'68 - Two Parts Viper (Digital Deluxe) (2018)

Playing furious, stripped-to-the-frame rock rooted in metalcore and hardcore, '68 was the creation of guitarist and vocalist Josh Scogin. Scogin first came to the attention of alternative rock fans as the original singer with the Christian metalcore outfit Norma Jean; he left the group in 2003, just a few months after the release of their first album, Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child. By the end of 2003, Scogin had formed a new band, the Chariot, which pushed his musical ideals in a new direction that was at once more hardcore and gave greater room for his personal and spiritual views. The Chariot's debut album, Everything Is Alive, Everything Is Breathing, Nothing Is Dead and Nothing Is Bleeding, was released in 2004, and the group recorded and toured steadily until August 2013, when they announced that they had disbanded amicably. In late 2013, Scogin's Twitter account posted a web address, theyare68.com, with a countdown indicating a future announcement. Several days later, Scogin revealed that '68 was the name of his new project, which he was launching with a 7" single, "Three Is a Crowd" b/w "Third Time Is a Charm." A video of the band also revealed that '68 was a two-man band, with Scogin on vocals, guitar, and occasional keyboards, and Michael McClellan (formerly with Becoming the Archetype) on drums and percussion. After selling out its initial pressing in a matter of hours, No Sleep reissued the single in April 2014, and three months later, '68 issued a ten-song LP, In Humor and Sadness, through Entertainment One Music. 2017 saw the duo ink a deal with Cooking Vinyl and release their third studio long-player, Two Parts Viper. ~ Mark Deming.