Time in Malta

San Francisco's Time in Malta emerged as an intense three-piece hardcore outfit that fused melody, power, and heavy metal into an uplifting, convincing powerhouse echoing the approach of Boy Sets Fire, Grade, and Shai Hulud while balancing manic crunch against indie sensibility. The group coalesced in 1997 after transplanted Indianapolis natives Todd Gullion on bass and vocals, previously of Burn It Down, guitarist and Frentic Records co-owner Chris Lyon, and drummer Sander Leech converged in the Bay Area. They began composing material and cut a demo at Toast Studios that circulated among independent labels. Escape Artist Records responded to the band's dynamic yet intense style by issuing the seven-song Construct & Demolish EP in July 1999. A brief United States tour followed in support, with festival appearances at several prominent hardcore events, after which the trio focused on writing their debut full-length. They interrupted that process to contribute a new original and a cover of Threadbare's "In Effigy" for the Identify, Persist, Transcend 7" single that Escape Artist released in late 2000. In February 2001 former Burn It Down vocalist Ryan Downey entered the lineup, shifting Gullion to bass and backing vocals. The revised configuration played a single show before Leech departed and One Time Angels drummer Eric Alexander stepped in. Downey exited shortly afterward. Restored to a trio, Time in Malta tracked a three-song demo in July 2001, then parted with Alexander and invited Leech to return. The band completed its first full-length, A Second Engine, during summer 2002 for Equal Vision Records, with Alone with the Alone appearing two years later.