Blessed by a Broken Heart were a Canadian rock band from Montreal, Quebec. Formed in 2003, the band's last lineup consisted of vocalist/rhythm guitarist Sam Ryder, lead guitarist "Shred" Sean Maier, bassist Tyler Hoare, and drummer and keyboardist Slater. They have released three albums, the most recent of which, Feel the Power, was released by Tooth & Nail Records and made Billboards Christian Albums and Heatseekers Albums charts. The band endured many line-up changes throughout its existence, leaving bassist Hoare as the only original member. In July 2012, Tony Gambino announced he was stepping down as lead vocalist with Sam Ryder taking his place.
History
The band was formed as a concept band in 2003 by Tyler Hoare. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Hugh Charron, bassist Joel Sauvé, guitarists Robbie Hart and Hoare, drummer Frank Shooflar, and keyboardist Simon Foxx. Their first album, All Is Fairin Love and War, released on Blood and Ink Records in 2004, gave the band a deathcore sound. Joel Sauvé and Hugh Charron departed in 2005. Hoare switched to bass and shred-style guitarist, "Shred" Sean Maier, from Long Island, New York, joined. The band then began to change to a more 80s glam metal sound. The next year, they toured in the United Kingdom on a sold-out headlining tour with Enter Shikari. In January 2007, after the addition of vocalist Tony Gambino, they signed with Century Media Records. They recorded their second studio album, Pedal to the Metal, at The Farm in Vancouver, British Columbia with producer Garth Richardson and engineer Ben Kaplan in April. The rest of 2007 was spent touring the US with The Devil Wears Prada, A Day to Remember and Mychildren Mybride; before joining Kittie, It Dies Today, Silent Civilian, and Bring Me the Horizon for another US tour. In mid-January 2008, they returned to Europe, again touring with Bring Me the Horizon, as well as Maroon and Architects. They finished that tour with a string of headlining dates in the UK with Azriel and Dividing The Line. After that tour, rhythm guitarist, Robbie Hart and keyboardist Simon Foxx, both original members, were kicked out of the band. In mid-2008 they were joined by rhythm guitarist Casey Jones and keyboardist Slater, and took part in on the first annual Scream the Prayer Tour, with Sleeping Giant, Impending Doom, and War of Ages. Pedal to the Metal was released by Century Media in Europe in August 2008 and the US in September 2008. A headline tour in Europe and the UK was booked for November and December 2008 with support from I Am Ghost and Devil's Gift. After the European tour, original drummer Frank Shooflar left to pursue his career as a record producer and songwriter, Slater then moved to drums and former Still Remains keyboardist Ben Schauland was added, under the moniker "Rex Krueger". In 2009, the band announced their relationship with Century Media Records had come to a mutually-agreed end. In mid-2010, the band again took part in Scream the Prayer, this time with Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, For Today, A Plea for Purging, The Color Morale, and several others. However, they had to cut the tour short due to bus problems and the death of Hoare's grandmother. They played their last show of the tour at Christian rock festivalHeavenFest. Keyboardist Ben "Rex Krueger" Schauland left the band. Sam Ryder, then a member of the Morning After, played rhythm guitar on the band's European tour while Casey Jones stayed home to be present for the birth of his first child. On June 24, 2011, Tooth & Nail Records released a video officially welcoming Blessed by a Broken Heart to the label's roster, in which the band announced that they were recording a new album. On September 30, the band announced that a song called "Deathwish" would be released on October 17, 2011 for the cost of a tweet, and would be the first single from the new album, Feel the Power, which was at the time planned for release on January 24, 2012. A second single, "Forever", was released on December 6, 2011, with an accompanying video premiering on January 17, 2012. In July 2012, Gambino, announced his departure and rhythm guitarist Sam Ryder was announced as new vocalist. Ryder appeared on a third single, "Out of Control", released July 24, 2012. Guitarist Sean Maier announced that the band was breaking up due to repeated legal struggles with record companies and lack of support from booking agencies on September 7, 2013. The post also stated that singer Sam Ryder would continue working as the frontman for Close Your Eyes and Maier would continue to work on his new project Shred Starz. Ryder has recently left the band Close Your Eyes. The band reunited for a farewell show on October 31, 2014.
