Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire

In 2006, Denver, Colorado-based Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire assembled around vocalist Ethan McCarthy, guitarist Ben Romsdahl, bassist Zach Harlon, and drummer J.P. Their approach earned the tag “funeral grind” for its volatile mix of grindcore, metalcore, death metal, and sludge that recalls the work of Brutal Truth, Pig Destroyer, Job for a Cowboy, Discordance Axis, and EyeHateGod. From the outset the quartet maintained a nonstop touring schedule and, after issuing the independent EP Harmonies from Bleeding Mouths in 2006, delivered the full-length Omega Drunk on the Blood of Alpha through Debello Recordings two years later. The release drew the notice of Prosthetic Records, which issued the group’s second album, Songs of Ill Hope and Desperation, in 2010.