Raised Pentecostal in the college town of Columbus, the two friends may have discovered the works of Motörhead, Judas Priest, and Mercyful Fate far later than most -- they were 19 at the time -- but the effect was instantaneous. Guitarist/vocalist Mike Conte and drummer Adam Bennati found their collective muse in New York City, recording a self-titled EP and touring the country with genre-bending Georgia quintet Mastodon in 2004. Their full-length debut, Closing In, was released the following year on Matador. ~ James Christopher Monger