Based in Los Angeles, CA, Brick Bath specializes in metalcore --a ferocious, harsh, claustrophobic, brutally unforgiving style of alternative metal that has been greatly influenced by punk. Brick Bath (whose influences range from Suicidal Tendencies to Pantera to Dark Angel) has all the things one typically expects from metalcore, including chugging guitars, angry lyrics, very fast tempos, and a tortured, screaming vocal style. But the band also has hooks and real song structures, which sets their metalcore apart from a lot of the grindcore and death metal/black metal that came out in the late ‘80s, ‘90s, and 2000s. It would be a stretch to call Brick Bath melodic, although they do have some sense of melody (to a point, anyway). Formed in 1996, Brick Bath was originally known as Epitaph; whatever name they were using, the Southern Californians have always favored a take-no-prisoners approach. Along the way, they landed a deal with the independent Chainsaw Records and were signed by label head Woody Barber. But when Chainsaw went out of business, Brick Bath found themselves without a record deal. Nonetheless, they went on tour and appeared on bills with well-known metal bands like Exodus, Testament, Flotsam & Jetsam, and Crowbar. Brick Bath has had a strong supporter in manager Joel Maitoza, best known for his years with the adventurous late-‘80s/early-‘90s funk-metal band 24-7 Spyz (who were often compared to Living Colour).