Abandon All Ships

Lore & Background

Abandon All Ships was founded in 2006 in Toronto, originally playing covers of Norma Jean songs. The core members attended Dante Alighieri Academy, including vocalist Angelo Aita, keyboardist Sebastian Cassisi-Nunez, and original guitarist David Stephens. After releasing demos online in 2008, they gained exposure through MuchMusic's Disband and released their self-titled EP in 2009. The band's early material contained Christian themes, but they were not a Christian band, as their use of profanity and suggestive lyrics clarified.

Reader's Guide

Abandon All Ships was a significant act in the late 2000s and early 2010s electronicore scene, blending post-hardcore with EDM influences. Their debut album Geeving achieved chart success in Canada and the US, and its title track won Best Rock Video at the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards. The band experienced frequent lineup changes, with members leaving and returning, including the Paiano brothers and guitarist Kyler Browne. Despite disbanding in 2014, they reunited in 2016 for a Geeving anniversary show and released new singles. Their legacy includes influencing the fusion of electronic dance music with heavy genres, though they remained a niche act.

Did You Know?

• The band's name 'Geeving' was taken from an Urban Dictionary definition meaning 'Couldn't care less. Don't give a shit. Leave me alone. Fuck off.'
• Their song 'Guardian Angel' features Lena Katina from the Russian band t.A.T.u.
• The band's debut album Geeving peaked at number 16 on the US Heatseekers Albums chart.
• After the breakup, some members formed a new band called Sine of the Lion.

From Eighth-Grade Garage to the Disband Spotlight

Abandon All Ships trace their origins to 2006 in Toronto, where a group of eighth-graders playing screamo and pop-punk covers of Norma Jean songs began to coalesce. Most of the original members were classmates at Dante Alighieri Academy, including vocalist Angelo Aita, keyboardist Sebastian Cassisi-Nunez, and guitarist David Stephens, while friends Martin Broda and Francesco Pallotta rounded out the lineup on bass and drums. After a brief stint with rhythm guitarist Nick Fiorini in 2007, the group uploaded four demo tracks online by 2008 and quickly gained traction in Toronto's local scene, opening for acts like Blessed by a Broken Heart and Silverstein. A pivotal moment arrived when MuchMusic's Canadian show Disband featured the band, propelling them beyond Ontario's borders. Their self-titled EP landed on February 24, 2009, followed by a tour dubbed Drop Your Pants and Dance alongside These Silhouettes and Hometown Beatdown. Early material carried Christian-tinged themes that led some listeners to mislabel the group as a Christian band, though their heavy use of profanity and suggestive lyrics quickly dispelled that assumption.

Geeving: Signing, Recording, and Breaking Through

Late 2009 brought significant personnel shifts as David Stephens and Francesco Pallotta departed, replaced by Kyler Browne on lead guitar and Daniel Paiano—Andrew Paiano's brother—on drums. The following January saw the band lock in deals with Underground Operations domestically, alongside Rise Records and its Velocity Records imprint in the United States. Writing their debut studio album began in earnest, and the group hit the road with Protest the Hero, Hawthorne Heights, and Elias on the Snocore Tour in March 2010, then with Silverstein, Miss May I, and The Devil Wears Prada in May. Recording sessions with engineer Anthony Cali and producer Mark Spicoluk were interrupted when the band joined A Skylit Drive on a U.S. tour just three weeks in, with guitarist Andrew Paiano handling the mixing himself. The first single, "Take One Last Breath," dropped on June 29, 2010, peaking at number five on Canadian rock charts. The album Geeving—named after an Urban Dictionary phrase expressing total indifference—was released October 12, 2010, reaching number 27 on the Canadian Albums Chart and number 16 on the US Heatseekers. The track "Geeving" earned Best Rock Video at the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards.

A Revolving Door: Infamous and the Paiano Exodus

The period surrounding Infamous was defined by relentless turnover. In January 2011, Kyler Browne exited and was succeeded by Daniel Ciccotelli on lead guitar. Then on July 14, 2011, both Paiano brothers—Andrew on rhythm guitar and Daniel on drums—walked out simultaneously, a blow that reshaped the group's sound and direction. Despite the chaos, the band continued to tour, appearing on the 2011 Vans Warped Tour for select east-coast dates and performing at Celebration Square's Amphitheatre Unplugged series alongside San Sebastian in August. Recording for their second album was announced in January 2012, and Infamous landed on July 3 of that year. Its title-track video, released in May, was described as having a distinctly "very Toronto" aesthetic. The record charted at number 54 in Canada and cracked the Billboard 200 at number 142, moving over 3,500 copies in its opening week. The band supported We Came as Romans on a Canadian tour in September 2012 and was later announced as support for For the Fallen Dreams on a European and UK run beginning in March 2013. Drummer Chris Taylor's departure in December 2012 added yet another chapter to the revolving door.

Malocchio and the Final Chapter

By September 2013, the band was already shaping what would become their final studio record. Vocalist Angelo Aita characterized the material as "a little bit heavier" than anything they had previously released, signaling a deliberate push toward a more aggressive sonic palette. The album was officially titled Malocchio, announced on December 20, 2013, with the first single "Reefer Madness" streamed on YouTube alongside the title reveal. Malocchio hit shelves on February 11, 2014, capping a three-album run that had taken the group from eighth-grade garage sessions in Toronto to international touring circuits. The band's trajectory from 2006 to 2014 had been marked by constant lineup changes, a string of high-profile support slots, and a growing Canadian and American fanbase built through relentless touring and MuchMusic exposure. After Malocchio, the group's momentum faded, and the project that had once opened for Silverstein and shared stages with Miss May I, Sleeping with Sirens, and Hollywood Undead ultimately dissolved, leaving behind a catalog of three studio records and a self-titled EP that documented a brief but intense chapter in Toronto's post-hardcore scene.