Metal at its Finest
the Story of the Band: Prosody
by Lady Spitfire

Formed in 2011 from the ashes of the 90’s Pennsylvania USA death metal act, Ossuary, Prosody joined forces with former members of Pave the Way, Demeter and 10 Second Drop to unleash a mix of thrash metal, hardcore and death metal.

With the release of their debut, The Dawn of Brutality, on June 2, 2013 – featuring cover art by former Ossuary alumni and artist, Eric Armusik – Prosody is ready to enter today’s metal market and show the masses that this five piece of veteran musicians has the experience to be a driving force in the world of extreme metal.

Just to give you some history on the band; In 1993, Christopher Stroud (lead guitar) joined Ossuary, a death metal band from Pennsylvania. Ossuary had 3 main vocalists, one being Ken Ebersole. After four years with the band, Chris exited in late 1996. One year later, Chris joined Christopher Rosenko (guitar) and Robert Smith (drums) to form Migrane. This band had a strong two year run until its end.

Christopher Rosenko and Robert Smith would again collaborate together in 10 Second Drop and Demeter until 2005. Meanwhile, Christopher Stroud formed Bodyfall, which ended in 2002. Stroud’s replacement in Ossuary was Ed Witkowski, who played with Jay Comitz, drummer of Ossuary. in the band Lowlyfe. Christopher Stroud was invited to join Lowlyfe in 2005, and remained with them until 2007. At this time, Christopher Rosenko enjoyed success in his next venture; Pave the Way, (which later morphed into Our Ashes Remain).

It wasn’t until 2011 when Christopher Rosenko left the band and contacted Stroud in hopes of building a new and fresh metal act. Calling up Robert Smith, who at the time played in various rock/radio cover bands, Prosody was born. A search went for a vocalist in the vein of Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed), Freddy Cricien (Madball), and Phil Enselmo (Pantera), which led to ex-Ossuary and then-current Praise the Sinner vocalist, Ken Ebersole.

When news broke that Ken was leaving his band, Christopher Stroud jumped at the chance to audition the singer. After a brutal and intense try out, Ken had the job. Two intense months of searching for a bassist led to ex Demeter guitarist, Dave Morris to round out the band.

Says Ken, “The first album; Dawn of Brutality was really us finding what our sound was as a band and hitting it hard. As we were writing the songs one at a time, we figured out that we were just interested in being the loudest heaviest form of metal you could find in this area. With each song, the drums got faster, and the guitars and bass got louder and heavier.

“The sounds of the vocals were getting a lot more extreme, as well as the topics that the songs were about. In a nutshell, the album topically is about the extreme conditions of the world today and how it’s all kind of spiraling out of control. I mean, every day you turn on the news, and the next story is more gruesome than the last. How long can this go on until it all erupts in our face? That’s what The Dawn of Brutality is, the erupting of everything coming to a head. The Dawn of Brutality was recorded and mixed in two days at Sound Investments in Old Forge.   The song was done in one take thanks to the perfection of the talent within the band. It is available on Amazon, iTunes and many other online sites.

Of course, this wasn’t stopping the band.  They are now preparing another album.  “‘Perfection through Dissection’ is the first single off of our second album entitled A Lifetime of Torment,” Ken tells us. “Heaviness-wise, A Lifetime of Torment is everything The Dawn of Brutality isn’t. The Dawn of Brutality was us as a band finding our sound, and A Lifetime of Torment is us perfecting it. It’s in all ways heavier, faster, darker, and generally more brutal than its predecessor. We were like, well, we’ve found what we want to do, now let’s show everyone what we can do. I am all about constantly raising the bar and bettering yourself, and that’s exactly what the guys did musically. Vocally, I have tried to step it up also. I remember someone reviewing The Dawn of Brutality and thinking there were two vocalists. This time I said to myself I want them to think there are three. Topically, it’s darker in the aspect of picking up where The Dawn of Brutality left off. Basically, when everything erupts, it’s the life we are left with after. And no matter what you try to do, the memory will always be there tormenting you. Kind of like this is what’s left, your lifetime of torment. It goes into many directions explaining what that torment is, and the many faces of it. ‘Perfection through Dissection’ was recorded and mixed at JL Studios in Olyphant, as will be the rest of the cd.

So in a recent interview with Ken, the lead singer we proposed the following questions
What bands and life experiences have influenced your songs the most?

I am influenced vocally by bands like Six Feet Under and Suffocation. The guys are influenced by such a wide range from Chimera to Madball and everything in between. Topically, my lyrics are fictional, influenced by any horror film or book, and references like various serial killers and such. Nothing in my life influences anything I sing about. If so, I might be in prison!! HAHA

How do the lyrics and melody come to you?

Lyrics just come randomly. Actually, I have like thirty songs of lyrics already written that I choose from, and I just add to that list when inspiration strikes. I don’t believe in trying to conquer writer’s block. When you do, everything sounds bad. As for melody, it’s more like what range I’m screaming in, and that gets determined as I’m matching the lyrics to music.

Are your friends and family supportive of your music?

Both my friends and family are super supportive of it. I have always been blessed with supportive friends and family, and I am grateful every day for it.

What genre would you classify yourself as? (“Indie” isn’t actually a genre on its own specifically, it’s actually just to declare that this artist is independent; obviously. Indie-rock, Indie-electronic, etc. are all appropriate.)

That question is a little tricky. as we can be called so many things. We actually had a review asking this very question. There are literally so many influences that it’s hard to pinpoint. Sometimes we are very much like death core or death metal. but there a lot of thrash in there as well. We have even drifted into doom metal at times. I like to say we are brutal metal.

Are you self-taught in your music, or have you taken lessons?

Well, I actually took lessons to play guitar when I was like 13, but could not grasp the concept of reading music. I was then told I have a powerful voice and should maybe try vocals. I pretty much just winged it for a while, but later started studying bands like Pantera, Faith No More, and the Rollins Band, and how those guys not only did vocals but commanded the audience with overwhelming stage presence.

How long does it take you to write a song on average?

Usually. on average. about a day or two.

Are there any special traditions you and your band have when preparing for a show or writing a song?

Not really. We just practice hard whenever we get the chance so we are always ready. Writing is usually a group effort; the guys come up with a skeleton of the song, and I match up what lyrics fit best.

For more information on the band check them on Reverbnation; https://www.reverbnation.com/prosodymetal

If you wish to book the band please contact the bands general manager Christopher Stroud @ prosodymetal@yahoo.com