Antagonist

Antagonist originated in Wittier, CA, during 1998 when brothers Carlos, who handled vocals and guitar, and Lond Garcia on drums first assembled the lineup. Nearly ten years of operating without label support followed before sustained local efforts started gaining traction inside the regional metal and hardcore community. Carlos and Lond had already brought aboard second guitarist Matt Lopez in 2001 and bassist plus backing vocalist Paul Salem since 2003 by the time they self-released three EPs—Intended to Hurt or Wound in 2003, Eschatology in 2004, and Samsara in 2005—alongside two albums, Architects of Discord also appearing in 2005 and An Envy of Innocence the next year. Prosthetic Records was drawn to the final independent release for its melodic deathcore approach akin to that of Killswitch Engage and Caliban, which secured a deal yielding the third full-length Exist in fall 2008.