Dark Sermon | |
|---|---|
_2012_member_lineup.jpg) Dark Sermon in 2012, left to right: Bryson St. Angelo (drums), Austin Good (guitar),Johnny Crowder (vocals), Austin Chandler (bass) and Neal Minor (guitar). | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Tampa, Florida |
| Genres | Blackened death metal,deathcore,melodic death metal[1] |
| Years active | 2009–2017 |
| Labels | Good Fight Entertainment,eOne Music,Nuclear Blast Records |
| Past members | Johnny Crowder Austin Good Neal Minor Paul Stellmach Jordan Jensen Evan Miller Bryson St. Angelo Austin Chandler |
| Website | Dark Sermon onFacebook |
Dark Sermon was an Americanblackened death metal band fromTampa, Florida. The band was formed in 2009 under the name "In Reference to a Sinking Ship" and later changed their name to "Dark Sermon" in 2012. The band went on an indefinite hiatus in 2017.
Dark Sermon was formed in early 2009 in Tampa, Florida as In Reference To A Sinking Ship (IRTASS) by Austin Good, Bryson St. Angelo, Evan Miller, Austin Chandler, andJohnny Crowder. As teenagers, the band released a demo in 2009 and their first EP,Aimless, in 2010. Both were received well by many underground blogs and publications such as Duckcore, Total Deathcore, Chugcore, and thelastdisaster. As an unsigned band, they drew national attention to the Tampa scene and shared the stage with bands such asObscura,[2]Evergreen Terrace,Stick To Your Guns,Norma Jean, andShai Hulud,[3] as well as playing the 2010 editions of theSummer Slaughter Tour andVans Warped Tour.[4] This immediate success in the Tampa metal scene led them to their first tours in early 2012 withKing Conquer, Forty Winters, and Abiotic.[5]
The band changed its name to Dark Sermon in 2012. In an online interview, vocalist Johnny Crowder discussed the band's reasoning for a name change:"There are a lot of reasons why we changed our name. A six-word band name is too much. It's hard to remember, and I feel like people weren't taking us as seriously as they should. Our music and our name didn't match. People would see our name and scoff, but then we'd play and then they'd say, 'Oh, why is that band called that?' I feel like our new name represents our sound much better."[6]
Following their name change, the band toured for the first time as Dark Sermon for several tours with King Conquer, The World We Knew,Sirens and Sailors, and Abiotic. Music videos were shot for two upcoming singles, "In Tongues"[7] and "Hounds",[8] that would eventually make their way onto their debut album. On November 12, 2012, Dark Sermon announced that they had signed a worldwide deal with eOne Music and would be releasing their new album the following year.[9] The band ended that year with a last-minute slot to play Barge to Hell, an extreme metal boat cruise, from December 3–7, 2012, playing with bands such asAt The Gates,Exodus,Sepultura,Vital Remains,Soilwork, and more.[10]
The band announced that their debut albumIn Tongues would be released on March 26, 2013 through eOne Music in North America.[11] They also signed a deal with Nuclear Blast Records to release their record through Europe on April 12, 2013.[12] The band released the first new single off of their upcoming album, "Imperfect Contrition" on March 5, 2013.[13] The band toured throughout North America in 2013, including their first visits to Canada in March 2013.[14]
In 2014, the band announced a U.S headlining tour as well as the news of a brand new single. They released "Starve," the first single from their to-be-released second album on June 18, 2014. Following this tour, the band took some time off to work on the new album. This was followed by a fall tour with Suffokate, Reformers, Blood of the Martyrs, and Colossus. The band continued to complete their new album for the next few months and it was slated for a 2015 release.[citation needed]
Dark Sermon was later announced as a last-minute addition to70000 Tons of Metal from January 22–26, 2015; a four-day cruise with over 60 bands which featured acts such asCannibal Corpse,Napalm Death,Venom,Behemoth, andArch Enemy.[15] This was followed by a couple of announcements for back-to-back tours withSworn Enemy /Wretched andAborted /Fit For An Autopsy /Archspire. On May 28, it was announced by the band that their new album,The Oracle, would be released on August 21, 2015 through eOne Music.[16]
The band toured and released several singles in support ofThe Oracle. The first music video off of the album was filmed for the single "Rat King" and was released on September 8, 2015.[17] Dark Sermon spent the fall on tour supportingCattle Decapitation throughout North America and released a second music video for the song "The Eyeless Needle."[18]
Following the release ofThe Oracle, Dark Sermon's touring cycle continued throughout North America well into 2016 in support of major metal acts likeThy Art Is Murder,Rings of Saturn, andRivers of Nihil. This cycle also included a full US headlining tour with support from Canadian hardcore band Exalt.[citation needed]
In 2017, vocalist Johnny Crowder announced that Dark Sermon would go on hiatus indefinitely due to the fulfillment of their contracts with eOne and Nuclear Blast along with multiple members retiring from touring altogether. At the same time as the announcement, Crowder formed a new band,Prison.[19]
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| Title | Year | Director | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "In Tongues" | 2012 | Jeffrey Moore | In Tongues |
| "Hounds" | 2013 | Kevin J. Custer | In Tongues |
| "Rat King" | 2015 | Joey Durango | The Oracle |
| "The Eyeless Needle" | 2015 | Joey Durango | The Oracle |
| International | |
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