SLAVES

Founded by former Emarosa and Dance Gavin Dance frontman Jonny Craig, Slaves are an experimental post-hardcore outfit formed in 2014. Also featuring guitarists Christopher Kim and Alex Lyman, bassist Jason Mays, and former Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows drummer Tal Wright, Slaves were quickly signed to Artery. With a U.S. tour booked before the group released an album, Mays left due to health issues, prompting Craig to recruit Andrew Mena to fill in. By that June, only six months after formation, Slaves made their full-length debut with Through Art We Are All Equals, a guest-packed album that showcased the band's soaring, ethereal sound. Routine Breathing, the band's sophomore studio long-player, arrived in 2015, the same year that new bassist Colin Viera joined Slaves' lineup. ~ Gregory Heaney