The Crimson Armada

The Crimson Armada
Origin Columbus, Ohio, United States
Genres Deathcore,[1][2] metalcore,[1] extreme metal[3][4]
Years active 2007–2012
Labels Artery, Metal Blade
Past members Saud Ahmed
Dan Hatfield
Michael Cooper
Jordan Matz
Cye Marshall
Colin Casto
Kyle Barrington
Josh Jardim
Scott Ulliman
Brandon McMaster
Kevin Lankford
David Puckett

The Crimson Armada was an American metalcore band from Columbus, Ohio. The band initially formed in Westerville, Ohio in 2007, but after several live shows and demos the band went on hiatus. After pressure from the local music scene, the group reformed a year later. According to Allmusic, the band has found itself "on a meteoric rise through the extreme metal world."[3] The band's lyrics contain spiritual themes and the band has members who are Christian.[5] However, the band's songwriter and lead vocalist Saud Ahmed has stated that the band is not Christian, as the band has never written a song about Jesus.[6]

History

Formation and Guardians (2007–2010)

The band originally formed in Westerville, Ohio in 2007 but after releasing several demos and playing some live shows with bands like The Black Dahlia Murder and It Prevails, the band went on hiatus in early 2008. At the urging of the local music scene however, The Crimson Armada reformed in 2008 in Columbus, Ohio.[3] In the summer of 2008, the group inked a deal with Metal Blade Records, and in July, 2009, the band released its debut album, Guardians.[3][7] Following the album's release, the band went on several tours with acts such as The Chariot, and Mychildren Mybride. In the Summer of 2010 the group headed out on the Scream the Prayer Tour.[2][7] They closed out the album's touring cycle in the fall of 2010 the "Monument Tour".

Conviction and break-up (2011–2012)

In January 2011, The Crimson Armada signed a new record deal with Artery Recordings,[8] and has announced a new album entitled Conviction that is scheduled for release June 21, 2011.[9]

Their style changed a lot from their debut album. The guitars are darker, there's a more recognizable structure in most songs and their new guitarist Brandon McMaster implemented clean vocals, mostly used in or around the choruses of the songs, a well known element from the metalcore genre. The album contains a song featuring Andy Adkins of A Plea for Purging (vocals) called "Composed Of Stone", and a song featuring Levi Benton of Miss May I (vocals) called "Napalm".

According to Alternative Press, The Crimson Armada is scheduled to play on April 14 at the 13th Annual New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, a three day festival.[10] They are also set for a summer tour with MyChildren MyBride, Impending Doom, This or the Apocalypse. In February 2012, Brandon McMaster left the band,[11] stating that The Crimson Armada was "too much metal for one band."[12] He was replaced by current lead guitarist Cye Marshall.

On October 29, 2012 the band announced that lead vocalist Saud's side project, The Holy Guile, had become a full-time band with new members, and that The Crimson Armada would not be putting out another album.[13]

Band members

Final lineup
  • Saud Ahmed – unclean vocals, keyboards, programming (2007–2012), clean vocals (2009–2011)
  • Cye Marshall – lead guitar (2012)
  • Dan Hatfield – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2007–2012)
  • Michael Cooper – bass guitar (2012)
  • Jordan Matz – drums, percussion (2011–2012)
Former members
  • Brandon McMaster – clean vocals, lead guitar (2011–2012)
  • Kyle Barrington – lead guitar (2007–2009)
  • Josh Jardim – lead guitar (2009–2011)
  • Scott Ulliman – bass guitar (2007–2008)
  • Chris Yates – bass guitar, backing vocals (2008–2011)
  • Colin Casto – clean vocals (2007–2008)
  • Kevin Lankford – bass guitar (2011–2012)
  • David Puckett – drums (2007–2011, now plays for For Today)

Timeline

Discography

Albums
EPs

Videography

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Van Horn Jr., Ray. "Crimson Armada, The – 'Guardians'". About.com. Retrieved March 3, 2011. Deathcore, metalcore, Strypercore, whatever you want to call it, The Crimson Armada does offer their listeners something beyond the tired pentagrams, goat heads and severed limbs, and it's not just their about-faced messages of hope.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Van Pelt, Doug (July 10, 2010). "Scream the Prayer 2010: Tweets". HM Magazine. Retrieved March 3, 2011. "The Crimson Armada is closing their set with a crazy death/hardcore cover of P.O.D.'s 'Alive'. It actually works! Very heavy. Who knew?" (early)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Heaney, Gregory. "The Crimson Armada". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  4. ↑ Prato, Greg. "Guardians". Rovi Corporation. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Are We a Christian Band? van THE CRIMSON ARMADA op Myspace". Myspace.com. November 25, 2008. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  6. ↑ Ahmed, Saud (January 2011). "SAUDAPOP, is the crimson armada a christian band? i read ur lyrics and a lot of them are very christian oriented but i downloaded the old cd and there is islam on the first song. just wondering.". Tumblr. Retrieved November 23, 2011. There isn’t a single song written in the past or present by the crimson armada that is about jesus [sic]
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Crimson Armada. "The Crimson Armada Myspace". The Crimson Armada Biography. Myspace. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  8. ↑ Blabbermouth.net (January 17, 2011). "THE CRIMSON ARMADA Signs With ARTERY RECORDINGS". Blabbermouth News Archive. Roadrunner Records. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  9. ↑ Alex DiVincenzo (April 20, 2011). "Artery Recordings Summer Release Schedule". Release Date News. Absolutepunk.net. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  10. ↑ Karan, Tim (February 3, 2011). "Job For A Cowboy, Bury Your Dead, Biohazard, more playing New England Metal And Hardcore Festival". News. Alternative Press. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  11. ↑ Facebook.com. "Brandon McMaster Personal Facebook". Facebook. Facebook. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  12. ↑ Facebook.com (March 1, 2012). "Brandon McMaster facebook Wall Post". Facebook. Facebook. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Attention for..".

External links