Enders Game

Artist Information

Biography

"Enders Game sounds more vital and forward-thinking than many of the bands they’re influenced by… for as much as they borrow from various styles of metal and hardcore, they come out with something wholly unique and extraordinary.” – Mike Misiak, Southeast Performer Magazine

Formed in the Winter of 2001, ENDERS GAME released two EPs ("Game Over" and "Breathe New Life") and recorded a third unreleased (due to line-up changes) full-length album before cementing the current line-up and releasing their latest full-length album, "What We’ve Lost", in the Spring of 2010.

Listen to the music, and you immediately realize that you are experiencing something uncommon in today’s splintered and often cliché metal genre: a pure metal band offering solid songwriting instead of gimmick. Their music takes foundations in yesterday’s Thrash metal and fuses it with modern rhythms, plenty of hooks, memorable guitar solos and intelligible vocals. Asked about their songwriting goals, the band says, “When we write each song, we follow two guiding principles: write music we ourselves want to listen to, and write melodies so catchy you find yourself humming them long after the track has stopped playing.”

"What We’ve Lost" promises to skyrocket the band’s career to new heights, featuring the drums of Kevin Talley (Daath, Misery Index, Dying Fetus) and guest solos by Emil Werstler and Eyal Levi of Daath and Levi/Werstler.

* Opened for the acts In Flames, Soilwork, Chimaira, Daath, Unearth, Silent Civilian, Arsis, Taproot, Gnostic
* 2006 Atlantis Music Conference performing artist
* Worldwide distribution on iTunes, Amazon.com and other digital download sites
* Airplay on Pandora Internet Radio
* Featured on 2004 Lifeless Records compilation, "A Treasury of Sorrows", distributed at the 2003 New England Metal and Hardcore Festival

Instrumentation

Shon Harp - Bass, Lead Vocals
Jarrod Johnson - Lead Guitar
Dave Merrill - Backup Vocals, Rhythm Guitar

Discography

"What We've Lost", released May 11, 2010
Full-length album (12 tracks)
Available on iTunes music store, Amazon.com, CDBaby.com
Airplay on Pandora Internet Radio

"Breathe New Life", released June 2006
Streaming audio on endersgametheband.com, MySpace & WREKAGE radio (wrekage.org)
Available on iTunes music store, CDBaby.com

4-song EP, released Nov 2005
Streaming audio on endersgametheband.com, MySpace & WREKAGE radio (wrekage.org)

"Game Over EP", released May 2003
Streaming audio on endersgametheband.com and a variety of online metal radio stations

Official Website

http://www.endersgametheband.com

Links

• Facebook
• MySpace
• Twitter
• CD Baby
• YouTube
• iTunes
• Amazon

Audio

• With This Ring
  Listen  
• These Empty Fields
  Listen  
• Forever Ends Tomorrow
  Listen  
• Forgiveness
  Listen  
• Stand Alone
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Splintered and Broken
• Forgiveness
• Stand Alone

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Enders Game - Game Over [+ Show ]
  

  Unleashing their under-twenty minute EP amidst much anticipation, the curiously monikered Enders Gam...Unleashing their under-twenty minute EP amidst much anticipation, the curiously monikered Enders Game deliver four death-and-hardcore-tinged metal tunes as diverse as they are melodically developed and blisteringly powerful. Already scoring opening slots for bands In Flames, Soilwork, Chimaira and Unearth within the space of their three year existence, Enders Game offer this appetizer before releasing their debut full length early next year. All four songs are nearly equal in quality and bode well for their eagerly awaited LP.
  While the Phil Anselmo vocals may sound dated to some ears, Kevin Freeman’s growl is devastating in its clarity and his screams are as impassioned as just about anything from extreme metal’s heyday. He also mixes it up a fair amount – setting into a Machine Head-esque wail before again launching into throat-shredding theatrics.
  The rest of the band, in addition to the EP itself, is simply spectacular. Rarely are such new bands as tight and convincing as Enders Game are. Unfortunately, the cover of Game Over shows the band trying their best to look evil while a display of ones and zeroes seemingly sprout out of Freeman’s head. That alone may scare away metalheads who have long ago tired of bands who ache to impress in any terms other than musical. However, those reluctant to judge a book by its cover will find some of the most satisfying relatively straightforward metal to come out in some time.
  Combining the melodicism of mid-nineties retro-thrash black metal with the alluring chug of Roadrunner Records styled death metal and recorded with enough grittiness and irreverent attitude to appeal to hardcore-nu metal crossover fans, Enders Game is exactly what more metal bands should sound like. Though they might not have exactly stumbled onto a new subgenre, Enders Game sounds more vital and forward-thinking than many of the bands they’re influenced by currently are. For as much as they borrow from various styles of metal and hardcore, they come out with something wholly unique and extraordinary.
  

• Enders Game album review [+ Show ]
  

  Enders Game “Game Over” Self-released, 2003 Enders Game’s music is an interesting mixture of thra...Enders Game
  “Game Over”
  Self-released, 2003
  Enders Game’s music is an interesting mixture of thrash and death metal. The opening riffs remind me of Atheist’s “Unquestionable Presence”. This comparison isn’t very adequate to analyze the next compositions but it’s one of the best comparisons I can find for this original material. Other comparisons that come to my mind are equally loose. I will mention for instance Sadus, but I’m sure that you still don’t know what Enders Game plays. Such varied comparisons may be even misleading. In such situation, it’s better to say that Atlanta’s band has simply many original ideas that make “Game Over” unique metal fusion. Enders Game’s advantage is songwriting for the tracks have interesting, compact structures. Because of them as well as memorable riffs, Enders Game’s music is pretty catchy, not being too soft and too commercial. The fans of technical metal will appreciate the skills of the band’s members. The vocals are clean but aggressive enough for thrash/death metal standard. http://www.endersgametheband.com

• Enders Game: Game Over [+ Show ]
  

  I like this little heavy metal band from Atlanta. I like them a lot. They have all the thrash style ...I like this little heavy metal band from Atlanta. I like them a lot. They have all the thrash style of Overkill and Exodus and all of the melodic style of Stone Sour combined in such a way that the sound is fucking unique. They put out some over the heavier, harder sound in Atlanta. I wouldn't call them death metal-but it is extreme music like Hatebreed. -More than once, I have stood in the back of the club watching these guys. I am always watching, even if I am not there. People tell me WTF is going on-and right now one of the things that is going on soon is Enders Game. With the lack of quality metal that is hitting the South on national tours right now, we die hard metal head mother fuckers need our fix. Enders Game is going to fix you really fucking good. -Hey Jamey Josta, yeah you you in control of yourself son of a bitch, I would put Kevin Freeman up against you any day of the week. I am not saying you suck Jamey-I am just saying I think Kevin Freeman may be able to kick your ass on vocals. Kevin Freeman has a melodic thing going on that I would fucking love to hear out of Jamey Josta. -Jarrod Johnson and Dave Merrill are a way fucking talented guitar section, and you can hear their influences in their style. When I listen to the two of them, I can hear Dave Linsk, Dimebag Darrell, and George Lynch combine into this fucking mind blowing blend of melodic thrash and metal. -Shon Harp on bass reminds me of the bass god of death metal-Terry Butler. He provides the rolling thunder undertones to the sharp lightning crack of the drums. -The drums on the CD are done by Jeff Gardner-but Daniel Burch is the current drummer. The drums are hardcore on the cd and ever harder live. Burch is fucking exciting to watch. -Locally, these guys onstage with Prime Mover and Ground Xero would be a kick ass and fucking brutally poetic show. These are three bands that really make the fucking argument to launch an independent extreme metal label in Atlanta. -My favorites on the demo are S.K.O. and Shedding Faith. Go check these fucking guys out-you are going to love them.

Setlist

Typically perform single sets ranging in length from 30 minutes to 1 hour with all original material; occasionally beginning with a short intro from a cover song to capture the audience attention. Typical set list duration is 45 minutes. May include a metal version of a cover song or instrumental interlude half-way through the set.

Basic Requirements

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