North Carolina was once a state just like any other. Ordinary, humble and average. Of course these types of calm facades can only hide their brewing extremity for so long before the dam bursts… and that’s exactly what’s happened. Now a hotbed for extreme hardcore/metal acts such as Between The Buried And Me, Beloved, Hopesfall and Undying, just to name a few, North Carolina has a new face to be proud of: GLASS CASKET.
Formerly known as Gadrel, GLASS CASKET originally formed in Winston-Salem, North Carolina during the summer of 2001 with the core line-up of Blake Richardson (drums), Adam Cody (vocals), Ian Tuten (guitar), and Dustie Waring (guitar). At a show several months later, they played with an indie rock band, Upheld. That group’s singer/guitarist, Sid Menon, a good friend of theirs, agreed to fill in on bass that night for GLASS CASKET. By all accounts, after this show, Sid became the fifth member of GLASS CASKET. Shortly after the line up was solidified, they recorded a three-song demo that quickly drew the attention of Abacus Recordings, who signed the band shortly thereafter.
GLASS CASKET entered the studio with the production skills of Jamie King (Between the Buried and Me, Beloved) at the helm for their debut full-length for Abacus Recordings, We Are Gathered Here Today… Mastered at West West Side by Alan Douches, their album showcases a furious mixture of grind and metal with a hardcore ethic throughout. No punches are pulled, no brutality softened, and certainly no one is getting out unscathed. From the pounding openers “Pencil Lead Syringe� and “And So It Was Said� to the eerily placed melodies in “In Between The Sheets,� twists and turns abound throughout We Are Gathered Here Today… The dark, glitchy artwork from Jon Chang (Discordance Axis) perfectly suits the quintet’s sound: menacing, tough, and executed with a deadly accuracy that never lessens the intensity throughout the nine-song barrage of riffs, blastbeats and chugging battery.
Brimming with youthful energy and urgency, GLASS CASKET have taken off where other bands have stagnated. Instead of leaving metalcore in its stale and derivative rut, while legions of bands simply “go through the motions,� GLASS CASKET have upped the ante by fine tuning the brutal edges to a lethal point. A word of advice: PROTECT YOUR JUGULAR!
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