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Evanescence ➢ Who Will You Follow

THE VIOLENT HOUR, the heavy rock group formed by Carla Harvey (BUTCHER BABIES) and Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX, PANTERA),has released a new single, "Screenager". The track combines heavy riffs and commanding vocals with melodic hooks, and lyrically addresses the erosion of genuine human connection in the digital age. The band is also scheduled to perform at several fall festivals, including Rocklahoma, Louder Than Life and Aftershock.

Barreling out of the gate with crushing riffs and thunderous energy, the track pairs Harvey's raw, commanding vocals with relentless instrumentation before opening into soaring melodic hooks. Lyrically, it serves as a warning about what happens when the digital world begins to replace the real one, and how humanity and empathy can get lost in the process. "Screenager" explores the quiet death of real connection in the age of endless validation, where anonymity breeds cruelty and curated digital selves slowly consume human ones.

"We wanted to write something that felt as relentless as the endless scroll," Harvey says. "Musically, 'Screenager' channels the aggression and energy of early METALLICA but opens up into huge, soaring melodic choruses. Lyrically, it's about how we've traded genuine human connection for digital validation, and how anonymity has fueled a growing lack of empathy by making cruelty feel consequence-free. We're more connected than ever, yet somehow we've never felt further apart.'

Harvey recounts: 'We asked our friend Attila Vörös to lay down the guitar solo for 'Screenager', and he absolutely delivered with a combination of '80s shred and modern melodic metal that only he could pull off.'

THE VIOLENT HOUR will embark on a string of festival performances this fall, including Rocklahoma in Pryor, Oklahoma on September 6, Louder Than Life in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, and Aftershock in Sacramento, California on October 1.

THE VIOLENT HOUR was born from a moment of truth. After 15 years commanding some of heavy metal's biggest stages, Carla Harvey found herself at a crossroads: walk away from it all, or dig deep and create the album she'd always dreamed of. She chose the latter.

Teaming up with now-husband and legendary drummer and multi-instrumentalist Charlie Benante, the two hunkered down to write and what followed was electric. The songs poured out fast, raw, and real. Fueled by that spark, THE VIOLENT HOUR came to life with bandmates Kiana De León (guitar),Allie Kay (guitar),Jewel Steele (bass),and Sasha De León (drums). Kiana and Sasha previously played together in the PANTERA tribute band FAR BEYOND HOSTILE and the covers project VIXEN VENDETTA.

Blending the grit of old-school rock 'n' roll, the soul of indie and alternative, and just the right dose of heavy metal, THE VIOLENT HOUR isn't chasing trends; they're carving out their own lane. Songwriting comes first, emotion is everything, and every track is a piece of Carla's story, unapologetically honest and sonically bold.

When the touring lineup of THE VIOLENT HOUR was first announced in August 2025, Harvey commented: "As a huge fan of the '90s Riot Grrl movement, I've dreamed of having an all-girl band my whole life. After a long search, I finally found them. Four incredible women who share the same drive, passion, and fire that fuels me. We are THE VIOLENT HOUR and we are your new favorite band."

THE VIOLENT HOUR's self-titled debut EP was released in July 2025 via Megaforce Records. Carla wrote all lyrics and handled all the vocals on "The Violent Hour", while Benante wrote the music and played all instruments on the EP. The track "Sick Ones" features an absolutely shredding guitar solo from MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist John 5, and PANTERA guitarist and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY frontman Zakk Wylde makes an explosive cameo on the track "Hell Or Hollywood".

Not many people have comic book author, embalmer and musician on their resumes. Carla boasts all three and so much more.

Carla was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan — a city known for its grit, resilience, and often deep divides. Navigating life as a bi-racial kid in a fractured environment wasn't easy, but Carla found her escape in art, music, and self-expression. By day, she hustled, attending the prestigious College For Creative Studies alongside working odd jobs like perfume counter girl and gas station attendant, and by night, she was on stage with local bands, saving every dollar she could for a one-way trip to Los Angeles.

At twenty, she put all her belongings in her car and navigated from Detroit to Hollywood with a paper map. In L.A., she landed acting roles on shows like "Rules Of Engagement", played in bands searching for her sound, and never stopped creating. But beyond the music was a driven academic. Carla had a deep love for science and eventually pursued a Bachelor Of Mortuary Science (graduating as valedictorian) and a Master Of Science in thanatology. Carla became a licensed funeral director and embalmer and founded her own grief counseling service — all while touring the world extensively as a founding member of the BUTCHER BABIES.

Today, In addition to her music career, Carla is a grief specialist for the innovative death care company Parting Stone that transforms cremated remains into environmentally friendly stones that the departed's family can hold, treasure and honor.

Beyond her professional life, Carla is a devoted collector of pop culture oddities: comics, wrestling figures, vintage Barbies, Elvira, the Incredible Hulk, and rock relics from her wildest nights in Hollywood. She still holds on to her Rainbow Bar & Grill drink tickets from the '90s and a poker chip from Lemmy's last birthday party. Her creative heroes — Russ Meyers, Robert Williams, Robert Crumb and Charles Bukowski — mirror her love of the bold and the raw.

To date, Carla has released half a dozen albums, multiple comic books and a 2014 novel, "Death And Other Dances". But if you ask her…she's still just a blue-collar kid from the Midwest with big dreams.

Photo credit: Anabel DFlux