HAWK (formerly This or The Apocalypse) is 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 ...

band from

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...

that formed in 2005.

History

''Monuments'' (2005–2009)

In 2008 the band signed to European metal label

Lifeforce Records Lifeforce Records is a German heavy metal independent record label that specializes in metalcore and death metal. Their roster contains bands such as Confession, This or the Apocalypse, Omnium Gatherum and Last Leaf Down, and they have helped t ...

, and released the album ''

Monuments A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

'' later that year. The band went on several tours throughout 2008 and 2009 with acts such as

Kingston Falls Kingston Falls were an American Christian hardcore band, and they primarily played hardcore punk and metalcore. They were from Goshen, Indiana, where they formed in 2003 and disbanded in 2009. The primary members of the band were John Busenbar ...

For Today For Today was an American Christian metalcore band from Sioux City, Iowa, formed in 2005. They released two EPs, ''Your Moment, Your Life, Your Time'' and ''Prevailer'', and six full-length albums: '' Ekklesia'' in, 2008, ''Portraits'' in 2009, ...

August Burns Red August Burns Red is an American metalcore band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, formed in 2003. The band's current lineup consists of lead guitarist John Benjamin "JB" Brubaker, rhythm guitarist Brent Rambler, drummer Matt Greiner, lead vocalist Ja ...

A Skylit Drive A Skylit Drive is an American post-hardcore band from Lodi, California. The band has released one DVD, one EP and five studio albums: '' Wires...and the Concept of Breathing'' (2008), '' Adelphia'' (2009), '' Identity on Fire'' (2011), ''Rise ...

Sky Eats Airplane Sky Eats Airplane was an American post-hardcore band from Fort worth, Texas, Fort Worth, Texas. The band was signed to indie label Equal Vision Records and most recently released their self-titled full-length album through the label in July 2008 ...

, and

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 ...

across North America and Canada to promote Monuments.

''Haunt What's Left'' (2009–2011)

The band was featured on season 1 episode 4 of the

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

show Silent Library, which aired January 2010 with members Rick, Rodney, Jack, Sean and Grant. On June 22, 2010, This or the Apocalypse announced their second studio album ''Haunt Whats's Left'' which was released on Good Fight/Road Runner Records. The album was recorded by Josh Wilbur and produced by

Chris Adler Christopher James Adler (born November 23, 1972) is an American musician, best known as the founder and longtime drummer of heavy metal band Lamb of God from 1994 to 2019, and of Megadeth from 2015 to 2016. Adler played drums on Megadeth's f ...

Lamb of God Lamb of God ( el, Ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, Amnòs toû Theoû; la, Agnus Dei, ) is a title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John. It appears at John 1:29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God wh ...

at Spin Studios in New York. Following the release of the album bassist Sean and drummer Grant both left the band for other projects. Sean left to focus on his band Bells with former August Burns Red vocalist Jon Hershey. Grant embarked on a career in music production and mastering, and joined the band

Century A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...

which also features This or the Apocalypse vocalist Ricky on bass. This or the Apocalypse toured throughout 2010 to support ''Haunt What's Left'' with bands such as

Impending Doom Impending Doom is an American Christian deathcore band from Riverside, California. The group has released six full-length studio albums and are currently a five piece with lead vocalist Brook Reeves as one of the two original remaining member ...

, and MyChildren MyBride, and headlined a tour with Affiance,

Last Chance to Reason Last Chance to Reason is an American progressive metal band from Augusta, Maine. Their debut album, '' Lvl. 1'', was released through Tribunal Records in 2007. Their first major label debut, '' Level 2'', came in 2011 through Prosthetic Record ...

and Deception of a Ghost.

''Dead Years'' (2011–2018)

In June 2012, the band signed with

eOne Entertainment One Ltd., trading as eOne, is an American-owned Canadian multinational entertainment company. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition, distribution, and production of films and television s ...

and released ''Dead Years'' on September 25, 2012. In 2013, the band released a new single titled "Damaged Good".

Name change to HAWK and upcoming album (2018-present)

In 2018 the band was renamed to HAWK and on March 22, 2019, released a new song titled "Mileage". Since then they have also self-released 2 more videos, "Counter-Ops" and "Alibi". On December 4, 2020, HAWK released their first LP titled "Tolerance's Paradox" which included the previous 3 singles and 3 yet unreleased tracks.

Musical style and influences

This or the Apocalypse fall into the metalcore genre. Their music is characterized primarily by a heavy emphasis on melody and technical ability. The band's music features frequent use of technical or odd time signatures, complex

polyrhythm Polyrhythm is the simultaneous use of two or more rhythms that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter. The rhythmic layers may be the basis of an entire piece of music (cross-rhyth ...

s, and some songs have been described as having a

prog-rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

structure.

Members

;Current * Ricky Armellino −

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

(2005–present) * Jack Esbenshade −

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

(2005–present) * Adam Reed −

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

(2018-present) * Bernie Stabley – bass,

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

(2018-present) ;Former * Robert Rivera Jr. – bass guitar (2005–2006) * Toby Pool – drums (2005–2006) * Jacob Belcher – rhythm guitar (2005–2007) * Kevin Bakey – bass guitar (2006–2007) * Sean Hennessey − bass guitar (2007–2010) * Grant McFarland − drums (2006–2010) * Brent Caltagirone – drums (2010–2011) * Matthew Marcellus − bass,

(2010–2013) * Aaron Ovecka −

(2011–2013) (currently in Breather) * Aaron Maloney −

(2013–2014) * Rodney Phillips −

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

(2007–2014) Timeline

Discography

as This or the Apocalypse: ;Studio albums * ''Sentinels'' (Self-released, 2006) * ''Monuments'' (

, 2008) * ''Haunt What's Left'' (

Good Fight Entertainment Good Fight Entertainment is a business conglomerate that was founded in 2010. The company consists of a record label, band management, sports management, a clothing line and an art studio. Good Fight was founded by Paul Conroy and Carl Severson wh ...

, 2010) * ''Dead Years'' (eOne, 2012) ;Extended plays * ''Drunken Billionaire Burns Down Home'' (Self-released, 2006) as HAWK: ;Extended plays * ''Tolerance's Paradox'' (Self-released, 2020)

References

External links

This or the Apocalypse on Lifeforce RecordsThis or the Apocalypse on Good Fight RecordsThis or the Apocalypse official Facebook
{{Authority control Heavy metal musical groups from Pennsylvania Metalcore musical groups from Pennsylvania Musical groups established in 2005 Musicians from Lancaster, Pennsylvania