Abriel was an American metalcore band based out of San Francisco, California that was formed in 2008. Best known for their female vocals, mixing metalcore with pop, and their "DIY" approach to the industry funding their own tours, album releases, and marketing.
In August 2007, guitarists Sean Hartman and Tim Wrobel from Fortuna, California, a small town in Northern California decided to move down to San Francisco with an arsenal of songs ready to start a band. After a year of going through many drummer and vocalist auditions, near the end of 2008 they found Boston, Massachusetts native Alexa Rae to provide both singing and screaming vocals. This is when the band decided to go with the name Abriel. The band recorded a two-song demo and released the first single, "Show Em' Your Hips", that December. At this time, the band did not have a drummer so Hartman switched to drums for the first two shows and recorded albums. The band's first show with a full line-up with Alex Greenling on drums and Paul Littler on bass was a San Francisco battle of the bands in January 2009, which they won. The band then did a headlining tour across the West Coast, which garnered attention and earned them a spot on the 2009 Vans Warped Tour.
2010–Hiatus
After 2009 Warped Tour the band went underground after losing their drummer and bassist, then came back in May 2010 after being asked to play main stage at California Metalfest in Pomona with Bleeding Through. The show brought the band back and got them attention from record labels like Century Media Records and Victory Records. The band was then asked to work with Zac Diebels on their debut album, but instead chose up and coming metal producer Max Karon. The album, "This Will Swallow You Whole," was released on August 19, 2010 with a CD release party at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco. The band then lost another drummer and bassist, and then chose to go on hiatus, even though they had just released their debut CD and had just started to break into the industry. During that time, Wrobel started a career with Droid as a blogger and assisting with Droid troubleshooting and Hartman continued in music assisting writing and producing for pop artists.
2011–New Members–Island Def Jam–Breakup
Four months after the band's split, Sean, Tim, and Alexa saw that there was still buzz going around about Abriel. The band became popular in Japan, Norway, Mexico, Canada, and all over the US. Since all three original members still had the want to keep Abriel together, they decided to hold auditions for a new bassist and drummer. After many auditions, the band went with bassist Jordan Pendergrass and drummer Rick Holbrook. After 2 years, the band finally has permanent members that are in it for the long haul. The band's first comeback show was headlining in San Francisco on January 31 at Submission with main support from Century Media Records band Arsonists Get All The Girls. On February 7, 2011, Abriel's debut album was re-released through Island Def Jam Music Group. The album features the hit songs that got them where they are now. The band once again got asked to play main stage at California Metalfest in Anaheim on March 19, 2011 with As I Lay Dying and their biggest influence, Winds Of Plague. The band broke up for good in 2013.
Members
;Ending Line-Up
Alexa Rae – Lead Vocals
Christian Rey – Lead/Rhythm Guitar
Mathew McWilliams – Drums
Sean "Tater" Hartman – Rhythm/Lead Guitar Drums Vocals
