Attila

Hailing from Atlanta, the death metal and metalcore outfit Attila established a foothold in the underground through their self-coined and tongue-in-cheek "Party Death Metal" approach. Instead of adopting the earnest posture common among most death metal acts that fuse hardcore punk with extreme-metal intensity, the group favored a carefree, hedonistic stance, pairing their rapid, aggressive riffs with deliberately absurd lyrics. The ensemble surfaced in 2007 and reached a commercial peak in 2013 when Joey Sturgis-produced About That Life ascended to the top of both the Billboard Hard Rock Albums and Independent Albums charts. Further releases such as Chaos in 2016 and Villain in 2019 sustained their provocative reputation while expanding their audience.

The band originated in 2005 during high school years in Atlanta, built around founding members Chris "Fronz" Fronzak on vocals and Sean Heenan on drums. Early activity centered on local parties and festivals throughout the city. Their debut full-length, Fallacy, appeared on Statik Factory Records in 2007 and gained cult traction, followed by the 2008 sequel Soundtrack to a Party. Extensive road work with peers including Arsonists Get All the Girls, See You Next Tuesday, Chelsea Grin, American Me, and We Are the End strengthened their standing within metal circles. After several lineup shifts in the formative period, the roster stabilized in 2008 around Heenan, Fronzak, bassist Paul Ollinger, and guitarists Nate Salameh and Chris Linck. Artery Recordings, launched through the Artery Management and Razor & Tie alliance that discovered the group via Chelsea Grin, signed them after label executive Mike Milford witnessed a 2009 Grand Slam tour performance. Their Artery debut Rage surfaced in 2010. Sturgis-helmed Outlawed followed in 2011, then About That Life in 2013, which registered both critical notice and strong sales. The similarly spirited sixth album Guilty Pleasure, again produced by Sturgis, emerged the next year. In 2016 the band transferred to SharpTone Records, co-founded by Markus Staiger and Shawn Keith, and issued Chaos. Heenan departed in 2017; Bryan McClure took the drum chair and made his recorded debut on the eighth studio effort, Villain, released in 2019.