Dead Will Rise

Dead Will Rise, an Athens metal/grind band, holds the same anti-corporate mentality as Fight Club's Tyler Durden, but instead of running an underground boxing club to release its aggression, it writes and performs music.

Band members, including guitarists Doug Cherryholmes and Thomas Owens, drummer Jim Watson, bassist Al Etoll and former vocalist Jordan Holland, released the album Entrepreneur on Jan. 8. The band’s current vocalist is Matt Bowling.

“We decided we wanted (an album title that is) short and to the point,” Owens said. “It has a duel meaning because while we dislike (corporations), we put a lot of work and time into turning Dead Will Rise into what is kind of like a business.”

Having a business work ethic has paid off for the band, as it was signed in early 2007 to Twelve Gauge Records, which released Entrepreneur.

“The owner of the label is a very cool guy and very stubborn with his ethics, which is good for us,” Owens said.

“Recently he was dealing with one of his bands trying to go to a bigger label, and he didn’t accept the buy out … we all feel strongly about our beliefs and we like to be on a label that does that as well.”

Aside from its Entrepreneur, Dead Will Rise released an EP, Rest Assured The End Is Upon Us, in 2005.

“We started recording that two weeks after I joined so that was a learning process for me,” Owens said. “It was the first time in a studio for all of us.”

Although the band knows how to put forth serious effort as a business, it also knows how to have a good time, listing Pabst Blue Ribbon beer as one of its “Influences” on its MySpace page.

“We always seem to have more fun than everyone else,” Owens said. “We played in Detroit last weekend at a roller rink, and I was excited because they told me because I was in the band I got some skates for free and we were skating around like crazy.”

The band’s attitude has sparked some tension from some of the Christian and straight edge bands they play with when they tour in the South, Owens said.

“We have had some Christian venues not allow us to sell our merch, but we just sell it out of the back of our truck like M.C. Hammer,” Owens said. “We haven’t (had a lot of problems) being rowdy … even if you’re straight edge you can hang out with us.”

The band has not been able to play shows and tour as much as it would like because Owens is an audio production major at Ohio University. However, if its upcoming summer tour goes well he might drop out of school and finish classes online, he said.

“I have found more possible job opportunities through the band than with being an audio production major,” Owens said.

“I fully intend to move back in with my mom and live off her so I can be in the band.”