The Banner

Your Murder Mixtape arrived in 2003 as the Banner’s first full-length release on Blackout, its opening track titled “Zombie Onslaught.” The quartet’s approach to metalcore blended visceral imagery of the undead with guttural screams, all set against jagged hardcore riffs and driven by death-metal force. Unconventional breakdowns and abrupt shifts evoked a scaled-down echo of the Dillinger Escape Plan. Prior to that album, the group had issued the Posthumous EP, also through Blackout. In August 2005 they moved to Ferret for Each Breath Haunted, a record whose aggression felt more tightly integrated. Joey Southside handled vocals, Ian Phoenix played bass, Chris Leboeuf and Garrett Defalco handled guitars, and Mike Leboeuf sat behind the drums. The members chose to disband in August 2006, with several returning to their studies while Southside pursued a comic-book project alongside My Chemical Romance’s Frank Iero. The split proved short-lived; by November the musicians had regrouped for occasional live appearances. One month afterward they confirmed plans to record fresh songs for another Ferret album and mapped out further touring commitments.