Progressive hardcore band Boy Sets Fire was formed in Delaware in 1994 by singer
Nathan Gray , guitarists
Josh Latshaw and
Chad Istvan , bassist
Darrell Hyde , and drummer
Matt Krupanski . Self-releasing their debut single, “Consider,” in 1995, Boy Sets Fire soon resurfaced with a split release with
Jazz Man’s Needle , winning acclaim not only for the intensity of their live dates but also the intensity of their political convictions. The band’s debut full-length,
, followed in 1997 and a split single with
Snapcase preceded the 1999 release of
. Bassist
Rob Avery replaced
Hyde for 2000’s
, the band’s first release for new label Victory Records;
was released later that summer.
was issued in early 2001.
Boy Sets Fire left Victory for the major label Wind-Up in 2002 and quickly released the
EP as an introduction. It featured four new tracks and two live recordings. Next, they entered the studio with producer
Dave Fortman (
12 Rods ,
Evanescence ) to record their full-length Wind-Up debut.
arrived in April 2003 and was a progression toward accessibility. However, the new direction didn’t lessen Boy Sets Fire’s fiery political convictions in the least. The album included an incendiary political rant on its inside flap, and its controversial lyrics rankled some religious groups. A limited version of
was also released with an accompanying DVD of live material and behind-the-scenes footage. The band toured behind
but, soon after the record’s release, lost bassist
Avery , whom they replaced with
Rob Ehrenbrand .
Wind-Up turned out to be a wrong fit for Boy Sets Fire, so in summer 2005 they signed with Equal Vision (Burning Heart in Europe), which issued
that fall. Their solid and eclectic fourth full-length,
, followed in March 2006. Unfortunately, however, the album turned out to be their last. By the end of July, the band announced they’d be calling it quits after some final shows via a message on their website. Soon after the announcement, though,
Latshaw had an accident at his construction job and suffered a broken neck, collapsed lung, and two broken vertebrae. Boy Sets Fire finished up their scheduled European tour with their guitar tech filling in, but waited on setting final American dates; their final show together finally occurred in early June at Philadelphia’s Trocadero Theatre.
