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Formed in 2014 in Denver, Colorado, Against Himself fuse elements of rock and metal. Shortly after forming, they released a four-track self-titled EP, which exhibited their hard-hitting potential. Their celerity in recording their first EP exemplifies their focus on not over-complicating the equation by agonizing over obstacles. David Hunt, vocalist of Against Himself, explains, “If you want to achieve anything in life, the only true barrier to getting where you want to go is yourself. Just remove yourself from your own path and you won’t be working against yourself; you’ll likely achieve what you want to do. The only barriers that exist are the ones you allow to be there.” The band, never intimidated by the prospect of experimenting with their sound to continually create unique music, is true to their motto that “there is no failure, only a process of elimination, and trial and error.”

While not inherently a political band, Against Himself is not afraid to tackle political ideas and avoid the stereotypical rocknroll topics that ensure record sales but lack a message that would connect them with their audience. When describing the songwriting process, Hunt notes, “I like to talk about things that matter, things that most people avoid. Strippers and coke – they’re great, fuck yeah! But when you’re being robbed by your government and there’s shit going on that’s way bigger, sometimes there’s something that needs to be said. It’s hard to change the world, but the way we know how to do it is through music.”

The band’s eclectic influences – including Johnny Cash, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Avenged Sevenfold, Lamb of God, Stone Temple Pilots, Chris Cornell, Blink 182, Machine Head, Pantera, and Amos Lee, to name a few – can be heard on their full-length album The Awakening, slated for release early next year. Dalen Buckalew, guitarist for Against Himself, says of their sound, “When you listen to our songs, you can hear that each song has a different musical influence, which makes every single song sound completely different. But what makes it sound like Against Himself is David’s voice.”

The Awakening – produced by the legendary Logan Mader of Once Human and Machine Head, and recorded in Las Vegas, NV – features 11 tracks with themes encompassing “the awakening of us, of reality, of people, of the world.” Regarding the meaning of their debut album’s title, Hunt says, “There is a major awakening going on and there’s going to be a revolution, it’s just not going to happen the way people imagine it will. It’s going to be based around social media, with the youth being more educated, making bigger and better decisions than the generation before them.” For David as a lyricist, the driving force behind the album’s theme is the ability to share a connection with the band’s audience. He explains, “I’m always the one holding up the show when a new song comes out because I don’t want to write something just to write it; I want it to be real. If every song is real, I will feel it on stage. Our fans watching will get more enjoyment out of it and will feel it as well. The energy connection will be much stronger.”

MGI rainmaker and guru, Shawn Barusch, says of MGI’s collaboration with Against Himself, “I’m excited to be working with a band that knows what’s going on and has the music to back it up. Expect big things to come from this band.” Rest assured that Against Himself will not disappoint – they will be “a parasitic plague of music seeping through everybody’s veins.”

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Against Himself

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Emma Baness