UNEARTH TOUR 2008

by Jason Walsh

Promising one of the heaviest lineups of the year, the Unearth tour hit the road this October leaving a path of devastation across the nation. Headlining the abrasive engagement was Massachusetts' metalcore outfit, Unearth, who brought along Protest the Hero, The Acacia Strain, Whitechapel, and Gwen Stacy for the ride. Unearth guitarist Buz McGrath promised fans "unmatched sonic and visual stimulation."

"This is a phenomenal lineup and we're very excited to head out with such great bands," McGrath said. "The music is very intense and when you see it all happening live in front of your eyes, you get the full experience."

Unearth’s latest endeavor was their opportunity to promote their newest record, "The March," released by Metal Blade Records in October. McGrath said he was very pleased with this latest output by the band.

"I think I can speak for all of us when I say it's our favorite Unearth record yet," he said. "It's musical, fun, catchy, and savage all at the same time."

Unearth rose from the outskirts of Boston in 1998, in the wake of the northeastern rise of metalcore bands like Hatebreed. The members came together following outings with other outfits.

“Unearth was spawned from the ashes of two local area bands,” McGrath said. “Trevor was in a band called The Titan and the Rainbow and Ken and I both played lead bass in a band called Pain in My Brain. Once our bands imploded from playing shitty music the three of us wiped the crumbs of failure from our mouths and started writing fight riffs along with Maiden-esque lead passages. Three drummers and two bass players later, we arrived at the solid lineup that is today’s Unearth.”

Protest the Hero is a Canadian mathcore band from Ontario and one of the four bands that supported the tour. Guitarist Luke Hoskin joked about this opportunity to hit the road with Unearth.

"It's rare we get excited to live in a van and argue with each other about who gets the last granola bar," Hoskin said. "But, we are genuinely excited about this tour. We have been listening to Unearth since we were little whiny babies, and we never thought we would have the opportunity to tour with them."

“Fortress” is the band’s newest release and Hoskin went on to say touring is a very important part of being in a band like Protest the Hero, because they don't exist, even on the fringes of the corporate-driven music industry.

"Our music isn't exactly radio friendly," he said. "I guess the only way to really spread the word about the band is to play for the people. Hopefully, they tell their friends how good or bad we were, depending on how much we drank that night."

With the increasing costs of gas and an economy that is affected directly by the fuel crisis, bands hitting the highway these days are affected more so than ever. Hoskin said that it's an expectation that performers have to accept.

"Life on the road has always been a penniless venture," he said. "When you tour in a band, you develop a real sense of respect for the people who have done it for years. The amount of expenses are enough to make even the hardest slam dancer cry."

McGrath from Unearth said the band has found a few solutions to help cut down on costs, but assuredly not all of which will be remedies.

"We are sharing a van with two other bands and plan on finding temporary landscaping work pre-show to make some extra money," he said. "We have rigged the van to be powered by exaggerated tales of sexual conquest, so gas won't be an issue."

Also on the roster of the tour is the band Gwen Stacy from Indianapolis. Drummer TJ Sego said his group is equally excited about the opportunity to hit the road with such hard-hitting acts.

"Heck yeah we are," Sego said. "There's a lot of bands on the tour we're genuine fans of, and Whitechapel are some close friends of ours, so we're stoked out of our minds. They can expect for us to play our butts off. They can expect to be able to hang out with us if they like. Most importantly, they can expect to see a band that cares about them."

Sego went on to say that not only is touring an important necessity in being in a band, but for him personally as well.

"It keeps us sane for one," he said. "I go crazy when I'm home, and even more so any day I have to go without playing my kit. Shows are an opportunity for us to connect with our fans and to give them a great show. That is very important to us."