Based in Chico, CA, Armed for Apocalypse formed in the late 2000s around the talents of vocalist/guitarist Kirk Williams, guitarist Cayle Hunter, bassist Corey Vaspra, and drummer Nick Harris. As former members of bands like Will Haven, Abominable Iron Sloth, and Ghostride, the quartet had more than enough heavy metal experience to draw from, and their signature blend of sludge, extreme, and melodic death metal didn't take long to resonate with west coast crowds. The band released its debut album, Defeat on Metal Blade in 2009. ~ James Christopher Monger