Following the loss of a close friend, Alan Robert -- co-founder and bassist of Brooklyn metal-hardcore outfit Life of Agony -- began writing songs while out on tour that were neither metal nor hard rock, but more clearly inspired by punk acts like Social Distortion, Rancid, and the Misfits. The music didn't exactly fit with Life of Agony's agenda, but Robert maintained his writing on the side with longtime friend and guitarist "Junkyard" Chris Silletti (a vet of various hardcore and punk acts), who'd been with LOA's road crew since 1993. After the completion of a European tour...