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Mike D'Antonio | |
|---|---|
 D'Antonio with Killswitch Engage in 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Michael D'Antonio |
| Born | May 19, 1973 Mexico |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Bassist |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Member of | |
Michael D'Antonio (born May 19, 1973) is an American musician, best known as the bass guitarist and founder of the metalcore band Killswitch Engage. He is also the founder and bassist of the bands Overcast and Death Ray Vision.
D'Antonio's writing influences include old New York Hardcore bands like Cro-Mags, Leeway, Madball and Agnostic Front, and he cites Cliff Burton of thrash metal band Metallica and Harley Flanagan of the Cro-Mags as personal influences.
D'Antonio formed the band Killswitch Engage after the demise of his band Overcast in 1998.
All of Killswitch Engage's album artwork and tour merchandise is designed by D'Antonio, who is a graphic artist. D'Antonio's company, DarkicoN design, produces artwork for bands such as Shadows Fall, Unearth, All That Remains, New England Metal and Hardcore Fest and Crowbar. [1]
D'Antonio's latest side project band is Death Ray Vision. [2]
D'Antonio uses his signature Ibanez basses and an EBS bass rig.
Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbanding of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, bassist Mike D'Antonio, and drummer Justin Foley. The band has released eight studio albums and three live performance albums. Their eighth studio album, Atonement, was released on August 16, 2019.
Alive or Just Breathing is the second studio album by American metalcore band Killswitch Engage. It was released on May 21, 2002, through Roadrunner Records. Alive or Just Breathing was Killswitch Engage's first album on Roadrunner and was recorded from October 2001 to February 2002. Produced by drummer and guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, this was the band's first album on a major label, which prompted them to write and record the album to the best of their abilities. Alive or Just Breathing has been viewed as a landmark album in the metalcore genre and was well praised upon its release by fans and critics. The lyrics, which were all written by vocalist Jesse Leach, were intended to bring a positive message through the music.
Metalcore 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 of breakdowns, slow, intense passages conducive to moshing. Other defining instrumental qualities include heavy riffs and stop-start rhythm guitar playing, occasional blast beats, and double bass drumming. Vocalists in the genre typically use thrash or scream vocals. Some later metalcore bands combine this with clean singing, often during the chorus. Death growls and gang vocals are common. 1990s metalcore bands were inspired by hardcore while later metalcore bands were inspired by melodic death metal bands like At the Gates and In Flames.
The End of Heartache is the third studio album by American metalcore band Killswitch Engage. It was released on May 11, 2004, through Roadrunner Records. It is the first album to feature lead vocalist Howard Jones and drummer Justin Foley. It received positive acclaim from critics.
Killswitch Engage is the debut studio album by American metalcore band Killswitch Engage, released July 4, 2000 through Ferret Music. The album is the only release ever by Killswitch Engage to be released through Ferret, the band would later be signed to Roadrunner Records, where their follow-up LP, Alive or Just Breathing was released. The band's debut is considered to be one of the first ever successful albums in the metalcore genre, garnering a re-release five years after its original pressing. No songs in the album were released as singles.
Jesse David Leach is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist of the metalcore band Killswitch Engage. He is also a vocalist for Times of Grace and The Weapon. Leach co-founded Killswitch Engage in 1999, but left the band in 2002; in February 2012, he rejoined the group following the departure of vocalist Howard Jones. He currently resides in the Catskill Mountains in New York. He is devoted Christian.
Brian James Fair is an American musician from Massachusetts, best known as lead vocalist of the metalcore band Shadows Fall. He graduated from Milford High School in 1993, and went on to study literature at Boston University.
The New England Metal and Hardcore Festival was an annual festival held in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. It was a weekend-long concert of heavy metal and hardcore punk bands along with a merchandising and promotional area for record labels and other vendors. It had been held in the Worcester Palladium since its inception in 1999.
This Darkened Heart is the second studio album by the metalcore band All That Remains, released on March 23, 2004. It includes the singles "This Darkened Heart", "Tattered on My Sleeve" and "The Deepest Gray", all three of which had music videos created for them. The album was produced by Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, who previously produced the band's debut.
Unearth is an American metalcore band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1998. The group consists of vocalist Trevor Phipps, guitarist Buz McGrath, bassist Chris O'Toole and drummer Mike Justian. They are currently signed to Century Media Records and have released eight studio albums. Their most recent studio album, The Wretched; The Ruinous, was released on May 5, 2023.
Blood Has Been Shed was an American metalcore band based in Granby, Connecticut. The band came together in 1997 and has featured members of Killswitch Engage, Diecast, Light the Torch, Red Tide, Terror, Walls of Jericho, Bury Your Dead and The Acacia Strain. Blood Has Been Shed has released three full-length albums—I Dwell on Thoughts of You (1998), Novella of Uriel (2001) and Spirals (2003)—and was signed to Ferret Music and Roadrunner Records. The band was a frequent performer at metal festivals Hellfest and the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival.
Harley Francis Flanagan is an American musician. He is the founder of New York hardcore band Cro-Mags.
Josh Rand is an American musician best known as the rhythm guitarist of the band Stone Sour.
Melodic metalcore is a fusion genre, incorporating elements of melodic death metal and metalcore; it has a heavy emphasis on melodic instrumentation, distorted guitar tones, palm muting, double bass drumming, blast beats, metalcore-stylized breakdowns, aggressive screaming, death growls, and clean singing. The genre has seen commercial success for employing a more accessible sound at times compared to other forms of extreme music. Many notable melodic metalcore bands have been influenced by At the Gates and In Flames.
Killswitch Engage is the fifth studio album by American metalcore band Killswitch Engage. It was released on June 30, 2009 through Roadrunner Records. It is the band's second album to be self-titled, the first being their debut album. It was produced by Adam Dutkiewicz and Brendan O'Brien. The album's reception from critics and fans has been mixed, with praise for Howard Jones's vocals and criticism of Dutkiewicz's and O'Brien's production and the album's reliance on formula.
Overcast was an American metalcore band that started in the early 1990s, but broke up in 1998 after an unsuccessful tour. The band is often regarded as pioneers of metalcore.
Disarm the Descent is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band Killswitch Engage. The album was released on April 2, 2013, under Roadrunner Records. It is the band's first album with Jesse Leach on vocals since 2002's Alive or Just Breathing. Killswitch Engage announced the return of Leach in January 2012, after vocalist Howard Jones parted ways with the group due to illness. The album received generally positive reception from professional critics.
Death Ray Vision is an American hardcore punk band from Massachusetts. The band includes members and former members of the bands Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, Cannae, Seemless, and Overcast.
Beatdown hardcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk with prominent elements of heavy metal. Beatdown hardcore features aggressive vocals, down-tuned electric guitars, gang vocals, heavy guitar riffs, and heavy breakdowns. The genre emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s with bands such as Killing Time, Madball, and Sheer Terror. In the mid-late 1990s and early 2000s, many other beatdown bands emerged, such as Hatebreed, Bulldoze, Shai Hulud, and Strife. Bands such as Terror and Death Before Dishonor gained cult followings in the mid–late 2000s. New York hardcore bands such as Agnostic Front, Warzone, Sick of It All, and Cro-Mags and the thrash metal subgenre crossover thrash paved the way for beatdown.
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