Joe MustenVocals Matt HarrisonGuitar Mike RichGuitar Johnny SmrdelBass Chris AnkeleinDrums
When Solid State recording artist Beloved suddenly called it a day in the winter of 2005, many of the band’s fans were left scratching their head. The North Carolina band seemed to be on the cusp of something larger than they had ever been before. They’d toured the nation numerous times, their debut full length “Failure On” had gotten positive reviews in critical press and they seemed to be in a place where most bands could only imagine. But, despite having grown up together, they were growing apart musically and emotionally. Band members began relationships and started projects that took their attention away from Beloved.
One of those projects was called Advent. Fronted by former Beloved drummer Joe Musten, Advent was an outlet for Musten and former Beloved guitarist Matt Harrison and bassist Johnny Smrdel, alongside newcomers Chris Ankelein on drums and Mike Rich on guitar, to express the heavier side of music they loved.
“The three of us grew up together listening to the heavy stuff,” states the Advent vocalist. “It was bands like Buried Alive, Strongarm and Turmoil that really inspired us. I always wanted to be a front man and get in people’s faces. I enjoy the screaming and I always believed I had something to say.”
Since the bands inception in 2005 Advent has been making quiet but steady progress out of Kernersville, North Carolina. Having shared the stage with musical contemporaries like Underoath, Every Time I Die, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster and others, Advent has been reaching out to crowds who are familiar with the member’s former melodic hardcore ties and introducing them to a more aggressive and straight forward incarnation.
“When we went on tour we only had 3 songs that Matt and Johnny and I wrote,” states Musten. “At first kids were thrown off. They knew we were from Beloved but they didn’t expect something this intense.”
In the Fall of 2007 the band entered Warrior Sound Studio to record their Solid State full length “Remove the Earth” with producers Mitch Marlow and Al Jacobs. “When we recorded ‘Failure On’ with Garth Richardson I wasn’t as emotionally invested and meticulous as I am with this record,” claims Musten. “We want to make a record that we can be proud of.”
With eleven songs tracked Musten’s favorites are the songs that reflect a strong lyrical perspective, much like the bands that influenced him to begin playing in the first place. “The song ‘Black Out’ is relevant to what is going on in America,” states Musten. “We’re in a dark spot and greed and hypocrisy are rampant. ‘Reflection’ is another one of my favorites. It’s about seeing ourselves for who we really are. Viewing the things we’re uncomfortable with and tired of trying to justify.”
“Remove the Earth” is a testament that change is often a positive step. Advent’s honest approach to hardcore will surely rekindle the genuine spirit within a style of music that often seems to have lost its way.
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