The Letter Black appeared in 2006 in Uniontown, a small city in southwestern Pennsylvania. The story did not begin in a smoky rock club or even in a school garage: Sarah and Mark Anthony were playing in the worship band at a local church. Sarah sang, while Mark handled guitar and backing vocals. The duo gradually grew into a full lineup and took the name Breaking the Silence.
Their Christian origins did not mean acoustic campfire ballads. The musicians were interested in dense guitar parts, post-grunge choruses, and alternative metal in the vein of Evanescence, Flyleaf, and early Breaking Benjamin. In 2007, Breaking the Silence independently released the album Stand. The recording did not bring an instant deal, but it provided material for shows—the most reliable argument in a conversation with labels.
The band quickly shifted into touring mode, sometimes spending as many as 150 nights a year onstage. The Letter Black performed with Skillet, Red, Decyfer Down, Hawk Nelson, and Thousand Foot Krutch. Only a few years passed between the church stage in Uniontown and nationwide tours—with no television contest, viral video, or wealthy cigar-smoking manager.
In 2008, Sarah Anthony appeared on Pillar’s song I Fade Away from the album For the Love of the Game. The guest appearance introduced her voice to the American Christian-rock audience even before her own band’s major debut. Soon, Breaking the Silence signed with Tooth & Nail Records, the Seattle label that released records by Underoath, Anberlin, Thousand Foot Krutch, and many other representatives of the alternative Christian scene.
That was when a prosaic problem emerged: other artists were already using the name Breaking the Silence, and it was difficult to promote. Thus The Letter Black was born. The musicians deliberately avoided overexplaining the exact meaning, leaving room for listeners to interpret it. In 2009, the six-track EP Breaking the Silence was released under the new name—a kind of bridge between the two eras.
Producer Toby Wright, whose résumé included Alice in Chains, Korn, Kiss, and Sevendust, worked on the material. Alongside the Anthonys, the lineup at the time included bassist Matt Beal, drummer Matt Slagle, and guitarist Terry Johnson. The latter left in 2009; Ty Dietzler temporarily replaced him on tour, after which the band continued as a four-piece.
The Letter Black’s first album for Tooth & Nail, Hanging On by a Thread, was released on May 4, 2010. The credited producers were Toby Wright, Rob Hawkins, and Travis Wyrick. The record combined heavy verses, melodic choruses, and the vocal contrast between the married couple: Sarah’s clean voice could shift into a raspy scream within seconds, while Mark took over individual parts.
The release reached No. 183 on the Billboard 200 and No. 10 on the Christian Albums chart. By 2011, U.S. sales had exceeded 100,000 copies. For a band that had begun in a small Pennsylvania congregation, the numbers were convincing enough. The title track reached No. 46 on the Active Rock radio chart, while “Best of Me,” “Believe,” and “Fire with Fire” established The Letter Black alongside more heavily promoted acts such as Skillet and Fireflight.
Comparisons to Evanescence followed Sarah Anthony almost automatically: a woman at the microphone, heavy guitars, and dramatic melodies. The Letter Black, however, had less Gothic theater and noticeably more straightforward American radio rock. Sometimes that simplicity worked. Sometimes it turned the songs into overly neat products built to a format.
The next record received the fitting title Rebuild. Its first signal was the single Sick Charade, released in October 2012. The album was scheduled for April 23, 2013, but a few days before the planned date, the musicians postponed the release: they decided to write three more songs. For a label, such a move means reworking schedules and promotional plans. For an artist, it offers a chance not to spend the following years explaining why they released an unfinished record.
Rebuild appeared on November 11, 2013. Producers Johnny K, known for albums by Disturbed and 3 Doors Down, Toby Wright, and former Red guitarist Jasen Rauch took part in the recording. Individual tracks were mixed by David Bendeth and Jay Ruston. The record reached No. 32 on Billboard Top Christian Albums.
Pain Killer and Up from the Ashes continued the debut’s direction, but the guitars became heavier and the arrangements more compact. There was no revolution, however. Rebuild was a solid record by a touring band that understood the mechanics of a radio chorus well and had little desire to dismantle it.
After Rebuild, the relationship with Tooth & Nail ended. In 2016, The Letter Black launched a crowdfunding campaign and raised the necessary $25,000 for a new recording. Mark Anthony became the producer: he was now responsible not only for guitars and songs, but also for programming, sound, and a significant portion of the bass parts. Justin Brown played drums.
In March 2017, the band signed with EMP Label Group, the company founded by Megadeth’s David Ellefson, and released Pain on May 26. The title did not mislead. The album was heavier than the previous records, Sarah used extreme vocals more often, and the songs Fear, Last Day That I Cared, and Kill the Devil left almost no room for the old post-grunge caution.
Pain reached No. 6 on the U.S. Christian Albums chart, No. 11 among independent releases, and No. 86 on Billboard Album Sales. The closing track, Holding On, ran for more than seven minutes—an unexpected luxury for a band accustomed to keeping its radio singles around three and a half minutes.
After touring in support of Pain, the musicians took a break for family reasons. At one point, Sarah and Mark even hinted on social media that The Letter Black’s story might be over. Then the COVID-19 pandemic began, the touring industry stopped, and the couple found themselves together again in their home studio.
Previously, the process had been divided: Mark brought in an almost-finished instrumental foundation, after which Sarah wrote the melody and lyrics. This time, they built the songs simultaneously, arguing over transitions and choruses as they worked. Mark once again served as producer. The self-titled album The Letter Black was released on August 6, 2021, through Rockfest Records and contained ten tracks running 34 minutes.
Blake Whiteley appeared as a guest rapper on Drowning, while Trevor McNevan of Thousand Foot Krutch contributed to Born for This. The song Kiss of Death addressed suicide prevention, while Let You Go added electronic elements to the familiar guitar sound. Bassist Matt Beal returned to Sarah and Mark; Will Fowler took over on drums, and rhythm guitarist Brandon Jordan later completed the lineup.
At the beginning of 2026, The Letter Black announced two projects at once—Paper and Ink, containing more than twenty songs altogether. The first was conceived as melodic, with a pop-punk lean, while the second would be heavy and harsh. Exact release dates were not initially announced. After twenty years of changing labels, the Anthonys once again chose a familiar way of working: writing the music themselves and speaking directly to their audience.
