The band credited with creating the first “Nu Gaze” album as well as spearheading the shoegaze revival of the early 2000s, My Vitriol would go down in history as one of the most influential bands of the aughts despite fading into obscurity towards the end of the decade.

The band formed in 1998 after Ravi Kesavaram (drums) and Som Wardner (vocals and guitar) met at University College London earlier that year, recording demo EP Delusions of Grandeur. Shortly after would the band receive national exposure when BBC 1 DJ Steve Lamacq aired the EP live; now hard pressed to find a new guitarist and a bassist, the two would recruit Mint 400 guitarist Seth Taylor and bassist Carolyn Bannister.

The band released their debut single “Always: Your Way / Pieces” in 1999, afterwards signing to Infectious Music and releasing their 2001 seminal opus Finelines. The album quickly grew to be an international success, with Deftones frontman Chino Moreno even citing My Vitriol as the “best band in the world”, owing to their success. The album was remixed by producer Steve Thompson (of Korn and Metallica fame) and released to US markets, while in the UK, the album was re-released as a double album titled Betweenthelines, further bolstering their success.

By then, things seemed to be going fine. The band began work on their follow-up album and aimed for a 2004 release, while still enjoying the success Finelines brought them. Behind the scenes, however, things weren’t going as well. Wardner’s burnout, a concern over his hearing loss, and tensions among bandmates slowed operations going forward. This, coupled by a consistent failure to release the band’s follow-up album and a long hiatus from touring, resulted in the band’s fall into obscurity by the end of the 2000s.

Despite never realising their follow-up, the band continued to release new music, with the Cast in Amber live album in 2006, followed by the “This Time” single (under the moniker “A Secret Society”) and the A Pyrrhic Victory EP in 2007. The band also released compilation album The Secret Sessions in 2016, and went on their final tour (to date) in 2017.

Though the band is still active, it’s unknown whether another LP is planned or if they have plans to continue touring. Nonetheless, Finelines still remains a significant success, and despite never attaining the same recognition as their contemporaries (namely Muse), they had a considerable impact on the musical landscape of the early 2000s and would inspire countless acts in the following decades.

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