North Carolina band emerged in the mid-2000s with a blistering though surprisingly buoyant hybrid of metalcore and screamo before shifting into tones of rugged stoner metal and psych-infused hard rock. Signing with the Tragic Hero label for 2009's , they became a consistent presence on the back half of the Billboard 200. Critically lauded releases like 2014's and 2019's further bolstered their reputation as a creative, if underrated powerhouse. They returned in 2022 with their seventh long-player, .

The band formed in 2003 as its members were graduating from high school in Wilmington, North Carolina. Singer , lead guitarist , rhythm guitarist , bassist , and drummer cycled through a variety of band names and musical approaches before establishing themselves as . After a self-released demo, A Kiss That Killed the One We Love (No One Wins), the band signed with the small indie label Tribunal Records to release their first EP, 91025, in the summer of 2004. Following that, signed with the more established label Solid State Records to release their full-length debut, , later that same year. After a two-year break during which they released a split EP, Black Unicorn, with the Chapel Hill band , issued their second full-length, , in the fall of 2006. Guitarist left the group shortly after its release and was replaced first by axeman Mitch Marlow, then in 2007 by Worth Weaver. In May 2009 the band issued the single "The Primarily Blues," in anticipation of the release of their third studio long-player , which dropped later that July.

Following a two year hiatus, returned in 2011 for a reunion show in their hometown of Wilmington. More lineup changes followed, with drummer Steve Bache leaving the fold to be replaced by Sam Huff. In 2014's , their fourth LP, the band achieved a creative, if not commercial breakthrough, earning critical acclaim from a number of prominent publications. Like its two predecessors, it made it to the upper reaches of the Billboard 200, serving the group's die-hard fan base. Having completed their Tragic Hero contract, moved over to which released 2017's , the band's first entirely crowd-funded record. It marked the first appearance for drummer Jesse Shelley who replace Huff a year prior. For 2019's highly rated , a conceptual effort inspired by Michelle McNamara's best-selling true crime memoir I'll Be Gone in the Dark, they dug into the dankest, grubbiest corners of L.A. to tell the gnarly, sweaty tale. A three-year gap preceded the November 2022 release of 's seventh album, . ~ Stewart Mason & Timothy Monger

Credits for He Is Legend