A Christian-oriented screamo group of five with some hip-hop and nu metal influences, blessthefall started in Phoenix, AZ, when high-school comrades Mike and Matt (yes, this is one of those bands whose members only use their first names) started practicing together in 2002. guitar player Mike and drummer Matt found singer Craig and bassist Jared on the local baby-band circuit and formed blessthefall in early 2004. not long after a self-released three-song demo in the summer of 2005, guitarist Eric completed the final group of the group. An widened local live presence, which included many shows played with fellow Phoenicians Greeley Estates, brought blessthefall to the attention of Greeley Estates’ label, Science Records (an imprint of record Collection), which signed the still largely teenaged group in 2006. shows with bands like Norma Jean and Alesana followed before blessthefall’s debut album, His Last Walk, came on the scene in April 2007.

In the two-year span since blessthefall’s album His Last Walk was released, the ensemble has undergone some internal repairs that could have sunk any other group on the rise. Not so for the Phoenix five-piece, who’ve learned that a kink in the gears isn’t enough to stop a ensemble this strong for good.

Formed in 2004 by a lineup of higher-thinking high-schoolers who wanted their peers to find meaning and camaraderie in their music, blessthefall was intent on making their post-hardcore/screamo blend a different breed that people would remember. After several bookings in the area, more than just the locals started to notice. Later, after a 3-song EP made the rounds at shows and landed in label hands, this buzzy and burgeoning ensemble were signed to Warner subsidiary Science Records and making their first full-length.

“Everyone has their first performances that consist of just the bands, and your parents, if you’re lucky,” reflects guitarist Eric Lambert. “Things picked up rather quickly, though. We began selling out hometown shows, then began touring, and, oddly enough, we had fans outside of Arizona. It was small shows, but the fans we met are still coming to every show and are the best people ever.”

Armed with a defiant upcoming record and a new frontman, blessthefall have came back to the scene a stronger entity than ever before. Witness, the band’s follow-up record and first with singer Beau Bokan, formerly of Take the Crown, will be gave us from new label Fearless Records, who signed the band in May. Bokan says this record reflects the positive energy that now enfolds the band. “We wrote this album to show people we aren’t the kind of lineup to lay down and give up,” notes Bokan. “We’re here and won’t be going anywhere for a long, long time.”

Those fans will undoubtedly be out in droves to obtain Witness, a forward-thinking record that boasts bigger choruses, heavier guitars and, essentially, Bokan adds, “His Last Walk on steroids. It has all the same elements that got us where we are today.” Recorded earlier this summer with Elvis Baskette (Incubus, Escape The Fate, Story Of The Year) in Virginia, blessthefall took their collective struggles to the attention to produce a highly personal and evolved record – and bombastic live show – that shows the group back is with vengeance.

“With all the bands in the scene it’s hard to stand out,” says Bokan. “Anyone can go into a studio and make an over produced album that sounds amazing, but if they can’t pull it off live it means nothing. We pride ourselves on our live show, and we want people to walk away from our live show and be blown away. We leave our hearts on the stage every night. The greatest compliment to ever get is when someone says we sound better live than on CD.”

For these Taste of Chaos veterans and current road warriors, they’re anxious to take their performance chops to the road for Witness. at a time of trying to win over new fans during appeasing the old may be a difficult task for some bands, blessthefall accept it eagerly as a challenge that they’ll work toward with this record and its not long after appearances. “There is a lot more drive now that Beau is in the band,” Lambert said. “We know we have a lot to prove and we are all hungry for it.”

Witness is gave us by Fearless Records on October 6th, 2009.