Youtube
Dines worked as a recording engineer before pursuing YouTube full time.[1] He started his YouTube channel to promote his band, They Charge Like Warriors, in 2011.[2]
His first major success on the platform came in 2014 when he published "10 Styles of Metal". Previously only averaging a few hundred views per video, "10 Styles of Metal" was picked up by local news outlets and highlighted by online music journalists. It would later garner millions of views. As a response, Dines began to produce more skit-based content.[3] He gained further popularity from his metal covers of pop songs.[4][5] His following grew as he collaborated with other artists such as Rob Scallon.[6]
Dines, in competition with Steve Terreberry, became known for playing guitars with an unusual amount of strings.[7] In 2017, he was scammed when trying to purchase a 17-string instrument from a fraud luthier.[8][9] However, Dines was later gifted a custom 18-string guitar which he demoed at the 2018 NAMM Show.[10] Terreberry responded with a 20-string guitar in 2019. At the conclusion of their feud, Terreberry and Dines participated in a charity auction of the instruments.[11] The 18-string was purchased by Philip Kaplan after Dines' auction initially failed.[12]
Musicianship
In 2015, Dines co-founded the band Rest, Repose with Ryan "Fluff" Bruce. He left the project in 2019 to focus on his group Daddy Rock.[13] Dines was also a member of metalcore band Dissimulator.[14]
In 2018, Dines toured with heavy metal band Trivium.[15] He partly replaced front man Matt Heafy, who had to leave the tour prematurely due to his wife being close to giving birth.[16] Dines and Trivium further collaborated on a cover of "Better Now" by Post Malone.[17] In October 2019, he performed on stage with Breaking Benjamin.[18]
In April 2020, Dines appeared on the cover of Guitar World magazine, the first YouTuber to do so.[19] In 2020, Music Man released his signature Stingray guitar.[20] On December 4, 2020, he released a collaborative EP with Trivium vocalist and guitarist Matt Heafy under the name Dines X Heafy.[21] The video for "Dear Anxiety", which is the first track, was released on the same day to coincide with the release of Dines X Heafy.[22]
In March 2021, Dines joined with vocalist Howard Jones and producer Hiram Hernandez to release "The Blade" as part of a new project named Sion.[23] Their self-titled debut album was released on November 26, 2021.[24] Their first album was released that November.[25] As of 2024, they were working on their sophomore album.[26]
Dines was a touring member of metalcore band Oni. In 2024, he joined the band as a permanent member.[26]
