Deponeye had started to make some advances in the industry during 2004 when two of their songs saw inclusion onto the soundtrack for the racing video game FlatOut and a record deal offer from Revolver Records;[3] however, founder member Roy Bright felt that commitment levels to move Deponeye forward were not shared with the other members and as such the band folded in the summer of 2004.
Bright approached close friend Adam Stephenson to be the band's permanent guitarist and also asked I.C.O.N's newly appointed drummer, James Henderson, to take care of drumming duties on a temporary basis until a firm replacement could be found.
Stephenson was unable to step in immediately so I.C.O.N's guitarist Scott Knowles helped out briefly for one show which was to be the last that Leigh played with the band.
Exit State started to find their footing in the North West of England rock community and a healthy local following began to quickly grow.
[2] It was during the run in this competition that it was becoming obvious that drumming duties for both I.C.O.N and Exit State were taking its toll on Henderson and that he needed to be replaced as quickly as possible with a permanent drummer.
[2] May 2008 saw the bands 'Anybody Out There' EP receive critical acclaim being described in Rock Sound Magazine issue 109 as "satisfyingly heavy, unexpectedly catchy and unashamedly experimental...Impressive!".
During January 2009, Exit State had returned to Calder Recording Studios once again under the guidance of producer Fenton, as the deal was considered to be secure.
[2] Exit State continued to tour heavily in 2009 and gained support slots with ex-Iron Maiden and Wolfsbane front man Blaze Bayley and Witchfynde.
Issue 64 of Black Velvet magazine stated "The true joy of this band though is their refusal to conform to stereotypes, combining metal, pop & plain old rock n roll effortlessly & without apologies" whilst in the July 2010 Issue 124 of Big Cheese Magazine,[2] Tom Williams stated "Give these guys a big welcome to the scene; I think they'll be sticking around a while."
However, Rock Sound Magazine seemed to have performed a U-turn on the band[2] with Faye Lewis stating in the July 2010 Issue 137 "unfortunately the bad outweighs the good here and when vocalist Roy Bright sings you just wish he'd stop!".
Despite Rock Sound's disapproval, there have been more good reviews than bad, with Circle Pit TV saying "These guys are the real deal and at CIRCLE PIT, we believe that they are going to go on from strength to strength, pushing the envelope and continuing to improve on an already massive sound"[10] and Chinners of Mudkiss Fanzine stating "These guys have put together this stunning solid debut album with some interesting and relevant subject matter which should be heard by many, if they can transfer these songs well within their live performances their future should be very promising.
"[11] In June 2010, Exit State announced that they were to be the main support on a full UK tour with former CITV Art Attack presenter Neil Buchanan's Marseille.
Ollie Cordwell from labelmates Fantasist, was appointed the role of temporary lead guitarist for the band to see out the remaining shows of 2011 whilst the search for a permanent replacement got underway.
[19] On 26 January 2012 Exit State announced they had found a replacement guitarist for recently departed, long standing member Adam Stephenson.
Harris states his influences as wide-ranging as Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Mozart, Opeth, Alice in Chains and Black Sabbath.
He has played in a variety of styles over the years, with his main previous project being metal band Wheels Of Confusion who eventually disbanded after making a mark on the North Manchester/Lancashire scene.