Burlington, ON · post-hardcore · emo

Silverstein

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Canadian post-hardcore that outlasted the scene it came from by simply never getting worse — 'My Heroine' still a full-crowd scream.

Silverstein formed in Burlington, Ontario, in February 2000, taking their name from the writer Shel Silverstein, whose books the members had read as children. Fronted by vocalist Shane Told, the group self-released an early EP before signing to Victory Records in 2002 and issuing their debut album, When Broken Is Easily Fixed, in 2003, which went on to sell more than 200,000 copies.

They became one of the more durable Canadian bands to emerge from the early-2000s post-hardcore and screamo wave, pairing melodic sung choruses with screamed passages and fast, riff-driven guitar work. Their second album, Discovering the Waterfront, produced by Cameron Webb in 2005, pushed the songs further toward punk and reached No. 34 on the Billboard 200 while earning a Juno nomination.

The band's lineup held steady from 2001 to 2012, with Told joined by guitarists Neil Boshart and Josh Bradford, bassist Billy Hamilton and drummer Paul Koehler. Boshart was replaced by Paul Marc Rousseau in 2012. Silverstein left Victory Records in 2010, moved through Hopeless and Rise Records, and now record for UNFD.

Across thirteen studio albums, seven EPs and a live release, the band has sold over a million records worldwide. Their tenth album, A Beautiful Place to Drown, released in 2020, picked up a Juno nomination for Best Rock Album, and their thirteenth, Pink Moon, followed in 2025.

'My Heroine' remains their best-known song, and their live sets are still built around tight, high-tempo playing with heavy audience singing.

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post-hardcoreemo