Formation, Rotten EP, and Blossom (2015) After leaving the band
Gallows in 2011 due to artistic differences, Carter started
Pure Love, a project with guitarist Jim Carroll, ending that band in 2015 to form Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes with guitarist Dean Richardson, formerly of
Heights. Carter and Richardson had met a few years earlier, when Carter asked Richardson, who was also a designer and coder, to make him a website. With The Rattlesnakes, Carter returned to his hardcore roots, while retaining some of the power-pop sensibilities of Pure Love. The three songs would also appear on the band's debut full-length album,
Blossom, released on International Death Cult on 14 August 2015. It peaked at #18 on the UK Albums Chart. Carter has described
Blossom as being "about sadness and not knowing what to do with it."
Modern Ruin and live album (2016–2018) The band finished recording
Modern Ruin in January 2016, just a few months after the launch their first album.
Modern Ruin was released on International Death Cult on 20 January 2017. The album has a moodier feel than
Blossom. It was recorded by Thomas Mitchener, formerly the band's touring bassist, in his Broadfields studio in
Watford, England, which is also where
Blossom was recorded. In November 2017 the band announced a live album.
23 Live At Brixton Academy was released on 9 March 2018, having been recorded at their 8 December 2017 headline show at the
O2 Academy Brixton in London, where they played every song from their first two albums plus their new single "Spray Paint Love".
End of Suffering and Blossom reissue (2019–2020) The band released their third album,
End of Suffering, on International Death Cult on 3 May 2019. Some of the tracks address Carter's mental-health battle. Three singles were released off the album: "Crowbar", "Anxiety", and "Kitty Sucker".
Rage Against the Machine and
Audioslave guitarist
Tom Morello guests on the song "Tyrant Lizard King". The collaboration came about after Carter ran into Morello in Spain at the festival
Resurrection, and performed "
Killing in the Name" with Morello's band
Prophets of Rage. Following the album's release, the band toured in support of it, culminating in a sold-out show to 10,000 fans at London's
Alexandra Palace in February 2020. However, any further tour plans throughout 2020 were cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, forcing a premature end to the
End of Suffering album cycle. In light of this period of unanticipated inactivity, the band unearthed archive recordings from their debut album
Blossom and announced a reissue to celebrate the fifth anniversary of its release in June 2020. The reissue features live versions of the record's original ten tracks, in addition to three previously unreleased studio tracks. One of the unreleased tracks, "Fire", was released ahead of the reissue as the lead single, with the rest of the album following in October 2020.
Sticky, Dark Rainbow and hiatus (2021–2024) Following the cancellation of any further tour plans in support of
End of Suffering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the band began working on new music. This culminated in the release of the single "My Town", featuring
Idles frontman
Joe Talbot in April 2021. The band then announced their fourth album,
Sticky, alongside its eponymous single in July 2021. The record, released on 15 October 2021, was produced by guitarist and primary band member Dean Richardson and features further guest appearances from Lynks,
Cassyette and
Primal Scream frontman
Bobby Gillespie. In September 2023, the band announced their return with a new single, titled "Man of the Hour". It serves as the lead single from their fifth studio album
Dark Rainbow, which was released on 26 January 2024. The band also announced a world tour in support of the album, to take place between February and May 2024 in the UK, Europe, Australia and North America. ==Musical style==