Carnifex
Carnifex San Diego-based "deathcore" outfit Carnifex formed in Fallbrook, California in 2005 around the talents of Scott Lewis (vocals), Shawn Cameron (drums), Rick James (guitar), and Kevin Vargas (bass). After releasing a self-titled demo through Enclave Records, James and Vargas departed, and were replaced by bassist Steve McMahon and guitarist Travis Whiting, resulting in the 2006 EP Love Lies in Ashes. The band inked a deal with This City Is Burning Records in 2007 and released their full-length debut, Dead in My Arms, during which the band recruited a second guitar player, Jake Anderson, for a tour which included dates with Whitechapel and Emmure. The following year, Carnifex signed with Victory Records and endured another lineup change with the departure of McMahon and Anderson and the addition of Fred Calderon and Ryan Gudmunds. The group's sophomore outing, 2008's The Diseased and the Poisoned, peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, while their third release, 2009's Hell Chose Me, sold over 3000 copies in its very first week. The band's fourth outing, Until I Feel Nothing, arrived in 2011.