Polterchrist

Philadelphia-based death metal outfit Polterchrist traces its roots to 1995, the year the group first assembled under the moniker Ethereal. Nearly five years elapsed before Metalion magazine’s “best unsigned band” poll delivered modest notice. Another half-decade slipped by before the stabilized quartet—vocalist/lead guitarist Kevin McClintock, rhythm guitarist Dan Loughery, bassist Monty Mukerji, and drummer Brian Deal—finally secured a contract with Season of Mist. By that point, U.S. treks alongside Immortal, Krisiun, and Satyricon had sharpened their compositional skills, paving the way for the band’s first proper release, the 2004 album Engulfed By the Swarm.