Biography
Not to be confused with either the British doom metal group bearing the same name or the Boston underground MC who forms half of 7L & Esoteric, this Esoteric is a grindcore outfit long based in the quiet college community of Lawrence, Kansas. The band came together in 1996 and first appeared on record with a self-released, self-titled demo EP in 1998. After inking a deal with the regional alt-metal imprint Arm Records in 1999, they promptly issued a split single alongside Derailer and then delivered their debut full-length, An Illusion of Sacred Circumstances, before the year ended, followed by the 2001 EP Plagued by Visions. Additional splits arrived in quick succession, including 2001’s Live at CBGB’s shared with Luddite Clone and 2002’s The Roads Between paired with Saved by Grace. That same year brought the EP A Reason to Breathe, while a 2003 split single with Wormwood marked another release. By this point the group’s previously fluid roster had stabilized around vocalist and part-time keyboardist Steven Cruz, guitarists Cory White (ex-thrash outfit Coalesce) and Eric Graves, bassist Anthony Diale, and drummer Marshall Kilpatric. Over time both present and former members have also contributed to Theta, Reggie and the Full Effect, and Today Is the Day. A 2004 EP titled 1336, issued on Blacknoise and recorded at home, previewed material for the band’s first album on a larger scale after they moved to Prosthetic Records; apart from their rendition of the Misfits’ “Death Comes Ripping,” every track was re-tracked for the 2005 release With the Sureness of Sleepwalking. Although the band’s shared residence and practice space was destroyed by fire shortly before the album appeared, they maintained an extensive touring schedule in its aftermath. The follow-up album Subverter surfaced in fall 2006.
Albums
