Biography
Unapologetically harsh and violently powerful, Lord Mantis emerged as a blackened sludge metal band rooted in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. Their music delivers aggressive tempos and whiplash impact, yet beneath that troubled surface lie carefully constructed sonic textures that add unexpected depth. Bleak, ferocious lyrics explore brutality, decay, misanthropy, and sexual perversity while also confronting the band’s own physical and emotional pain. The group first made a major impact in the metal underground with their 2012 album Pervertor and reaffirmed their dark but powerful stance with 2014’s Death Mask. After tragedy nearly ended the band, they returned at full strength with 2019’s Universal Death Church.
Drummer Bill Bumgardner and guitarist Greg Gomer launched the initial lineup of Lord Mantis in 2005. Bassist and singer Charlie Fell came aboard in time to record the band’s debut EP, 2007’s Period Face. Guitarist Andrew Markuszewski joined next, and the quartet issued their first full-length album, 2009’s Spawning the Nephilim, on Seventh Rule Records. Lord Mantis then moved to the U.K. metal label Candlelight Records for their second LP, 2012’s Pervertor. After the album’s touring cycle, Gomer departed; Sorceron assumed guitar duties while the group added lead vocalist Dylan O’Toole. This configuration recorded 2014’s Death Mask for Profound Lore Records.
Long-simmering tensions erupted during the tour supporting Death Mask, resulting in the exits of Sorceron and Fell, who later formed their own band, Missing. A new edition of Lord Mantis debuted in 2015, uniting Bumgardner, Markuszewski, and O’Toole with bassist Will Lindsay and guitarist Scott A. Shellhamer. This lineup released the EP Nice Teeth Whore in 2016, only for the group to suffer a devastating loss when Bumgardner died by suicide on October 9, 2016. The band entered hiatus in 2017 while past and present members processed their grief and fractured relationships. Lord Mantis reunited in 2019 with O’Toole handling vocals, Markuszewski and Sorceron sharing guitar roles, Fell returning on bass and vocals, and Bryce Butler on drums. In November 2019 the band issued their first music since Bumgardner’s death, Universal Death Church, featuring guest contributions from Pelican’s Dallas Thomas on guitar and Yakuza’s Bruce Lamont on sax.
Drummer Bill Bumgardner and guitarist Greg Gomer launched the initial lineup of Lord Mantis in 2005. Bassist and singer Charlie Fell came aboard in time to record the band’s debut EP, 2007’s Period Face. Guitarist Andrew Markuszewski joined next, and the quartet issued their first full-length album, 2009’s Spawning the Nephilim, on Seventh Rule Records. Lord Mantis then moved to the U.K. metal label Candlelight Records for their second LP, 2012’s Pervertor. After the album’s touring cycle, Gomer departed; Sorceron assumed guitar duties while the group added lead vocalist Dylan O’Toole. This configuration recorded 2014’s Death Mask for Profound Lore Records.
Long-simmering tensions erupted during the tour supporting Death Mask, resulting in the exits of Sorceron and Fell, who later formed their own band, Missing. A new edition of Lord Mantis debuted in 2015, uniting Bumgardner, Markuszewski, and O’Toole with bassist Will Lindsay and guitarist Scott A. Shellhamer. This lineup released the EP Nice Teeth Whore in 2016, only for the group to suffer a devastating loss when Bumgardner died by suicide on October 9, 2016. The band entered hiatus in 2017 while past and present members processed their grief and fractured relationships. Lord Mantis reunited in 2019 with O’Toole handling vocals, Markuszewski and Sorceron sharing guitar roles, Fell returning on bass and vocals, and Bryce Butler on drums. In November 2019 the band issued their first music since Bumgardner’s death, Universal Death Church, featuring guest contributions from Pelican’s Dallas Thomas on guitar and Yakuza’s Bruce Lamont on sax.
Albums
Singles
