Band: Still Burning
From: Fort Wayne, Indiana
Their formation story:
(Jared, guitar): "We formed in 2024. My last band, Disappear, had broken up after about a 5-year run and after being depressed about that for a little while I did what I normally do and I started writing riffs. I wanted to go in a slightly different direction.
"Previously I was solidly down the '90s metallic hardcore path and although there are still some elements of that with Still Burning, it's definitely a little bouncier and not as dark. A good friend of mine, and rapper, ChrisRebellion, came to mind when I thought of who would be a good frontman and help me deliver a new element and maybe something I don't see much of in hardcore. So I asked Chris if he'd like to do something and he was immediately stoked on it.
"After that, I recruited Nelli from recently defunct local Every Time I Die-style hardcore band Deathtax to join. I had played quite a few shows with them, he's a super talented guitar player, with a great personality. After a couple of other member swaps, we landed on Nelli's longtime friend Trey on drums, and another friend of a friend with Kyle on bass, who kind of discovered us when he helped track our demo (he also fully tracked and engineered our new EP)."
Their sound in their own words:
(Jared): Heavy, downtuned, bouncy, groovy. All trigger words for some, I'm sure. I would say Trapped Under Ice, Incendiary, Disembodied, and a little bit of Damnation A.D."
(Chris, vocals): "Different."
(Nelli, guitar): "Lots of groove, low-tuned, hard. Influences would definitely include Incendiary, Inclination, and Trapped Under Ice."
(Trey, drums): "Riff forward, two-step parts, groove, samples, hard, bouncy. We all kinda pull from every flavor of hardcore, and adjacent genres. Nobody has to be anything, and we aren’t trying to be anything except ourselves. We love hitting any territory that feels like us. My main influences for this band are Inside Out, Hatebreed, Cruel Hand, and anything weird or unconventional."
(Kyle, bass): "Been pulling from a lot of straight edge bands for this one."
Latest release info:
(Jared): "We released a rough demo about a year ago and like most hardcore bands, we've navigated a few member changes since then, which slowed our progress down a little bit. I would say since the beginning of this year we've been pretty locked in with this lineup and have been able to make up some ground.
"We polished off 3 new tracks that feel like a culmination and progression of all of our stuff so far and it really feels like we made something that we can be proud of with this release. The cherry on top is that Devin from Sanguisugabogg did a feature for us as well. He married a friend of mine from Fort Wayne, I got to know him a little bit, and he said he would be down to do a feature. He was stoked to do it!"
(Trey): "Kyle and I weren’t on the first demo from 2024, but after we joined, we did rework some of those old songs as a group to feel better when we play some of them live. So this new EP feels like us as a whole now, and I think it comes off well and sounds a hell of a lot better. We did everything ourselves. Kyle mixed and mastered all of it, and the response so far for it has been awesome to see."
(Kyle): "It was produced, recorded, and mixed by me, and written primarily by Nelli and Jared. Everyone had a part in the composition of the project. We really wanted something that would shock the scene and be a massive step up from the first demo. I think we not only reached that level, but blew it completely out of the water. It’s all up from here."
Future plans:
(Jared, guitar): "We've got a bunch of shows lined up including a run with Piss Ant around the region and cresting the tip of the dirty south. We're going to write a bunch more songs, and we're planning to hit the east coast in the spring and maybe bring KOTM along."
(Chris): "I just want to do as many shows around the country or world as possible. I love the energy, I love the scene."
What other bands from their region should we check out?
(Jared): I think you already know our homies in KOTM, Piss Ant, and Confined. Unfortunately, the band Sundaze will likely be gone by the time this article comes out. Some of the young kids on the up are Pillbox, Angels Anhedonia, Semi-Illegal Tribute, Bouncer, and another local band full of legends called Intel."
(Chris): "Come Correct, KOTM, Piss Ant, Confined, Splitjaw, Pillbox, Rest Assured, Crossfire, Gagger, and Observer."
(Nelli): "Sundaze, KOTM, Pissant, Sparkle Teeth."
(Trey): "Sundaze. Honestly, the best band I’ve ever seen live. They are playing their final show with us on July 31st at the local house venue here in Fort Wayne, The Bug House.
"The scene here has been incredible lately, it’s a really special thing to see this kind of enthusiasm and growth, and a ton of new bands are popping up too. Others to check out are Use Of Force, Etymon, Semi-Illegal Tribute, Pig Tusk, Intel, Sparkle Teeth, Angels Anhedonia, Progenitor, Observer, Rest Assured, Crossfire, Gagger, xToBearx, Blind Spot, Bouncer, Torture Realm, Pillbox, Ripped Open, and especially KOTM, Splitjaw, and Piss Ant."
(Kyle): "Confined is the best band in the world, Piss Ant, Rest Assured, Vigilante, Concuss."
Still Burning on social media: Instagram
Tagged: still burning
