Emphatic was a band I saw live in concert a few times in MN and WI. The first show was as a support act for Theory of a Deadman and Alter Bridge at the MN State Fair Grandstand during the Carnival of Madness Tour several years ago. Some of the band members are now performing in the band known as Through Fire.
Lead guitarist Justin McCain started Emphatic back in 2004. They released a self-titled debut disc the following year. Their first EP, Goodbye Girl, was issued in 2008. When the band signed a deal with De Goot Entertainment in 2009, it consisted of McCain, bass guitarist Alan Larson, and singer Patrick Michael Wilson. Their first album on a major label, Damage, was released in 2011. By then, the band had added drummer Dylan Wood and guitarist Lance Dowdle.
Emphatic started on the Carnival of Madness tour later that year, but McCain had to call on the services of his friend Grant Joshua Kendrick to help out on vocals after Wilson suffered a fractured larynx. Dev Electric vocalist Bryan Scott also sang for the group on the road while Wilson recovered. When Wilson was healthy enough, he rejoined Emphatic as they toured with Halestorm. However, he left the band for good after the tour due to the birth of his son. Larson and Dowdle also departed Emphatic shortly thereafter.
In 2013, McCain sought out guitarist Bill Hudson, bassist Jesse Saint, and singer Toryn Green to complete the new lineup of the band. He also secured another record deal, this time with Epochal Artist Records/Capitol. Emphatic's second major label album, Another Life, debuted in October of that year.
The next year, Emphatic started touring once more, this time with bands such as Gemini Syndrome and Red. This time, the group went on stage with Green and Hudson being replaced by Kendrick and Dowdle. McCain announced in 2014 that Emphatic had signed with Pavement Records and would be working on new music. Several new songs were previewed for several hours in 2015, but they were the last tunes that the public would hear from the group while they were still known as Emphatic.
Emphatic was renamed as Through Fire in December 2015. It was intended to be a completely different band, although some of its previous members were still around. Through Fire has released three full-length albums to date: Breathe in 2016, All Animal in 2019 and Devil's Got You Dreamin' this month. McCain and Hendrick are its lead guitarist and lead vocalist, and they are joined by twins Zach and Tyler Halvorson on drums and bass guitar.
I haven't been following Through Fire as much as I did Emphatic, but I'm glad that they're making music and that as far as I know, all of the past and present band members are still enjoying life to the fullest. Time will only tell what happens in their futures.
Next time, I'll write about American Head Charge, a great MN rock band. Until then, have a great weekend and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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