Arsis, a musical term meaning “silence”, was formed in the year 2000 by guitarist/songwriter James Malone and drummer Michael Van Dyne. Their music is the product of strong classic metal and rock influences such as Racer X, Iron Maiden, Dio, Black Sabbath, and Alice Cooper, combined with the aggressive, in-your-face influences of bands such as Morbid Angel and Death. The duo recorded two demos that gained them considerable attention in 2002, and began playing live shows shortly thereafter with the aid of fill-in musicians. This eventually led to Arsis signing with Willowtip Records in the fall of 2003. Their debut album, “A Celebration Of Guilt”, was released on March 30th, 2004 and was immediately showered with rave reviews from metal press worldwide. The album, which was mixed and mastered at Hit and Run Studios in Maryland, showcases the duo's earliest material, packaged with an amazing layout courtesy of Mark Riddick. In the months following, Arsis toured the east coast, as well as parts of the southern and midwestern United States, with bands such as Misery Index, Set Ablaze, Invocation of Nehek, The Hostage Heart, Incantation, and Mortician. By January of 2005, “A Celebration Of Guilt” had won Album of the Year honors on metalreview.com, and was featured on numerous Top 10 of 2004 lists. A union between Willowtip Records and Earache Records, which took place in February of 2005, will see “A Celebration Of Guilt” released throughout Europe via Earache on July 11th, 2005. In addition, Jim and Mike will be entering the recording studio this July to record “A Diamond for Disease”, a mini cd that will be released on October 25th, 2005.