Arsis is an American death metal band from Yorktown, Virginia, formed in 2000. Although remaining as heavy as traditional death metal bands, they also possess complex riffs and solos that are similar to those found in both melodic and technical death metal. The band is currently signed to Nuclear Blast. Arsis was started by James Malone and Mike Van Dyne in 2000, who met while attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston. They recorded two demos independently in 2001 and 2002