Hailing from Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the US, Unteachers was formed by Stephen Mark Sarro after the demise of previous project Tantrum Of The Muse. With their roots in noise, sludge and progressive rock and metal, but always unrestrained by preconceived barriers or definitions, the Unteachers sound is unpredictable; multifaceted, adventurous and powerfully emotive, it evokes different sonic reference points from every individual that encounters it. In a world increasingly obsessed by tags and labels, Unteachers deftly sidestep them all. Now, after their 2007 EP, Untantrum, the 2012 split with Grace & Thieves and 2014 full length debut album A Human Comedy, the second Unteachers album is finally upon us. Sarro and long-term friend and creative partner, drummer Wyse, began work on Under Bright Sadness way back in 2021 - but the demands of family life and the day-to-day trials and tribulations of human existence have made it a long, hard road to get to this point of completion. Under Bright Sadness is a record that holds a mirror to the lives and times of two men; fathers, sons, husbands, brothers and keepers of the Faith, bound by a lifetime of uncompromising passion for music…and the years of its creation become an irrelevance as the music starts to unfold…

With the portentous toll of a bell, opening track, 'Passage I: The Harrowing Of Hell', immerses us in a tumult of noise. The waves of anxious, teeth grinding claustrophobia feel like a test, an examination of fortitude and integrity that stretches out the nerves…until the layers of noise are gradually stripped away and we're riding onwards, carried forward by the pulsing bass, echoing guitars and desperately welcome space of 'Psalmnambulist'. From here Unteachers take us on a journey across vast swathes of the musical map. Each song grows, blossoms and evolves within its unique liquid framework, bonded by the album's tangible spirit and identity. 'Song Of Seven Pillars' overflows with explosive energy, bulldozing riffs, punk power and aggression yet segues perfectly into the moment of untarnished peace that is 'Passage II: Womb Waker'. 'Last Rites For Lesser Magick', introduced by the words of theologian and philosopher Francis Schaeffer is driving, forceful and propulsive while 'The Orb Was Only Dust' is genuinely beautiful, its sublime vocal melodies and haunting refrain of "I will never be the same" encapsulating how Under Bright Sadness carries such a weight of emotion and possesses that rare ability to touch the heart and move the spirit. The album concludes with 'Lamps Of Vision', an epic summation that wanders the diverse world of sound that has come before, from the most tranquil pools of reflection to the most challenging, jagged peaks…it encompasses the exhilaration and deep emotion, the heavy, the fierce and the quietly beautiful…it's the perfect conclusion to this remarkable, immensely powerful and thought-provoking album. As it fades, the years involved in Under Bright Sadness' creative process all make absolute sense.

Recorded at the Sarro homestead on an isolated farm in Lancaster County, then superbly mastered by Cliffy Huntington at Steinhaus Mastering (Dropkick Murphys, My Silent Wake, Sentinel Beast etc) the sound of Under Bright Sadness has weight and form, a tactile nature that makes you want to reach into the songs and touch the richly textured guitars. The album will be released on October the 16th by Rottweiler Records and for those with open hearts and minds it will prove to be one of the albums of the year - and a listening experience to revisit time and again in the years to come.

Line up:

Stephen Mark Sarro - Vocals/Guitars/Bass

Wyse - Drums/Electronics

Genre: Progressive Metal/Punk

For fans of: Melvins | Dead Can Dance | Killing Joke | King Crimson | High On Fire

Find out more about Unteachers at IPR here

Further information:

https://www.facebook.com/unteachers

https://www.instagram.com/unteachersofficial

https://unteachersrr.bandcamp.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZMuJThC0sDe6hIgK2u-VLQ

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7nHvwdENyqp2Bj6Z4zE1ur

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/unteachers/1609797391

 

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