Embodyment

Embodyment started in 1993 as a death metal group called Supplication. This took place in Arlington, Texas, and included Mark Garza, Jason Lindquist, Kevin Donnini, and Andrew Godwin. They soon changed their name to Embodyment, and after a change or two in the line-up, they released Persistent Sin, their first demo. Approximately a year after inception, they released their second demo, Corrosion of the Flesh. It didn't take long before they drew in bigger crowds around the DFW area, and played with such death metal acts as Dying Fetus, Pyrexia, Devourment, and Living Sacrifice.
It was around 1995 that Chris McCaddon joined the band as the new vocalist, and the following year, Embodyment released their self-titled third demo. A year later, Jason Lindquist left the band to continue his studies, and Andrew Godwin's cousin, James Lanigan, took his place.
Soon after, Embodyment signed with Tooth & Nail Records, and in 1998, they released their first full-length album, Embrace the Eternal. It featured revamps of "Golgotha" and "Religious Infamy" from their self-titled demo, and the album in all included nine tracks of fire and fury written throughout the band's history.
Shortly after its release, long-time member and great friend Kevin Donnini decided to put his bass away and say goodbye to the beautiful monster that sheltered him for so long. After his departure, Jason Lindquist returned to pick up where Kevin left off, and upon his arrival, James Lanigan decided to call it quits as well, leaving Andrew to take on the duty of shredding alone.
Since the release of their first full-length, Embodyment had seen their album sales increase and, more importantly, their fan base rise. They had two major tours under their belt during the same year; the first took place in June with Living Sacrifice and Eso-Charis. It was a short but successful two-week journey from Texas to California, playing with bands like Overcome, Training for Utopia, and Warlord.
The second tour in October took them up and down the East Coast from Michigan to Florida and back to Texas in just under one month, playing with the likes of Coalesce, Burn It Down, Subsist, Prevail, Ensign, Endeavor, and Stretch Arm Strong.
The year 1999 proved promising; they recorded two new songs for a new Solid State Records compilation; the first song, "Halo of Winter," was their most perfected song to date, some said. It proved how diverse McCaddon's vocals actually were, taking us back to the lower end of the spectrum, as portrayed on the third demo, and moving away from the mid-high range represented on the full-length. It was complicated and confusing, while still maintaining structure. The second song was an unreleased cover of "Time After Time," originally performed by none other than '80's pop sensation Cyndi Lauper. Proving that Embodyment can deconstruct a song and rebuild it better than it was originally performed, while maintaining a hint of the melody that Lauper had created, it was nothing short of amazing.
The year 2000 was a shock for many of the band's fans: Embodyment's sophomore album, The Narrow Scope of Things, was released and became a major transition album for the band; the familiar deathgrind sound had been replaced with an alternative metal sound, and vocalist Sean Corbray was introduced along with Derrick Wadsworth as the second guitarist. Some fans were confused, others were angry, yet many embraced the new music.
In an interview, drummer Mark Garza commented, "The change in the sound is because of member changes and natural development. We'd been playing death metal for seven years, so we wanted something new; we wanted to open our music to more people."
In 2001, Embodyment continued the shift in sound with their third release, Hold Your Breath. Sean Corbray, who had occasionally screamed in the sophomore album, kept his voice clean throughout. While different, the album was a beautiful progression, retaining a certain heaviness and darkness from TNSOT. It had a more clearer direction musically, and Embodyment proved again their ability to tackle a new direction.
Embodyment soon after ended their contract with Solid State Records in hopes of finding newer waters. The year 2002 saw a new album, Songs for the Living, through XSRecords. It introduced an alternative rock sound with indie-esque pop hooks and catchy choruses, and regardless of this further shift in their sound, Embodyment proved once again that regardless of genre, they had no trouble retaining their own sound. Later that year, Mark departed from the band, forcing Derrick to take the role of the drummer. In 2003, they recorded a set of new tracks to be released on a potential fifth album. A couple of the songs were put up online, but the complete five-song demo was never officially released.
Unfortunately, Embodyment decided to end their journey in late 2003, stating that the band had run its course and it was time to close the book, thanking all their fans for their devotion and support over the long and successful years of playing.

It was a sad turn of events to discover, but as long as their music lives on, Embodyment lives on, and so will the memories.