Madina Lake

Fusing forceful heavy-metal guitars with crystalline vocal harmonies, electronic touches, and the tuneful sensibility of indie rock, Madina Lake operates as a conceptually ambitious outfit whose material chronicles an imaginary woodland settlement of the same name, a remote hamlet whose residents live much as people did in the 1950s. Yet beneath that placid surface runs a darker current exposing the most corrosive elements of American society, which surface in odd and unsettling forms. The quartet came together in Chicago, Illinois, in 2005, comprising vocalist Nathan Leone, bassist and twin brother Matthew Leone, guitarist Mateo Camargo, and drummer Daniel Torelli. The Leone siblings had earlier collaborated in another group whose management overlapped with that of Camargo and Torelli, forging a close friendship that led the four musicians to merge their abilities in a new project.

The twins first drew widespread national attention by appearing together on a special installment of the series Fear Factor, channeling the earnings from consuming cow intestines and dangling from helicopters into funding a demo for the fledgling band. Following several months of independent touring, Madina Lake received an invitation to support Paramore on a United Kingdom trek, quickly building a strong audience across England, Scotland, and Wales through energetic performances and airplay on British music-video outlets. Back in the States, continued road work expanded their domestic following and secured a contract with Roadrunner Records. The musicians issued their debut EP, The Disappearance of Adalia, independently in summer 2006, while Roadrunner brought out the band’s first full-length album, From Them, Through Us, to You, in March 2007. A second album, Attics to Eden, appeared two years afterward.