Biography
Formed in 1998, Chicago, IL's Hurtlocker had already endured numerous lineup shifts by the time their debut album, Fear in a Handful of Dust, arrived in 2005. That record offered an aggressive, thrash-oriented spin on the metalcore sound then dominating the mid-2000s, with vocalist Grant Belcher, guitarists Tim Moe and Pete Manzella, bassist Dan Manzella, and drummer Dan Ditella comprising the group. The band sustained that momentum into 2006, mounting tours across the U.S. and Europe alongside Grave, Aborted, Cryptopsy, and Deicide, only to suffer the sudden loss of drummer Ditella later that year to complications described as rehab-related.
Albums
