Corpsickle

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.