Escape the Fate

Employing a punitive blend of metalcore, hard rock, and screamo, Nevada’s Escape the Fate emerged in 2004 and found mainstream success six years later with the release of the Billboard-charting eponymous third studio album. Despite enduring myriad lineup changes and personal turmoil over the years, the band has maintained a loyal fan base and remained at the fore of the post-hardcore scene thanks to hard-hitting efforts like Ungrateful (2013), I Am Human (2018), Chemical Warfare (2021), and Out of the Shadows (2023).
Formed in 2004, Las Vegas post-hardcore group Escape the Fate prided itself, above all else, on an energetic and visceral live show. Following the demise of their previous band, singer Ronnie Radke and bassist Max Green recruited keyboardist Carson Allen, guitarist Omar Espinoza, and drummer Robert Ortiz. Debuting live barely one month after forming, the group found early success through local radio outlets and quickly amassed a devoted hometown following.
By September 2005, Escape the Fate had won a local radio contest judged by My Chemical Romance. The gig awarded them the opportunity to open a show on the band’s headlining tour with Alkaline Trio and Reggie & the Full Effect, which subsequently led to a record deal with Epitaph. Their five-song EP There's No Sympathy for the Dead appeared in May 2006, with their full-length debut, Dying Is Your Latest Fashion, following in September of that year. Prior to both releases, keyboardist Allen left the group, with guitarist Espinoza also leaving amicably in 2007 after the two releases. The lineup shifts continued as singer Radke was ousted in 2008 due to continued drug problems and his involvement in an altercation that led to an indictment on a charge of battery; he later went on to form Falling in Reverse.
The remaining members recruited former blessthefall vocalist Craig Mabbitt to fill the vacant frontman position, and the revised lineup immediately hit the studio in mid-2008 to record their sophomore album, This War Is Ours, which subsequently reached number 35 on the Billboard charts that October. The record was a departure from Escape the Fate’s earlier emo-inspired sound, and featured a more streamlined, hard rock approach. They immersed themselves in a heavy touring schedule and, in early 2010, began working with producer Don Gilmore (Linkin Park, Bullet for My Valentine) on their third LP. Released later that year, the self-titled album would be their first for DGC/Interscope and fared well commercially, entering the charts at number 25.
They continued to tour heavily, playing shows around the world before releasing the album Ungrateful in 2013. Their ever-shifting lineup continued to evolve, with founding member Green departing and his replacement, TJ Bell, taking over on bass. Brothers Monte and Michael Money manned the guitars and, in addition to the lineup changes, Ungrateful also saw a shift to a different label, this time coming out on Universal imprint Eleven Seven Music. Arriving in late 2015, Escape the Fate’s fifth album, Hate Me, was helmed by veteran producer Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, Bon Jovi, Daughtry), and featured a lineup consisting of Mabbitt, Robert Ortiz, TJ Bell, and Kevin "Thrasher" Gruft.
In 2018, the band released the full-length I Am Human, featuring the singles “Do You Love Me?,” “Empire,” and “Broken Heart,” the latter of which cracked the Top 20 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Songs chart. Three years later, Escape the Fate returned with Chemical Warfare, which featured guest spots from violinist Lindsey Stirling and blink-182′s Travis Barker. The band inked a deal with Big Noise ahead of the release of their eighth long-player. Arriving in 2023, Out of the Shadows marked the studio debuts of guitarist Matti Hoffman and bassist Erik Jensen and included the singles “H8 MY SELF” and “Cheers to Goodbye,” the latter of which featured a guest spot from Ice Nine Kills’ Spencer Charnas. ~ Timothy Monger & Andrew Leahey