Erra (stylized as ERRA) is an American djent band from Birmingham, Alabama,[1] formed in 2009. The band was named after the homonymous Akkadian god of war and plague. The band has released three EPs and studio albums to date. Their latest album, titled Drift, was released on April 8, 2016.[2] They have toured with bands such as August Burns Red, TesseracT, Born of Osiris, Glass Cloud, Within the Ruins and Texas in July.ERRA was formed in 2009 by high school friends Alex Ballew, Jesse Cash, Adam Hicks, Garrison Lee and Alan Rigdon in Birmingham, Alabama. The band wrote and self-released two EP's, self-titled in 2009 and Andromeda in 2010. This gained the attention of Tragic Hero Records, which had signed them in 2011.[9] Later that year, the band released their first studio album Impulse and toured with bands such as Born of Osiris and Upon a Burning Body.
In 2012, Adam Hicks left the band to pursue other career options and the band began writing their second studio album with Cash tracking both guitar and bass for the album.,[10] Augment was released and gained the band a lot more attention from touring bands and began touring more extensively. Hicks was replaced by current guitarist Sean Price, who was included in the "Hybrid Earth" music video. The band toured the following year to promote their second release. Vocalist Garrison Lee and guitarist Alan Rigdon announced their departure from the band in 2014 and left on good terms.[11]
Following the end of their record deal with Tragic Hero, Erra signed to Sumerian Records mid-2014. Bassist Sean Price moved to rhythm guitar and vocalist Ian Eubanks replaced Garrison Lee's position.[12] In 2014, their third EP Moments of Clarity was released through Sumerian. It reached #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart. Throughout 2015, Erra opened up for bands such as August Burns Red on their Frozen Flame Tour & TesseracT on their 2015 Polaris album tour. In late 2015, Eubanks parted ways with the band, citing an impact on his health as the main reason.[13]
In 2016 vocalist J.T Cavey (ex-Texas in July) joined the band to replace Ian Eubanks' position.[14] Cavey and the band entered the studio and wrote and released their third studio album Drift. The album reached #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart. The band toured on the Sumerian 10-year tour, along with Born of Osiris, Veil of Maya, After the Burial and Bad Omens.