Do just a singer, guitarist, and drummer a band make? That's how it started for Detroit, Michigan's As They Sleep. In 2003 after finding each other through an ad, the three-piece immediately started writing and playing shows together.

It wouldn't last long, however. The next tumultuous handful of years were spent picking up, dropping, and rotating members before finally settling in to their current five-part form. But cementing a line-up didn't necessarily equate to a successful band.

"All we knew was when we listened back to what we had written, it wasn't bad," says Vocalist Aaron Bridgewater. "And as long as we were able to keep up with some of the big name [bands], we knew we had a shot." And musically hanging with the big names they have, settling on a sound that harkens to contemporaries like Lamb Of God, Black Dahlia Murder, and Despised Icon.

But As They Sleep have begun to build their own name. After the release of their debut full-length, Blacken The Sun (2008), the melodic death metal act was named the winner of Metal Blade / Metal Hammer's Search For The Next Great Metal Band in 2009. "We've been through the ringer," says Bridgewater. "We are definitely not some overnight success; we have climbed this ladder one rung at a time."

Now signed to Solid State Records, As They Sleep are ready to head into the studio to record their sophomore release and continue working at taking their band to the next level.

As They Sleep:

Aaron Bridgewater: Vocals

Nick Morris: Guitar

Barry Gomez: Guitar

Derek Kosiba: Bass

Tony Lukitsh: Drums