Band Bio: Against The Sun
- May 1
- 3 min read
Against The Sun is a melodic metal-core band out of Southern California blending emotional honesty with headbanging heaviness. The name itself, originally tossed out by a roadie, struck a chord with front-man Brad West, who saw in it a symbol of warmth, intensity, and defiance. It felt dark and emotional without sounding cliché, and it stuck.
The band officially formed in 2014 while Brad was still in high school in Orange County. At first, Against The Sun was a one-man outlet for Brad’s songwriting, but over the years it evolved into a collaborative force of nature. Now with members split between Orange County and Hollywood, the lineup includes: Brad West on Vocals. Brad Mitchell on the Lead Guitar. Houston Davis on Rhythm Guitar. Alex Galusha on the Bass & Screams. Hank Lin hitting the Drums.
Though the lineup has changed over time, Brad West has been the constant heartbeat of the project. The band’s current collaborative sound began taking shape when Brad Mitchell joined in 2018, and the music took another huge leap forward during the pandemic, when Brad learned how to produce and release music professionally.
Their genre sits somewhere between a heavier Breaking Benjamin and a sharper-edged A Day To Remember. A mix of hard-hitting metal-core riffs with melodic vocals. Each band member brings their own touche: Alex’s riffs lean from Pop Punk to Extreme Metal; Mitchell brings music theory chops and genre-blending instincts; Brad writes catchy and emotionally resonant hooks; Hank is a fast and ferocious drummer with a taste for Prog and Extreme Metal; and Houston? The man reps The Stage as his favourite Avenged Sevenfold record, enough said.
Their writing process is loose but intentional. Sometimes a nearly complete song like “No Sympathy” lands on the table, and Brad adds lyrics in half an hour. Other times, it’s a simple riff that slowly evolves into a wall of sound. Either way, the goal is always to make something that flows naturally and feels good to play live, which is good, because live is where Against The Sun comes alive.
Energetic, chaotic, and neck-wrecking, their shows are a blast of adrenaline. Mosh pits are a given. Four guys up front are headbanging, running wild on stage, and pouring every drop of energy into the set. Their first ever show was at Brad’s high school, the Orange County School of the Arts, where they had to censor a chorus, but the crowd shouted the f-bomb anyway. That early love from fans set the tone.
Since then, they’ve opened for national acts like Eyes Set To Kill, Adema, VRSTY, and Inimical Drive, headlined the House of Blues, played Knotfest, and tore it up twice at Anime Los Angeles, which they rank among their most unforgettable gigs.
Their most powerful and personal track to date is “Ashes,” written by Brad in the aftermath of his mother's passing. It’s the emotional follow-up to an earlier track, “It Should’ve Been Raining,” but where that one was a soft goodbye, “Ashes” dives into the resentment, scars, and unresolved feelings left behind. That emotional honesty has connected deeply with fans. One fan learned guitar because of their first EP. Another, after losing his own mom, hugged the band post-show with tears in his eyes.
Against The Sun is currently promoting “No Sympathy” while writing their next wave of releases. They just wrapped a regional weekender tour with Silent Vice and are hungry for more. In the next five years, the band hopes to be signed and touring consistently, with the right team behind them to push things to the next level.
Oh, and if you're wondering what they're doing after soundcheck? Probably dueling with old-school Yu-Gi-Oh GOAT decks. Nerds with breakdowns, you gotta love it.
For music, merch, and upcoming shows:
🎧 Spotify
📲 Linktree
Keep an eye on the horizon. Against The Sun is just getting started.
