Coliseum

"Formed in November 2003 in Louisville, Kentucky by singer/guitarist Ryan Patterson, Coliseum represents unbridled heaviness and no-nonsense intensity, combined with punk and hardcore’s DIY ethos. The band recorded their first, self-titled album—a blend of early punk, d-beat, stoner rock and hints of crusty hardcore—on an eight-track reel-to-reel in a Louisville garage mere months after their first practices, releasing it in summer 2004 on Level Plane Records. A split 7” with fellow Louisville punk-metallers Lords followed on Patterson’s own label, Auxiliary Records. Their Goddamage EP followed on Manic Ride Records in April of 2005, later reissued by Auxiliary. Goddamage saw the addition of Mike Pascal on bass guitar and found the band expanding their thrashing hardcore sound with melodic post-hardcore and rock influences, to great result. While continuing to tour relentlessly, Coliseum released a handful of split releases with their peers, starting with Not Of This World, a split 12”/CD with Boston’s Doomriders, released via Auxiliary and Level Plane in November of 2005. With powerhouse player Chris Maggio joining the band on drums, they began 2006 with their first European tour alongside hometown compatriots Lords, accompanied by a Coliseum / Lords split CD out through Destructure Records. A third split CD release, this time with Young Widows, was Maggio’s recording debut, released in July 2006 on Auxiliary Records, later released as a 7” by Philadelphia-based Relapse Records."