Area Bands Past For My Sins

If it’s better to burn out than to fade away, For My Sins took the high road and roared into the darkness like a comet. During its short lifespan, the Boulder band played every local gig they could plug into: house parties, skate competitions, and several stints at the now-deceased Tulagi in Boulder. While clearly inspired by the melodic punk of groups like The Lawrence Arms, For My Sins pushed for a harder sound and began most of their songs as metal monster ballads that inevitably slid into well-calculated punk tracks. “We wanted to be metal, but it just wasn’t happening,” remembers For My Sins guitarist Tays Anderson. Punk-versus-metal wasn’t the only dichotomy to plague the band. Like a dirty movie that was just getting good before your mom suddenly flicks on the lights, For My Sins sputtered to a halt in 2005. Singer Eric Theile grappled with the choice of supporting the band’s rising success or starting law school in California; he chose to head west right as the band was getting a solid foothold in Colorado. This left For My Sins and its can-crushing, amp-cracking spirit to spoil in the graveyard along with a cluster of other broken bands who shared their high-energy scene such as Grace Gale, Signal To Noise, and the recently reunited The Blackout Pact. 

Years of existence: 2003-2005

Releases: Soulless Prophets CD (self-released, 2003)

Currently: Theile wound up in law school in Scottsdale, Arizona. Bassist Pat Armstrong is now a father of two and resides in Arizona as well. Drummer Kaya Bersto still lives in Boulder, playing occasionally with various members of his old scene; he also swigs beers and collaborates with Anderson, who’s working on a collection of solo recordings in Glenwood Springs. Guitarist Jeremy Doyle took a more spastic route since For My Sins’ breakup, almost joining the army then dedicating himself to meditation, martial arts, and reportedly strumming in is his parents’ garage in Boulder.

Key tracks: The epic openings of both “No Strings Attached” and “Something More”—both from Soulless Prophets—resemble Metallica-esque marching orders. Then with one silent measure they slide into memorable, upbeat examples of the band’s death grip on rock ’n’ roll. A few Apocalypse Now sound bites are sprinkled throughout the album—although the band claims it didn’t take its name from one of Martin Sheen’s most memorable lines from the film: “Everyone gets everything he wants. I wanted a mission, and for my sins they gave me one.”

Odds of reunion: “If I moved back to Denver, I could see getting together with Kaya or something,” says Anderson. “But in terms of For My Sins ever playing? Hell, no.”