Middlebrook, VA; Annandale, VA; Gaithersburg, MD; Virginia Beach, VA
Event Horizon is a melodic death metal band from Richmond, Virginia, and in its current state features all W&M alumni as members. The band was founded in October 2018 by Everett Altherr (guitar), Matthew Nguyen-Ngo (drums), and Gerardo Ayala (bass), who all performed together at W&M from 2013-2014 as the heavy metal band Sons of Ares. William Penix joined Event Horizon early in 2019 as lead vocalist. William and Matt also previously performed at W&M in the hardcore punk band Wind for Wings. Event Horizon aims to combine the heavy, aggressive and technical sonic qualities of death metal with the melodicism typically associated with traditional heavy metal bands. The band is particularly inspired by the Scandinavian bands who first attempted to merge these two styles in the mid to late 1990s. To date, Event Horizon have released an EP and several singles, and have performed live at popular venues in Richmond such as the Camel and Canal Club.
At least for myself, music is something I've been unable to do without since as far back as I can remember. I sang (or tried) as a toddler at home, played viola from 4th through 12th grade, took guitar classes here at W&M, and fell into a metal band late in my undergraduate years. It's also a huge part of my life as a dancer. It's as important to me as eating food (though my stomach may disagree with that).
-Gerardo