Los Angeles, CA · rap rock · nu metal

Hollywood Undead

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Masked LA rap-rock six-piece with six vocalists and a knack for the shout-along that outlives the criticism — critic-proof and pit-approved.

Hollywood Undead started in Los Angeles in 2005, when Jorel Decker, Aron Erlichman and Jeff Phillips posted a track called 'Hollywood' under the name The Kids. The song's reception led them to bring in more friends and rename the group Hollywood Undead, with each member adopting a pseudonym and a mask, most based on a hockey goaltender design.

The band circulated its music online before signing to Interscope Records, then moving to A&M/Octone after a dispute over censorship of its material. Songs mix hip-hop verses with hard rock guitars and large, sung choruses, with vocal duties passed between multiple members across a single track.

Their catalogue ranges from party anthems to bleaker, confessional songs. Debut album Swan Songs (2008) reached number 22 on the Billboard 200, selling 21,000 copies in its first week, and was followed by the live release Desperate Measures (2009), which peaked at number 29.

Deuce, one of the original members, left the band in 2010. Since then Hollywood Undead has released American Tragedy (2011), Notes from the Underground (2013), Day of the Dead (2015), Five (2017), New Empire Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (2020) and Hotel Kalifornia (2022), maintaining a substantial audience despite a largely cool critical reception.

The current line-up, J-Dog, Funny Man, Johnny 3 Tears, Charlie Scene and Danny, has settled at five members after several changes over the years. The masked stage presentation and multi-vocalist format that defined the band from the start have remained constant throughout.

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rap rocknu metal