Weaving Viking Tales Into Hardcore Lyrics

GENRE: Metal/Hardcore

WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN: Aggressive New England hardcore at its finest.

HOMETOWN: Boston, MA

WEBSITE: www.bringtheknife.com

Boston hardcore band Bring The Knife rose from the ashes of Destruct-A-Thon nine years ago, and the metal band just released their self-titled debut EP. They credit the New England city for giving their sound that infamous and beloved attitude. “There are a lot of real old hardcore bands in Boston,” Duncan Wilder Johnson says. “We have the same bite they do. We certainly don’t sound like we are from San Diego.”

Bring The Knife – “At The End Of Days” by performermag

Most bands feel tremendously excited with the release of their first EP, but Bring The Knife feels like a weight has been lifted. “We are really relieved,” Johnson says. “It took a while to release. There were a lot of trials and tribulations to get it out.”

Trials and tribulations aside, their EP is stacked with lyrics you don’t normally hear metal bands singing. For one, Johnson has taken an interest in meditation. “I read a few books about mediation and Buddhism,” he explains. “I practice it from time to time but not religiously.”

The Boston group has become political, as well. “I recently wrote a song about the national debt crisis,” Johnson says. However, Bring The Knife can laugh at themselves, too. They have a song on their album about Vikings – yes, Vikings. “It is slightly silly,” Johnson laughs. “They are probably our most metal sounding lyrics and we are talking about Vikings.”

The band has dreams of eventually performing in Europe, as they pride themselves on having a killer live show. “It is our job to keep the audience interested,” Johnson says. “Why would anyone watch if I am not going crazy?”

Whatever happens over the years, Bring The Knife just wants to keep rocking. “We want to rock as hard as possible and play a lot,” Johnson continues. “We want to take ourselves seriously but not so seriously that we have our heads up our asses.”

photo by Duncan Wilder Johnson