Bury Tomorrow: Live By The Sword!

Over the last two decades, metalcore has very much been an American beast. The New Wave of American Heavy Metal in the early 2000s launched the careers of the most quintessential names in the genre – KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, AS I LAY DYING and TRIVIUM were all a part of the American heavy music revival, alongside under-appreciated heroes like SHADOWS FALL, GOD FORBID and UNEARTH, to name only a few. But while metalcore in its purest form – taking thrashy, melodic death metal riffs and mixing them with the personal lyricism and beatdown groove of hardcore – is an American addition to heavy metal’s family tree, it would be a bare face lie to suggest it is a uniquely American artform. As the 2000s drew to a close and a new decade dawned, here on British shores Southampton ragers BURY TOMORROW were beginning to build a name for themselves. 

“When we first released our debut album, Portraits, in 2009, the cover of a magazine that we were featured in had the title ‘Metalcore is Dead.’” Reflects BURY TOMORROW front man Dani Winter-Bates on how the band championed the metalcore tag, even in the early days. “We always made music that we wanted to listen to. We’re never going to bail on it just to make money – we want to make music that’s heavy and fast and pushes more on the metal side than anything else. And the bands that did that were on the ones that were there back in the day – KILLSWITCH, AS I LAY DYING, DARKEST HOUR, UNEARTH all of these amazing metalcore bands that came out that really championed that word.”

This route of conversation naturally turns to the UK metalcore scene, and BURY TOMORROW’s place at the top of it. “I can’t really think of any bands that make the same music as us, especially in this country.” Dani continues. “There’s a lot of people that are similar, I get that, there’s a lot of heavy bands that have melodic parts to their music. Let’s take the UK. You have ARCHITECTS, WHILE SHE SLEEPS and us – we’re the bands that are up there [for UK metalcore]. ARCHITECTS have played Wembley, WHILE SHE SLEEPS have played Brixton, and we’ve just played Round House – Brixton is our next milestone. So we’re the bands, and it’s amazing to be part of that group of bands. But ARCHITECTS are tech metal, they’ve always been incredibly technical, but now they’ve transitioned into this kind of emotively driven, ethereal style – but they’re not really [traditional] metalcore. Then you have WHILE SHE SLEEPS who are hardcore punk. They love punk, they’re DIY til they die, that’s what they’re about. They’re far more akin to bands like COMEBACK KID and SICK OF IT ALL than KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and AS I LAY DYING even though they do rip and they were influenced by those bands when they started. In terms of flying the metalcore flag, we sit on the top – we love this kind of music, and we haven’t really changed since day one; we just got heavier and have better production.” 

But Cannibal, the newest record from the English metalcore heroes, has more importance than simply being another volley of classic, old-school metalcore. The record is easily the most cathartic of BURY TOMORROW’s discography. Mental health issues – and in turn, suicide – is one of the biggest health issues facing the youth of today, particularly young men. Dani has spoken publicly about both the importance of looking after your mental health and his own struggles with mental health issues in the past, but Cannibal is far, far from a mere flag waving, self-congratulatory blast of mental health awareness. This is Dani purging himself, opening up the very fibres of his issues and struggles to the legions of BURY TOMORROW’s fanbase – and, admirably, he shows not a hint of worry about the vulnerability he displays across Cannibal.

“As in all things, I just want to live by the sword. I want to live by what I preach, and be a role model in that sense. Fundamentally, I’ve gone on a journey with my mental health. I’m well, the most well I’ve been in a long time with my mental health at this moment in time. I wanted to make sure that if I was talking about my mental health, be it with fans or in interviews, I was in a good place and talking about it wouldn’t be detrimental to my mental wellbeing.” Dani explains, speaking frankly and openly, before continuing on and giving an insight into his career outside of BURY TOMORROW. 

“I’ve learnt a lot since diagnosis, and I’ve become an expert by experience.” He continues. “I’ve transitioned into roles in the NHS where I’ve worked on reducing stigma and having compassionate conversations rather than a clinical focus. I wanted to amalgamate both my worlds with the NHS and being in a band and make them the same thing, while getting myself into a position where I can help other people… It’s really easy for me to put a status online, but you’re not vocal about anything until you use your biggest platform, and until Cannibal I hadn’t done that.”It’s important to remember, though, that Cannibal very nearly didn’t exist. Hell, BURY TOMORROW were uncomfortably close to not making it to their second record, The Union of Crowns. And while it’s undeniably important to reflect on Cannibal and the catharsis Dani shows on this record, with the band on the verge of releasing their second record through Sony – not just one of the biggest labels in our genre of heavy music, but one of the biggest record labels in the world – it feels similarly important to reflect on how far BURY TOMORROW have come, and how close they were to blinking out of existence as a footnote on the history of metalcore, rather than one of its writers, in the wake of their split with Artery Recordings following the release of Portraits.

“It’s really hard to look back on that time… It feels like a lifetime ago, though, because we’d done alright but we weren’t really a big band.” Dani reflects. “It’s hard to think that was ever going to be an end to BURY TOMORROW, because we’ve had more since then than we had before it. We would have done a great misjustice to all the people who cared about us back then if we had quit – we would have been quitting too early. Being in a band is hard, and BURY TOMORROW by no means are a band that have had the biggest hard knocks – we just went through a shitty time when we thought we were on an up, and we weren’t. I think we’d have gone out too early, especially thinking about the fact we’ve done five albums since then.”

Cannibal stands a lesson to everyone who has struggles with their mental wellbeing. In the bigger picture, it is representative of just how much better things can get – look at how close BURY TOMORROW were to throwing in the towel this time last decade, and where they are now. But bigger than that, it is a lesson in the value of openness, a testament to the power that comes in being honest with both yourself and those close to you about your struggles, and how to tackle them. Dani is sounding healthy, full of life, and aware that his condition will never go away – but as he is able to control it, it doesn’t need to. That kind of control is yours for the taking. 

If you are struggling, remember: you are not alone.

Cannibal is out now via Music For Nations.

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