When Liam Cormier and Scott Middleton formed Cancer Bats in 2004, they sought to bring together the styles of some of their favorite music acts, such as Refused, Black Flag, Led Zeppelin, and Down. Considering the sonic disparity among those four artists, this was no easy feat. However, both of their early albums, Birthing the Giant and Hail Destroyer, were met with high praise from fans and critics, with the latter being nominated for Album of the Year at the 2008 Kerrang awards. The band has also developed a strong reputation for energetic, engaging live shows, which has allowed them to take part in the Taste of Chaos Tour, UK's Download Festival, and two separate Reading and Leeds Festivals, not to mention all of their more standard touring. On the band's third album, Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones, the Canadian quartet trot out more of their Southern-influenced punk with similarly enjoyable results.
