Arma Angelus

Emerging from Chicago toward the end of 1999, Arma Angelus introduced a sound steeped in dark and metallic hardcore. The band took shape after the breakup of Extinction and the fiercely political Racetraitor, both of which had left their mark on the city’s scene. Over their short span the group earned attention across the Midwest through ferocious performances and a revitalizing style of hardcore. They issued the EP The Grave End of the Shovel on Happy Couples Never, with Let It Burn Records later handling its European release, and followed it with the full-length Where Sleeplessness Is Rest from Nightmares. Adam Dutkiewicz produced the latter album, which appeared on Eulogy and featured vocalist Pete Wentz, guitarists Dan Binaei and Jay Jancetic, bassist Chris Guiterrez, and drummer Tim Miller. Earlier and interim lineups had also included Tim McIlrath on bass, Adam Bishop on guitar, and Andy Hurley on drums. When the band officially disbanded in late 2002, its members chose to focus on separate projects, later surfacing in numerous other groups, most prominently the pop-punkers Fall Out Boy and the hardcore revivalists Rise Against.