10 Years is an American alternative metal band formed in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1999 . The band was formed by drummer Brian Vodinh along with guitarists Ryan "Tater" Johnson and Matt Wantland, bassist Lewis Cosby, and lead vocalist Mike Underdown . Before ever recording a demo, the group struggled to book shows at local clubs, so they ended up renting ballrooms and building their own stages by hand, stringing their own light shows and promoting themselves any way they could, drawing 300 people to a self staged show on April 30, 1999 . Early lineup shuffles followed: Mike Underdown eventually left the band to pursue a career in acting, and 10 Years recruited current vocalist Jesse Hasek from another local band named deficit , cementing the singer who would front the band through its rise. The group self-released its debut, "Into The Half Moon" in 2001 , and followed with the independent album Killing All That Holds You in 2004 , sharpening a heavy, melodic alternative metal sound built on the strength of relentless independent touring.
The band's true breakthrough arrived after signing with a major label. 10 Years were signed to Universal Records in 2005 and released their major label debut "The Autumn Effect" in August 2005 with the songs "Wasteland" and "Through the Iris" picking up regional radio play . The lead single became a phenomenon on rock radio: their first single "Wasteland" spent over 12 months on the rock charts, finally reaching No. 1 at Active Rock in December 2005 , and it also reached No. 1 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart in February 2006 during its twenty-seventh week on the chart, making it one of the slowest-rising number-one singles in the chart's history . The album itself broke 10 Years into the mainstream and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America . During this pivotal era the band's classic lineup, vocalist Jesse Hasek, drummer and guitarist Brian Vodinh, guitarists Matt Wantland and Ryan Johnson, and bassist Lewis Cosby, remained intact through 2008, channeling the album's themes into energetic performances .
The band built on that momentum throughout the following decade. The band followed that success with 2008's Division, featuring co-production work from Rick Parashar, an album that peaked at No. 12 on The Billboard 200 and spawned the hit "Beautiful," which reached No. 6 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks . Overall, 10 Years landed three Top 30 entries on the Billboard Top 200 with Division (2008), Feeding the Wolves (2010), and Minus the Machine (2012) . Lineup changes continued to shape the band's evolution: during this time, the band experienced lineup changes, with founding member Matt Wantland departing in 2009 , and later in 2012, 10 Years took an independent route, establishing their own label, Palehorse Records, and releasing Minus the Machine . The band weathered further instability in its rhythm section before in 2017 they unveiled (How to Live) As Ghosts, produced by Nick Raskulinecz, marking the return of members Brian Vodinh and Matt Wantland .
10 Years remains an active band decades after its formation. Their ninth album, Violent Allies, came out in 2020, featuring the lead single "The Shift," which garnered significant streaming success, and in 2022 they released Deconstructed, an acoustic reinterpretation of their previous works . Looking ahead, in 2024 they released an EP titled Inner Darkness and a full album has been announced to release in 2026 . Across their catalog and constant touring cycles, the band has earned a reputation as one of the more durable acts to emerge from the mid 2000s post grunge and alternative metal wave, anchored by the songwriting partnership of Hasek and Vodinh even as the rest of the lineup shifted around them.
For archive visitors, 10 Years holds a special place in Wayne Dennon's photographic record. Wayne photographed the band across 6 shows between 2005 and 2008, capturing them right at the height of their Autumn Effect and Division era breakthrough, in performances spanning 4 different cities across 3 states. That work lives on in 117 photographs preserved here, a body of images that fans continue to return to, with this corner of the archive drawing 93,822 views over the years, a testament both to the band's staying power and to Wayne's eye for documenting rock bands on the rise.
