Image: Bad Omens [Official Press Photo]
From a two-bedroom apartment for five people to TikTok legend: Bad Omens have experienced a lot during their career since 2015. We take a look at every step on their way to success: Discover with us the band’s history, significant moments, and of course, the versatile music of Bad Omens!
Bad Omens are still almost in the same lineup as when they were formed, and they have obviously found the key to success in the Core community. But does the band still feel they belong to this genre - and what do they think of the huge success boost from the TikTok platform? We delve into all of that here.
First, Founding The Band
The band was founded in 2015, but not immediately under the name Bad Omens. Noah Sebastian, still the band’s singer, was previously the singer and guitarist of the Deathcore band Immoralist, but only until 2014. After that, he founded a new project with three friends, which was originally supposed to be called CHLDRN ( children). Nicholas Ruffilo became the guitarist, Vincent Riquier became the bassist, Joakim Karlsson the second guitarist, and Nick Folio joined as the drummer. Thus, the quintet was created: Four musicians from America and Joakim, who comes from Sweden. Both Noah and Joakim, mostly called Jolly, write and produce Bad Omens’ songs themselves - however, the entire band is involved.
The band first recorded a demo without a title, which immediately led to a contract with Sumerian Records. A very early key point for Bad Omens’ entire career, as Noah Sebastian was only 17 years old at that time, had no high school diploma, and not a lot of money. This deal consequently brought the band a huge step forward. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to afford activities like touring.
Under Sumerian Records, the band’s first studio album, Bad Omens, was released in 2016, finally under the new band name. This was changed on a suggestion from the label team while the band was working on the song “Glass Houses,” which was originally supposed to be called “Bad Omens.” The album made it into the top 50 of the US album charts for a week, peaking at #43. Following the release, they performed as an opening act for various bands in the scene in winter, including Asking Alexandria, Erra, and After The Burial. The following year, they supported Attila on tour and also performed at well-known festivals like the Warped Tour 2017 and Full Force 2017. However, Joakim Karlsson missed their first two tours as he had to wait for a new visa.
During their early days as a band, the members moved together to Los Angeles, California, and lived together in a two-bedroom apartment with all their equipment and even the entire merch stock for their first tour. Despite these rather cramped conditions, the guys still look back fondly on that time. You have to start somewhere after all!
Follow-up Albums & Success On TikTok
The first and only lineup change in Bad Omens came in 2018 when Vincent Riquier left the band for health and personal reasons. A statement about this was published on social media. Among other things, Riquier wrote:
“After my back injury in Europe last year, my recovery forced me to reassess many aspects of my life; most importantly, the limits of what I could endure both mentally and physically. My conversation with the band was received only with love and full understanding, because ultimately we are and always will be a family. [...] Most importantly, I want to thank each and every one of you who came to these shows and made them what they were for me, for all of us. You made it all worthwhile in the end.”
The band also commented:
“We only wish him success and happiness with his full-time career as a tattoo artist. We also want everyone to know that this change has in no way slowed us down and that we are moving forward at full speed as we begin this next chapter of Bad Omens. Thank you all for your understanding.”
Since then, Nicholas Ruffilo has played the bass in Bad Omens - and it didn’t take long for the second album to be tackled. Finding God Before God Finds Me was released in August 2019 and was completely self-produced by the band. Both before and after this production, they continued to perform live shows as support, on a tour by Parkway Drive and the co-headlining tour of Lacuna Coil and All That Remains. When a headlining tour through the US finally followed in 2020, it had to be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. During the pandemic, especially singer Noah Sebastian used the time productively to improve his voice. He told NME, for example, that he paid more attention to better sleep and better eating, because after all, his body is essentially his instrument. He took the music more seriously as his job and thus approached it more seriously, so that he really found his voice in the next album production.
Then in 2021, the third album The Death of Peace of Mind was created and released in February 2022. It was to be the band’s breakthrough, winning the Heavy Music Award for Best Album in 2023 and again reaching the Top 50 of the US album charts. The experimental and versatile album was not only well received by their existing fanbase but also on the social media platform TikTok. Especially the song “Just Pretend” went viral, being used in over 80,000 videos. Consequently, the single, as well as “The Death of Peace of Mind,” received gold records in the US.
As more tours followed, the band was always busy creating new music. Concrete Jungle [The OST] saw the light of day in May 2024, shortly after some disappointing news for the band’s European fans. Due to the months of strain from music production and live shows, Noah Sebastian had to take a break, and the band therefore canceled the planned 2024 shows in Europe. Part of his statement:
“This decision is in the best interest of my health and wellbeing, and of the long-term sustainability of Bad Omens. We need to protect and restore all of the energy that will be demanded of us again soon as we transition into the next chapter.”
The first single of the OST album, “V.A.N”, included a feature with American Pop singer Poppy, who was also a special guest on the subsequent tour. Besides that, the new album also contains many remixes and features from various artists, including Health, Bob Vylan, and Wargasm.
Opinion On TikTok And Experimental Music
What do Bad Omens themselves think about their success on TikTok and the wide reach they have achieved beyond the core scene? In an interview with NME in 2023, Noah spoke exclusively positively about the topic.
“And 'Just Pretend' doing well on a platform like TikTok is nice, because to me I feel like it transcends genre in, like, Rock or Metal, to a way that even people who don't particularly listen to that type of music very often really like it."
He also mentioned the band’s goal of expanding the musical horizons of listeners, both within and outside the Metal scene.
“I want people that don't listen to Rock and Metal to get into it because of our band, and I want people who only listen to that to get into other genres because of our band.”
Bad Omens have long been classified in the Metalcore genre, with band comparisons to Bring Me The Horizon and Beartooth. However, they have always been an experimental band, and especially since The Death of Peace of Mind, more and more other music styles have influenced their music. Sometimes Rock or Metal isn’t even the starting point for writing songs. Instead of adding electronic elements to Rock music in the songwriting process, Bad Omens now also start with elements from electronic music or Industrial, only adding Rock and Metal influences like electric guitars or live drums later. According to Noah, the Core community is reluctantly but slowly becoming more open to other genres.
„They can't help it. I think bands like us and Sleep Token in particular, because they're also very experimental, it's just so good that, like, people can't help but like it.“
When it comes to genres, the discussion often arises about where Bad Omens and other bands actually belong. Noah’s opinion on this is quite simple and open-minded; people should just listen to what they like, and there doesn’t always have to be a whole discourse about what kind of music it is.
Of course, the singer is aware that many doubters and so-called “haters” want to attribute the band’s success entirely to TikTok, but in another interview, he said that their album tour was already 80 percent sold out before their single received so much attention on social media.
Origin Of The Band Logo
The design for the crown logo, which Bad Omens created for their second album Finding God Before God Finds Me, comes from their bassist Nicholas Ruffilo. He works as a professional tattoo artist and has also already tattooed Noah Sebastian.
Image: Bad Omens Crown of Thorns Logo
Bad Omens On The internet
Bad Omens can be found on their official website and on the common social media platforms Instagram, X, and Facebook. Nick Folio, Joakim Karlsson (Jolly), and Nicholas Ruffilo also have their own Instagram accounts, where they post impressions of tour life or, in Nicholas’s case, his tattoo works. For updates on their lives, be sure to check them out there!
