Tallah is an American
heavy metal band from
Pennsylvania. They are currently signed to
Earache Records. The band consists of vocalist
Justin Bonitz, lead guitarist Derrick Schneider, rhythm guitarist Alex Snowden and drummer Max Portnoy.
Tallah was formed in
Pennsylvania in 2017 by drummer Max Portnoy (son of
Dream Theater's drummer
Mike Portnoy), Next to None guitarist Derrick Schneider, and bassist Andrew Cooper.[1] The band went through three other rhythm guitarists, Eric Novroski,[1] Nick Malfara,[2] and AJ Wisniewski.[2] Portnoy knew of future singer Justin Bonitz through Bonitz's
YouTube channels, Hungry Lights,[3][4] and through Bonitz winning a competition created by
Jared Dines.[1] Justin joined the band on January 1, 2018.[1] At the end of 2017, the band had already recorded instrumental demos for their EP
No One Should Read This[1] and within six days Bonitz had written lyrics and self-recorded vocals for each track.[1] Their first live performance was on January 7, 2018.[5] The band then held the supporting slot for
A Killer's Confession on tour.[6]
During their first tour, in May 2018, the band released a music video for their first single, "Placenta."[7][8] One of the three guitarists left, so they continued as a five-piece. In June 2018, AJ left the band, and they picked up Eric Novroski as their new rhythm guitarist. In August 2018, they released a music video for their song "Cottonmouth".[9][10] On April 25, 2019, the band announced that they had signed to
Earache Records.[11][12] On July 18, 2019, the band played a show at The Lizard Lounge in
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, during which Bonitz climbed onto the ceiling of the venue.[13][14] A security guard told him to get down, leading to Bonitz punching and kicking the guard.[13][14] Bonitz claims he did not know the person was a security guard and that they violently grabbed him first while he was still hanging from an I-beam.[13][14] He was subsequently arrested before being released on bail.[13][14] The band released a music video for the song "Red Light" on January 21, 2020, and announced that they were entering the studio with Josh Schroeder.[15] In 2019, the band parted ways with Eric, and in 2020, they went to the studio as a four-piece, with Alizé "Mewzen" Rodriguez tagging along as their unofficial DJ.[2]
Matriphagy, Talladdin and line-up changes (2020–2022)
On June 5, 2020, Tallah released "The Silo", the lead single for their debut studio album, Matriphagy.[4][16] On July 2, 2020, the band released "We, the Sad" as the second single.[17][18] On July 23, 2020, "Red Light" was released as the third single.[19] On August 6, 2020, "Placenta" was released as the fourth single.[20][21] On August 20, 2020, "Overconfidence" was released as the fifth single.[22][23] On September 11, 2020, "L.E.D." was released as the sixth single.[24]Matriphagy was released on October 2, 2020.[24][25] On October 15, 2020, the band released a music video for the seventh single, "No One Should Read This".[26][27] On February 18, 2021, the band released a music video for the eighth and final single, "Cottonmouth".[28]
Tallah released a live shot concert on October 1, 2020, in which they played their debut album Matriphagy from front to back.[29][30] In 2020, Alizé "Mewzen" Rodriguez joined as the band's DJ,[31] and they also debuted their new rhythm guitarist, Alex Snowden from
Doll Skin.[32]
On April 1, 2021, Tallah announced the Talladdin EP alongside the first single "Friend Like Me".[33][34] This EP consists of five covers from the
Aladdin soundtrack exclusive to their Patreon page.[33][34]
On August 17, 2021, they released the single and music video "Vanilla Paste", featuring guest vocals from Grant Hood of Guerilla Warfare, AJ Channer of
Fire From the Gods, and Tom Barber of
Chelsea Grin.[32][35][36] On November 21, they announced that they had parted ways with their founding bassist Andrew Cooper, citing musical differences.[citation needed]
On March 9, 2022, they released the single and music video "Telescope", and announced their upcoming album entitled The Generation of Danger, along with a temporary release date of September 9, 2022.[37][38] The band supported
All That Remains on their spring 2022 US tour that began on March 12, 2022, in
Worcester, Massachusetts.[37] On April 19, 2022, they released the second single off the album, "The Impressionist" with a music video.[39][40] In August 2022, they announced that the album's release would be pushed back to November 18.[41][42] On September 1, 2022, they released "Shaken (Not Stirred)" as a single with a music video.[41][42][43] On October 13, 2022, they released the single "For the Recognition" with a music video.[44][45][46] On November 10, 2022, they released the fifth and final single "Dicker's Done".[47]The Generation of Danger was released on November 18, 2022.[41][42][47][44]
Tallah spent the first half of 2023 touring in support of their sophomore album. In August 2023, grooming allegations were brought up against the band's DJ Alizé "Mewzen" Rodriguez, which resulted in his immediate removal from the band.[31][48][49] A tour by
Left to Suffer was announced in October 2023, with Tallah as one of the supporting acts.[50][51] Thomas Cucé, who had previously played with Max Portnoy and Derrick Schneider in Next To None, became a touring replacement for Mewzen. On October 11, 2023, the band released the song, "Hard Knock".[52][53] In January 2024, it was announced that the band would be supporting
Kim Dracula on a March 2024 tour.[54]
Artistry
Style and influences
Tallah's has been referred to as a "nu-core" band and more specifically as
nu metal,
metalcore,
alternative metal,
hardcore punk,
industrial metal,
rap metal, and
nu metalcore, with elements of
deathcore,
death metal,
rap,
electronic, and
industrial.[note 1] John D. Buchanan of
AllMusic described the Tallah as a "nu-core" quartet...[that brings] back the spirit of early-2000s nu-metal with gnarly riffs, whipcrack drums, electronic textures, and tortured vocals."[1] AllMusic also noted influences "contemporary hardcore".[1] According to Next Mosh, "[Tallah's music includes]...screaming vocals [mixed] with melodic choruses and driving bass guitar with deep and dirty tones, syncing up effortlessly with the thunderous bellow of drums and the screeching ping of the snare."[64] Phillip Trapp of Revolver described their second album, The Generation of Danger, as "a ferocious fusion of early
Slipknot intensity — spitfire vocals and grooves that dig deep...and modern hardcore savagery à la
Vein.fm and
Knocked Loose."[56]
The band's vocalist, Justin Bonitz, writes the lyrics and tends to focus on themes and writing concept albums.[5] The band's debut album, Matriphagy, is about a "man who is trapped in a house, under the thumb of his mother, and begins to lose his mind and touch insanity as he scrambles to escape. The album touches on oppression, society’s social engineering, nature vs. nurture, metaphysics, and all kinds of psychological themes."[5] Their second album, The Generation of Danger, follows a
mad scientist who works on behalf of a large corporation. He becomes increasingly frustrated due to his inventions being credited to the company rather than himself, eventually leading him to force the company to take part in "the greatest experiment the world of science has ever seen".[66]