Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile: D3athcharg3r

As a special auto-post while I rock out at Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up (the review's coming tomorrow!), here's this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! This monthly series looks at a metal/hard rock band based out of town that has featured (or used to have) at least one Sault-area native in their lineup, so we can profile and/or introduce them to a local audience! This month's band only recently entered our radar, but they have very familiar faces if you've attended original metal shows in Sault Ontario in recent years, so read on below for the latest installment of this monthly series! (Updated on November 27th, 2014)
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D3athcharg3r (London, Ontario)

Lineup: (Saultites in RED; ex-members in italics)

Steve Rhodes (vocals)
Andrew Angelic (guitar)
Steve Catunto (bass)
Pete Catunto (drums)

Ryan Richards (vocals)
Jay Guneyler (guitar)
Cory Balger (guitar) 
Brad Coughlin (guitar)
Zach Guest (guitar)

Official Facebook page: http://facebook.com/d3athcharger
Official Reverbnation page: http://reverbnation.com/d3athcharg3r

Official YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/d3athcharger
Official Twitter page: http://twitter.com/d3athcharger
Official Bandcamp page: http://d3athcharg3r.bandcamp.com

Local Info: D3athcharg3r's two newest members are both very familiar to Sault Ontario metalheads, as both Steve Rhodes & Andrew Angelic were both common sights at concerts in the early 2010s! Steve notably fronted death metal bands State of Misery and Bring the Misery, while Andrew took more of a traditional metal bent in bands like Sativa Rose & Chillum, before they joined forces in The Valentine's Day Massacre in late 2011. The V.D.M. were among the most prominent local metal bands through mid 2012 (including opening for Kittie and playing at two battles of the bands), before all band members moved to London for college in September. Though The V.D.M. are now inactive, Steve and Andrew are still going strong after joining D3athcharg3r earlier this year, along with their newest project, V.D.M. successors Saints & Serpents!

Band Bio: Though members have played together for a decade or so under names like Fallen and Infusion, D3athcharg3r itself launched circa June 2010, and have since become a popular and prolific sight in Southern Ontario with their death metal & thrash hybrid sound! Debuting live on August 1st, 2010, they've since played a number of big and notable concerts in their region, including sets opening for Warbringer, Laugh at the Fakes, and Devilz By Definition, and a couple of battle of the bands appearances. D3athcharg3r also released their debut EP "Forged By Steel" in June 2012, which attracted positive notices upon release, with a new EP of some kind currently in the works. Though their lineups have generally been stable, D3athcharg3r acquired a distinct local flavour when Steve Rhodes replaced Ryan Richards on vocals this February, later enlisting his V.D.M. bandmate Andrew Angelic to return them to a quintet in June. Stay tuned for further updates as they continue studio work and play more concerts!

There's not a lot of media online of D3athcharg3r's current lineup yet, but the Facebook videos and media I've heard so far sounds good, and Steve Rhodes is in usual form from his local work, though this band take on more of a thrash/groove influence than his old hardcore-themed work. I will say that his predecessor Ryan Richards has a heavier and more guttural voice that does fit their early material better, but I'd need to hear more before adequately comparing eras. Musically, D3thcharg3r have a very solid and heavy sound that definitely combines death & groove styles well, with intense riffing and a quality rhythm section from the Catunto brothers, but I do find that their earlier production doesn't bring the guitars up enough in the mix, and they sound too empty as a result. D3thcharg3r have a solid chemistry and brutality that death metal fans should enjoy though, and I can't wait to see how they develop in their current incarnation, with hopefully a local date in the future!

D3athcharg3r have a good amount of media online via their "Forged In Steel" EP and numerous live videos (plus their debut single with Steve, "Slow Decay"), so check their Bandcamp, YouTube, and Reverbnation pages linked above to give their material a look! Remember, make sure the 3s are in their name when looking them up, as they're officially in the name, and not just a stylistic option. With nice quality videos of their current lineup now online, here's a professional-shot video of D3athcharg3r playing "Slow Decay" this summer in London!


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I hope you guys liked this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! Next month in this series, and in advance of their local debut opening for The Dayglo Abortions in September, we'll be looking at Cross Dog, the new hardcore punk trio featuring former Lion Ride guitarist Mark Rand on bass! It's been a while since he's turned up in a new live project, so watch out for this profile on or around August 26th, and we'll see you guys tomorrow with our Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up review and perhaps another post! Thanks everyone!