Unearth at Northside Yacht Club

On November 19th, 2018 I had to take the opportunity photograph Unearth at the Northside Yacht Club in Cincinnati, Ohio. With it being a Monday night and a smaller venue, the show wasn’t packed but plenty of fans filled in. Surprisingly the setlist still included early favorites from The Oncoming Storm along with songs from every record including the new one. The great thing about small venues is how much energy can be generated. And for a band that’s been doing for 20 years you may think they would phone it in given the circumstances. Nope. Unearth played a set with the same intensity of their records. Guitarists Ken Susi and Buzz McGrath not missing a note as they traded leads and solos. Fans returned the intensity with headbanging and screaming along.

Unearth’s legacy is a testimony to what hard work and consistency can still do for you after years in the industry. When you put on an Unearth record you know you’re getting a heavy record with no filler and if you go see Unearth live you won’t be disappointed.     

Extinction(s) Album Review

Bands like Unearth, from Boston, Massachusetts, have built a twenty year career from being consistent. Consistently being a staple in the metalcore genre. Even when leaning into more of a traditional metal sound you know what you are getting with Unearth. I consider them pioneers to the modern metalcore movement dating back to the early to mid 2000s.

In 20 years, which is still incredible considering the shelf life of most bands, Unearth has released 6 albums and 2 EPs. Their latest release, Extinction(s), continues the tradition of brutal breakdowns, sweeping solos and monstrous melodies. Extinction(s) starts off strong letting you know that Unearth hasn’t lost a step. Their past two releases, Darkness in the Light (2011) and Watchers Of Rule (2014) set a tone for a faster pace. The new record has a nostalgic tone and takes me back to my days as a young “scene kid”. Even when breakdowns have been done and over done there are plenty on this album that almost push me out of mosh retirement . Unearth very may have written the book on breakdowns with one of their biggest and earliest hits ‘Endless’ still considered one of the greatest breakdowns ever, but that’s a conversation for another day. Extinction(s) is a solid record from front to back with plenty of moments to highlight listening experience.

In a recent “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit, vocalist Trevor Phipps said, “We write what we want to hear. We won’t write songs to try and appease anyone but ourselves. We also enjoy what we do and quitting isn’t in our blood.”

Phipps also spoke on what influenced the material on this record, “There's a lot going on in the world today that got us motivated to write this record. Lyrically it's charged by the social climate we are all encountered with daily and musically we were inspired by the wealth of great heavy music being written. Inspiration hit us on many levels. Each song is about loss or death in some form.”

One particular experimentation that stands out on the new record is Phipps vocals. “I’m constantly trying to add more dynamic to my voice. Adding in some more guttural [vocals] and some cleans was something I wanted to do,” Phipps said. The change in vocals isn’t huge but its a difference. The lows blend more naturally with multiple listens to the album.