A shared love of heavy metal and, more specifically, metalcore, ensured that the members of While She Sleeps continued the bond they formed at school in Sheffield, England long after their final exams were over. In 2006, singer Jordan "The Face" Widdowson, drummer Adam Savage, bassist Aaran McKenzie, and guitarists Mat Welsh and Sean Long decided to get together after playing in various other groups in the area. The bandmembers played shows regularly for the next three years, and Widdowson eventually bowed out, leaving the door open for Lawrence Taylor to step in on vocals.nnReleased by Small Town Records in the summer of 2010, the eight-track mini-album, The North Stands for Nothing, was recorded in a converted barn and mixed by Welsh. Having been well-received by the rock press, Good Fight Music picked up The North Stands for Nothing for distribution in North America, where it was released in the summer of 2011 with the addition of the single "Be(lie)ve." Recorded in the early months of that year, "Be(lie)ve" came out during a busy period for While She Sleeps. As well as recording a live session for BBC Radio 1 at Maida Vale Studios, they were invited to open for fellow Sheffield-based metalcore outfit Bring Me the Horizon at the O2 Academy in their hometown, although they had to pull out of a planned American tour with Bring Me the Horizon in the following months.nnNot letting this setback halt their progress, and following extensive touring of their own, While She Sleeps went into the studio with producer Carl Bown in November 2011 and recorded their debut full-length, This Is the Six. The album, released in 2012, was a huge step up sonically for the band, displayed best on the anthemic title track and lead single. In the months leading up to the release of This Is the Six, While She Sleeps played the Download Festival and won the Kerrang! Award for Best British Newcomer. Brainwashed, the band's much-anticipated sophomore outing, dropped in 2015 and featured the singles "New World Torture," "Four Walls," "Trophies of Violence," and "Our Legacy." September 2016 saw the release of "Civil Isolation," the first single from their crowd-funded third studio long-player, You Are We, which arrived in May of the following year. ~ Daniel Clancy