The Banner

by Johnny LoftusYour Murder Mixtape, the Banner's 2003 full-length for Blackout, opened with a song called "Zombie Onslaught." That should give you an idea of what the quartet's particular take on metalcore sounds like -- guts and ghouls and screaming death, delivered over jagged hardcore melodies and amplified with death metal intensity. Weird breakdowns and detours suggest a junior version of the Dillinger Escape Plan. The Banner had actually debuted previously to Murder Mixtape with the Posthumous EP, also on Blackout; they jumped to Ferret for August 2005's more cohesively vicious Each Breath Haunted. The Banner's lineup includes vocalist Joey Southside, bassist Ian Phoenix, guitarists Chris Leboeuf and Garrett Defalco, and drummer Mike Leboeuf. The band decided to go its separate ways in August 2006; several members went back to school, while Southside continued work on a comic book series with My Chemical Romance's Frank Iero. The Banner couldn't stay separated for long, however, and by November they were back together to play random shows. A month later they announced that new material was being written for a new album for Ferret and additional tour dates were on the horizon.