Burn Halo

Burn Halo — Concert Photography by Wayne Dennon

About Burn Halo

Burn Halo emerged in 2007 from the ashes of Orange County metalcore act Eighteen Visions, formed by frontman James Hart in the wake of that band's breakup earlier that year. Burn Halo is an American hard rock band originating from Orange County, California and Tulsa, Oklahoma, formed by James Hart, lead singer of Orange County metalcore band Eighteen Visions. Hart landed a label deal with Island/Def Jam and began working almost immediately with songwriter Zac Maloy on what would become Burn Halo's self-titled debut, making weeklong treks between May and October 2007 from California to Tulsa, Oklahoma to write and demo with Maloy. Hart wanted a clean break from his metalcore past, explaining that he was after "a clear-cut rock 'n' roll band, which is something I had not had in the past... my vision and my brand of rock 'n' roll without having to compromise on any of the songs or any of the material." The band's breakthrough came with its self-titled debut album, which arrived after a label shakeup: the album was originally set for release in 2008 through Island Records, but after it was completed Island elected not to release it, and it was ultimately released on March 31, 2009, through Rawkhead Rekords. It entered at #129 on the Billboard 200, selling 4,800 copies in its first week. The lead single, "Dirty Little Girl," released on November 25, 2008, featured Avenged Sevenfold guitarist Synyster Gates and peaked at #19 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts . The song's profile was boosted further when it was featured in the WWE video game Smackdown Vs. Raw 2009 , and the band also received recognition as the April 2009 Xbox Emerging Artist of the Month . The debut itself was a genuine collaborative effort, recorded with an assembled lineup while Hart collaborated extensively with songwriter/producer Zac Maloy, formerly of the Nixons, on a full-length batch of songs recorded with hired studio hands such as Avenged Sevenfold guitarist Synyster Gates .

Following the debut, Burn Halo hit the road hard, and the band toured extensively, sharing the stage with Saliva, Static-X, Black Tide, Papa Roach, Avenged Sevenfold, and others , including a stint on the 2009 SnoCore Tour in support of the album . The band's second album marked a shift in its creative process: Up From The Ashes was the group's first effort written and recorded as a band, as their self-titled debut had been written entirely by Hart with outside writers and recorded with session musicians, and it was released on June 28, 2011, through Rawkhead Records . The lineup behind that record included lead vocalist James Hart, lead guitarist Joey Cuhna, rhythm guitarist Brandon Lynn, bassist Aaron Boehler and drummer Dillon Ray , and the record's lead single, "Tear It Down," was released on iTunes in April 2011 ahead of the album.

Burn Halo has continued in various forms in the years since, with Hart eventually stepping away. Hart left the band in 2016 and rejoined Eighteen Visions in 2017 , though the Burn Halo name has persisted with rotating personnel; more recent incarnations of the group have included members such as TJ Chopelas, Joey Roxx, Ryan Frost, John Duarte, and Travis Presley . Across its run the band built a reputation as a hard-driving, radio-friendly rock outfit that bridged the metalcore scene Hart came from with a more mainstream, riff-heavy sound, and its association with high-profile collaborators like Synyster Gates and producer Zac Maloy helped cement its place in the late-2000s hard rock landscape even as chart success remained modest.

For this archive, Burn Halo holds a small but meaningful place in Wayne Dennon's catalog of concert photography. Wayne photographed the band during a single show back in 2010, capturing them in the thick of their touring years, and the 23 photographs from that night remain preserved here as part of his broader documentation of the era's hard rock scene. In the years since being added to the site, those images have drawn 18,716 views from archive visitors, a quiet testament to the enduring interest in Wayne's work and in the bands, like Burn Halo, that passed briefly but memorably through his lens.

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May 29, 2010 📷 Photos

Pryor, OK Catch the Fever festival grounds

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