Righteous Vendetta

Righteous Vendetta emerged in 2008 as a Cody, Wyoming-based Christian metal quintet whose muscular, tech-heavy fusion of metalcore and melodic hard rock has drawn parallels to Between the Buried and Me, As I Lay Dying, For Today, and Killswitch Engage. Vocalist Ryan Hayes, drummer Isaiah Perez, bassist Matt Neddermeyer, and guitarists Justin Olmstead and Carl Heiman anchored the original lineup. The group logged extensive road time while issuing two well-received, aggressive albums on Red Cord Records—The Dawning in 2010 and Lawless in 2011. By the more hook-oriented 2013 effort The Fire Inside, the roster had coalesced around Hayes, Olmstead, and Heiman, joined by drummer Zack Goggins and bassist Riley Haynie. The band’s fourth album, Cursed, arrived in 2017 via Century Media.