Abriel (band)

Overview

Originally called From Emperor to Citizen, Abriel was formed at the end of 2008 in San Francisco. Guitarists Sean Hartman and Tim Wrobel, originally from Fortuna, California, had moved to San Francisco in August 2007 with a set of songs ready to start a band. After a year of auditions for drummers and vocalists, they found Alexa Rae, a native of Boston, Massachusetts, who could both sing and scream. The band then adopted the name Abriel.

A two-song demo was recorded, and the first single, "Show Em' Your Hips", was released that December. At that time the band lacked a drummer, so Hartman played drums for the first two shows and on recordings. The first show with a full lineup—Alex Greenling on drums and Paul Littler on bass—was a San Francisco battle of the bands in January 2009, which Abriel won. The band then headlined a West Coast tour, attracting attention and earning a slot on the 2009 Vans Warped Tour alongside acts such as A Day to Remember, Chiodos, The Devil Wears Prada, and Thrice.

After the 2009 Warped Tour, Abriel went underground following the departure of its drummer and bassist. The band reemerged in May 2010 after being invited to play the main stage at California Metalfest in Pomona with Bleeding Through. That performance revived the band and drew interest from record labels including Century Media Records and Victory Records. Despite having only a vocalist and two guitarists, the group decided to record an album.

They chose up-and-coming metal producer Max Karon to work at his studio in Emeryville, California; Karon also played bass on the album and programmed drums written by himself and Sean Hartman. After the album was finished, drummer Chad Evans joined, and Karon performed bass on tour that year. The album, "This Will Swallow You Whole", was released on August 19, 2010, with a CD release party at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco. Evans left the band at the end of the year for personal reasons, and the group then went on hiatus despite having just released its debut album.