Defendants

"I am not my own." Defendants have hit the scene hard. Comprised of former members of Die to Yourself (now The Dwelling) and Stories of Shepherds, they've spent the past several months playing to a steadily growing fan base their unique blend of aggressive, tight djent metal, traditional hardcore, and post-hardcore melody, playing sets with such scene giants as Norma Jean, Oh Sleeper, Stray From the Path, Comeback Kid, and Close Your Eyes, and pushing themselves harder and harder to create something out of nothing for the glory of Jesus Christ. Both students at Visible School of Music and Worship Arts in Memphis, TN, Bobby Ross (guitar, clean vocals) and Tyler Payne (drums) started Defendants as an outlet for their love of metal and hardcore music in a dry scene. After making the acquaintance of Josh Owens (lead vocals) and Aaron Stearns (bass) through his songwriting instructor at Visible Music College, Bobby attended a Stories of Shepherds concert, starting a relationship with Josh and Aaron which soon led to the inception of Defendants. Writing long distance (Josh and Aaron driving down from Jonesboro, AR), it was a slow start, during which the group had time to focus the vision of the group into a concrete institution- to demonstrate the grace of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in a compassionate and genuine way, by digging into their struggles as human beings and talking about the difficult issues that many avoid. Owens screams with grit teeth, “We are destined to fall, but made to rise- oh God, take this life I attempt to drive,” a pained bark at the difficulties of attempting to live as an authentic Christian in a world where such a term can be difficult to define. "We don't want to be just another band that happens to be made up of Christians," says Ross. "We've all done that before. We want something that means more, to share from the bad experiences we've had in life and about our failures and difficulties and give people hope- especially those who've been let down by someone they relied on- that there is a good God and life doesn't have to be hell." Defendants are not content with the state of their faith or their scene. With a real message, an incredibly tight stage show, and a commitment to making excellent music and living with integrity, Defendants intend to stick around for a while. You're not my mom.