Biography
Hailing from Texas, the metalcore outfit Oh, Sleeper formed in 2006 after the Christian emo and post-hardcore band Terminal disbanded upon issuing their sole album, How the Lonely Keep. The group honed a technically dense sound blending clean and screamed vocals with brooding textures across three charting releases—When I Am God in 2007, Son of the Morning in 2009, and Children of Fire in 2011—before entering hiatus in 2013 and resurfacing six years later with the full-length Bloodied/Unbowed.
Founding members Ryan Conley on drums, Lucas Starr on bass, and James Erwin on guitar—all formerly of Terminal—joined vocalist Micah Kinard and ex-Between the Buried and Me guitarist Shane Blay, who handled guitar and clean vocals, to establish the Fort Worth-based lineup. The name derives from a New Testament verse in Ephesians that reads, “Therefore it says, ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’” Their initial release, the EP The Armored March, appeared in late 2006; Solid State Records soon signed them, leading to the 2007 debut album When I Am God, which reworked tracks from the EP alongside fresh material.
Following a tour with Norma Jean, Conley departed and was succeeded by drummer Matt Davis, whose first recorded work appeared on the 2009 concept album Son of the Morning. That record, centered on an apocalyptic conflict between God and Satan, became their highest-charting effort to that point, entering the Billboard Top 200 while placing prominently on both the hard rock and Christian albums charts. Starr exited next, yielding the bass spot to Nate Grady for Children of Fire, issued in 2011; this narrative sequel exploring post-rapture events reached number one on the hard rock albums chart.
Erwin left in 2012, prompting Grady to switch to guitar and Johno Erickson, previously of Sky Eats Airplane, to assume bass duties. After completing their Solid State contract, the band crowdfunded the 2013 sci-fi EP The Titan. Oh, Sleeper then paused activities, enabling Blay to front the new project Wovenwar alongside members of As I Lay Dying.
The group reconvened in the studio by 2017, issuing the single “Oxygen,” followed by “Decimation & Burial” the next year. They also rejoined Solid State Records and prepared a new album, though co-founder and former bassist Lucas Starr died in December 2018 after a four-month struggle with cancer. A third single, “Fissure,” preceded the July 2019 arrival of Bloodied/Unbowed.
Founding members Ryan Conley on drums, Lucas Starr on bass, and James Erwin on guitar—all formerly of Terminal—joined vocalist Micah Kinard and ex-Between the Buried and Me guitarist Shane Blay, who handled guitar and clean vocals, to establish the Fort Worth-based lineup. The name derives from a New Testament verse in Ephesians that reads, “Therefore it says, ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’” Their initial release, the EP The Armored March, appeared in late 2006; Solid State Records soon signed them, leading to the 2007 debut album When I Am God, which reworked tracks from the EP alongside fresh material.
Following a tour with Norma Jean, Conley departed and was succeeded by drummer Matt Davis, whose first recorded work appeared on the 2009 concept album Son of the Morning. That record, centered on an apocalyptic conflict between God and Satan, became their highest-charting effort to that point, entering the Billboard Top 200 while placing prominently on both the hard rock and Christian albums charts. Starr exited next, yielding the bass spot to Nate Grady for Children of Fire, issued in 2011; this narrative sequel exploring post-rapture events reached number one on the hard rock albums chart.
Erwin left in 2012, prompting Grady to switch to guitar and Johno Erickson, previously of Sky Eats Airplane, to assume bass duties. After completing their Solid State contract, the band crowdfunded the 2013 sci-fi EP The Titan. Oh, Sleeper then paused activities, enabling Blay to front the new project Wovenwar alongside members of As I Lay Dying.
The group reconvened in the studio by 2017, issuing the single “Oxygen,” followed by “Decimation & Burial” the next year. They also rejoined Solid State Records and prepared a new album, though co-founder and former bassist Lucas Starr died in December 2018 after a four-month struggle with cancer. A third single, “Fissure,” preceded the July 2019 arrival of Bloodied/Unbowed.
Albums
Bloodied / Unbowed
2019
The Island
2019
Titan
2013
Children Of Fire
2011
Son Of The Morning
2009
When I Am God
2007
Singles
