Backstabbers Incorporated

Lore & Background

Backstabbers Incorporated began as Life Passed On in the late nineties, formed by Matt Serven and Ryan McKenney. In 2000, a lineup change prompted the name change to Backstabbers Incorporated, and Brian Serven joined around that time. The band released their first album, Bare as Bones, in 2003 on Black Market Activities, followed by Kamikaze Missions in 2004 on Trash Art! Records. They also issued several EPs and splits, including the 2000 EP Evolution on Cadmium Sick Records and a 2003 split with multiple bands on Broken Press.

The band toured the US multiple times, including a short tour in January 2005 and an extensive East Coast tour from October to December 2005. In 2006, they toured Europe during August and September. After a short tour in March 2008 around Dudefest, the band became largely inactive. On August 24, 2010, they announced via Facebook that a new full-length would be released on Black Market Activities. That album, Missing In Action, came out on January 1, 2014. In spring 2015, the band re-emerged with another lineup change and a brief East Coast/Midwestern tour.

Reader's Guide

Backstabbers Incorporated occupy a notable place in the early 2000s hardcore scene, bridging punk and extreme metal. Their music, typically described as hardcore and punk, incorporated grindcore, crossover thrash, post-hardcore, and death metal, using varied vocal styles from high-pitched screams to deep growls. Early releases were direct and stripped-down, while later work like Kamikaze Missions expanded into longer song structures with a broader range of influences. The band was sometimes tied to straight edge culture because the Serven brothers avoided drugs and alcohol and were vegan, but they emphasized these were personal choices, not subcultural affiliations. Their legacy includes a dedicated following in DIY circles and a discography that reflects the evolution of hardcore in the 2000s, though the band has been largely inactive since 2008, with only brief re-emergences in 2014 and 2015.

Did You Know?

• The band was originally called Life Passed On before changing to Backstabbers Incorporated in 2000.
• Brian Serven cited film composers Michael Nyman and Yann Tiersen as influences.
• The band's 2014 album Missing In Action was described as 'a raw, stripped down, claustrophobic Hardcore record.'
• The Serven brothers were vegan and did not use drugs or alcohol, but stated these were personal choices, not tied to straight edge subculture.

Origins & Lineup Evolution

Backstabbers Incorporated traces its roots to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where guitarist Matt Serven and vocalist Ryan McKenney began playing together under the name Life Passed On in the late 1990s. A significant lineup shift in 2000 led the group to rebrand as Backstabbers Incorporated, a name that would carry them through the rest of their career. Around that same period, Brian Serven stepped in to handle bass, guitar, and additional vocal duties, a role he would maintain until 2018. Over the years the band cycled through numerous members: bassists Sean McAlister, Nick Reddy, and Anthony Ruscio; drummers Jonah Livingston, Mike Quinn, and Matt Dunn; and guitarists Brian Izzi and Mike Justian. The current roster includes Matt Serven on guitar and vocals, Mark Richards, Anthony Ruscio on bass, and Mark Blanchard on drums. This constant rotation of personnel reflects the fluid, DIY spirit of the New Hampshire hardcore scene from which the group emerged.

Musical Style & Sonic Identity

While punk and hardcore serve as the broadest labels for Backstabbers Incorporated, their actual sound draws from a considerably wider palette. Grindcore, crossover thrash, post-hardcore, and death metal all leave fingerprints on their recordings, and the band's vocal approach—shifting between high-pitched screaming and deeper growls—helps them straddle both hardcore and metal audiences. Their earlier material is generally characterized as more direct and stripped-down, whereas later records such as Kamikaze Missions reveal a noticeable expansion: longer song structures and a more diverse array of extreme metal and hardcore influences woven throughout. Interestingly, Brian Serven has pointed to film composers Michael Nyman and Yann Tiersen as creative influences, suggesting a sensitivity to atmosphere and texture that extends beyond conventional hardcore. The band is occasionally associated with straight edge culture because the Servens refrain from drugs and alcohol and follow a vegan diet, but they have made clear that these are personal lifestyle choices rather than an allegiance to any youth-oriented subculture.

Discography & Label Relationships

Backstabbers Incorporated built their catalog across a mix of established and independent imprints. Their debut full-length, Bare as Bones, arrived in 2003 on Black Market Activities, a label distributed through Metal Blade, while the following year's Kamikaze Missions was issued on Trash Art! Records. Before those albums, the band put out a self-released demo tape and a series of EPs: Evolution on Cadmium Sick Records (2000), While You Were Sleeping on Trash Art! (2001), and Theory/History on Element Records (2002). They also participated in split releases, including a 7-inch with Advocate titled Bad Cop, No Cop on Black Day Propaganda (2001) and a multi-band compilation, People Don't Take Photographs of Things They Want to Forget, alongside Advocate, Trap Them & Kill Them, Purity's Failure, and Transistor Transistor on Broken Press (2003). After a long gap, the band self-released Missing In Action on January 1, 2014, describing it as a raw, stripped-down, claustrophobic hardcore record. In August 2010 they had announced via Facebook that another full-length was in the works for Black Market Activities.

Touring & Activity Timeline

Backstabbers Incorporated maintained a steady touring presence through the mid-2000s, hitting the road on several US runs. A brief tour took place in January 2005, followed by a more extensive East Coast tour spanning October through December of that year. The following summer saw the band cross the Atlantic, performing a European tour during August and September 2006. Their last notable live outing came in March 2008, a short run centered around the Dudefest festival, after which the group largely fell silent. A quiet period of inactivity stretched for several years, broken only by an August 2010 Facebook announcement about a forthcoming album. The band's return to recording materialized on January 1, 2014, with the release of Missing In Action, a deliberately raw and claustrophobic record. In the spring of 2015, Backstabbers Incorporated re-emerged with yet another lineup change and undertook a brief East Coast and Midwestern tour, keeping their live presence alive in a low-key fashion.