Sinai Beach

Sinai Beach
Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	January 1, 2000; 26 years ago in Riverside, California, United States
Defunct	2017
Headquarters	Riverside, United States
Products	Music albums, EPs

Sinai Beach was a Christian metal group established in Riverside, California, back in 2000. The band's name was inspired by Mount Sinai, the biblical location where Moses received the Ten Commandments.

Formation and early years (2000–2006)

The original lineup of Sinai Beach consisted of vocalist CJ Alderson, guitarist Logan Lambert, drummer Mike Dunlap, and bassist Jeff Santo. They recorded a demo featuring four tracks and performed at local venues, which eventually caught the attention of Jason Dunn, drummer for No Innocent Victim. After signing with Dunn's label, Facedown Records, guitarist Mike Risinger joined the ensemble. The band then developed material for their debut full-length album, When Breath Escapes. Additionally, Alderson made a guest appearance on Zao's DVD The Lesser Lights of Heaven.

With growing momentum, Sinai Beach secured a contract with Chicago-based Victory Records, allowing them to tour alongside notable heavy music acts such as Zao, As I Lay Dying, Norma Jean, and Haste the Day. After multiple tours across the United States and Europe, they released their sophomore album, Immersed.

Break and reunion (2006–2017)

Sinai Beach is categorized as "Artist Alumni" on Victory Records' official site. Since their last live show, various members have moved to new locations and started families. Following Jeff Santo’s exit and Mike Risinger's temporary break, Sean Durham and Erik Collins joined the band in 2006. While Dunlap and Lambert stayed in Riverside, Risinger, Durham, and Collins settled nearby. Alderson relocated to North Carolina in 2009.

In 2013, the group announced they would headline Facedown Festival on March 28, 2014, marking their return after a hiatus. However, in a 2017 interview, Lambert revealed that the band had officially ended without any formal declaration; their performance at Facedown Fest was their concluding appearance.

Influences

The band's initial inspirations included Overcome, Zao, Strongarm, Throwdown, and Living Sacrifice. Over time, they integrated influences from Black Label Society, The Cult, and Pantera into their sound. Members have also expressed considerable admiration for death metal bands such as Suffocation, Nile, and Aborted.

Members

Final lineup

Courtney "CJ" Alderson – vocals (2000–2017)
Logan Lambert – lead guitar (2000–2017)
Sean Durham – rhythm guitar (2006–2017) (ex-Falling Cycle)
Mike Risinger – rhythm guitar (2001–2006, 2014–2017) (ex-Falling Cycle)
Erik Collins – bass (2006–2017)
Mike Dunlap – drums (2000–2017)

Former members

Jeff Santo – bass (2001–2006)
Daniel Barachkov – bass (2006)

Timeline

<timeline> ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:90 bottom:80 top:0 right:5 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/2000 till:05/12/2017 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy

Colors =

 id:Vocals  value:red     legend:Lead_vocals
 id:LGuitar  value:teal   legend:Lead_guitar
 id:RGuitar  value:brightgreen legend:Rhythm_guitar
 id:Bass    value:blue    legend:Bass
 id:Drums   value:orange  legend:Drums
 id:Lines   value:black   legend:Studio_album
 id:Lines2 value:gray(0.55) legend:EP
 id:bars value:gray(0.95)

Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 BackgroundColors=bars:bars ScaleMajor = increment:1 start:2000

LineData =

 at:11/30/2001 color:Lines2 layer:back
 at:03/04/2003 color:black layer:back
 at:04/19/2005 color:black layer:back

BarData =

 bar:CJ text:"CJ Anderson"
 bar:LL text:"Logan Lambert"
 bar:MR text:"Mike Risinger"
 bar:SD text:"Sean Durham"
 bar:JS text:"Jeff Santo"
 bar:DB text:"Daniel Barachkov"
 bar:EC text:"Erik Collins"
 bar:MD text:"Mike Dunlap"

PlotData=

 width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
 bar:CJ from:01/01/2000 till:end color:Vocals
 bar:LL from:01/01/2000 till:end color:LGuitar
 bar:JS from:01/01/2001 till:01/01/2006 color:Bass
 bar:DB from:01/01/2006 till:09/01/2006 color:Bass
 bar:EC from:09/01/2006 till:end color:Bass
 bar:MR from:01/01/2001 till:end color:RGuitar
 bar:MR from:01/01/2001 till:end color:LGuitar width:3
 bar:SD  from:01/01/2006 till:end color:RGuitar
 bar:SD from:01/01/2006 till:end color:LGuitar width:3
 bar:MD from:01/01/2000 till:end color:Drums

</timeline>

Discography

Studio albums

When Breath Escapes (Facedown Records; 2003)
Immersed (Victory Records; 2005) U.S. Billboard 200 peak position: 198

EPs

Wolves in Sheeps Clothing (Strike First Records; 2001)

External links

Sinai Beach at Victory Records