Emerging in 2018 with the EP Ataraxis, Los Angeles-based Zero Theorem infuse their punishing blend of alternative hard rock and heavy metal with a compelling science fiction aesthetic. Zero Theorem grew out of a cross-country collaboration between cousins Caesar and Joe Scarlotti, who resided in Chicago and Los Angeles, respectively. After Caesar relocated to L.A. in 2017, the pair enlisted guitarist Max Georgiev, bassist Eloy Palacios, and drummer Jake Hayden and began recording demos that looked to bands like Disturbed, Tool, and Five Finger Death Punch for inspiration. With help from producer Kane Churko, the newly minted Zero Theorem turned those demos into fully fleshed-out studio recordings and released their debut EP, Ataraxis, in 2018. They spent the following year on the road headlining their own club tour as well as opening for the likes of Nonpoint and Hyro the Hero, and in early 2020 they issued their second EP, The Killing, with plans to release a third EP, The Killing II, later in the year. ~ James Christopher Monger