Seemless to play in Bucksport

Remember when God-smack played Bumstock back in 1999? It was quite a coup for UMaine’s yearly music festival, since just a few months later the band became one of the biggest hard-rock acts in the country, with several multiplatinum albums and a headlining slot on Ozzfest.

The same kind of thing very well might happen in Bucksport tonight.

Seemless, a four-member, Worcester, Mass.-based band, will descend on the Kave, bringing with them their passionate, uplifting brand of riff-tastic, heavy rock. Derek Kerswill, the drummer, is nothing if not excited about the band’s slow but steady rise to prominence.

“We’re more influenced by life events and our experiences than by anything else,” Kerswill said, though he admitted that bands such as Soundgarden, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin have had an impact on the music they make. “I think we’re very unique in that we combine this kind of dark, heavy music with very positive lyrical content.”

Seemless’ style, equal parts power blues and old heavy metal, differs greatly from the music they used to make in other bands. The band features guitarist Pete Cortese and bassist Jeff Fultz, as well as Kerswill, who played drums for metal band Shadows Fall. Singer Jesse Leach was the former vocalist for Killswitch Engage. Both bands were and are huge in the metal community, with Killswitch Engage even getting nominated for a Grammy for best metal performance and landing a major gig on 2004’s Ozzfest tour.

One would think leaving those bands would be a difficult decision, especially at the height of their popularity.

Kerswill feels differently. “All four of us have always wanted to play this kind of music. We didn’t want to continue playing metal. There was a lot of controversy in the metal community when we left those bands to try to pursue this, but we were so passionate about the music we had to make that decision.”

The band’s self-titled debut album was actually recorded and released over a year ago, on a very small label called Losing Face. Their current label, Equal Vision, discovered the album and wanted to help them out, re-releasing it this past January to critical acclaim and widespread media attention. Currently, the video for “Lay My Burden Down” is sitting pretty at number 2 on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball video chart, in between such luminaries as Motley Crue and A Perfect Circle.

“This is exactly what we always wanted to do,” Kerswill said. “We’re being 240 percent honest when we do this.”

“And,” added Kerswill, “I guarantee you our live show is one of the best shows you’re going to see.”

Seemless will perform at the Kave Club in Bucksport tonight, Friday, April 8, with local favorites the Arcolytes, Stalk the Ground and Soundbender, as well as touring mates Of the Hour. Tickets are $10 and are available at Bull Moose Music outlets and at the show. Doors open at 6 p.m. For directions to the Kave, visit www.thekaveclub.com. More information on Seemless can be found at www.seemlessband.com. Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.