History Music / TheFaceless

As of February 2015, Justin [=McKinney=] of The Zenith Passage has been announced as a new guitarist. Replacements for Ficco, Brewer, and Rudinger have still not been announced, though an Instagram photo posted by [=McKinney=] confirmed that Julian Kersey (Aegaeon) and [[Music/HateEternal Chason Westmoreland]] are on the roster. Due to Westmoreland's other commitments, it's unknown if this is the final lineup or just a temporary one. More lineup changes occurred over the course of 2015; Rydquist and Giffin were both supposed to return on at least a studio basis only for it to fall through, Justin [=McKinney=] (The Zenith Passage) joined on a full-time basis as a second guitarist, and Westmoreland quietly joined on a full-time basis between the end of the year and the beginning of 2016. As of mid-2016, Ken Sorceron (Abigail Williams) has been doing live vocals, and according to people who have talked to Keene and/or [=McKinney=] about it, he is most likely full-time as well. A full-time bassist has apparently been found as well, and they are apparently putting on the finishing touches on a new album for a release around the very end of 2016 or the beginning of 2017.

* BlackMetal: ''In Becoming a Ghost'' has prominent black metal (particularly symphonic black) elements, with "Digging the Grave" and the cover of "Shake the Disease" being among the most prominent manifestations.

* CreativeDifferences: Why Cooper, Rudinger, and Westmoreland left. Cooper was having problems with Keene, while Rudinger just wasn't accustomed to being in a band situation where [[IAmTheBand one person wrote everything]] and called all the shots. Westmoreland, meanwhile, left with an unbelievable amount of drama and a lot of he-said, she-said (the band's side was that he initially gave them three weeks' notice, rescinded it at the last minute and said that he was going to do the Summer Slaughter 2017, and then went back on his word a day later and literally right before the tour; Chason's side, meanwhile, was that it was short notice, but he made every effort to help them find a drummer, and he left in the first place because his patience with Michael Keene had been completely exhausted).

* DevelopmentHell: Apparently averted with ''Autotheism''; its conception wasn't particularly difficult or arduous, just long. The heavy touring probably caused most of the delay. ''In Becoming a Ghost'' was a more legitimate case, as a complete lineup shift and an inability to maintain a new one ([=McKinney=] being the only explicit full-timer; Kersey was a live session member, Westmoreland and Sorceron wound up becoming [[AscendedExtra Ascended Extras]], and Rydquist and Giffin were supposed to at least join for the recording but could not make it work) all led to a development cycle that exceeded even ''Autotheism'' in sheer length.

* OldShame: ''Akeldama'' doesn't seem to be held in very high regard by Keene. "An Autopsy" is still a live staple, but other than that, they have turned their back on the album and don't seem to be too intent on changing that.
* OneOfUs: Rudy is an avid gamer; as a matter of fact, he took over Conquering Dystopia's Facebook page in the middle of a tour to ask for 3DS game recommendations, stating that all he had was Pokemon X and that he would be willing to guestlist anyone willing to bring him a new game.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: Alex Rudinger is not a very big guy. He's also one of the most celebrated up-and-coming drummers in metal.

* PromotedFanboy: Rudinger and [=McKinney=].

* ConceptAlbum: ''Planetary Duality'' (about TheReptilians) and ''Autotheism'' (about the process of self-realization).

* DrugsAreBad: The Faceless' recurring lineup issues, habitual tour and fest cancellations, and protracted development process for their fourth full-length can all be chalked up to Keene's [[AddledAddict longstanding drug problems and seeming inability to get his shit together]].

* ProgressiveMetal: ''Autotheism''

* AllDrummersAreAnimals: Chason Westmoreland is known for his incredibly aggressive, hard-hitting, and improvisation-heavy playing style. [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] in that he hasn't really shown too much of this in The Faceless aside from his immense power.
* AscendedExtra: Chason Westmoreland and (probably) Ken Sorceron.

* DevelopmentHell: Apparently averted with ''Autotheism''; its conception wasn't particularly difficult or arduous, just long. The heavy touring probably caused most of the delay. ''In Becoming a Ghost'' was a more legitimate case, as a complete lineup shift and an inability to maintain a new one ([=McKinney=] being the only explicit full-timer; Kersey was a live session member, Westmoreland and Sorceron wound up becoming [[AscendedExtra Ascended Extras]], and Rydquist and Giffin were supposed to at least join for the recording but could not make it work) has led to a development cycle that has exceeded even ''Autotheism'' in sheer length.

* SopranoAndGravel: Employs a dual-vocal setup, with Ficco (and Rydquist before him) handling harsh vocals and Keene handling cleans.

* DevelopmentHell: Apparently averted with ''Autotheism''; its conception wasn't particularly difficult or arduous, just long. The heavy touring probably caused most of the delay. The fourth album seems like a more legitimate case, as a complete lineup shift and an inability to maintain a new one ([=McKinney=] being the only explicit full-timer; Kersey was a live session member, Westmoreland and Sorceron wound up becoming [[AscendedExtra Ascended Extras]], and Rydquist and Giffin were supposed to at least join for the recording but could not make it work) has led to a development cycle that has exceeded even ''Autotheism'' in sheer length.

Formed in Encino, California in 2004 by Michael Keene (guitars, clean vocals) and Brandon Griffin (bass), the band quickly welcomed in Brett Batdorf on drums, though the vocalist situation was a little more volatile. Various shows occurred in spite of this, and in 2005, the band began work on an EP and released a live demo to tide people over until then. By this time, the lineup had grown to include Derek Rydquist (vocals), Steve Jones (guitar), and Michael Sherer (keyboards), though Batdorf left immediately after recording his drum tracks. The band had since decided to turn the EP into a full album, and so they drafted various drummers to do session work on the remaining tracks. It worked, and ''Akeldama'' was released in November of 2006 on Sumerian Records to quite a bit of acclaim. Sherer departed sometime after, though 2007 finally brought with it a stable drummer in the form of Lyle Cooper. A fair amount of touring followed, and the band was finally getting their feet under them. They began work on a second full-length after this, and ''Planetary Duality'' the result, coming out almost exactly two years after ''Akeldama''. This proved to be their breakthrough, as they had shed the deathcore trappings of their first album in favor of a fairly unique spin on technical death metal. Lots and lots and lots of touring followed, and things stayed quite stable until Griffin left in 2010, with Jared Lander quickly jumping in to take his place. That year also brought a spot on the Summer Slaughter Tour along with various other tours, but the prospect of a new album was beginning to loom. Come 2011, and Rydquist had quit, with Geoff Ficco of Kamikabe taking his place. A pre-production version of "The Eidolon Reality", a new track, quickly showed up on YouTube; additionally, Lander left sometime around then as well, with bass extraordinaire Evan Brewer filling the spot.

As of February 2015, Justin [=McKinney=] of The Zenith Passage has been announced as a new guitarist. Replacements for Ficco, Brewer, and Rudinger have still not been announced, though an Instagram photo posted by [=McKinney=] confirmed that Julian Kersey (Aegaeon) and [[Music/HateEternal Chason Westmoreland]] are on the roster. Due to Westmoreland's other commitments, it's unknown if this is the final lineup or just a temporary one. More lineup changes occurred over the course of 2015; Rydquist and Griffin were both supposed to return on at least a studio basis only for it to fall through, Justin [=McKinney=] (The Zenith Passage) joined on a full-time basis as a second guitarist, and Westmoreland quietly joined on a full-time basis between the end of the year and the beginning of 2016. As of mid-2016, Ken Sorceron (Abigail Williams) has been doing live vocals, and according to people who have talked to Keene and/or [=McKinney=] about it, he is most likely full-time as well. A full-time bassist has apparently been found as well, and they are apparently putting on the finishing touches on a new album for a release around the very end of 2016 or the beginning of 2017.

* DevelopmentHell: Apparently averted with ''Autotheism''; its conception wasn't particularly difficult or arduous, just long. The heavy touring probably caused most of the delay. The fourth album seems like a more legitimate case, as a complete lineup shift and an inability to maintain a new one ([=McKinney=] being the only explicit full-timer; Kersey was a live session member, Westmoreland and Sorceron wound up becoming [[AscendedExtra Ascended Extras]], and Rydquist and Griffin were supposed to at least join for the recording but could not make it work) has led to a development cycle that has exceeded even ''Autotheism'' in sheer length.

* LeadBassist: Griffin and Brewer are both Type A examples, with Brewer doubling as a Type C due to his well-known instrumental solo career.

* CreativeDifferences: Why Cooper and Rudinger left. Cooper was having problems with Keene, while Rudinger just wasn't accustomed to being in a band situation where [[IAmTheBand one person wrote everything]] and called all the shots.

* WalkingTheEarth: How Ken lives. The man spends the vast majority of his time on the road as either a musician or a tour assistant, and the weeks between tours are usually spent doing mixing and mastering work for extra cash unless one of his bands is writing and/or recording a new album. It also means that you either can work with him or you can't, as he has the personality that you would expect a road warrior type to have and not everyone can gel with that.

* TechnicalDeathMetal: ''Akeldama'' (coupled with deathcore) and ''Planetary Duality'' (a straightforward example).

* DevelopmentHell: Apparently averted with ''Autotheism''; its conception wasn't particularly difficult or arduous, just long. The heavy touring probably caused most of the delay. The fourth album seems like a more legitimate case, as a complete lineup shift and an inability to maintain a new one ([=McKinney=] being the only explicit full-timer; Kersey was a live session member, Westmoreland and Sorceron wound up becoming [[AscendedExtra AscendedExtras]], and Rydquist and Griffin were supposed to at least join for the recording but could not make it work) has led to a development cycle that has exceeded even ''Autotheism'' in sheer length.

* DevelopmentHell: Apparently averted with ''Autotheism''; its conception wasn't particularly difficult or arduous, just long. The heavy touring probably caused most of the delay. The fourth album seems like a more legitimate case, as a complete lineup shift and an inability to maintain a new one ([=McKinney=] being the only explicit full-timer; Kersey was a live session member, Westmoreland and Sorceron wound up becoming AscendedExtras, and Rydquist and Griffin were supposed to at least join for the recording but could not make it work) has led to a development cycle that has exceeded even ''Autotheism'' in sheer length.

As of February 2015, Justin [=McKinney=] of The Zenith Passage has been announced as a new guitarist. Replacements for Ficco, Brewer, and Rudinger have still not been announced, though an Instagram photo posted by [=McKinney=] confirmed that Julian Kersey (Aegaeon) and [[Music/HateEternal Chason Westmoreland]] are on the roster. Due to Westmoreland's other commitments, it's unknown if this is the final lineup or just a temporary one. As of April 2015, Brandon Griffin has officially returned as a full-time bassist. Derek Rydquist has also returned on at least a studio basis; the final drum slot has yet to be announced, though Anthony Barone (Aegaeon) is their current touring drummer.

* DevelopmentHell: Apparently averted with ''Autotheism''; its conception wasn't particularly difficult or arduous, just long. The heavy touring probably caused most of the delay.

* StartMyOwn: Rudy started the instrumental metal project Conquering Dystopia with [[Music/{{Nevermore}} Jeff Loomis]], Keith Merrow, and [[Music/CannibalCorpse Alex Webster]].

As one could guess, more touring occurred, and another lineup change occurred in 2012 when Jones departed and Wes Hauch took his place. The new album was still slowly creeping along, and come August of that year, it had finally dropped. The reaction to ''Autotheism'' was [[BaseBreaker mixed]]. Some praised it for expanding on the progressive elements of ''Planetary Duality'', while others decried it as pretentious, derivative nonsense that ripped off a ton of bands rather than doing anything new. It still sold very well, however, debuting at #50 on the Billboard 200 and resulting in a whole lot more touring. 2013 brought nothing out of the ordinary with it, which is to say more touring and a lineup change. Cooper was the one who left this time, though the fans weren't too upset about the introduction of young hotshot Alex Rudinger in his place. The rest of the year was uneventful, and 2014 proved to be more of the same with the exception of Hauch departing to join a reforming Glass Casket until late October, when Brewer and Rudinger abruptly quit for reasons not entirely known, and the trend continued with Ficco's departure in December 2014. Keene has yet to make a statement on the band's future.

As of February 2015, Justin [=McKinney=] of The Zenith Passage has been announced as a new guitarist. Replacements for Ficco, Brewer, and Rudinger have still not been announced, though an Instagram photo posted by [=McKinney=] confirmed that Julian Kersey (Aegaeon) and [[Music/HateEternal Chason Westmoreland]] are on the roster. Due to Westmoreland's other commitments, it's unknown if this is the final lineup or just a temporary one. As of April 2015, Brandon Griffin has officially returned as a full-time bassist. Derek Rydquist has also returned on at least a studio basis; the final drum slot has yet to be announced.

As of February 2015, Justin [=McKinney=] of The Zenith Passage has been announced as a new guitarist. Replacements for Ficco, Brewer, and Rudinger have still not been announced, though an Instagram photo posted by [=McKinney=] confirmed that Julian Kersey (Aegaeon) and [[Music/HateEternal Chason Westmoreland]] are on the roster. Due to Westmoreland's other commitments, it's unknown if this is the final lineup or just a temporary one. As of April 2015, Brandon Griffin has officially returned as a full-time bassist. The final vocal and drum slots have still not yet been announced.

As of February 2015, Justin [=McKinney=] of The Zenith Passage has been announced as a new guitarist. Replacements for Ficco, Brewer, and Rudinger have still not been announced, though an Instagram photo posted by [=McKinney=] confirmed that Julian Kersey (Aegaeon) and [[Music/HateEternal Chason Westmoreland]] are on the roster. Due to Westmoreland's other commitments, it's unknown if this is the final lineup or just a temporary one.

As of February 2015, Justin [=McKinney=] of The Zenith Passage has been announced as a new guitarist. Replacements for Ficco, Brewer, and Rudinger have still not been announced.

As of February 2015, Justin McKinney of The Zenith Passage has been announced as a new guitarist. Replacements for Ficco, Brewer, and Rudinger have still not been announced.

* PromotedFanboy: Rudinger

* CreativeDifferences: Cooper's explanation for his departure.

As one could guess, more touring occurred, and another lineup change occurred in 2012 when Jones departed and Wes Hauch took his place. The new album was still slowly creeping along, and come August of that year, it had finally dropped. The reaction to ''Autotheism'' was [[BaseBreaker mixed]]. Some praised it for expanding on the progressive elements of ''Planetary Duality'', while others decried it as pretentious, derivative nonsense that ripped off a ton of bands rather than doing anything new. It still sold very well, however, debuting at #50 on the Billboard 200 and resulting in a whole lot more touring. 2013 brought nothing out of the ordinary with it, which is to say more touring and a lineup change. Cooper was the one who left this time, though the fans weren't too upset about the introduction of young hotshot Alex Rudinger in his place. The rest of the year was uneventful, and 2014 proved to be more of the same with the exception of Hauch departing to join a reforming Glass Casket until late October, when Brewer and Rudinger abruptly quit for reasons not entirely known. It's unknown what will follow, but given their status, they'll probably do okay no matter what.

As one could guess, more touring occurred, and another lineup change occurred in 2012 when Jones departed and Wes Hauch took his place. The new album was still slowly creeping along, and come August of that year, it had finally dropped. The reaction to ''Autotheism'' was [[BaseBreaker mixed]]. Some praised it for expanding on the progressive elements of ''Planetary Duality'', while others decried it as pretentious, derivative nonsense that ripped off a ton of bands rather than doing anything new. It still sold very well, however, debuting at #50 on the Billboard 200 and resulting in a whole lot more touring. 2013 brought nothing out of the ordinary with it, which is to say more touring and a lineup change. Cooper was the one who left this time, though the fans weren't too upset about the introduction of young hotshot Alex Rudinger in his place. The rest of the year was uneventful, and 2014 is looking like more of the same with the exception of Hauch departing to join a reforming Glass Casket. It's unknown what will follow, but given their status, they'll probably do okay no matter what.