An American Shootout was a progressive metalcore band from Fishers/Indianapolis, Indiana, United States.

Indiana. Nothing happens. It is not exactly seen as a hub for music from anyone's point of view, considering the last big thing to come from Indiana was John Mellencamp more than a decade ago. But lying in the shadows all around Indiana are local bands that are beaming with passion, talent, and drive to do what they love.

Insert An American Shootout. Coming from the suburban Fishers, Indiana, they might be grouping into the mix with all the other copy-cat bands popping up recently. But they are different. And want to prove it.

They want to push emotions to the max, but still keep the sincerity they started out with in the basements they started in. They put everything they have forth every show to make the hairs of your neck stand up. They will get in your face and you might get hit, but when you leave that night, they will be the band stuck in your head.

The band rooted from the dysfunctional hardcore/metal band A Scarlet Destruction (ASD). After the fallout of their vocalist to the marines, Mark (then guitar), Brad (guitar), Seth (bass), and Zach (drums) took a step back. They looked at where they were and what they wanted to do. The fire that had been lit in ASD was burning hotter than ever. They decided, over many failures with vocal tryouts, that the one worthy of bring vocals to the stage was their long-time guitarist, Mark Mace.

Only a week after the decision to move Mark up to vocals, they band was scheduled to record at Foundations Recordings. They went, a little weary of what they were capable of, but after a long day, they came out with their first demo, Relive It.
Mark says, Its almost like a story, as in the intro starts it off, as almost a warning of what the story will yield, and also a summary of what will happen. But it doesn't give any real detail.

Then Inner Anxiety: Neurosis was more written about a man who is troubled with heartbreak, and as clich as that might be, it is something that really does hit everyone. I felt I had to put the word Neurosis in the title because it fit in the sense of this being a story, where as in Psychology, Neurosis is described as a general term for metal imbalance, and instability. For the story to connect, I had to illustrate how this connected with the next song, Lose Control: Psychosis. Neurosis is the building of the problems, incurring mental instability.

And Psychosis is basically where he flips his lid. He goes crazy. He cant handle it and goes to his mere primal instincts. And this fits with the title Psychosis, because psychosis is where your mental state is severely impaired, which is the case in the events described in Psychosis.

So ultimately, it is a story of the destruction of someone and the acts that follow that. I didn't originally plan on this sort of story, but I think that if one wants to read into it, it is interesting.

After the release of the demo, there came a demand for shows. But there was still a gap in the guitarist spot.
After searching, they found Embrace The Dead guitarist Csongor, and they knew that he would be the only one to fit in. With amazing guitarist skills, and his technical style fit right in with the style they had already established, plus he had a good background in the kind of music they all liked. After just one practice they knew they found the right guy for the job.
An American Shootout is complete. But that's not where it ends. They aim to go to the studio to record another demo in the late winter. Also touring this summer is in their sights. With every song they write, the more they feel like they can achieve.

The beginning has already happened, now its just time to see what happens next. This is An American Shootout.

An American Shootout's new album "Convergence" is a refreshing a piece of art for the hardcore world. Technical guitar parts with thrashing growl/scream vocals and meaningful "talking" type spots give this album uniqueness. This album definitely shows us a new and more mature side of An American Shootout as they put life experiences and life lessons into more captivating heavy-riff songs that make you think. So make sure to check out their new album "Convergence."

For the fans of:
At The Throne Of Judgment, Gwen Stacy, Catherine, Destroy The Runner.

Members:
Mark Mace - Vocals
Brad Sliga - Guitar
Csongor Erdelyi - Guitar
Andrew Copeland - Bass
Zach Reed - Drums

Taylor Cox - Vocals

facebook.com/anamericanshootout
reverbnation.com/anamericanshootout
myspace.com/anamericanshootout Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.