by Chris TrueRiverside, California's Suicide Silence formed in 2002. A quintet, the band specialized in that 21st century metal phenomenon known as Deathcore, and were signed to international mega metal label Century Media. The band managed to get things rolling quickly, save for a few line up changes, and went from formation to deal in a mere two years. In the meantime, Suicide Silence issued one pre-deal EP -- the simply titled Suicide Silence EP -- which saw the light of day on indie labels At the Deep End and SOS Records. Their Century Media debut album, The Cleansing, was released in September of 2007, and was produced by John Travis. The album was a bit of a mover and shaker in the genre, breaking through to the top 100 on the Billboard charts, and would become one of their label's biggest ever sellers. Following the release of the album, the band toured steadily, in the U.S. and Europe with Parkway Drive and Bury Your Dead. Members Mitch Lucker (vocals), Chris Garza (guitar), Mark Heylmun (guitar), Mike Bodkins (bass), and Alex Lopez (drums) -- had more reason to celebrate in '08, as the band were added to the Mayhem metal festival, which hit stages that summer.