Artist description Burn It Down’s musical approach immediately grabs attention. Powerful, honest and forthright- sometimes subtle, subdued and atmospheric, but always intense, the band’s songs aspire to become an elevation in consciousness akin to the early works of bands like Bad Brains, Voi Vod and mid-era Celtic Frost. Rooted in the hardcore scene, yet nourished by 80’s thrash metal since their youth, the men of Burn It Down- vocalist Ryan Downey, guitarist John Zeps, bassist Jason McCash and drummer Brian “Bob” Fouts- demand nothing short of total attention and commit nothing less than aural devastation with their recordings and performances.Burn It Down’s assault attacks and influences the listener on the spiritual plane as well as the cerebral, decimating preconceived notions about emotion, politics, “religion”, musical styles and the essence of existence itself, all at once. Fouts’ attention to detail and hard hitting style complexly and confidently fills the bottom of every song, layered alongside McCash’s flowing and intricate bass lines. Zeps’ guitar work is all over the place, shifting fluidly from noise-core to metallic crunch, discordant melody and back again. Downey’s lyrics are uncompromising but personal; inspiring yet decidedly un-preachy, alternating in delivery between screamed, whispered and sung. Sometimes the band looks ready to take off to another world in the live setting. Othertimes, they just destroy, leaving devasted on-lookers in their wake.

Music Style Metallic Noisecore.

Musical Influences Metallica, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Voi Vod, Slayer, Celtic Frost, Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Dazzling Killmen, Destruction, Exodus, Coalesce, Robbie Williams, Oasis, The Cure, Into Another, Judge, Megadeth, Anthrax...

Similar Artists Coalesce, Kiss It Goodbye, The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Deftones, Soilent Green, Machine Head

Artist History Burn It Down is no longer a band. But here is their history…Burn It Down was formed in January of 1997 by the former Ice Nine nucleus of guitarist John Zeps, bassist Todd Gullion and drummer Scoth Datsun, when they recruited vocalist Ryan Downey. After a few short practices, the band started playing shows before they even had a name. Soon, they recorded four songs that would later comprise their self titled EP for Uprising Records, as well as a cover of Inside Out’s "No Spiritual Surrender," which was never released. Award winning artist Bradley Trost (who designed covers for Chamberlain, Split Lip and Old Pike) put together the EP’s dazzling package. In February of ’97, Todd relocated to the Bay Area of California, where he would eventually form the band Time In Malta. Scoth went traveling through Europe. Downey encouraged Zeps (who at this time and off and on would also be a member of experimental proto-grunge rockers Acid Green) to keep the band together, and soon recruited his high school buddy Brian "Bob" Fouts- who he hadn’t seen in years, to play drums. Bassist Harley French played with Burn It Down at their third show, in the spring of that year, and was then replaced by former Ice Nine guitarist Dave Lawson. The band played out in Indianapolis at clubs like the Emerson Theater, building a small following in the then fragmented local hardcore punk scene. Lawson left the band in the fall, and was replaced by Jason McCash. Jason’s first show was supporting long running punk band Sloppy Seconds in Indianapolis. The band started playing in neighboring cities like Chicago and Cincinatti, while still building a local fanbase. At the end of 1997, Jason quit the band. John Johnson returned to Indiana from California to join the Burn It Down in December, playing his first show with them in January of 1998. Burn It Down headlined that show in Indianapolis in front of nearly 400 people, the largest turn-out for an Indianapolis hardcore band since the heyday of Split Lip. Other local bands at that show were Upheaval, Better Off Dead and Emotion Zero. In the spring of 1998, Burn It Down entered Caboose Studios with their friend "Metal" Mike Downton to record 8 songs- the 4 from the first EP and 4 new tracks. While there, they also recorded a cover of Black Sabbath’s "Heaven & Hell" with Mike playing bass. Shortly after, the band embarked on a short tour supporting Zao, Stretch Arm Strong and Spitifre, striking up a close friendship with Zao that would endure longer than the band. Downey then briefly filled in with the Albany, New York hardcore band One King Down, after the unexpected departure of vocalist Rob Fusco. Hired to do two tours (one supporting Madball and Earth Crisis, and another with Hatebreed), and possibly a full time job with the band, Downey parted ways amicably with them after just two shows. In August of 1998, Burn It Down supported Metallica, Jerry Cantrell and Days of the New on a side stage in Indianapolis, warming up the 30,000 person attended show with a two hour set and giving away tons of stickers and flyers. 7 of the songs recorded in the spring surfaced as the first CD release for Pennsylvania’s Escape Artist Records, the "Eat Sleep Mate Defend" EP. The band played a record release show in Indy (incidentally promoted by former bassist Jason McCash) that drew around 350 people. The EP eventually earned the band favorable press in Metal Maniacs and Terrorizer, ‘though it only scored one ‘K’ out of five in Britain’s Kerrang!. The record served as a way of re-introducing the demo songs with the current line-up, as well as debuting four newer tracks that showed a shift towards more dynamic songwriting- most notably with the mini-epic "Snakes In The Garden." (The record would be released a year later as a 10" vinyl EP, with a bonus track from the same recording sessions.) A few hometown appearances supporting Six Feet Under, Morbid Angel and Nile followed. At the end of the year, bassist Johnson announced to the band that he would be returning to California, tired of the Midwest and the underlying tensions already very present in the band. The year, and Johnson’s time with the band, was closed up with a triumphant New Year’s gig co-headlining with Sloppy Seconds and Marky Ramone & The Intruders in front of 700 people. Downey convinced McCash to rejoin, and by January of 1999, he was back.Burn It Down played a show in Louisville. Soon, they collectively decided that John Zeps should be fired from the band, due to his inability to commit to serious touring, rehearsing or writing of new material. Burn It Down wrote one song as a three piece, with McCash playing guitar and bass on an 8 track recording of it that also featured a cover of 108’s ‘Deathbed.’ In February of 1999, the band recruited Race Traitor guitarist Dan Binaei, who briefly relocated from Chicago although he remained a full-time member of both bands. The band was written about around this time in the Indianapolis Star, Nuvo Newsweekly and Hit Parader magazine. Burn It Down played a handful of Midwest dates supporting Brother’s Keeper before entering The Lodge Studios in Indy with producer Tommy Roosa to begin work on their half of an upcoming split EP with Race Traitor. The band recorded 3 new tracks and a cover of 108’s ‘Deathbed,’ none of which were ever released. Initially, it appeared as though Race Traitor would be going on a short-term hiatus after a West Coast tour, but they did not. Soon, it became clear that Binaei splitting his time between two full-time bands was not to the benefit of Burn It Down’s continued growth. Discussions were had with Zeps about returning to the line-up, and shortly afterwards, Binaei parted amicably with the band and Zeps rejoined. By the spring, following an appearance at Initial Records Krazy Fest 2, the band returned to The Lodge with 3 different new songs to create their half of the split with Race Traitor. They also re-recorded the song ‘Snakes in the Garden,’ which wound up on a compilation. Trustkill Records eventually released the split on CD EP, and later, Europe’s Good Life put it out as a 12" record. Escape Artist Records Adam Peterson created the artwork based on some of Downey’s loose concepts. The songs on the split introduced a few new components to the band’s still evolving sound: melodic vocal parts and sections of melody that open up and breathe, particularly in the twisting and turning ‘Every Man’s Got A Devil’ and moody ‘The Coward’s Trance,’ which moves convincingly from droning and percussive to fast and circle-pit worthy in a heart beat. Burn It Down embarked on a Northeast tour with Cave In and Isis in June, shortly after co-headlining the Indianapolis Hardcore Festival and making appearances at Chicago Fest, Minneapolis Fest and Krazy Fest Too (with Snapcase and Sick Of It All) as well. The band capped off the summer’s worth of touring with a hometown appearance supporting Gwar, and a slot alongside The Misfits and Earth Crisis. Burn It Down later played several more shows in the Northeast, most notably in Pennsylvania with Torn Apart and in Syracuse with Dillinger Escape Plan and Turmoil. Burn It Down spent January of 2000 writing their debut full-length record, a conceptually driven album creatively mapped out by Downey and filled in by the entire band, incorporating a lot more melodic singing, textures, sludge, grind, traditional metal and dark soundscapes. Zeps would introduce riffs that were arranged primarily by Fouts, with some help from everyone else, with McCash adding countering bass lines and Downey penning all of the lyrics, song titles and vocal melodies. The band paused only once to play a ‘secret’ bar show supporting Spite, before entering Fun House studios to demo the album. Louisville musician Duncan Barlow (Endpoint, By the Grace of God, Guilt) and his roommate were recruited to add some noise bits, though only a long piano piece of his ended up appearing on the album.Around this time, Fouts also began playing with his side band, the Fu Manchu inspired outfit Sixty-15 (named for the code for pipes at the record store where Fouts then worked), which also included members of his old hardcore band With Authority. In February, Burn It Down spent a week on the East Coast and in Florida supporting Dillinger Escape Plan, a week that was capped off by a show in New Orleans with Dillinger, Drowning Man and Soilent Green. Burn It Down met up with the tour again as it stopped through Indianapolis, this time with Cephalic Carnage in tow as well. They also played a couple of gigs with Turmoil and Haste.Downey next got together with photographer ‘Dirty’ Matthew Aaron, model Amber Lynch and effects professional Drew Pierce to put together the images that would comprise the art for the band’s debut album. The creative team perfectly executed Downey’s vision of a person surrounded by the dead, teetering on the brink between the world of the living and the next plane- imagery that deeply connects on several levels with the themes addressed by Downey in the lyrics. Though not outwardly political in nature (blatant and articulate politics were always carefully avoided due to conflicting opinions and attitudes in the band), the record nevertheless dealt with racism, sexism, and economic inequality- and especially humankind’s neglected spiritual nature. In March, Burn It Down entered Red House Studios in Eudora, Kansas, with producer Ed Rose (Ultimate Fakebook, Coalesce, Get Up Kids). Ed whipped the band into shape, forging the album with them, which included several new tracks (one of which was never completed) and a cover of the Rolling Stones ‘Paint it Black.’ Former Coalesce vocalist Sean Ingram was instrumental in getting the band to Red House, and hung out during some of the 5 day session. Burn It Down played Krazy Fest 3, as well as a couple of shows supporting Hatebreed. Next was a tour supporting Dillinger Escape Plan, Candiria and Isis. Then the Relapse stage at Milaukee Metalfest. Then 6 shows with In Flames and Earth Crisis. Then 'Let the Dead Bury the Dead' finally saw release.The band took the next several weeks off at Zeps' request. They then took an offer to support In Flames, Nevermore and Shadows Fall for a month, went out with a fill-in guitarist, and broke up on tour.Burn It Down was soon after featured in Terrorizer, Unrestrained, Exclaim and several other magazines, with great reviews in Alternative Press (4 out of 5) and Metal Maniacs. Kerrang even gave the record a 4 out of 5 and profiled them as a ‘noisecore’ band to watch in a later issue. ‘Let the Dead Bury the Dead’ remains Burn It Down’s finest moment.Downey relocated in February of 2001 to California, where he rejoined bassist Todd Gullion and took over vocal duties in Time In Malta. John Zeps joined several bands and projects in Indiana, and currently plays with Acid Green and Forefront. Bob continues to jam with Sixty-15, while McCash is playing with a band called The John Wayne’s while forming new projects in his spare time.

Group Members Ryan Downey-vocals, Brian "Bob" Fouts-drums, John Zeps-guitar, Jason McCash-bass.

Instruments Guitars, bass, drums, vocals

Albums Let the Dead Bury the Dead 2000 CD (Escape Artist) Make Them Talk 1999 split CD EP/12" (Trustkill/Good Life), Eat Sleep Mate Defend 1998 CD EP/ 10" (Escape Artist), Burn It Down 1997 CD EP/ 7" single (Uprising)

Press Reviews ROCKPILE said: "A moment of silence or Burn It Down. The band has split due to 'personal, artistic and professional differences.' Even thought BID is no more, thanks for the memories and the fantastic Let the Dead Bury the Dead." ...ALTERNATIVE PRESS said:"A Magnum opus of aggressive sounds. Burn It Down are heavy. This is the only generality that can be applied to a band who cover such vast sonic territory. Okay, so this musical ground is singularly rich in metals, but it is nevertheless far-reaching in its heaviness. Let the Dead Bury the Dead opens with the Voivod-like robo-metal of 'Ten Percent of the Law,' which applies almost math-like precision to its song structure. Within this framework, Ryan Downey's vocals alternate between a hardcore roar and a death-metal growl. Later, there's the night-prowling guitar riff and dark 'whoa-ohs' on 'Bones are Made for Breaking,' a song that would sound right at home on a Type O Negative or Danzig record. 'Do Your Worst' careens from speed metal to a stop-start assualt reminiscent of Helmet, while '...But the Past Ain't Through with Us' takes a stab at prog-metal. On the latter track, as well as 'The Most Beautiful Lie I Was Ever Told Or Sold,' Downey demonstrates that he can sing as well as he can scream. Although Burn It Down clearly draw from many influences, they still manage to sound visionary. 4/5." ...“...Old-school hardcore feel of brevity, clarity and meaning racing through each of [Burn it Down’s] short hate-tempers, coupled with a thoroughly savage grasp on the teeth-gritting standards of today. Tell me that’s not enough to get you frothing at the mouth.” METAL MANIACS“Thick noise mixed with tight, spazzy guitars. It’s incredible that they make this much noise as a four piece. A good mix of slow groove, fast noise and screamed/sung vocals. This is brutal and well worth looking into for you fans of the extreme noise/metal sound found on the Edison and Hydra Head labels.... Burn It Down is gonna be big.” JITTER“Burn It Down flexes their metal-core muscle... Leaning more in the Deftones vein.” SKRATCH“The risk taking... experimental Burn It Down features music scribe Ryan Downey who sings/screams as well as he writes.” ROCKPILE“Fuck analyzation. This just destroys most anything going. Get it.” HANGING LIKE A HEX. Also received favorable reviews in Metal Maniacs, Terrorizer, [m.a.g.] and other rags, as well as the local press.

Additional Info Featured in Terrorizer, Unrestrained, Hit Parader, Hellfrost and Hanging Like A Hex. Loudnet.Com artist of the month, April 1999.

Location Indianapolis, Indiana - USA

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