Burnt By The Sun formed in November '99 by longtime friends David Witte (Discordance Axis, ex Human Remains) and John Adubato. The duo began piecing material together and soon after invited former Endeavor vocalist Mike Olender to front the group. Bassist Ted Patterson (who had played with Witte in Human Remains) and a second guitarist joined in February.
"We were tired of being let down by buying records that failed to deliver what they promised so we set out create something to our standards that we would want to hear from a band," said drummer Witte.
No sooner had the band expanded to a quintet than it polished up its first half dozen songs and made its live debut on the Relapse Stage at 2000's March Metal Meltdown. Burnt By The Sun made its unique and formidable presence felt immediately. Relapse was quick to respond.
The band entered Sweetwood Sound Studios in May with dalek's Alap Momin (the Van Pelt, Rye Coalition) at the production helm to cut the first seven songs they'd written. Three of those tracks (ironically enough the first three songs written) became its' half of a split CD-Ep with fellow Jersey grind-troupe Luddite Clone, while an early version of the devastating You Will Move was contributed to "Contaminated 3.0", the Relapse 10th Anniversary compilation.
Burnt By The Sun spent the next several months honing their material and live show with a series of jaw-dropping performances. Attendee抯 to NYC抯 Loud Az Fuck fest, Milwaukee Metal fest, the Northeast leg of the Contamination 2000 Tour as well as numerous weekend excursions through the Northeast witnessed the full force of the band抯 increasingly devastating live performances. Word was quick to spread.
The band spent a bit of additional time at Sweetwood in the early fall re-working the remaining tracks. Those tracks would form their Relapse debut.
That self-titled CD-EP flexes the bands futuristic quasi-metal/hardcore hybrid that sounds as unique and imposing as it does energetic. The songs are as cerebral as they are visceral: "Buffy" and "You Will Move" are equal parts guitar skronk and frenetic fret board gymnastics, vocal savagery and superhuman drumming.
The band's compositions are meticulously dynamic, paying as much attention to deft nuance and fluid transition as much as being high velocity displays of brute force. The end result is a relentless fusion of post-everything virtuosity that leaves behind the charred remains of convention and sterility with a scorched earth policy of progression, aggression and perpetual motion.
As different as the band is musically, their unique lyrical approach is miles apart from the standards (or lack thereof) set by may of their peers. "Singing tales of hell or necrophilia may very well go with the heaviness of the music, but songs about issues happening in the world around us are more moving because they are what makes the world turn. People go to wars over these issues and to think politics has no place in music is dismissive because it ignores so much," says vocalist/lyricist Mike Olender. "The point behind the song titles is to illustrate that BBTS doesn't take itself too seriously however," Olender continues. "There are too many people out there that wear their politics or beliefs in such a fashion that it prevents other aspects of their humanity from being exposed. What is important is to me is keeping life in perspective; keeping a sense of humor and humanity in check with who I am as a human being."
Immediately after the release of the CD-Ep?the band added a new second guitarist in Chris Rascio (ex-Times Up) without missing a beat on the live front.
Burnt By The Sun has undertaken a rigorous schedule for the spring. Appearances at numerous festivals across North America (Metal Meltdown, New England Metal & Hardcore Fest, Milwaukee Metalfest, Hellfest) have already been confirmed as well as Midwest/Northeast tour in April with Martyr Ad.
Additionally, the quintet is also currently preparing new material for their first full-length. The yet-to-be titled full-length will be recorded with producer/engineer Matt Bayles (Pearl Jam, Screaming Trees, Botch, Isis, etc.) at Trax East Studios in June and will include such BBTS staples such as "Dracula With Glasses", "The Boston Teabag Party", "Famke" and many more.
Source: http://www.relapse.com/high/relapse/burn/biography.html