Eyes Set to Kill

Arizona outfit Eyes Set to Kill originated in 2004 when sisters Alexia Rodriguez and Anissa Rodriguez assembled the project to pursue their distinctive vision of screamo. Vocalist-guitarist Alexia Rodriguez and bassist Anissa Rodriguez completed the roster by bringing in vocalist and synth player Brandon Anderson along with guitarist Greg Kerwin and drummer Caleb Clifton. Their approach merges the propulsive intensity of Thursday and Thrice with the intricate hardcore approach associated with Walls of Jericho and Poison the Well. The outcome blends crushing riffs and tuneful passages, letting Alexia Rodriguez’s soaring voice cut through the weight of churning guitars while Anderson delivers anguished screams, thereby pushing the style beyond its conventional screamo template. The year 2006 proved especially active, as the band issued its self-released EP When the Silence Is Broken the Night Is Torn and performed multiple shows on the Vans Warped Tour. Reach, the group’s first full-length album, appeared on Break Silence in 2008 and was promoted through an extensive national trek alongside Otep. Subsequent studio releases followed with Broken Frames in 2010, White Lotus in 2011, and Masks in 2013, the last marking their initial release on Century Media. In 2017 co-founder and bassist Anissa Rodríguez exited the lineup, the same year the single “Break” surfaced ahead of the self-titled sixth album that arrived that spring.