Biography
He Is Legend, a North Carolina outfit, first surfaced in the mid-2000s by fusing metalcore and screamo into something ferocious yet oddly buoyant, then pivoted toward the heavier textures of stoner metal laced with psych-tinged hard rock. A 2009 agreement with Tragic Hero Records preceded the arrival of It Hates You, which placed the group repeatedly in the lower half of the Billboard 200. Strong reviews for Heavy Fruit in 2014 and White Bat in 2019 reinforced their identity as an inventive though under-recognized force. Their seventh studio album, Endless Hallway, surfaced in November 2022.
The members assembled in 2003 while completing high school in Wilmington, North Carolina. Schuylar Croom on vocals, Adam Tanbouz on lead guitar, McKenzie Bell on rhythm guitar, Matt Williams on bass, and Steven Bache on drums tested numerous names and directions before locking in He Is Legend. After the self-released demo A Kiss That Killed the One We Love (No One Wins), they joined Tribunal Records for the 2004 summer EP 91025. Solid State Records then issued the debut full-length I Am Hollywood later that year. A two-year pause included the split EP Black Unicorn with Chapel Hill’s Classic Case, after which Suck Out the Poison arrived in fall 2006. McKenzie Bell departed soon after and was succeeded first by Classic Case’s Mitch Marlow, then by Worth Weaver in 2007. The single “The Primarily Blues” appeared in May 2009 to herald It Hates You, released that July.
Following another two-year hiatus, the band staged a 2011 reunion concert in Wilmington. Drummer Steve Bache exited and was replaced by Sam Huff. Their fourth album, Heavy Fruit, emerged in 2014 to widespread critical praise from major outlets and again reached the upper tier of the Billboard 200 for dedicated listeners. After completing their Tragic Hero contract, Spinefarm Records issued the entirely fan-funded Few in 2017, which introduced drummer Jesse Shelley, who had replaced Huff the previous year. The 2019 conceptual release White Bat, inspired by Michelle McNamara’s best-selling memoir I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, was tracked in the seediest districts of Los Angeles to capture its raw, sweltering story. Three years later came the November 2022 arrival of Endless Hallway.
The members assembled in 2003 while completing high school in Wilmington, North Carolina. Schuylar Croom on vocals, Adam Tanbouz on lead guitar, McKenzie Bell on rhythm guitar, Matt Williams on bass, and Steven Bache on drums tested numerous names and directions before locking in He Is Legend. After the self-released demo A Kiss That Killed the One We Love (No One Wins), they joined Tribunal Records for the 2004 summer EP 91025. Solid State Records then issued the debut full-length I Am Hollywood later that year. A two-year pause included the split EP Black Unicorn with Chapel Hill’s Classic Case, after which Suck Out the Poison arrived in fall 2006. McKenzie Bell departed soon after and was succeeded first by Classic Case’s Mitch Marlow, then by Worth Weaver in 2007. The single “The Primarily Blues” appeared in May 2009 to herald It Hates You, released that July.
Following another two-year hiatus, the band staged a 2011 reunion concert in Wilmington. Drummer Steve Bache exited and was replaced by Sam Huff. Their fourth album, Heavy Fruit, emerged in 2014 to widespread critical praise from major outlets and again reached the upper tier of the Billboard 200 for dedicated listeners. After completing their Tragic Hero contract, Spinefarm Records issued the entirely fan-funded Few in 2017, which introduced drummer Jesse Shelley, who had replaced Huff the previous year. The 2019 conceptual release White Bat, inspired by Michelle McNamara’s best-selling memoir I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, was tracked in the seediest districts of Los Angeles to capture its raw, sweltering story. Three years later came the November 2022 arrival of Endless Hallway.
Albums
ENDLESS HALLWAY
2022
White Bat
2019
few
2017
Heavy Fruit
2014
It Hates You
2009
Suck Out The Poison
2006
90125
2004
I Am Hollywood
2004
Singles
