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Arsis, a musical term meaning "silence", was formed in the year 2000 by guitarist/songwriter James Malone and drummer Michael Van Dyne. Their music is the product of strong classic metal and rock influences such as Racer X, Iron Maiden, Dio, King Diamond, Black Sabbath, and Alice Cooper, combined with the aggressive, in-your-face influences of bands such as Morbid Angel, Emperor, and Death. The duo recorded two demos that gained them considerable attention in 2002, and began playing live shows shortly thereafter with the aid of fill-in musicians. Some of Arsis' first shows include gigs opening for Pyrexia and Mortal Decay, Kalibas, Beaten Back to Pure, Ion Dissonance, and Six Feet Under.
In the fall of 2003, Arsis signed with Willowtip Records. Their debut album, "A Celebration of Guilt", was released on March 30th, 2004 and was immediately showered with rave reviews from metal press worldwide. The album showcases the duo's earliest material, packaged with an amazing layout courtesy of underground art master, Mark Riddick. In the months following, Arsis played shows with notable acts such as The Red Chord, Neuraxis, Leng Tch'e, and Dying Fetus, toured the east coast with Misery Index and Set Ablaze, and toured again with Set Ablaze shortly after. By January of 2005, "A Celebration of Guilt" had won Album of the Year honors on Metalreview.com, and was featured on numerous Top 10 of 2004 lists. A mini tour of the northeast with Invocation of Nehek and The Hostage Heart, followed by a string of east coast dates with Incantation and Mortician, also took place in January. A union between Willowtip Records and Earache Records in February of 2005 saw "A Celebration of Guilt" released throughout Europe and Australia/Asia via Earache on July 11th, 2005.
Jim and Mike entered the recording studio in late July to record "A Diamond for Disease", a special between-album mini cd released on October 25th, 2005 in North America only, via Willowtip. Once again released to critical acclaim, this cd includes the epic 12-minute title track, and was featured on Decibel Magazine's Top 40 of 2005 list.
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