On Saturday, June 15th, Unearth will celebrate 20 years of their Metal Blade Records album, The Oncoming Storm, with Storm Fest, at Big Night Live in Boston. The band will play the record in its entirety, along with a selection of other songs from their catalog. Joining them, at their first all ages gig in the city for 21 years, will be Bleeding Through, Overcast, Fuming Mouth, All Out War, High Command, and Apes. Read more from Unearth below.
Get tickets here: https://unearthofficial.com/
Unearth are nothing short of standard-bearers and keepers of the faith for American metalcore. They were the band born in the breakdown who never wavered from their love for European death metal melodicism, supercharged by American thrash and hardcore. Now, nearly 25 years into a career that’s seen the Massachusetts mob play innumerable gigs and massive festivals on six continents, sell hundreds of thousands of records, and inspire some of the most important bands in extreme metal today, they remain a force to contend with.
With their 25-year mark looming, it’s a daunting thought that Unearth has been a part of the metal landscape since making their recorded debut with 1999’s Above the Fall of Man EP. At that point, Unearth was one of the key bands in an-about-to-detonate New Wave of American Heavy Metal (NWOAHM) scene that included nascent lineups of Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God, Shadows Fall, Darkest Hour, Bleeding Through, and God Forbid. “It was a healthy competition between all of us,” vocalist Trevor Phipps recalls. “It made for some great music and opened up a new chapter in American metal.”
The release of 2001’s The Stings of Conscience album (Eulogy) and its landmark follow-up Endless EP ignited excitement about Unearth, who in 2003 joined Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall and Lamb of God on the inaugural MTV Headbanger’s Ball tour. Inking with Metal Blade that year for the album The Oncoming Storm, Unearth took their spot as one of American metal’s most explosive live acts. “Those early years of full-time touring were really impactful for us,” says Trevor. “We were hitting milestone after milestone, year in year out.” Endless road work followed including countless tours, massive European, Japanese, and Australian festivals, and rite-of-passage American road-jaunts, including the Ozzfest and Mayhem festival tours, cemented the Mass quintet as a force in the world of metal. That unassuaged work ethic drives the band to this day.
On album number eight, The Wretched; The Ruinous, Unearth not merely continues to amp-up their metal meets hardcore intensities, but they also exceed themselves with a record that incorporates elements of classic Unearth offerings dating back to 2004’s “breakthrough” The Oncoming Storm, while exploring beyond the recent back-to-basics promise of 2018’s Extinction(s). For Unearth’s founding mainstays, Phipps and guitarist Buz McGrath, it feels like the beginning of a new chapter. “Buz took the entire pandemic to write these songs,” says Trevor. “He pushed himself to get out of his comfort zone and explore what Unearth is, both past and present. Buz adding these new elements and killer song structures inspired me to be more diverse vocally. The Wretched; the Ruinous is still Unearth, but it’s also the most dynamic record we’ve ever done.”
Teaming again with Extinction(s) producer, Will Putney (Body Count, Thy Art Is Murder), the goal was simple: create the definitive Unearth record. From the scathing title track opener to the explosive “Cremation of the Living”, the brooding “Mother Betrayal” to the album’s riff-violent closer, “Theaters of War”, The Wretched; The Ruinous is Unearth pulling out all the stops. “There’s certain songs where you can really hear the band’s hardcore roots,” explains Trevor. “The track “Dawn of the Militant” is a true mix of metal and heavy hardcore, that to me define what the term ‘metalcore’ truly is. For the bulk of this record though, the metal, aggression, and technicality are reminiscent of our Watchers of Rule (2014) album. All of the ingredients of Unearth are present on these songs, but the band continues to explore new territories as writers and players.”
The Wretched; The Ruinous is a turning point moment for Unearth. It’s first album in their canon recorded without guitarist Ken Susi, who mutually parted with the band in 2022. “It simply came time for Unearth and Ken to take a break from working together. He’ll always be a large part of the story of this band, and we wish him the best on all of his endeavors.”
For Unearth, the mission is simple. Keep being Unearth. “We formed this band to make music for us, not trying to create something for anyone else. As soon as we did that people connected to it, and it’s kept us pushing onward for almost 25 years. We look forward to 25 more.”
Unearth Discography:
The Stings of Conscience (2001)
The Oncoming Storm (2004)
III: In the Eyes of Fire (2006)
The March (2008)
Darkness in the Light (2011)
Watchers of Rule (2014)
Extinction(s) (2018)
The Wretched; The Ruinous (May 5, 2023)
Unearth is:
Trevor Phipps – Vocals
Buz McGrath – Lead guitar
Peter Layman – Guitar
Chris O’Toole – Bass
Mike Justian – Drums
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