Scapegoat is an American rock group formed in 1999, in Charlotte, North Carolina and one of the first bands signed to Tragic Hero Records. Scapegoat is credited with bringing attention and recognition to the North Carolina rock music scene.
Justin Driscoll, Dan Royer, and Dan Hitselberger began playing together in early 1998. After many months of several different vocalists, the trio united with Kit Walters and invited him to be their permanent vocalist, deciding on the band name "Scapegoat." After playing together for more than a year, the quartet entered the studio to begin recording tracks for what would become their debut album Two On One. With the successful release of Two on One the group began playing shows in and around the Charlotte-Metro area. During this growing success the band was forced, due to a pre-existing trademark, to change their name from "Scapegoat" to "Sckapegoat" to avoid legal action.
By 2002, the band had gained a large following and had written much new material for a new album. Released in early 2003, their second album Element of Design was well received in the Charlotte music scene. Element of Design cemented the band as a staple of the Charlotte music scene.
Just a few months after the release of Element of Design the band entered the studio once again to record These Cards We're Dealt. The album signified a shift in the stylistic approach that Sckapegoat brought to their music. With the release of These Cards We're Dealt the band moved away from what they saw as a "stagnant music industry" and created a whole new genre incorporating the same energy and brutality that Sckapegoat was known for with layered melodies and vocal harmonies. These Cards We're Dealt was released in early 2004 and has sold close to 10,000 copies since February 2004.
2004 also brought the addition of guitarist Spencer Bensch. In 2005 the band acquired the trademarked name "Scapegoat" allowing them to resume playing under their original moniker.
With Spencer Bensch added to the line-up, the band entered the studio again to record what would become Let Our Violins Be Heard. Continuing to build on the genre established with These Cards We're Dealt, Let Our Violins Be Heard was also the bands first release on Raleigh based record label Tragic Hero Records on October 22, 2005. The album would eventually garner attention with a national release through Tragic Hero in July 2006.
Re-entering the studio to record new music, the band has taken a decidedly different approach with their latest album, Zombie Dog. Evolving on the same layered melodies and compositions that solidified their fame in their home state, Zombie Dog is a decidedly harder album and was released nationally by Tragic Hero Records on January 22, 2008.
The band re-released "These Cards We're Dealt" on Zestone Records in Japan and Tragic Hero (USA). Soon after Scapegoat toured Japan to support the re-release and 2008's Zombie Dog.
Scapegoat announced on their facebook the release date of their upcoming album "I AM ALIEN" to be September 3, 2011.
