The Dead Rabbitts are an American

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...

supergroup from

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

. The band is a side project of

Escape the Fate Escape the Fate is an American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2004 and originally from Pahrump, Nevada. They are signed to Eleven Seven Music. The group consists of Robert Ortiz (drummer), Craig Mabbitt (lead vocalist), TJ Bell (rhy ...

's lead vocalist,

Craig Mabbitt Craig Edward Mabbitt (born April 9, 1987) is an American singer-songwriter and recording artist. He is the lead vocalist for American rock band Escape the Fate. He was formerly the lead vocalist for the bands Blessthefall and The Word Alive. He i ...

. The Dead Rabbitt's debut EP, ''Edge of Reality'', was released in 2012. The band's second EP, ''Break the Static'', was released in 2019. The band's debut album, ''

Shapeshifter In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shape-shifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through an inherently superhuman ability, divine intervention, demonic manipulation, sorcery, spells or having inherited the ...

'', was released in 2014. The album debuted at No. 127 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The band's second studio album, ''This Emptiness'', was released in 2017. The band's third studio album, ''Rumination'', was released in 2022.

History

Formation and ''Edge of Reality'' (2011–2013)

In late 2011, lead vocalist

announced an upcoming side-project, along with an upcoming album for

. Mabbitt revealed that a single from the side-project would be released in February 2012, and the album would be produced by

Caleb Shomo Caleb Joshua Shomo (born December 1, 1992) is an American singer, musician, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He is most well known as the lead-vocalist of hardcore punk band Beartooth, though he records all studio instrumentals for the ba ...

of Beartooth. Members of the side project would include Kevin "Thrasher" Gruft of

LoveHateHero LoveHateHero was a rock band formed in Burbank, California in 2004 by vocalist Pierrick Berube, guitarists Josh Newman and Mark Johnston, bassist Paris Bosserman, and drummer Bryan Ross. They were signed to Ferret Music and released three albums ...

who later went on to join Escape the Fate, TJ Bell of Escape the Fate and formerly of

Motionless in White Motionless in White is an American metalcore band from Scranton, Pennsylvania. Formed in 2004, the band consists of lead vocalist Chris "Motionless" Cerulli, guitarists Ryan Sitkowski and Ricky "Horror" Olson, drummer Vinny Mauro and bassist Ju ...

Alex Torres Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple * Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple ...

formerly of

Eyes Set to Kill Eyes Set to Kill is an American post-hardcore band from Tempe, Arizona. The Rodriguez sisters, lead guitarist Alexia and bassist Anissa, along with vocalist Lindsey Vogt started the band in 2003. Lindsey Vogt departed the band in mid-2007 due to ...

Greeley Estates Greeley Estates was an American metalcore band from Maricopa County, Arizona. Formed in 2002, the band released five full-length studio albums and four EPs. The group initially had an emo-influenced post-hardcore sound, but later shifted to the ...

, and

Alesana Alesana ( ) is an American post-hardcore band from Raleigh, North Carolina. The group was founded by Shawn Milke, Dennis Lee and Patrick Thompson during the fall of 2004, and is currently signed to Revival Recordings and Artery Recordings. Alesa ...

. He hinted that the album will be a reminiscent of the music he made while in his previous bands

Blessthefall Blessthefall (stylized as blessthefall or BLESSTHEFALL prior to 2013) was an American metalcore band from Phoenix, Arizona, signed to Rise Records. The band was founded in 2004 by guitarist Mike Frisby, drummer Matt Traynor, and bassist and v ...

and

The Word Alive The Word Alive is an American metalcore band formed in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2008. The band was signed to Fearless Records since their formation. In 2022, they changed their label and signed to Thriller Records. The band currently consists of v ...

. Mabbitt announced a tentative April 9 release date for the album, stating "what better day to release your album than on your birthday?", but this was later delayed. In January, he created a Facebook page and posted that he would stream a song from the side-project's upcoming EP if the page got to 50,000 "likes". When the page got to around 49,500 likes, he revealed the title and lyrics for the upcoming song, titled "Edge of Reality". The song "Edge of Reality" was released the moment the page reached 50,000 likes. On March 30, he announced the name of the upcoming EP, ''Edge of Reality'', under the band name "the Dead Rabbitts". On April 9, he released another song from the EP titled "World of Disaster". In mid-2012, the Dead Rabbitts announced that they would be teaming with

To Write Love on Her Arms To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA) is an American nonprofit organization that aims to present hope for people struggling with addiction, depression, self-injury and thoughts of suicide, while also investing in treatment and recovery. Based in M ...

and

PledgeMusic PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects; such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist p ...

with the release of the EP. Through PledgeMusic, fans were able to pre-order the EP along with extra items such as signed CDs, posters, concert tickets, and more. People who pre-ordered the album through the website, or "pledged", would also be able to download the album earlier than others. When the pre-orders hit the target goal, 5 percent of the money raised would be donated to To Write Love On Her Arms. Pledgers would also receive updates and exclusive videos. Mabbitt released certain songs from the EP when the target percentage of donations reached certain points, such as 55 or 75 percent. The target was reached on October 4, 2012, and the album was released on October 19. The band set off on the "Pizza Party Tour" with bands

Get Scared Get Scared was an American post-hardcore band from Layton, Utah, United States, formed in 2008. After their formation they released their first EP ''Cheap Tricks and Theatrics'' in 2009. A self-titled EP followed several months later in 2010. ...

and

Rob the Cartel Mika Horiuchi (born April 22, 1986) is an American musician. He is the bassist for the bands Cellador, Falling in Reverse, Rob the Cartel, and NOISE. Early life Horiuchi was born on April 22, 1986, in Seattle, Washington. At nine years old, ...

and As Thick As Thieves The tour started in Tucson, Arizona on September 12, 2012, and ended September 29 in Sacramento, California.

Recent works, Line-up changes (2014–present)

In November 2013, The Dead Rabbitts signed with

Tragic Hero Records Tragic Hero Records is an independent record label founded in Raleigh, North Carolina, in March 2005 to represent the growing metalcore and post-hardcore scene of North Carolina. The label was founded by Tommy LaCombe, David Varnedoe, and Jason G ...

and announced that they will be releasing an album sometime in 2014. In December, they began recording songs with

Andrew Wade Andrew Robert Wade (born August 4, 1984) is an American recording engineer and music producer. Early years and A Wish for Marilynne (2002–2006) In August 2002, Wade started playing guitar and singing lead vocals in Christian rock/emo band A W ...

. On May 16, 2014, the band released their first single "My Only Regret" from their debut album ''Shapeshifter'', which was released on July 1, 2014. This is the first and last album with the band's guitarist

. On November 7, the band released a music video from their song "Deer in the Headlights". On January 24, 2017, the band released their first single "Dead Again" from their second studio album ''This Emptiness'' which will be released on April 14, 2017. Two days later after the album's release, guitarist Bobby Whitaker parted ways with the band. On June 13, 2017, the band released a remix version of their single "Dead Again" featuring rapper

Whitney Peyton Whitney Peyton is an American rapper from the outskirts of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Early life and influences Growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Peyton looked up to artists who had emerged from the area such as Will Smith, Eve, an ...

. In September 2019, the band posted in the studio with

Cameron Mizell Cameron Pierce Mizell is an American artist, songwriter, singer, record producer and owner of Chango Studios. He began producing music in 2003 & has worked with Billboard charts, Billboard top charting artists such as Sleeping With Sirens, Memphis ...

, and also announced TJ Bell was no longer part of the band. Mabbitt said "TJ Bell is no longer a member of The Dead Rabbitts but their door is always open to him." On October 25, 2019, the band released a single titled "Dead by Daylight" on the same day the band also announced lineup changes, Erik Jensen as guitarist and Blake Bailey as drummer. On November 22, 2019, the band released the single "Gutter" with

and Courtney LaPlante as guest vocals. On December 6, 2019, their second EP ''Break the Static'' was released. This is the band's first release without an official bassist since TJ Bell's departure in early 2019. In September 2020, former short-time rhythm guitarist August Cryns passed away. In mid-2020 to late 2021, the band released five songs including "Echo" and most recently "Acceptance" from their third album to be released in 2022. On January 23, 2022, the band announced their third album ''Rumination'' will be released on April 1, 2022. At their album release party, Colton Westerman joined on stage, playing bass. Soon after, he was announced as the band's new bassist.

Band members

Current *

– lead vocals (2011–present) * Erik "Shredz" Jensen – lead and rhythm guitars, co-lead vocals (2017–present), bass (2019–2022) * Blake Bailey – drums, percussion (2017–present) * Colton Westerman - bass (2022-present) Touring musicians * Carlos Ruiz – bass (2019–2021; 2021) * Skylar Schular - bass, guitar (2021) * Joey King - guitar (2021) Former * Kevin "Thrasher" Gruft – lead and rhythm guitars, backing vocals (2011–2012) * Brian O'Dawd – drums, percussion (2011–2012) * TJ Bell – bass, co-lead vocals (2011–2019; touring 2022) * Tony Aguilera – drums, percussion (2012–2013) * August Cryns – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2012–2014) *

– lead guitar, backing vocals (2012–2015), rhythm guitar (2014–2015) * Chris Julian – drums, percussion (2013–2014) * Rob Pierce – drums, percussion (2014–2017) * Bobby Whitaker – lead and rhythm guitars, backing vocals (2016–2017) Timeline

Discography

Studio albums * ''

'' (2014) * ''This Emptiness'' (2017) * ''Rumination'' (2022) EPs * ''Edge of Reality'' (2012) * ''Break the Static'' (2019)

Music videos

* "Edge of Reality" (2012) * "Deer in the Headlights" (2014) * "Burn It Down" (2017) * "This Emptiness" (2017) * "Dead by Daylight" (2020) * "Echo" (2020) * "Rumination" (2021) * "Cobra Kai" (2021) * "Options" (2022) * "Raisehell.exe" (2022)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dead Rabbitts Musical groups established in 2011 2011 establishments in Arizona American post-hardcore musical groups Metalcore musical groups from Arizona American avant-garde metal musical groups Heavy metal musical groups from Arizona Musical quartets Musical quintets Heavy metal supergroups Tragic Hero Records artists