The Letter Black, formerly known as Breaking the Silence,[3] is an American Christian rock band that was formed in 2006 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. The band consists of lead vocalist Sarah Anthony; her husband, lead guitarist and vocalist Mark Anthony; bassist Matt Beal and drummer William Fowler and rhythm guitarist Brandon Jordan.[4]
The Letter Black | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Breaking the Silence |
| Origin | Uniontown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Tooth & Nail, EMP, Rockfest |
| Members | Sarah Anthony Mark Anthony Matt Beal Will Fowler Brandon Jordan [2] |
| Past members | Justin Brown Adam DeFrank |
| Website | letterblack |
History
editThe Letter Black started out as a praise team at their local church with Sarah and her husband Mark as a duo on vocals under the name "Breaking the Silence".[5] Later when they were signed to Tooth & Nail Records they changed the name of the band to "The Letter Black".[3] In 2008, Sarah Anthony was featured on the Pillar album For the Love of the Game, singing on the track "I Fade Away". The band often does 150 shows or more a year and has shared the stage with bands such as Skillet, Decyfer Down, Red, and Hawk Nelson.[6][7] They performed as the opening act for Skillet in the "2010 Awake and Alive Tour" and for the Thousand Foot Krutch "Welcome to the Masquerade Tour".[8]
The band's debut album, Hanging On By a Thread was released on May 4, 2010 through Tooth & Nail records,[9] putting The Letter Black as number 8 in the iTunes rock section in the same day.[10]
A remix album titled Hanging On by a Remix was released on May 22, 2012.[11]
In early 2013, the band was reported to be recording new material for their second studio album, later revealed to be called Rebuild.[12] The first single for the new album, "Sick Charade", was released on October 3, 2012.[13] "The Only One" was released in February 2013 and "Pain Killer" was released on September 10, 2013. The album was initially scheduled to be released on April 23, 2013, however, on April 17, the album was postponed because the band decided to write three new songs for the album.[14] The album was released on November 12, 2013.[15]
On November 19, 2016, the band previewed a new song on their Facebook page for their upcoming fourth studio album which would be released by early 2017. According to the band, this would be their heaviest album to date.[16] They announced that they had left Tooth & Nail Records and would record their next album independently. The band ran a successful $25,000 Kickstarter campaign to record their next album.[17] The band later signed with EMP Music Group on March 13, 2017. They also announced the album title revealed to be Pain and the cover art was also revealed. The album was released on May 26, 2017.[18] The first single, "Last Day That I Cared", premiered on Revolver on April 30, 2017.[19] A lyric video for "Rock's Not Dead" was released on May 19, 2017.[20]
In April 2020, Mark and Sarah Anthony announced that they signed with Rockfest Records.[21] On December 13, drummer Justin Brown left the band to be replaced by Will Fowler.[citation needed]
Other media
editIn February 2013, Mark and Sarah Anthony signed with VIP Ink Publishing for an autobiography.[22]
Band members
editCurrent members[23]
- Sarah Anthony – lead vocals (2006–present)
- Mark Anthony – lead guitar, vocals (2006–present)
- Matt Beal – bass guitar (2006–2016, 2020 present)
- Will Fowler – drums (2020–present)
- Brandon Jordan – rhythm guitar (2021–present)
Former members
- Justin Brown – drums (2012–2017)
- Adam DeFrank – drums (2006–2008)
Touring musicians
- Ty Dietzler – rhythm guitar (2009–2010)[24]
- Keith Anselmo – drums (2008–2009)
- Mike Motter – drums (2017)
- Daniel Hegerle – drums (2017–2018)
- Taylor Carroll – drums(2011)
- Mat Slagle – drums (2009–2011)
- Terry Johnson – rhythm guitar (2009)
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Year | Title | Label(s) | Chart positions | Sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | US Christ | ||||
| 2007 | Stand | Independent | |||
| 2010 | Hanging On By a Thread | Tooth & Nail Records | 183[25] | 10 | |
| 2013 | Rebuild | Tooth & Nail Records | 32 | ||
| 2017 | Pain | EMP Label Group[26] | 86 | 6 | |
| 2021 | The Letter Black | Rockfest Records | |||
EPs
edit- Breaking the Silence EP (2009)[3]
- Hanging on by a Thread Sessions Vol. 1 (2011)[27]
- Hanging on by a Thread Sessions Vol. 2 (2011)[28]
Other releases
edit- Hanging On By a Remix (2012) Tooth & Nail Records
Singles
edit| Year | Title | Active Rock |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Best of Me" | — | Breaking the Silence EP |
| 2010 | "Hanging On By a Thread" | 46 | Hanging On By a Thread |
| "Believe"[29] | — | ||
| 2011 | "Fire with Fire" | — | |
| 2012 | "The Only One" | — | Rebuild |
| 2012 | "Sick Charade" | 45 | |
| 2013 | "Pain Killer" | — | |
| 2014 | "Up from The Ashes" | — | |
| 2017 | "Last Day That I Cared"[30] | — | Pain |
| 2021 | "Rise" | — | The Letter Black |
| "Born for This" featuring Trevor McNevan) |
— | ||
| 2022 | "Throwing Darts" | — | |
| "The Kiss of Death" | — |
References
edit- ^ Yap, Timothy (November 12, 2013). "The Letter Black "Rebuild" Album Review (Video) : Reviews : BREATHEcast". BREATHEcast. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
- ^ "The Letter Black Discography". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
- ^ a b c "The Letter Black". Jesus Freak Hideout. September 14, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
- ^ "The Letter Black Biography". Christianmusic.About.com. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
- ^ "The Letter Black, "Breaking The Silence EP" Review". www.jesusfreakhideout.com. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ "The Letter Black Biography". TodaysChristianMusic.com. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
- ^ "Awake and Alive Tour". Itickets.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
- ^ "Thousand Foot Krutch close out 2009 hot | HM". Hmmagazine.com. March 4, 2010. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
- ^ "The Letter Black, "Hanging On By a Thread" Review". Jesusfreakhideout.com. May 4, 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
- ^ "(5) Dear Diary « The Letter Black". The Letter Black. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
- ^ "The Letter Black, "Hanging On By a Remix" Review". Jesusfreakhideout.com. May 18, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
- ^ "The Letter Black Tour & New Album Soon". Tooth & Nail. August 23, 2012. Archived from the original on March 24, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ "The Letter Black Premiere New Song". Tooth & Nail. October 3, 2012. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ "The Letter Black Postpones Release of "Rebuild" To Write More Music | Article". Cmaddict.Com. April 17, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
- ^ "Rebuild by The Letter Black" – via music.apple.com.
- ^ ""The Letter Black - "New Music Preview..."". The Letter Black. November 18, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016 – via Facebook.
- ^ "The Letter Black - New Record". The Letter Black (via Kickstarter). Retrieved January 16, 2017.
- ^ "The Letter Black". Retrieved May 25, 2017 – via Facebook.
- ^ "The Letter Black premiere New Song, "Last Day That I Cared"". April 28, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- ^ "The Letter Black". Retrieved May 25, 2017 – via Facebook.
- ^ "Live! Special Announcement!" – via Facebook.
- ^ "Mark and Sarah Anthony of the band The Letter Black Sign a Global Book Deal | Untitled Document". Markets.financialcontent.com. February 7, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
- ^ "About". The Letter Black. Retrieved November 27, 2017 – via Facebook.
- ^ "Ty Dietzler – 25 – Man – Nashville, Tennessee – myspace.com/tydietzlermusic". Retrieved November 6, 2010 – via MySpace.
- ^ "The Letter Black - Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
- ^ Designs, Womp. "EMP Label Group". www.emplabelgroup.com. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- ^ "Hanging On By A Thread Sessions Vol. 1 [+Video]: The Letter Black: MP3 Downloads". Amazon. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
- ^ "Hanging On By A Thread Sessions Vol. 2 [+Video]: The Letter Black: MP3 Downloads". Amazon. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
- ^ "Future Releases for Christian Radio Stations | Free New Songs from Music Artists |". Allaccess.com. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
- ^ EMP Label Group (April 30, 2017). "The Letter Black - Last Day That I Cared - Exclusive Track Premiere". Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2017 – via YouTube.