Fallujah (band)

Fallujah was founded in early 2007 by high school friends Alex Hofmann, Scott Carstairs, Tommy Logan, Dan Wissinger, and Suliman Arghandiwal. The band name comes from the Iraqi city of Fallujah, located in the Al Anbar province. Prior to signing to its first record label, the band went through their first lineup changes with the departure of bassist Dan Wissinger and drummer Tommy Logan, who would be later replaced by Brandon Hoberg and Andrew Baird in 2007, respectively. In 2008 vocalist Suliman Arghandiwal also quit the band.[1] Replacing Arghandiwal, guitarist Alex Hofmann took up vocals, with Rob Maramonte joining the band as the new guitarist (Maramonte would later quit the band and was replaced by guitarist Anthony Borges in 2009. However, he returned to the band in 2010). Hoberg would be later replaced by bassist Rob Morey. In 2009, the band released their first demo release, immediately followed by their first EP titled Leper Colony released on January 17. On February 5, 2010, the band played their first professional concert in Sacramento, California.[2]

On November 17, 2011, the band went on to release their first full-length album The Harvest Wombs, with producer Sam Pura, under California-based label Unique Leader Records.[3] On April 2, 2013, the band independently released their second EP titled Nomadic, incorporating ambient sequences, clean guitars, and female vocals by former Whirr singer Byanca Munoz.

On July 22, 2014, Fallujah released their second album titled The Flesh Prevails on Unique Leader Records.[4] The album was released while the band participated in the 2014 Summer Slaughter tour alongside Morbid Angel, the Faceless, Dying Fetus, and Thy Art is Murder. The album received significant acclaim, despite some critics saying the production was a victim of the "loudness wars" and had little dynamic range.

On January 15, 2015, Nuclear Blast announced the band's official signing to the label, stating, "Fallujah is all about pushing the envelope, taking risks, and keeping an open mind; with that mentality we felt Nuclear Blast was the most obvious and logical step for a band such as ours. With our team behind us, we can’t wait to see Fallujah grow."[5]

On April 29, 2016, the band released their third album titled Dreamless. The album received critical acclaim, and a music video has been released for the song “The Void Alone" featuring guest vocalists Tori Letzler, Mike Semesky, and Katie Thompson, as well as guest guitarist Tymon Krudenier.

On July 14, 2017, Alex Hofmann announced his departure on the band's Facebook page after 10 years in the band, with Monte Barnard as substitute vocalist during the band's 2017 - 2019 live touring for Dreamless.[6]

On January 30, 2019, the band revealed longtime friend Anthony Palermo as their new lead vocalist and unveiled their fourth studio album Undying Light, along with the single "Ultraviolet".[7] On November 24, 2020, the band announced that Nico Santora would be joining Fallujah full time.[8] On July 17, 2021, the band re-released The Harvest Wombs on vinyl in a limited edition of 1,000 copies for Record Store Day.[9]

On April 27, 2022, the band announced that their next album "Empyrean" would be released on September 9 of that year, and released the lead single, "Radiant Ascension."[10] On the same day, they revealed via Instagram that vocalist Antonio Palermo and bassist Rob Morey had been replaced by Kyle Schaeffer and Evan Brewer. They also announced that guitarist Nico Santora had left the group, although no replacement was named.

On March 22, 2023, drummer and longtime member Andrew Baird announced that he left the band.[11]