Burden EP The Kindred

The Kindred are a Canadian progressive metal outfit from Ottawa, Ontario. Founded in 2006 by singer David Journeaux and drummer Mike Ieradi, the band was initially known as Today I Caught the Plague and quickly grew to include guitarists Ben Davis and Steve Rennie, keyboardist Matt Young, and bassist Eric Stone. Making their debut in 2008 with the independently released Ms. Mary Mallon EP, they spent the next several years touring tirelessly with bands like Protest the Hero, Tesseract, Between the Buried and Me, and the Faceless. By the time they'd completed their debut full-length, 2011's critically lauded Lore, the ambitious young band had amassed enough of a hard-won audience to embark on several headlining tours across Canada. They made their American debut the following year, touring the States in support of Texan prog-instrumentalists Scale the Summit. American label Sumerian Records took notice and signed them in 2013, after which the band changed their name to the Kindred. The Kindred made their label debut in 2014 with Life in Lucidity, an expansive ten-song effort of complexity and bold melodies. Soon finding themselves at a sort of crossroads, it would also be their last effort to feature both founding members, Journeaux and Ieradi. The departing Journeaux was replaced by fellow Ottawan Johnny McArthur while Ieradi, who left to join former tourmates Protest the Hero, was replaced by Kenny Saunders. Rebounding with a renewed creative vigor, the Kindred issued "Stray Away," their first single with the new lineup, in early 2017, followed that summer by the Weight EP. ~ Timothy Monger