Martyr A.D.
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Founder | Joel Johnson, Tara Johnson, Justin Kane |
| Defunct | 2005 |
| Headquarters | Minneapolis , United States |
| Products | Metalcore music albums |
Martyr A.D. is a metalcore group from the United States, established in late 1999 by ex-members of Disembodied: Joel Johnson (guitar), Tara Johnson (bass), and Justin Kane (drums). They were joined by Charlie Johnson (guitar) and Mike Fisketti (vocals). Following the departure of Kane and Fisketti in 2002, Minneapolis band Holding On’s Andrew Hart and Karl Hensel assumed vocal and drum duties respectively.
Their first album, The Human Condition in Twelve Fractions, was launched in 2001 through the independent label Ferret Music. The band’s sophomore and final studio release, On Earth as it is in Hell, came out on April 20, 2004, via Victory Records.
Martyr A.D. shared stages with prominent bands including Poison the Well, Throwdown, The Haunted, Bury Your Dead, and Walls of Jericho during their active years.
In April 2005, the band dissolved for reasons not publicly disclosed. Subsequently, the three Johnson members reunited with Disembodied when that band reformed. Martyr A.D. briefly came back together for a one-off show at This is Hardcore 2017.
Impact on the metalcore scene
During the early 2000s, Martyr A.D. played a significant role in shaping metalcore by fusing hardcore intensity with melodic death metal influences. Their 2004 album, On Earth as It Is in Hell, presented an unpolished sound that resonated with listeners seeking genuineness amid an increasingly commercialized scene. Groups such as Renounced and Buried Truth acknowledge Martyr A.D. as pioneers of the "pissed metalcore" style.
Members
- Mike Paradise – drums (2017)
- Michael James Fisketti – vocals
- Joel Andrew Johnson – guitar
- Charles Allan Johnson – guitar, vocals
- Tara Lee Johnson – bass
- Justin James Kane – drums
- Andrew James Hart – vocals (Summer '03 Demo, On Earth as it is in Hell)
- Karl Englebert Hensel – drums (Summer '03 Demo, On Earth as it is in Hell)
Discography
- Human Condition demo (2000)
- The Human Condition in Twelve Fractions (Ferret Music; 2001)
- Jared Demo (featuring Jared from 7 Angels 7 Plagues; 2002)
- Summer '03 Demo (2003)
- On Earth as it is in Hell (Victory Records; 2004)