A good band can be described a lot of
ways – inventive, melodic, even catchy. While all these descriptors
would hold true for the Lebanon, PA-based CORPSICKLE, the most
apt would simply be “heavy.” The fact is, the words "soft"
and "sensitive" are nowhere in their lexicon. But you’d
better believe that “brutal” is.
Inspired in part by latter-day metal
heroes like the BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, ALL SHALL PERISH and DEAD TO FALL,
CORPSICKLE are in a position to extend the family tree of metal
by one more branch. While fiercely loyal to the core values of the genre,
they are devoted in their mission to explore the corridors of metal
that no one else has wandered down, via both unorthodox song structures
and the willingness to mash together seemingly disparate sounds.
“We
are trying to present our own style of music by mixing the melodic sounds
of heavy metal with crowd-friendly and catchy hardcore riffs and even
classical music,” says lead guitarist and musical mastermind Javan
Walmer. “It’s a sound that will satisfy your craving for metal,
no matter what your preference.”
The other side of CORPSICKLE’S
musical coin is the honest, impactful lyrical content, courtesy of intense
vocalist Mike Burns. Few frontmen in any genre how to make the kind
of connection Burns has been able to establish with CORPSICKLE’S
fans. Reaching listeners on the kind of human level is a rare thing
– especially for someone who’s already been dead a time or two.
“I
overdosed in high school once and was legally dead,” explains Burns,
whose harrowing experiences as a former drug addict inform much of the
raw poetry he infuses into CORPSICKLE’S music. “There was
a point where I just got out of control,” he relates. “I lived for
a short while out of my car and was a full-blown junkie, putting every
drug in sight in my arm. I’ve been to so many rehabs it's ridiculous.
These experiences are what makes our music real.”
Despite the band’s brief two-year existence,
CORPSICKLE has managed to establish itself as a band to watch in
the area metal scene. That reputation is set to be extended tenfold
with the release of their first album, One More Shot Below The Belt.
The recording is a barely contained metal onslaught propelled by Burns’
canine growling, the double-guitar blitzkrieg of Walmer and Travis Dunk
and drummer Chris Romanello’s relentless, brain-jarring jackhammer
beats. Taking prisoners, it’s safe to say, was never on the agenda.
With area metal fans certain to drag
CORPSICKLE into the spotlight, the members remain grounded by focusing
on what has been and always will be the glue that holds the band together:
their friendship.
“A
band will die if members cannot agree or connect with one another,”
Burns figures. “We have all come together not only as musicians, but
as great friends. That is what helps us write better music.”
“We're
not in this to make money,” Walmer adds. “I can speak for every
member of the band by saying that we are all in this for the thrill
of our music being heard.”
With that kind of foundation, CORPSICKLE
will be able to handle whatever comes next. For as brutal as their music
might be, when it comes to this band, brotherhood and music come first.
BANDS WE HAVE SHARED THE STAGE WITH: The Acacia Strain (Prosthetic Records) Aletheian (Iron Clad Recordings/ Metalblade Records) An Airbag Saved My Life (Sound Vs. Silence) Dear Life (Uprising Records) Since the Flood (Metalblade Records) Wednesday 13
