on Crucial Blast. The band is noted for its creative...
  
   – Board Up the House
  Board Up the House
  Board Up the House is the second full-length album by the experimental metal band Genghis Tron. The album was recorded and mixed at Godcity Studio from August 29 to September 21, 2007, in Salem, Massachusetts, by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou. It was mastered at New Alliance East by Nick Zampiello...
  
  (2008)
• Dead or American
  Dead or American
  Dead or American is an alternative rock band from Stirling, Scotland, formed in January 2000. They are also frequently referred to as "DorA".- History :...
  
   – Thaumaturgy (2008)
• Torche
  Torche
  Torche is a band from Miami, Florida, whose sound is often described as stoner metal, or sludge metal.-Biography:The group was formed in 2004 by Steve Brooks , Juan Montoya , Jonathan Nuñez and Rick Smith Torche is a band from Miami, Florida, whose sound is often described as stoner metal, or...
  
   – Meanderthal (2008)
• Transistor Transistor – Ruined Lives (2008)
• Stray From The Path – Villains (2008)
• Misery Index
  Misery Index (band)
  Misery Index is an American deathgrind band formed in 2001 in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, by Jason Netherton on vocals and bass guitar, Mike Harrison on vocals and guitar, and Kevin Talley on drums. From 2006-2010, its line-up consisted of Netherton on vocals and bass guitar, Sparky Voyles...
  
   – Traitors
  Traitors (album)
  Traitors is the third studio album by American deathgrind band Misery Index. It was engineered and produced by Kurt Ballou and released through Relapse Records on September 30, 2008...
  
  (2008)
• Argument 5.45 – Thousands of Birds (2008)
• Have Heart
  Have Heart
  Have Heart was a straight-edge hardcore band, formed in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 2002. The band recorded a demo that was released in 2003. In 2004, they released the What Counts EP , with their debut full-length, The Things We Carry arriving in 2006...
  
   – Songs To Scream At The Sun (2008)
• La Crisi
  La Crisi
  La Crisi is an Italian hardcore band started in 2003 by Mayo, ex-singer of Sottopressione. They released their first self-titled album in 2005 which was followed by atour in the U.S....
  
   – II – Tutti A Pezzi (2008)
• Trap Them
  Trap Them
  - Description :Trap Them's influences include hardcore punk bands, such as Black Flag, Born Against, and Tragedy; metal bands like Dismember and Entombed , and experimental bands like Swans...
  
   – Seizures in Barren Praise
  Seizures in Barren Praise
  Seizures in Barren Praise is the 2nd full length album by extreme metal band, Trap Them. It was released on November 11, 2008. It continues the days in a now non-linear fashion in the fictional area of Barren Praise.-Track listing:All tracks by Brian Vincent Izzi & Ryan...
  
  (2008)
• the_Network – Bishop Kent Manning (2008)
• Young Widows – Old Wounds (2008)
• Buried Inside
  Buried Inside (band)
  Buried Inside, formed in 1997, was a band from Ottawa, Canada.They were influenced by early metalcore and hardcore punk bands such as Acme, One Eyed God Prophecy, Drift, and Union of Uranus...
  
   – Spoils of Failure
  Spoils of Failure
  Spoils of Failure is the fourth release overall and second full length album by Canadian band Buried Inside.-Track listing:# "I" - 6:54# "II" - 3:57# "III" - 11:27# "IV" - 6:07# "V" - 6:17# "VI" - 6:24# "VII" - 6:30# "VIII" - 6:39-Credits:...
  
  (2009)
• Rise and Fall
  Rise and Fall (band)
  Rise and Fall is a Belgian hardcore band. Formed 2002 in the aftermath of Belgian bands The Deal and Kingpin, Rise and Fall have become one of the most successful Belgian hardcore bands ever, among the few signed onto American labels such as Deathwish Inc...
  
   – Our Circle is Vicious (2009)
• Magrudergrind
  Magrudergrind
  Magrudergrind is an American powerviolence and grindcore band formed in 2002. They have released numerous splits and two full length albums. Since its inception the band has toured Europe and North America multiple times, Puerto Rico, Japan, and South East Asia, along with Misery Index, Unholy...
  
   – Magrudergrind (2009)
• Doomriders
  Doomriders
  Doomriders is a heavy metal band from Boston, Massachusetts. The band has released two albums on Deathwish, Inc. The band's vocalist/guitarist Nate Newton also plays bass in Converge and guitar in Old Man Gloom. Jebb Riley formerly played bass in "There Were Wires". Doomriders have toured with...
  
   – Darkness Come Alive (2009)
• The Hope Conspiracy
  The Hope Conspiracy
  The Hope Conspiracy is a hardcore punk band from Boston, Massachusetts that formed late 1999. They were picked up by Equal Vision Records and Bridge 9 Records before signing a deal with Deathwish Records.-Biography:...
  
   – True Nihilist (2009)
• Converge
  Converge (band)
  Converge is an American band from Salem, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore punk and metal since 1990, Converge has helped to define many of the elements of the metalcore genre.-Description:...
  
   – Axe to Fall
  Axe to Fall
  Axe to Fall is the seventh studio album released by American metalcore band Converge. It was released on October 20, 2009 through Epitaph Records and was released later on in the year through Deathwish Inc. as a vinyl record. It is their most commercially successful to date, peaking at number 74 in...
  
  (2009)
• Paint It Black
  Paint It Black (band)
  Paint It Black is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based modern hardcore punk band. Their music is often described as melodic hardcore, characterized by fast tempos, catchy melodies and emotionally charged vocals delivered via shouting and singing...
  
   – Amnesia
  Amnesia (EP)
  Amnesia is the first EP from Philadelphia's Paint It Black. It was released by Bridge 9 Records on June 16, 2009. It was released as a 7" single and a digital download...
  
  (2009)
• Paint It Black
  Paint It Black (band)
  Paint It Black is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based modern hardcore punk band. Their music is often described as melodic hardcore, characterized by fast tempos, catchy melodies and emotionally charged vocals delivered via shouting and singing...
  
   – Surrender
  Surrender (EP)
  Surrender is the second EP from Philadelphia's Paint It Black. It was released by Fat Wreck Chords on August 18, 2009. It was released as a 7" single and a digital download...
  
  (2009)
• Black Breath
  Black Breath (band)
  Black Breath is a band from Bellingham, Washington who moved to Seattle. They play death and thrash metal influenced hardcore and share members with the pop punk band Shook Ones and the hardcore band Go It Alone.- History :...
  
   – Heavy Breathing (2010)
• Trap Them
  Trap Them
  - Description :Trap Them's influences include hardcore punk bands, such as Black Flag, Born Against, and Tragedy; metal bands like Dismember and Entombed , and experimental bands like Swans...
  
   – Filth Rations (2010)
• Kvelertak
  Kvelertak
  Kvelertak is a six-piece rock & roll band from Stavanger, Norway. All lyrics are written in Norwegian, the band's native language, and concerning Norse mythology/Viking folklore...
  
   – Kvelertak
  Kvelertak (album)
  Kvelertak is the eponymous debut album by the Norwegian band Kvelertak, released June 21, 2010 through Indie Recordings. The album was released in North America on March 15, 2011 through The End Records with six bonus tracks—four live recordings from the group's BBC sessions and two demo...
  
  (2010)
• Nails – Unsilent Death (2010)
• You are in my September! – To The Open Hearts (2010)
• 108
  108 (band)
  108 is an American hardcore band founded in 1991. Their music reflected the Hare Krishna faith of its members. Their name comes from the number of beads on the Japa mala, or mantra counting beads.- History :...
  
   – 18.61
  18.61
  18.61 is the fifth studio album by American hardcore punk band 108. It is also the second studio album released after reforming in 2005; the first of which being 2007's A New Beat from a Dead Heart. The album was the first to be recorded with drummer Michael Justian, formerly of Trap Them and Unearth...
  
  (2010)
• The Secret – Solve et Coagula (2010)
• All Pigs Must Die – "All Pigs Must Die" (2010)
• Pettybone – "From Desperate Times Comes Radicial Minds"(2010)
• SEVEN7STEPS – "The Day The War Is Over" (2011)
• Pneu – Highway To Health (2011)
• KEN mode
  KEN mode
  KEN mode is a Canadian metallic hardcore-influenced noise rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba that was formed in September 1999.-History:...
  
   – Venerable
  Venerable (album)
  - Track listing :All lyrics written by Jesse Matthewson, all music written by KEN mode except "Flight of the Echo Hawk" co-written by KEN mode and Jahmeel Russell.# "Book of Muscle" – 3:28# "Obeying the Iron Will..." – 4:26# "Batholith" – 3:33...
  
  (2011)
• Trap Them
  Trap Them
  - Description :Trap Them's influences include hardcore punk bands, such as Black Flag, Born Against, and Tragedy; metal bands like Dismember and Entombed , and experimental bands like Swans...
  
   – Darker Handcraft
  Darker Handcraft
  Darker Handcraft is the third studio album by the American rock band Trap Them. The album was first released in a vinyl LP format on March 1, 2011 and on CD and digital formats two weeks later on March 15, 2011 through Prosthetic Records. It's also the group's first release through Prosthetic after...
  
  (2011)
• Pygmy Lush
  Pygmy Lush
  Pygmy Lush is a band from Sterling, Virginia formed by ex-Pg. 99 members Mike and Chris Taylor and Johnny Ward. Other members include Mike Widman and David Krepinevich, and previous associated acts include City of Caterpillar, Malady, Mannequin, etc.In 2007, they released an album of previously...
  
   – "Old Friends" (2011)
• All Pigs Must Die - "God Is War" (2011)
• Jesuit
  Jesuit (band)
  Jesuit was an American rock band from Virginia Beach, Virginia.- History :Jesuit formed in 1995 with drummer J. How, bassist Brett Matthews, and guitarists Nate Newton and Kelly Posadas. In 1996 the group released a self-titled 7" vinyl EP produced by Kurt Ballou through Reservoir Records...
  
   – Discography
  Discography (Jesuit album)
  Discography is a compilation album released by the American rock band Jesuit. Released on April 12, 2011 through Magic Bullet Records, the compilation features every song ever recorded by the hardcore punk group during their brief tenure in the mid 1990s...
  
  (2011)
• Argument 5.45 - "Atavism" (2011)
• Trenchfoot – Trenchfoot (2011)
• Black Cobra - Invernal (2011)
• The Fear and Trembling - This Old Earthquake (2011)
• Today is the Day
  Today is the Day
  Today Is the Day is an experimental noise rock/metal/grindcore band from Nashville, Tennessee. They have a diverse sound that includes influences from alternative rock, grindcore, & progressive rock among other genres...
  
  - Pain is a Warning (2011)

External links

• Airbornmag.com Interview (December 2007 Interview with UK-based music/sports website Airbornmag.com)
• Interview with Kurt Ballow
• Kurt Ballou interview
• First Act website (includes a page on his custom "Sheena" guitar)
• AMP magazine website (Kurt contributes an article to this page, entitled "Tech Talk")
• Kurt's Rickenbacker 650A review (Harmony Central)