Biography
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Years Active
2003 – present (21 years)
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Members
- Sam Ryder (2010 – 2012)
Blessed by a Broken Heart was a Canadian metalcore/glam metal band from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 2003. The band's final line-up consisted of vocalist/rhythm guitarist Sam Ryder, lead guitarist "Shred" Sean Maier, bassist Tyler Hoare, and drummer and keyboardist Ian "Slater" Evans. They released three albums, the last of which, Feel the Power, was released by Tooth & Nail Records and made the Billboard Christian Albums and Heatseekers Albums charts.
The band endured many line-up changes throughout its existence, leaving 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.
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 Fair in Love and War, was released on Blood and Ink Records in 2004.
Joel Sauvé and Hugh Charron departed in 2005. Hoare switched to bass and shred-style guitarist, "Shred" Sean Maier, from Long Island, joined. The band then began to change to a more 80s glam metal sound.
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, with producer Garth Richardson and engineer Ben Kaplan. The rest of 2007 was spent touring the US.
In early 2008, after a UK 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.
"Pedal to the Metal" was released by Century Media in Europe in August 2008 and the US in September 2008. After their headlining late 2008 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".
Keyboardist Ben "Rex Krueger" Schauland left the band in mid 2010. 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 standalone single, "Out of Control", released July 24, 2012.
On September 7, 2013, 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. 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 left Close Your Eyes in December 2014, and found success as a solo artist.
The band reunited to play Montebello Rock Fest on June 24, 2017. The reunion lineup was Tony Gambino (vocals), Tyler Hoare (bass), "Shred" Sean Maier (guitar), Ian "Slater" Evans (drums), and Joel "Casey" Jones (guitar).
The band released a one-off re-recording of "Another Day Another War" on September 20, 2020.
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