Ryan Chrismer may stand at just over five feet, but don’t let his height fool you. He has a huge voice, and is one of the best screamers with the widest range that New Oxford has seen yet. He only started last year with his former band of Thy Kingdom Come with New Oxford’s Kyle Duble and Bryan Merriman (class of 2010), and completely rocked the high school’s music scene at the talent shows. This year, Ryan and Kyle moved on from Thy Kingdom Come to a new band with new goals and a new approach. Behead The Betrayer consists of Ryan Chrismer on vocals, Mark Groft and Kory Smith on guitar, Joey Morgan on bass, and Kyle Duble on drums. While Ryan and Kyle are the youngest of the band (the others are in their twenties), the age difference couldn‘t have any less of an effect.
I went to their show at the Bombshelter venue in Gettysburg on September 24th where Vanessa Falls, Where There’s A Will, and Free The Fallen also played. I interviewed the guys after their set, and there was obvious chemistry within the group. All of the members had previously come from other bands, mostly because of differences with their former bandmates. They all came together through school, girlfriends, and careers. Even though they’re a somewhat new band, they’re taking this much more serious than any of them have before.
They’re getting through it all by the inspiration of favorite bands Chelsea Grin, Emmure, or even Justin Bieber, as Ryan enthusiastically exclaimed, to which the other four members heartily agreed. Now as a type of straight up metal hybrid, they’ve all got a goal on their minds to make it big, and they’re well on their way. “Our fans are a huge part of the process; they’re making all of this worth it. They’re all really supportive; it’s great.“ said Kyle. The entire band is extremely grateful for all the support they’ve found from friends, family, other bands, and even former bandmates. The musicians have already worked with producer Ryan Shorb (guitarist for Henge) in Harrisburg to record their EP “Insignificant Satisfaction”, and have more plans underway. “Right now, we’re just trying to get more shows and get our music out to more people and kind of grow a little more as a band,” Groft said. They’re on the right track, as they already have another show lined up on October 15th at The Champ in Lemoyne (tickets are only $10!). Pick up a CD, though it doesn’t do their live performances justice.
If you like bands such as Suicide Silence, Whitechapel, and Burning the Masses, it’s necessary you check out Behead the Betrayer. They’ve got catchy songs, powerful riffs, and fierce screams that will have you head banging before half of the first song is over. Check them out or listen to a genre you hadn’t before, and head to one of their live shows and get a chance to know them, they‘re all extremely nice guys. Find Ryan or Kyle in school (they’re easy to recognize) and ask about their band. Behead the Betrayer is mixing up the local area for now, but they’ll surely be taking over the metal scene and touring with their idols (but maybe not Justin Bieber) before long.
Photographs by Donald Dariano
3 comments:
Behead The Betrayer kicks butttt!!!!! they will definitly be HUGE soon!!!!!!!!!!!:)
This is sweet.... I like!!!! The fans are freakin amazing too!!!!! Hope to see more people enjoying Behead the Betrayer!!!!!
This is amazing. I couldn't be any happier with this. It's great to see people catching on to our band. All we can hope for is more shows and fans in the future. Thank you kara and donald.
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