*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*
This month’s State is Utah!
So we enter into week number two for our State of the Art: Utah series. Man, this Metal scene is replete with really, really good bands! I have run into so many, as a matter of fact, I am putting back a number of them for review later. A month will simply not cover everything that has caught my ear while looking for bands to cover in Utah! Seriously, if you are looking for new music, do a search for “Utah Metal” on Google, ReverbNation, Spotify, Soundcloud, Bandcamp or whatever you use and rest assured you will be rewarded with a plethora of killer bands for any musical palate. My next band is so good that I was hooked from the first song I heard, “I, Machine”. Any band that drops something that hits this hard musically and emotionally cannot be a fluke! I was not disappointed. While “I, Machine” remains my favorite, as well as the band’s, everything is else is great as well. The band is Tr3ason and they are one of Metal’s future shining stars!
Being a relatively young band (how long they have been around and the ages of the members), there is not much information on the Net about Tr3ason, so I messaged them and was graciously provided the core for this spotlight from guitarist and vocalist Tyler Thurston, so we are able to exclusively give you everything you need to know about Tr3ason! Thanks Tyler! You are the man! From Cache Valley, Utah, Tr3ason started off as a four piece instrumental band while members were in the eighth grade around 2011 when they were all around 15. Founding members included Tyler Thurston and Taylor Tyger on guitars, Kaden Roholt on bass and Colton Bunce on drums. While they were searching for a vocalist, Tr3ason was able to able to continue finding themselves as musicians. Once friend Rex Davis of For Tomorrow We Die stood in as guest vocalist for one of Tr3ason’s first singles, “Cold Lies”, Rex went on to inspire Tyler to handle the vocals himself. Shortly after teaching himself the vocal parts, Taylor left the band. After putting forth much effort searching for a replacement guitarist, the band decided to stick together as a trio. The reason for Tr”3”ason (alright, enough of the juvenile and foolish puns! Sorry about that, said The Cat in the Hat…). But I digress. Now solidified, the guys started playing local shows and even ventured out to Salt Lake City to enter band battles; a number of which they placed very well in. About a year after the exit of Taylor, Bunce left and was replaced for a year by another drummer who was then replaced by False Witness drummer, Conner Werling, whom the members of Tr3ason had grown up with. Since, Tyler has also been covering guitar duties in False Witness. Putting live shows on an extended hiatus, Tr3ason has been working behind the scenes on their debut album entitled Infecting the Pure; due for release early in 2017 (I have already asked for the opportunity to review what is sure to be an amazing album so watch out for that in the next few months!).
Putting themselves into the Metal sub-genre of Melodic Death and having the influences of Avenged Sevenfold, Metallica, Slipknot, Shadows Fall, Disturbed, Pantera, Children of Bodom and fascinated by the “idea of Metal”, Tr3ason have definitely found their sound and their calling in music. Tyler flexes his guitar skill might through heavy riffing, catchy hooks and the interesting use of musical respites shared by all musicians in place of long, showy guitar solos. Being a guitar guy, I would normally frown on this, but works brilliantly for Tr3ason and part of what sets their sound apart. Being a three piece band, the bass and drums have to be busy filling space where we normally hear a second guitarist. This is where Roholt’s bass lines and Conner Werling’s drumming truly shine. Bone shattering bass lines accompanied by the tasteful use of intermittent beat blasting and rolls at a lightening pace; a perfect balance of rhythmic foundation and oppressive heaviness is found. At no point in any song heard does Tr3ason wander or noodle just to fill space. These three are laser focused on driving their music and often dark messages home like a silver bullet through a werewolf’s skull! Add to that the growled, screamed and barked out vocals that never make the lyrics unintelligible, and you have the signature sound Tr3ason has spent so much time developing. Think maybe, Randy Blythe, if he crossed into Black Metal. Impressive, by any standards.
Having the “sole mission to get our music and our message out to you, the fans”, Tr3ason sets a high standard for the future of Metal. What further fascinates and impresses me is that these guys are almost too damned good to be this young! I have heard bands that have been around for ten or fifteen years that are not this tight. And from a three piece band? Simply incredible! Really glad and encouraged that young bands like Tr3ason will carry the torch of Metal to the next generation in such a dazzling fashion!
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