Biography
A long-running American metalcore outfit from Boston, Bury Your Dead first surfaced in 2003 via You Had Me at Hello, a release that delivered a brutalist spin on the style through rapid-fire riffs, earth-shaking rhythms, and severe deathcore vocals. Repeated membership shifts helped reshape the sound, as evidenced when 2009’s It’s Nothing Personal incorporated expansive, hook-driven choruses. The group reclaimed its hardcore foundation on the aggressive 2011 album Mosh ’N Roll, then entered an extended recording break that concluded with the five-track EP We Are Bury Your Dead in 2019.
Fatigued by their metalcore project Hamartia, guitarist Slim (also known as Brendan MacDonald) and drummer Mark Castillo launched Bury Your Dead as a side endeavor in late 2001. Taking cues from Sevendust and Crowbar, the duo treated the new band as an outlet for mosh-oriented hardcore instead of Hamartia’s technical focus. They added bassist Rich Casey, formerly of Groundzero, and vocalist Joe Krewko; the Massachusetts collective, which emphasized a mix of ferocity and fun, soon turned full-time and began performing throughout New England. The raw power and chaotic force of their concerts drew notice across multiple East Coast hardcore communities, eventually attracting Alveran/Eulogy Recordings. Their debut You Had Me at Hello appeared in March 2003 on the Germany-based Alveran imprint, yet the band had already dissolved roughly a month before the release date. The album still came out, after which the members parted: Castillo joined North Carolina’s Between the Buried and Me, Casey shifted to screen-printing work, and Slim played with Blood Has Been Shed.
Several months afterward, Casey unexpectedly reached out to Slim about reviving the group. Although only the two originals initially recommitted, touring musicians assembled and the band resumed playing. While at Gainesville Fest in Florida, they encountered Castillo, who was touring with Between the Buried and Me, and persuaded him to return. Vocalist Mat Bruso and second guitarist Eric Ellis, previously of Reflux, completed the lineup. Reformed and renewed, the five-piece performed at 2002’s Hellfest and Metalfest. After a particularly ferocious Hellfest appearance, Chicago hardcore powerhouse Victory Records expressed interest and formally confirmed the signing in April 2004.
That June, Bury Your Dead entered the studio with Matthew Ellard (known for work with Converge and Between the Buried and Me) to track their label debut. The resulting Cover Your Tracks, whose tracks all bore titles referencing Tom Cruise films, arrived in October. Eulogy reissued the original album in May 2005, giving it broader U.S. availability for the first time. The CD/DVD Alive followed in July, coinciding with the band’s summer appearances on Ozzfest’s second stage. Aaron Patrick, also called Bubble, took over bass duties from Casey. Produced by Jason Suecof (of Trivium and God Forbid renown), the band’s most refined release to that point, Beauty and the Breakdown—with all song titles drawn from fairy-tale references—emerged in July 2006. Around the same period, the quintet joined Derek Hess’s nationwide Strhess Tour alongside Shadows Fall, Poison the Well, and Throwdown. Bruso departed in early 2007, prompting the group to withdraw from a European run with Killswitch Engage while seeking a replacement, ultimately secured in Michael Crafter, formerly the vocalist of I Killed the Prom Queen. Crafter exited months later to return to Australia. Cassius frontman Myke Terry stepped in, and Bury Your Dead issued a self-titled album in March 2008, followed by the more melody-focused It’s Nothing Personal in 2009. Terry and Castillo both exited (though Castillo had already tracked drums for the upcoming Mosh ’N Roll), after which the band signed with Mediaskare Records. Bruso rejoined on vocals, and Dustin Schoenhofer, ex-Walls of Jericho, took over drums. Mosh ’N Roll, a return to the pugilist hardcore of the group’s formative period, appeared in summer 2011. In early 2019, following a lengthy break marked by further lineup adjustments, the band announced a deal with Stay Sick Recordings; their first release for the label, the five-track EP We Are Bury Your Dead, arrived later that year.
Fatigued by their metalcore project Hamartia, guitarist Slim (also known as Brendan MacDonald) and drummer Mark Castillo launched Bury Your Dead as a side endeavor in late 2001. Taking cues from Sevendust and Crowbar, the duo treated the new band as an outlet for mosh-oriented hardcore instead of Hamartia’s technical focus. They added bassist Rich Casey, formerly of Groundzero, and vocalist Joe Krewko; the Massachusetts collective, which emphasized a mix of ferocity and fun, soon turned full-time and began performing throughout New England. The raw power and chaotic force of their concerts drew notice across multiple East Coast hardcore communities, eventually attracting Alveran/Eulogy Recordings. Their debut You Had Me at Hello appeared in March 2003 on the Germany-based Alveran imprint, yet the band had already dissolved roughly a month before the release date. The album still came out, after which the members parted: Castillo joined North Carolina’s Between the Buried and Me, Casey shifted to screen-printing work, and Slim played with Blood Has Been Shed.
Several months afterward, Casey unexpectedly reached out to Slim about reviving the group. Although only the two originals initially recommitted, touring musicians assembled and the band resumed playing. While at Gainesville Fest in Florida, they encountered Castillo, who was touring with Between the Buried and Me, and persuaded him to return. Vocalist Mat Bruso and second guitarist Eric Ellis, previously of Reflux, completed the lineup. Reformed and renewed, the five-piece performed at 2002’s Hellfest and Metalfest. After a particularly ferocious Hellfest appearance, Chicago hardcore powerhouse Victory Records expressed interest and formally confirmed the signing in April 2004.
That June, Bury Your Dead entered the studio with Matthew Ellard (known for work with Converge and Between the Buried and Me) to track their label debut. The resulting Cover Your Tracks, whose tracks all bore titles referencing Tom Cruise films, arrived in October. Eulogy reissued the original album in May 2005, giving it broader U.S. availability for the first time. The CD/DVD Alive followed in July, coinciding with the band’s summer appearances on Ozzfest’s second stage. Aaron Patrick, also called Bubble, took over bass duties from Casey. Produced by Jason Suecof (of Trivium and God Forbid renown), the band’s most refined release to that point, Beauty and the Breakdown—with all song titles drawn from fairy-tale references—emerged in July 2006. Around the same period, the quintet joined Derek Hess’s nationwide Strhess Tour alongside Shadows Fall, Poison the Well, and Throwdown. Bruso departed in early 2007, prompting the group to withdraw from a European run with Killswitch Engage while seeking a replacement, ultimately secured in Michael Crafter, formerly the vocalist of I Killed the Prom Queen. Crafter exited months later to return to Australia. Cassius frontman Myke Terry stepped in, and Bury Your Dead issued a self-titled album in March 2008, followed by the more melody-focused It’s Nothing Personal in 2009. Terry and Castillo both exited (though Castillo had already tracked drums for the upcoming Mosh ’N Roll), after which the band signed with Mediaskare Records. Bruso rejoined on vocals, and Dustin Schoenhofer, ex-Walls of Jericho, took over drums. Mosh ’N Roll, a return to the pugilist hardcore of the group’s formative period, appeared in summer 2011. In early 2019, following a lengthy break marked by further lineup adjustments, the band announced a deal with Stay Sick Recordings; their first release for the label, the five-track EP We Are Bury Your Dead, arrived later that year.
Albums
We Are Bury Your Dead
2019
Mosh N' Roll
2011
It's Nothing Personal
2009
Bury Your Dead
2008
Beauty And The Breakdown
2006
Cover Your Tracks
2004
You Had Me At Hello
2003
Singles
Live
