Up Close with Unearth
In the wake of their headline performance at this years Krank’d Up Music Festival in September, we caught up with Unearth, a metalcore band that hails all the from Boston, Massachusetts.
With half a million albums sold worldwide, critical acclaim from the metal press, countless world tours, and a shattering live show, Unearth decided to share some of their music flare with their South African fans. The band are after all, considered one of the leaders of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal (NWOAHM).
You’ve achieved so much since the inception of the band and have garnered a huge following, what’s the biggest achievement for you guys so far?
For me the biggest achievement has been becoming a worldwide career band. So many bands come and go every few years, but we’ve continuously put out album after album of songs that have kept people into the band while also spreading the word.
And I’m sure they’ve been life lessons learned as well, what has been the biggest lesson for you being in the industry for so long?
Everyone has their own experience and life lessons along the way, but one that sticks out to me is one Buz said once. I’m not sure if he came up with it or if it was somebody else, but he said "Be nice to everyone on your way up, because you never know who you’re going to see on your way down." What that means to me is that some bands get caught up in the fact that they are in a band they is gaining in popularity and some have an ego or attitude. If you were a dick to people at that time they will revel in your demise when your band isn’t as cool anymore. In underground music trends come and go and to stick around you need to hold on for the ride. We’ve seen numerous up swings and downswings in our own career. Luckily for us the amount of people we’ve pissed off along the way is less than some other bands. Thwarted
Why do you think you’ve had so much longevity in the industry?
It’s a combination of solid album after solid album and our live show. The energy we put out and get from the crowd is a strong point of this band and helps set us apart from the pack.
From touring, what’s been the highlights so far?
Seeing parts of the world I never thought I would get to see.
How do you stay inspired and keep everything fresh and interesting for yourselves?
You have to really love what you do to commit to travelling half the year for so many years. All I can say is it remains fun and new experiences are always on the horizon.
Craziest experience on tour?
I can never point out a specific time when I’m asked this question, but we’ve seen some things and had enough unique experiences to keep touring fun.
One of the most important things in the music world is consistency and a lot of bands struggle to stay together, what keeps a band together?
A common goal and a maintainable level of success are the most important things.
How do you maintain a close tie with fans all over the world as they get larger and larger?
Social media makes it easy for bands and fans to connect. We keep a pretty close tie with our fans over Instagram, twitter and Facebook.
How would you describe the band’s evolution from when you started out?
We’ve toured hard around the world while also progressing as musicians and song writers.
Unearth dropped their first single. The Swarm, from their upcoming album Watchers of Rule, due out on October 28, 2014 via eOne Music. The album is set to feature 11 tracks on the regular edition and 13 tracks on the deluxe version.
Listen to The Swarm below:
