Maroon

American metalcore as it took shape during the mid-2000s drew heavily from developments in Germany at the close of the 1990s, when hardcore enthusiasts who had started shifting into heavy metal and grindcore formed groups including Caliban, Heaven Shall Burn, and Maroon. The band Maroon originated in the town of Nordhausen in 1998; by 2001 it had issued a demo, two split releases, and the EP Captive in the Room of the Conspirator, each earning stronger recognition than its predecessor. In 2002 vocalist Andre Moraweck, guitarists Sebastian Grund and Marc Zech, bassist Tom Eric Moraweck, and drummer Uwe Gruse completed their first full-length record, Antagonist, before embarking on tours throughout Europe with metal and hardcore acts such as Napalm Death, Hatebreed, and Agnostic Front, as well as stops in South America and Japan. Their follow-up album, Endorsed by Hate, was tracked in 2004 and brought aboard guitarist Sebastian Rieche along with drummer Nick Wachsmuth.