Pennsylvania’s deathcore/heavy metal outfit The Last Ten Seconds of Life aren’t taking anything for granted.
“I’ve done a lot of great stuff,” shares vocalist Tyler Beam. “I like to build a song, I like to experiment. I like to find a formula, and I like to stick to it. I like playing a live show. I love hanging out with the community. I love the fellowship of being with other dudes that are playing breakdowns.”
Their eighth full-length, The Dead Ones, is out April 17 and is their debut album with Metal Blade Records. Produced by Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland at Atrium Audio in Pennsylvania, this record is soaked in perspective. It’s born from what they learned from the past two releases and according to founding member / guitarist Wyatt McLaughlin, it brought forth the best of them.
“This is the sickest piece of music I have ever made,” boasts Beam. “I think Wyatt would say the same thing, that this is the best he’s ever created and been a part of. Honestly, the four of us are really feeling like that. We’re feeling confident about what we recorded; it’s got a little bit of everything.”
The fact that Metal Blade even wanted to sign the band took Beam a week to process; in his opinion it’s the best death metal record label of all time, containing some of his favorite bands. He pushed himself to the max, harder than he ever has before, morphing, transforming, but also keeping it uniform. It may have been a challenge, but they got it done.
“This record has to be absolutely the best thing I’ve ever created in my entire life,” exclaims Beam. “My favorite albums are Kill from Cannibal Corpse, Nocturnal from The Black Dahlia Murder, and Shadows are Security from As I Lay Dying. All of these albums are Metal Blade albums. I had these posters on my wall as a child. Signing to this label was one of those moments where this has to be the precipice of my career. This has to be the best of the best I’ve ever created in order for it to be worthy of their catalog. It was one of those things where I had to lock in.”
The Dead Ones tackles themes of death and rebirth, broadly, yet interpretive to all; it’s a direct focus on the human experience and what kind of struggles each band member has. The album pays a lot of homage to the adventure of being in a band itself and the personal experience of struggling with loss, work and chasing your dreams.
“We wrote about literally everything,” laughs Beam. “We wrote about religion, the government, playing in a band, losing somebody that you love. We wrote about everything. This is one of those albums where we brought everything that The Last Ten Seconds of Life has really sung about to the table, and we did it in our own way.”
The Dead Ones is out Friday and you can preorder it from Metal Blade Records. Follow The Last Ten Seconds of Life on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for future updates.
Photo Credit: Adam Zaspel
