User:ShatterClub/sandbox/Rest, Repose

Rest, Repose (sometimes stylized as ЯR or Яest, Repose) is an American hard rock band from Seattle, Washington. The band currently consists of vocalist Tanner Cowens, drummer Christopher Ghazel, bassist Tony Cappocchi and guitarists Ryan Bruce and Jared Dines. Since their formation in 2015, the band has released one studio album and one EP. Their debut self-titled album was released on 19 May 2017.

Formation and The Sleep City EP (2015-2016)
Rest, Repose was formed in July 2015 by guitarists Ryan "Fluff" Bruce and Jared Dines, both of whom had cultivated large following on YouTube as metal musicians. Both would regularly appear in each other's content, and decided to start a band. Bassist Josh McDowell, who had played in Dines' old band They Charge Like Warriors, and guitarist Tony Cappocchi were added to the lineup, with vocalist Vincent Mindas being hired soon thereafter, finalizing the band's founding lineup. Work on their debut EP began during Fall 2015 at Fastback Studios in Seattle, and at Bruce's home studio in Tacoma. Portions of the recording process were documented on both Dine's and Bruce's YouTube channels.

On the style of the EP, Dines said "It's not going to sound overly produced, it's extremely raw, melodic metal," also stating that everything was recorded live and no quantizing was used in the mastering process. The Sleep City EP was independently released on 15 December 2015, reaching #13 on the iTunes alternative chart. In April 2016, the band announced the July Sleep City tour in support of the EP, with bands Killing The Messenger and Shugga Shugga Blast Blast. The tour spanned from 15 July until 25 July and looped from Washington through the Pacific states.

Departure of Vincent Mindas and hiatus (2016)
On 26 July 2016, the day after the completion of The Sleep City Tour, the band announced via their Facebook page that they had parted ways with vocalist Vincent Mindas and would be holding online auditions for a new vocalist. On 19 August 2016, pictures of the band with new vocalist Tanner Cowens were posted across their social media, welcoming him as the band's new frontman.

Work on a full-length album began in the fall of 2016, with some of the new tracks being ones that were in development while Mindas was still with the band. However, production was halted when the band announced in October that they would be breaking up. The announcement cited a wish for more extensive touring, but not every member of the band was able to participate. "Instead of removing every member that can't tour and becoming a completely different band, we have decided to do what's best for us and throw in the towel." The announcement also included plans for the remainder of the band's tracks to be released on separate LP's "so the song owners can retain the licensing and ownership of the songs."

In an interview with Soundreview, Dines spoke about splitting the band's final tracks into two releases, saying "I wrote about seven songs on the album and Fluff wrote about four. So, the plan was I would release mine and he would release his. The reason behind the separate albums is basically because of a falling out between Fluff and myself. There’s a lot to it but I don’t want to talk bad about the guy." He also stated that he was unwilling "to commit to the same level of intensity" as the rest of the band in regards to extensive touring.

Return, Rest, Repose, and touring (2017-2018)
The band resurfaced on social media on 25 January 2017 with news that the band had decided to resume the work on their full-length album. On 7 February 2017, the album cover was revealed and showed that the album would be self-titled. However, on 15 February, the band announced that Cowens had elected to step down from the band after displaying an inability to keep up with the other member's touring desires. Cowens released a statement on the band's Facebook page, saying "Unfortunately, my life obligations restrict me in the sense that I am unable to tour to the extent this band requires to be successful. I have chosen to step out of my role as the vocalist for Rest, Repose to make room for someone who can meet their touring needs. This also means that I will not be on this album."

As with the year previous, the band held online auditions in the search for a new singer, with Dines and Bruce promoting the search on their YouTube channels. On 3 April 2017, the band announced that Cowens had re-joined the group as vocalist. The next day, the new album's release date was revealed as May 19th. On 1 May, Rest, Repose released the music video for "Retrospect," the first single off the album. The song was announced a week prior to release. The song "Fathoms" was later made a pre-order exclusive to those who purchased merchandise from the band's online store before the album's release.

Rest, Repose was independently released on 19 May 2017, and premiered at #22 on the Billboard Hard Rock chart. It also rose to #25 on the iTunes Alternative chart by the end of the day. The album features several songs written during Mindas' time with the band, including "Retrospect" and "Oh, Gravity." The song "The Cycle" featured a guest guitar solo from YouTube guitarist Ben Eller. The entire album was mixed and mastered by Bruce at his home in Tacoma, WA.

The band opened for Hundred Suns on the west coast leg of their North American tour in August 2017. On 21 November 2017, Rest, Repose announced a short Winter tour with Washington-based band The Home Team. The tour spanned from January 16th-23rd, 2018, along the west coast.

On 29 September, the band released the music video for the track "Hanging By A Thread." The video was recorded during a live performance on September 9th in Fife, Washington as part of TitanFest 2017.

Departure of Josh McDowell and the "American Safari" Tour (2018)
On 19 March 2018, Rest, Repose announced that they had come to a mutual agreement with bassist Josh McDowell that they would continue without him due to their plans to tour extensively. The statement cited no bad blood, saying they remains friends with McDowell. Tony Cappucchi moved from rhythm guitarist to bassist to fill the void, Dines was moved from drummer to guitarist, and Christopher Ghazel was introduced as the band's new drummer.

On 28 March, the band announced The American Safari Tour, a full United States tour during the summer of 2018, their biggest tour to date. The tour will span 33 dates from June 10th to July 20th. They will be supported by Drewsif Stalin's Musical Endeavors for the tour's entirety, with The Home Team joining from June 10th to July 10th and For The Likes Of You from July 6th to July 20th. In January, the band had teased that they were working on new music, and that some songs may be played at shows while on tour.

Characteristics
Rest, Repose has been described as heavy metal, metalcore, hard rock, and stoner rock. Most of their songs incorporate heavy rock riffs overlaid with melodic solos and harmonies. With The Sleep City EP, all vocals were clean and usually included a second vocal track for harmonies, however with Cowens' introduction to the band, songs also began to incorporate metal screams. All of the band's songs have been mixed and mastered by the band's lead guitarist, Ryan Bruce.

Members
Current
 * Ryan "Fluff" Bruce - guitars, mixing (2015-present)
 * Jared Dines - drums, programming (2015-2018), guitar (2018-present)
 * Tony Cappucchi - guitars (2015-2018), bass (2018-present)
 * Tanner Cowens - vocals (2016-2017, 2017-present)
 * Christopher Ghazel - drums (2018-present)

Former
 * Vincent Mindas - vocals (2015-2016)
 * Josh McDowell - bass (2015-2018)

Discography

 * The Sleep City EP (2015)
 * Rest, Repose (2017)