CIRCLE PIT \\ UNEARTH: 'The Swarm' Video Released

"The Swarm", the new video from Massachusetts metallers UNEARTH, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Dale "Rage" Resteghini and Tim Foster. The song is taken from UNEARTH's sixth album, "Watchers Of Rule", which was released on October 28, 2014 via eOne Music in North America and Century Media in Europe. The CD was mixed by Mark Lewis, who has previously worked with CANNIBAL CORPSE, WHITECHAPEL and DEVILDRIVER, among others.

CIRCLE PIT \\ UNEARTH: 'Watch It Burn' Video Released

"Watch It Burn", the new video from Massachusetts metallers UNEARTH, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Scott Hansen (A DAY TO REMEMBER, IWRESTLEDABEARONCE, MAYLENE & THE SONS OF DISASTER) and is described in a press release as "a dark and disturbing video to match the equally bleak lyrics of the song."

Commented UNEARTH vocalist Trevor Phipps: "This video captures both the energy we put into every performance as well as imagery of the dark lyrical content of 'Watch It Burn'. We want to thank Scott Hansen and his crew for their hard work delivering such a sick video for our fans to see."

Fans that have seen UNEARTH perform live on their recent trips to Alaska, Japan and on the band's U.S. and Canadian tour with CHIMAIRA may have noticed a new face on stage. The guy behind the kit has been none other than up-and-coming musician Nick Pierce.

Pierce is a self-taught drummer who's been playing since age 10. He grew up playing for local bands in the Seattle/Tacoma area (CULLING THE WEAK, ETERNA NOCTURNA, EMBALMED) as well as Los Angeles-based band THE FACELESS. Nick first sat in behind the kit for UNEARTH in May of 2011 during their two show trip to Alaska. UNEARTH discovered Pierce on YouTube where he had been covering UNEARTH songs, among many other bands, on a series of videos on his YouTube channel.

Comments UNEARTH vocalist Trevor Phipps: "Nick is a beast of a drummer and a great guy to hang with. I look forward to jamming with him around the world for years to come." Guitarist Buz McGrath adds that Pierce has a "great attitude, energy and the knowledge that we can throw the most insane riffs at him and he can create and adequately perform next level beats for said riffs makes it a little easier to sleep at night."

Stated Nick Pierce: "I've been a fan of UNEARTH for many years and I'm excited to shred with a great group of guys and support our fans."

UNEARTH's new album, "Darkness In The Light", sold 6,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 72 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "The March", opened with around 11,000 units back in October 2008 to land at No. 45.

"Darkness In The Light" was recorded at Zing Studios in Westfield, Massachusetts with producer (and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist) Adam Dutkiewicz. The effort was mixed by Mark Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, TRIVIUM) from Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida.

CIRCLE PIT \\ Killswitch Engage Drummer Tapped For Unearth

Killswitch Engage drummer Justin Foley will be drumming for Massachusetts metalcore stalwarts Unearth on their upcoming tour dates. Full details inside.

Following on from his stint recording drums on their new album, Killswitch Engage’s Justin Foley has been announced as the beads touring drummer for their upcoming dates on the Mayhem and Hell On Earth festivals respectively.

“It’s great to have Justin on board for Mayhem and Hell On Earth,” says frontman Trevor Phipps. “We really wanted to start this album cycle with Justin behind the kit since he played on and completely slayed the new album. We’ve been friends for a long time and we recorded an album together, so this just makes sense and it gives us even more to look forward to this summer.”

CIRCLE PIT \\ UNEARTH: New Album Artwork, Track Listing, Release Date Revealed

Massachusetts metallers UNEARTH will release their new album, "Darkness In The Light", in Europe on July 4 via Metal Blade Records. The CD was recorded at Zing Studios in Westfield, Massachusetts with producer (and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist) Adam Dutkiewicz. Sitting in on drums during the sessions was Justin Foley of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE/BLOOD HAS BEEN SHED. The effort was mixed by Mark Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, TRIVIUM) from Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida.

"Darkness In The Light" track listing:

01. Watch It Burn (4:06)
02. Ruination Of The Lost (3:35)
03. Shadows Of The Light (3:45)
04. Eyes Of Black (3:53)
05. Last Wish (3:06)
06. Arise The War Cry (3:55)
07. Equinox (2:58)
08. Coming Of The Dark (3:07)
09. The Fallen (3:35)
10. Overcome (3:11)
11. Disillusion (3:37)

CIRCLE PIT \\ UNEARTH Taps KILLSWITCH ENGAGE Drummer For New Album

Massachusetts metallers UNEARTH have issued the following update:

"We wanted to let everyone know that tracking for the new album has officially begun! We're currently at Zing Studios in Westfield, Massachusetts tracking drums with our sit-in drummer for the album, Justin Foley of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE/BLOOD HAS BEEN SHED.

"Foley was an obvious choice for this album for many reasons, but mainly because of his abilities and knowledge of heavy music as well as his long time friendship with the band. A decade-plus of friendship has made this an easy transition for the band, Foley and our producer/engineer [and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist] Adam [Dutkiewicz].

"In other news, we have decided to change the mixing engineer for the album to Mark Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, TRIVIUM) from Audiohammer Studios. Mark is another longtime friend of the band and we're excited to hear what he can do with our sound on record.

"Guitarist Buz McGrath added this irrelevant comment about working with Mark: 'Mark Lewis mixed me a drink once and i woke up in a swamp covered in antifreeze.'

"As we said before, we're aiming at a mid-to-late June release for the album, followed by massive world touring.

"Below is a snapshot of the hard drive of the tunes being tracked (just working titles, of course)."

As previously reported, UNEARTH recruited drummer Branden Morgan of MISERY SIGNALS to sit behind the kit for the band's recent European dates as part of the Persistence Tour.

UNEARTH last fall parted ways with drummer Derek Kerswill due to "creative differences." The band stated at the time, "The differences between Kerswill and the band started off as subtle, but became increasingly obvious over the past few months and it was time for both parties to go their separate ways."

Capital Chaos has uploaded video footage of Massachusetts metallers UNEARTH performing the song "Black Hearts Now Reign" on October 13, 2010 at The Boardwalk in Orangevale, California.

Traduza\\ UNEARTH's New Album To Be Produced By KILLSWITCH ENGAGE Guitarist

Massachusetts metallers UNEARTH have tapped KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist and renowned producer Adam Dutkiewicz to helm their next studio album, tentatively due in early 2011 via Metal Blade Records. The pre-production phase of the process officially started last week.

As previously reported, UNEARTH has recruited drummer Branden Morgan of MISERY SIGNALS to sit behind the kit for the band's upcoming European dates as part of the Persistence Tour. The group says, "Branden is a great drummer and has been nailing all the tunes in rehearsal. Everyone headed to the Persistence Tour can expect UNEARTH to be as solid as ever during this run."

The Persistence Tour — which also features SICK OF IT ALL, D.R.I., BLOOD FOR BLOOD, EVERGREEN TERRACE, CRUEL HAND, CASEY JONES and VERA CRUZ — will kick off on December 3 in Deinze, Belgium.

Luto \\ Former UNEARTH Bassist CHRIS 'ROVER' RYBICKI Dies

Former UNEARTH bassist Chris "Rover" Rybicki passed away yesterday (Monday, September 20) from injuries sustained in an accident when the scooter he was riding on was hit by an allegedly drunk woman.

According to The Salem News, Rybicki was riding a scooter in Salem, Massachusetts on August 28 when it collided with a 2008 Volkswagen Passat driven by Beth MacGillivary (photo of crash scene).

MacGillivary failed two field sobriety tests and had a blood alcohol level of .17, more than twice the legal limit, police said.

Rybicki was a member of UNEARTH from 1998 to 2002. He played on the band's first two EPs — "Above The Fall Of Man" (1999) and "Endless" (2002) — as well as the group's full-length debut, "The Stings Of Conscience" (2001).

The Salem News listed Rybicki's age at the time of his death as 39 while The Daily Item reported that he was 35 years old.

Traduza\\ SEPULTURA Pulls Out Of 'Persistence Tour'; D.R.I. Steps In

Brazilian/American thrashers SEPULTURA have pulled out of the "Persistence Tour 2010" and have been replaced on the bill by DIRTY ROTTEN IMBECILES (D.R.I.).

The festival billing is now as follows:

SICK OF IT ALL
D.R.I.
BLOOD FOR BLOOD
UNEARTH
EVERGREEN TERRACE
CASEY JONES

"Persistence Tour 2010" dates:

Dec. 03 - Deinze, BEL - Brielpoort
Dec. 04 - Dresden, GER - Messe Dresden
Dec. 05 - Vienna, AUT - Gasometer
Dec. 06 - Berlin, GER - Astra
Dec. 07 - Stuttgart, GER - Philharmonie Filderstadt
Dec. 08 - Rouen, FRA - Le 106
Dec. 09 - Saarbrücken, GER - Garage
Dec. 10 - Würzburg, GER - Posthalle
Dec. 11 - Oberhausen, GER - Turbinenhalle
Dec. 12 - Eindhoven, NET - Klokgebouw