He Is Legend

by Stewart Mason
North Carolina post-hardcore act He Is Legend may have taken their name from Richard Matheson's vampire horror classic I Am Legend (the inspiration for the cult film The Omega Man, among others), but the band's take on screamo is more positive than most groups, so much that they regularly deflect the idea that He Is Legend is a Christian rock band, particularly endemic among those who misunderstand the derivation of the name. He Is Legend formed in 2000, as its members were graduating from high school in Wilmington, NC. Singer Schuylar Croom, lead guitarist Adam Tanbouz, rhythm guitarist McKenzie Bell, bassist Matt Williams, and drummer Steven Bache cycled through a variety of band names and musical approaches before establishing themselves as He Is Legend. After a self-released demo, A Kiss That Killed the One We Love (No One Wins), the band signed with the small indie label Tribunal Records to release their first EP, 91025, in the summer of 2004. Following that, He Is Legend signed with the more established label Solid State Records to release their full-length debut, I Am Hollywood, later the same year. After a two-year break, during which the band only released a split EP with the band Classic Case, entitled Black Unicorn, He Is Legend returned with their second full-length, Suck Out the Poison, in the fall of 2006.