An Interview With Dead Earth
An absolutely brutal new EP released from Dead Earth brings out a wonderful combination of thrash and hard-hitting metal that is performed with an outstanding attention to detail and with an energy and intricacy that you could only wish for.
The Fear No One release is riddled with melodic Bridges and ridiculous guitar work that just makes you want to put your guitar down because you'll never be that good.
Seriously though, the guitar work on this record is outstanding and they really pulled out all the stops and showed their absolute love for their craft with every moment on this EP.
The Rifts are deep-rooted and ultra tight and this whole record just really makes you want to see them Play Alive because if they have half the energy they have on this recording then they're going to melt your face right off.
You get some bits of different metal genres from Hardcore especially in the vocals, to thrash and even bits of death metal in there but either way you're getting this well-rounded and really fast feeling version of the genre and they pull it off without a hitch.
The EP is incredibly satiating for anyone that loves metal and there are parts of the release that even feel cinematic and anthemic with guitar harmonies that just ring out everywhere and a stomping percussion that just rumbles the ground beneath your feet.
The best part about bands like this is when they release songs you know that you're going to listen to them more than a few times because they have so many cool sections in them that you just have to listen again to catch them all.
Remember when you were a kid listening to Slayer albums and you 'd hear a part and just stop talking and point at the speakers in the car?
That's the kind of band this is. The kind of band you want to show your friends or put on some headphones and crank into your skull.
You also get some great crew vocals here which don't really come off in a classic punk rock aspect but they do it the same time.
They have a way of making everything feel so gigantic and that's an infectious feeling.
Some really cool and surprising riffs lurk around the corners and there's just a blistering energy throughout this whole thing that hits like a blitzkrieg.
This release was one of the best sucker punches to the gut I've had in years and with its release we wanted to have a sit-down with Dead Earth to find out what was really happening when they made these songs and what may be coming up next for them.
Here's what went down.
TSWS: Okay Jack, let's start with the Fear No One EP! This record was heavy and thrashing but with tightness and attitude! How did this EP come about?
The answer to this question is quite a story, so I'll break it down as best as I can. After the 2021 lineup of Dead Earth quit the band in December of that year because of commitment issues, they basically left me holding the bag. I was paying a management company, funding all the merch and previous recordings and had no band to play gigs. I reached out to my buddy Ernesto Colon (formerly of the band Merauder NYC) and asked him if he wanted to join the band, and he said "Yes". Ernesto was living in Reading, PA at the time, and he would basically send me guitar riffs that he recorded on his phone. In March of 2022, Ernesto came to Cleveland and stayed at my house so we could record some demos to send to the management company. We had absolutely no clue what we were doing, I had an interface recording device that I had no clue how to use. We did figure out after a few days of messing with this interface thing in my basement, how to get signal in and get signal out. After we sort of figured out how to use this interface, we starting recording the guitar riffs and used a drum app on a cell phone to lay down drum tracks, then came the vocals. It was cold in the basement at my old house, so that definitely added to the brutality of the songs.
TSWS: How did this all start for you guys as a band?
After we recorded the demos in my basement, we took what we had to Curran Murphy at Custom Audio Mutation Studio. As Curran was listening to what we had recorded in my basement, he immediately started to chime in and add his influence in on the recordings. I asked Curran that day if he wanted to join the band, and he said "Sure". Now I had 2 guitar players and me, but still needed a bass player and drummer. We ended up rerecording the demos with Curran and used programmed drums, we at least had something to send the management company, who at the time was going to send to record labels and also try to get us on tours. A few weeks went by and we went to take band photos on a very cold, grey March afternoon. Curran had brought along his good friend and very talented local musician Dan Gates for the photo shoot, who happened to be a bass player. From that day forward Dan Gates became our bass player, I dug Dan's vibe before I even heard him play, and he fit in like a glove with the rest of us. Drum auditions were being held for Curran's other band 72 Legions the following weeks later, and Curran suggested Colton Zeitler play in Dead Earth as well because of his aggressive style and killer drumming. After Colton officially joined, he immediately starting adding his drum tracks to the demos we laid down and we played our first show as a whole band in August of 2022.
TSWS: What kind of things really inspire songs for you?
The Frequencies of the music inspire what I may write about. I write from my heart and my soul, they really mean it when they say a musician sells his soul for Rock and Roll, I know I definitely do. Of course, if the sounds are dark and heavy, then I'll think of topics, people, places, or things to write about that are on my mind that were either tragic or brutal. I usually try to write about real life experiences or things that have happened in my life or in the world that people all over the planet can relate to sometimes.
TSWS: This album has some great styles combinations on it! Can you give us some of your biggest influences musically?
Some of my biggest influences range from Motown and Classic Rock all the way to Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, Hardcore, Black Metal, and Death Metal. If I were to mention some of my biggest influences they would be Black Sabbath, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Slayer, Immortal, Lamb of God, PowerTrip, Madball, Sick of it All, Obituary, Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death, Spudmonsters, Pantera, Alice In Chains, Brujeria, Soulfly, Sepultura, Death Angel and Anthrax just to name a few.
TSWS: What are you guys doing when you're NOT working on music?
When I'm not working on music I spend a lot of time doing cool stuff with my wife and kids. I take advantage of the many fine things living in the city has to offer. I also work in a steel mill, adding allows to 285 tons of molten metal at 3000°. I guess you can say, I love life to the fullest.
TSWS: Who's in all your headphones right now?
I know in mine I've been listening to lots of New York hardcore like Indecision, Life of Agony, Enforced and Abbath. The other guys listen to lots of Death Metal and anything that is brutal. When we played a show in Puerto Rico in February, we were all jamming the Grave Soulless album and Misery Index, two of my favorites as well.
TSWS: Are you doing any live performances right now?
We are playing a show in April in Akron, Ohio. That's going to be it as far as live shows go for now, till we finish the new album. We just signed on with a new management company, they are also handling our bookings as well, so that all may change here soon.
TSWS: Did you record yourself or hit a big studio for this?
Our guitarist Curran Murphy owns Custom Audio Mutation Studio, it's a very professional studio. We are very fortunate in this manner to have a member who is a professional audio engineer and producer.
TSWS: What can your fans expect from you in the near future?
A very brutal album, tour dates all over the planet hopefully, and another album after we tour. We would love to play some of the major festivals as well, like Sonisphere, Waken, Hellfest, etc. We'll play anywhere to get our music out to the metalheads.
TSWS: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
Never give up on your dreams, no matter what curve balls are thrown at you. If you fall, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and jump back into the fight. Never quit, never give up on yourself, and always find a way to work through issues that seem impossible. No problem in the world can't be fixed, especially in the music world. Salute to all the Metalheads keeping aggressive music alive, and thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me, and helping us get our music out to the masses. We really appreciate each and every one of you, and we hope to see some of you soon.