Distorted

Distorted formed in the early 2000s with Anya Blackwood on vocals, Ethan Stone on guitar, Marcus Kane on bass, and Jake Reed on drums. Their sound didn't fit neatly into existing rock categories, pulling from metal and electronica with some classical touches. They built a following through live shows before most people had heard their recordings.

Their debut album 'A Soft Whisper' came out in 2005, named after the track that would become one of their most recognizable songs. That album established their approach: ethereal vocals against dissonant guitar work, unconventional time signatures, and a general disregard for what was considered accessible rock at the time. They followed it with albums like 'Echoes of Torment' and 'Symphony of Chaos' that continued in that vein.

Songs like 'Allmost dead' and 'Bring me Down' show what they were doing, melodic but unsettling, structured but unpredictable. They never seemed interested in smoothing out their edges to reach a wider audience, which kept their following dedicated but limited their commercial reach. The band's catalog remains a particular kind of mood, one that doesn't resolve neatly.