Blackened seemed to have come out of nowhere, but the truth is that every member of the band has been involved in the independent music community for the last decade and a half. The all-star lineup boasts current and former members of the juggernaut that is Hatebreed (bassist Chris Beattie and original drummer and founding member Dave Russo) as well as current Connecticut contenders and alum alike, including vocalist Jay Reason (The Distance) and guitarist Chris Legg (Fastbreak). Founded on the terms of combining the roots of traditional hardcore with the sheer brutality of metal, Blackened is quite simply a wrecking ball that stops at nothing in its path.