User:Kdavidturner/sandbox

Mares of Thrace is a heavy metal band from Calgary, Alberta. Mares of Thrace consists of guitarist/vocalist Thérèse Lanz and drummer Stefani MacKichan. The band members began collaborating in high school. Their debut album The Moulting was released in 2010 to generally positive reviews. Their 2012 follow-up, The Pilgrimage, has been met with near-universal acclaim.

Formation and The Moulting (2009–2010)
Lanz and MacKichan have performed together in several bands in Calgary, Alberta since 2002, including honeyrocket and Kilbourne. Lanz has also sung for death metal band Exit Strategy and played bass in post-hardcore outfit KEN mode.

Soon after forming, the duo recorded their debut album The Moulting at Engine Studios in Chicago, Illinois with Sanford Parker of Minsk producing. The album was a hit on Canadian campus radio and was voted the best Canadian metal album of 2010 by the writers of the Hellbound.ca webzine.

The band supported the album by touring extensively, travelling over 14,000 miles across Canada and the United States.

The Pilgrimage and Lanz's relocation (2011 - present)
Mares of Thrace's sophomore album, 2012's The Pilgrimage, marked a maturation for the band and a refinement of their sound. Wielding a custom baritone guitar built for her by Kurt Ballou of hardcore band Converge, Lanz and MacKichan revisited Parker at Engine Studios and produced a concept album based on the biblical story of David’s seduction of Bathsheba.

Released on April 24, 2012, The Pilgrimage was met with positive critical reception. Decibel called the album "the best kind of sophomore outing: same man-eating, fire-spitting Mares, now with razor hooves and venomous spines for a mane," while the review aggregator website Metacritic gave the album an average score of 84%, indicating universal acclaim.

Following a 30-date North American tour to support The Pilgrimage, Lanz relocated to Chicago to attend the Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy to study video game development. MacKichan remains in Calgary, but the duo has stated that they are already writing songs for their next album, which will be recorded during academic breaks. Chicago-based drummer Scott Shellhamer of American Heritage will fill in for live shows MacKichan is unable to play.

Discography

 * The Moulting (Self-released, 2010)
 * The Pilgrimage (Sonic Unyon, 2012)

Members

 * Thérèse Lanz (baritone guitar, vocals)
 * Stefani MacKichan (drums)
 * Scott Shellhamer (live drums)