Disciple 
Metal / Alternative Metal / Hard Rock
Christian hard rock outfit [wimpLink artistId="37601429"]Disciple[/wimpLink] rose out of Knoxville, Tennessee, in the mid-'90s, eventually breaking out with their Dove Award-nominated second album, 1999's [wimpLink albumId="278695504"]This Might Sting a Little Bit[/wimpLink]. Over the following decade, [wimpLink artistId="37601429"]Disciple[/wimpLink]'s heavy alt-metal style continued to earn fans thanks to popular albums like [wimpLink albumId="166733673"]Scars Remain[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink albumId="166735762"]Southern Hospitality[/wimpLink]. By the 2010s, they'd also established themselves as a consistent crossover act, extending beyond the Christian charts onto Billboard's Hard Rock and Top 200 charts with releases like [wimpLink albumId="166738433"]O God Save Us All[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink albumId="36617283"]Attack[/wimpLink]. After a handful of crowdfunded projects, [wimpLink artistId="37601429"]Disciple[/wimpLink] signed with Tooth & Nail at end of the decade and released [wimpLink albumId="214289958"]Love Letter Kill Shot[/wimpLink] in 2019.
[wimpLink artistId="37601429"]Disciple[/wimpLink] was formed in 1992 by friends [wimpLink artistId="5021270"]Kevin Young[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="5866378"]Brad Noah[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="14678018"]Tim Barrett[/wimpLink], and Adrian DiTommasi (who would leave the band shortly after inception) in an attempt to spread the gospel while playing the loud, metallic music they loved. Over the years, their style evolved into one similar to many secular alternative metal groups, as they toured churches, high schools, colleges, and similar venues. Their self-released debut, [wimpLink albumId="278840774"]What Was I Thinking[/wimpLink], came out in 1995, followed by an EP, [wimpLink albumId="10919247"]My Daddy Can Whip Your Daddy[/wimpLink], on Warner Resound in 1997. Their sophomore full-length effort, [wimpLink albumId="278695504"]This Might Sting a Little Bit[/wimpLink], followed two years later on Rugged Records. By God followed in 2001 on the same label.
2003's [wimpLink albumId="264144714"]Back Again[/wimpLink] found the band on a new label, their own independent Slain Records. That year, the trio became a quartet with the addition of bassist [wimpLink artistId="12893243"]Joey Fife[/wimpLink] to their lineup. The group signed with INO Records the following year and released a self-titled LP in June of 2005. [wimpLink albumId="166733673"]Scars Remain[/wimpLink] arrived on Integrity in late 2006. After years of nominations, the album won the band their first Dove Award for Rock Album of the Year.
In 2008, [wimpLink artistId="5866378"]Noah[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="12893243"]Fife[/wimpLink] stepped down from the band and their spots were filled by bassist [wimpLink artistId="12690447"]Israel Beachy[/wimpLink] and guitarists [wimpLink artistId="8880375"]Andrew Welch[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="13579612"]Micah Sannan[/wimpLink]. [wimpLink albumId="166735762"]Southern Hospitality[/wimpLink] arrived later that year. Before their next release, founding drummer [wimpLink artistId="14678018"]Tim Barrett[/wimpLink] would also part ways with [wimpLink artistId="37601429"]Disciple[/wimpLink], replaced by [wimpLink artistId="14751713"]Trent Reiff[/wimpLink]. [wimpLink albumId="166737924"]Horseshoes & Hand Grenades[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="37601429"]Disciple[/wimpLink]'s eighth LP, came out in April 2010. It topped the Christian chart and entered the Billboard Top 50. As the band's popularity grew, they embarked on a handful of tours with other top Christian acts like [wimpLink artistId="66796"]Thousand Foot Krutch[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="15003"]Skillet[/wimpLink].
2012 saw the release of [wimpLink albumId="166738433"]O God Save Us All[/wimpLink], as well as a flurry of lineup changes. After four years with [wimpLink artistId="37601429"]Disciple[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="8880375"]Welch[/wimpLink] left the band to join [wimpLink artistId="66796"]Thousand Foot Krutch[/wimpLink], while [wimpLink artistId="13579612"]Sannan[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="12690447"]Beachy[/wimpLink] were replaced by [wimpLink artistId="10824699"]Josiah Prince[/wimpLink] ([wimpLink artistId="3540898"]Philmont[/wimpLink]) and Jason Wilkes (High Flight Society). By early 2013, [wimpLink artistId="14751713"]Reiff[/wimpLink] exited and was replaced by Joey West. [wimpLink artistId="11227953"]Andrew Stanton[/wimpLink] also joined the band, leaving Young as the only original member.
The refreshed quintet forged ahead with the crowdfunded release of 2014's [wimpLink albumId="36617283"]Attack[/wimpLink], which became their highest Billboard 200 entry to date, peaking at number 44. Produced by longtime [wimpLink artistId="37601429"]Disciple[/wimpLink] producer [wimpLink artistId="14749591"]Travis Wyrick[/wimpLink], [wimpLink albumId="36617283"]Attack[/wimpLink] also rose to the number two spots on the Hard Rock and Christian charts. It would be the first and last album with Wilkes on bass, who left the band the next year. Vultures, a six-song EP recorded during the [wimpLink albumId="36617283"]Attack[/wimpLink] sessions, was released at the end of 2015. Another EP, Live in Denmark, arrived the following year, accompanied by a series of concert videos from Denmark's RiverFest.
The band -- now a quartet -- issued another crowdfunded effort in 2016. Their 11th album, [wimpLink albumId="214289755"]Long Live the Rebels[/wimpLink], debuted at number 125, making it the group's sixth Billboard 200 entry to date. After signing with the Tooth & Nail label at the end of 2018, [wimpLink artistId="37601429"]Disciple[/wimpLink] released their 12th full-length, [wimpLink albumId="214289958"]Love Letter Kill Shot[/wimpLink], in September 2019. A deluxe version landed the following year with three previously unreleased tracks. ~ Neil Z. Yeung & Steve Huey
[wimpLink artistId="37601429"]Disciple[/wimpLink] was formed in 1992 by friends [wimpLink artistId="5021270"]Kevin Young[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="5866378"]Brad Noah[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="14678018"]Tim Barrett[/wimpLink], and Adrian DiTommasi (who would leave the band shortly after inception) in an attempt to spread the gospel while playing the loud, metallic music they loved. Over the years, their style evolved into one similar to many secular alternative metal groups, as they toured churches, high schools, colleges, and similar venues. Their self-released debut, [wimpLink albumId="278840774"]What Was I Thinking[/wimpLink], came out in 1995, followed by an EP, [wimpLink albumId="10919247"]My Daddy Can Whip Your Daddy[/wimpLink], on Warner Resound in 1997. Their sophomore full-length effort, [wimpLink albumId="278695504"]This Might Sting a Little Bit[/wimpLink], followed two years later on Rugged Records. By God followed in 2001 on the same label.
2003's [wimpLink albumId="264144714"]Back Again[/wimpLink] found the band on a new label, their own independent Slain Records. That year, the trio became a quartet with the addition of bassist [wimpLink artistId="12893243"]Joey Fife[/wimpLink] to their lineup. The group signed with INO Records the following year and released a self-titled LP in June of 2005. [wimpLink albumId="166733673"]Scars Remain[/wimpLink] arrived on Integrity in late 2006. After years of nominations, the album won the band their first Dove Award for Rock Album of the Year.
In 2008, [wimpLink artistId="5866378"]Noah[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="12893243"]Fife[/wimpLink] stepped down from the band and their spots were filled by bassist [wimpLink artistId="12690447"]Israel Beachy[/wimpLink] and guitarists [wimpLink artistId="8880375"]Andrew Welch[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="13579612"]Micah Sannan[/wimpLink]. [wimpLink albumId="166735762"]Southern Hospitality[/wimpLink] arrived later that year. Before their next release, founding drummer [wimpLink artistId="14678018"]Tim Barrett[/wimpLink] would also part ways with [wimpLink artistId="37601429"]Disciple[/wimpLink], replaced by [wimpLink artistId="14751713"]Trent Reiff[/wimpLink]. [wimpLink albumId="166737924"]Horseshoes & Hand Grenades[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="37601429"]Disciple[/wimpLink]'s eighth LP, came out in April 2010. It topped the Christian chart and entered the Billboard Top 50. As the band's popularity grew, they embarked on a handful of tours with other top Christian acts like [wimpLink artistId="66796"]Thousand Foot Krutch[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="15003"]Skillet[/wimpLink].
2012 saw the release of [wimpLink albumId="166738433"]O God Save Us All[/wimpLink], as well as a flurry of lineup changes. After four years with [wimpLink artistId="37601429"]Disciple[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="8880375"]Welch[/wimpLink] left the band to join [wimpLink artistId="66796"]Thousand Foot Krutch[/wimpLink], while [wimpLink artistId="13579612"]Sannan[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="12690447"]Beachy[/wimpLink] were replaced by [wimpLink artistId="10824699"]Josiah Prince[/wimpLink] ([wimpLink artistId="3540898"]Philmont[/wimpLink]) and Jason Wilkes (High Flight Society). By early 2013, [wimpLink artistId="14751713"]Reiff[/wimpLink] exited and was replaced by Joey West. [wimpLink artistId="11227953"]Andrew Stanton[/wimpLink] also joined the band, leaving Young as the only original member.
The refreshed quintet forged ahead with the crowdfunded release of 2014's [wimpLink albumId="36617283"]Attack[/wimpLink], which became their highest Billboard 200 entry to date, peaking at number 44. Produced by longtime [wimpLink artistId="37601429"]Disciple[/wimpLink] producer [wimpLink artistId="14749591"]Travis Wyrick[/wimpLink], [wimpLink albumId="36617283"]Attack[/wimpLink] also rose to the number two spots on the Hard Rock and Christian charts. It would be the first and last album with Wilkes on bass, who left the band the next year. Vultures, a six-song EP recorded during the [wimpLink albumId="36617283"]Attack[/wimpLink] sessions, was released at the end of 2015. Another EP, Live in Denmark, arrived the following year, accompanied by a series of concert videos from Denmark's RiverFest.
The band -- now a quartet -- issued another crowdfunded effort in 2016. Their 11th album, [wimpLink albumId="214289755"]Long Live the Rebels[/wimpLink], debuted at number 125, making it the group's sixth Billboard 200 entry to date. After signing with the Tooth & Nail label at the end of 2018, [wimpLink artistId="37601429"]Disciple[/wimpLink] released their 12th full-length, [wimpLink albumId="214289958"]Love Letter Kill Shot[/wimpLink], in September 2019. A deluxe version landed the following year with three previously unreleased tracks. ~ Neil Z. Yeung & Steve Huey
