Nodes Of Ranvier

Sioux Falls, South Dakota isn't exactly what you'd call the hotbed of metal and hardcore. However, Nodes of Ranvier--comprised of lead vocalist Nick Murphy, drummer/vocalist Ryan Knutson, bassist Terry Taylor and guitarists Jon Parker and Jake Stefek--were inspired by the city's isolation to create catchy, heavy-hitting hard rock. Nodes of Ranvier's latest disc, The Years to Come, combines swaggering, metallic riffs, gut-wrenching roars and clean vocal melodies. The eclectic quintet gives a melodic edge with their chaotic and brutal song structure, attracting a wide range of music fans and erasing the lines between rock and metal.

Forming in the fall of 2000, the band originally started as a fun, expressive outlet for its members. In the spring of 2002, they recorded a split CD with the Iowa-based band Innocence Broken on Winter in July Records. Facedown Records put out their full-length debut, Lost Senses, More Innocence, the following summer and their self-titled LP in July 2003. In April 2005, the group released their newest effort, The Years to Come, and have toured with like-minded artists such as Bleeding Through, Extol, Living Sacrifice, Zao, Misery Signals, Bury Your Dead, Every Time I Die, Norma Jean and Evergreen Terrace.