Post-hardcore trailblazers Drop Dead, Gorgeous have unveiled their latest single, “Burn,” out now via The Artery Foundation.
“Two decades deep, we’ve written a song that feels like light and shadow colliding where melody and dissonance bleed together, and heavy and alternative dissolve into something that refuses to be defined,” says Danny “Stills” Stillman, the band’s vocalist.
Their last single, “Six Feet,” continues to gain momentum with 156k+ streams on Spotify and 26k+ views on YouTube, showcasing the band’s enduring connection with fans old and new.
In more exciting news, the band has officially signed with JJ Cassiere of 33 & West. Tour dates are expected to be announced in 2026.
Drop Dead, Gorgeous emerged in the mid-2000s with an emotionally charged take on post-hardcore that helped define the era. As teenagers from Denver, their 2006 debut In Vogue became a landmark for Rise Records, blending synth-laced breakdowns, theatrical flair, and raw vulnerability. Follow-up albums like Worse Than a Fairy Tale and The Hot N’ Heavy cemented their place in the scene, influencing a wave of bands that followed. The band’s early success helped Rise Records pivot from modest emo/post-hardcore releases into a major metalcore powerhouse.
After a decade-long hiatus, core members Daniel “Stills” Stillman, Danny Cooper, and Jake Hansen returned in 2024 with a string of surprise shows and, in 2025, released their first new music in years with the single “Six Feet.” Now, the band is set to continue that momentum with their upcoming track “Burn”, produced by Elliot Polokoff and mastered by Grammy-winner Ted Jensen. Drop Dead, Gorgeous isn’t chasing the past, they’re building something new: heavier, sharper, and just as honest as ever.
Drop Dead, Gorgeous are: Daniel “Stills” Stillman – lead vocals, keyboard, programming, additional guitars Jacob Hansen – bass Danny Cooper – drums Jacob Belcher – guitars River Wilde – guitars
“Drop Dead, Gorgeous helped perfect a style of post-hardcore that other bands would model themselves after. Where other bands in the scene would regurgitate the same testosterone-tinged bro-rock, Drop Dead, Gorgeous made their mark by putting [emotional] vulnerability into song.” – VICE
After more than 15 years, Denver metalcore pioneers Drop Dead, Gorgeous have officially returned with a brand new single, “Six Feet,” along with the announcement of the return of The Artery Foundation (label)—the original driving force behind the genre. Accompanied by a gripping music video that premiered exclusively on Revolver Magazine, the track marks a powerful new chapter for the band, who reunite with three original members.
“It’s been over 15 years, and ‘Six Feet’ felt like the right way to come back — intense, honest, and unapologetic. We’re not trying to recreate the past, just push things forward in a way that still feels true to who we are,” shares the band.
The return of Drop Dead, Gorgeous is not only a monumental moment for fans, but also for the team behind The Artery Foundation, which helped launch the band’s early career.
“It’s surreal to have Drop Dead, Gorgeous back with us after 20 years,” says Eric Rushing, President of The Artery Foundation. “They were one of Artery’s first big breakthroughs and helped define who we were early on. This reunion isn’t just nostalgic—it’s a full-circle moment that reminds us where we came from and helps usher in the new wave of Artery.”
Oct 2 @ Scout Bar in Houston, TX Oct 3 @ RBC in Dallas, TX Oct 4 @ The Rock Box in San Antonio, TX
They were teenagers from Denver with chaotic angst, huge hooks, breakdowns, and something to say. At the height of the post-hardcore and so-called “emo” explosion of the mid-2000s (which saw My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and Avenged Sevenfold reach massive heights), Drop Dead, Gorgeous carved out new synth-soaked pathways with unmistakable vocals and unhinged emotion.
Drop Dead, Gorgeous returns in 2025 with their first new music in over a decade. Produced by Elliot Polokoff and mastered by longtime collaborator Kris Crummett (Dance Gavin Dance, Sleeping With Sirens, Get Scared), “Six Feet” recaptures their signature tension—hooky, hostile, and cinematic. The band isn’t trying to relive their past, but they aren’t running from it, either. Drop Dead, Gorgeous may have gone quiet for a time, but their impact never faded. Now, with fresh music and sharpened vision, they’re writing a new chapter—not as nostalgia, but as an experienced and focused continuation of what they started.
Their 2006 full-length debut, In Vogue, a touchstone release for Rise Records, inspired many like-minded kids to form bands with its theatricality and authentic confessional attitude. Singer Daniel “Stills” Stillman gave a literal voice to fans who connected to the band’s combination of bombast and charisma. “We were just these young kids who were thrown into our dream,” remembers bassist Jake Hansen, who notes that drummer Danny Cooper was only 15 years old. “I was the oldest, at just 18.”
“We didn’t know anything about song structure or how a band was supposed to function back then,” says Stills. “We just wrote what felt right, and that honesty ended up being what connected.”
In Vogue didn’t just tap into the moment; it helped define it. “I first heard Drop Dead, Gorgeous on a Rise Records sampler,” Counterparts vocalist Brendan Murphy told VICE in a loving ten-year retrospective. “Seems shortly after that, everyone’s MySpace song was ‘Dressed for Friend Requests.’ Kids ate it up because of the seemingly perfect balance between screaming and catchy choruses.”
Ex-Geffen Records CEO Jordan Schur brought them to Suretone Records, a joint venture with Interscope that became home to Weezer, New Found Glory, The Cure, From First To Last, and the late Chris Cornell. The result was the dark concept album Worse Than a Fairy Tale (2007), produced by nü-metal pioneer Ross Robinson (Korn, Slipknot, At The Drive-In). The band played the Vans Warped Tour the same year, and with The Used and Rise Against on Taste of Chaos in Australia and New Zealand.
Drop Dead, Gorgeous collaborated with producer Matt Goldman (Underoath, Anberlin, Meg & Dia) on The Hot N’ Heavy (2009). With additional production from The Chariot’s Josh Scogin and mixing by Saison guitarist Beau Burchell, The Hot N’ Heavy achieved the band’s biggest chart success while merging the sound of their debut album with more polished aggression and metalcore intensity.
But the whirlwind took its toll. By 2011, the band had quietly disappeared.
Stills and Cooper returned to Rise Records with Bleach Blonde, a band combining pop-rock and alternative elements. As synth duo 888, the pair saw strong streaming success with the title track of their Island Records EP, Critical Mistakes (2016). Sadly, guitarist Kyle Browning passed away in 2021.
“I didn’t think I’d ever want to play in a heavy band again,” Stills says. “But after a while, we had that itch we wanted to scratch. It surprised me how much I missed it.” The core trio of Stills, Cooper, and Hansen reconvened with a string of well-received surprise reunion shows in late 2024 and 2025.
The sonic shadow of Drop Dead, Gorgeous looms large across a slew of successful bands who continued in their wake. With the band fully resurrected, their comeback is about legacy and unfinished business, viewed through the lens of experience and pure intentions. “We just want to do something honest,” Stills reaffirms. “We don’t want to make music that doesn’t feel real to us.”
Drop Dead, Gorgeous are: Daniel “Stills” Stillman – lead vocals, keyboard, programming, additional guitars Jacob Hansen – bass Danny Cooper – drums Jacob Belcher – guitars River Wilde – guitars
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