Sulaco can be seen as an evolution from guitarist Erik Burke's previous band, Lethargy, who played a seminal role in shaping the musical climate of Rochester's underground metal scene. Lethargy was legendary in the Rochester area during the mid 90s for crafting an often imitated but never duplicated style of ridiculously intricate carnival-esque metal that showcased cross-eyed guitar antics and blistering jazz-fusion rhythms over 10 years before it became popular in the underground. With three demos, an album (It's Hard To Write With A Little Hand, 1996) and their final EP (Discography, 1999) recorded, 1999 marked the demise of Lethargy with drummer Brann Dailor and guitarist Bill Kelliher moving on to enlist in Today Is The Day and later form Mastodon. Wasting no time to regroup, the multi-talented Erik Burke assumed drumming duties in Kalibas until 2002, when he parted ways with Kalibas and recruited Sick Drummer Chris Golding and Lonn Hackett, to form Sulaco . Like Lethargy, Sulaco's musical base takes its most significant cues from bands north of the Mason-Dixon line, citing Ripping Corpse, Damonacy, Breadwinner and Human Remains as a few of their key influences. However, Sulaco improves upon Lethargy's haphazard sense of structure and instead integrates the mesmerizing quirkiness into a devious songwriting regimen that is as spasmodically progressive as it is abrasively visceral.
Erik also plays drums in a band called Lazers , has a side project called BCT , is the current guitarist for Nuclear Assault and is touring Japan right now, with Brutal Truth . Not to forget: Kalibas (Erik on drums) and Mungbeandemon, The Life & Times of Steven Character.
Reunited seminal grindcore / extreme metal outfit BRUTAL TRUTH will head to Japan next week to headline the “Extreme The Dojo Tour V.17.” This tour follows the band’s recent successful U.K. headlining run and will kick off on Monday, March 5th in Osaka, Japan with support from Poland’s VADER. BRUTAL TRUTH will also be performing a select number of U.S. tour dates as headliners at both the Los Angeles Murderfest and Maryland Deathfest. The LA Murderfest will take place the weekend of March 25th and 26th and also includes ATHEIST, REPULSION, OBITUARY and more. The Maryland Deathfest will occur the weekend of May 26th and 27th and includes appearances from CYNIC, REGURGITATE, ORIGIN, F*CK THE FACTS, and others. A complete listing of tour dates and festival information can be found below. BRUTAL TRUTH has recently seen the reissue of their heralded 1997 masterpiece Sounds of the Animal Kingdom. The re-mastered and repackaged version comes complete with the preceding Kill Trend Suicide mini-CD (1996), bonus video footage in the form of the band’s 'Dead Smart' video, extensive and exhaustive liner notes from the band, and a forward from Choosing Death author Albert Mudrian. For more information on this reissue, please click here. For more information on BRUTAL TRUTH access – www.myspace.com/brutalfuckingtruth
BRUTAL TRUTH Live Appearances:
***Japanese Tour March 5 – 7 as part of the Extreme The Dojo V. 17***
March 5 Osaka, Japan Club Quattro
March 6 Nagoya, Japan Club Quattro
March 7 Tokyo, Japan Club Quattro
March 8 Tokyo, Japan Unit (solo headlining show)
***North American Dates***
March 25/ 26 Los Angeles, CA Knitting Factory (as part of the Los Angeles Murderfest) For more details / tickets access www.losangelesmurderfest.com/
May 26/ 27 Baltimore, MD Sonar (w/ ORIGIN as part of the Maryland Death Festival) For more details / tickets access www.supremebrutality.com/fest/
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