BIO

Born from a musician’s desire to re-envelope their life in the heaviness that is metal and to refamiliarize with a conduit that could be considered detrimental amidst today’s destructive society, the gritty powerhouse that is TEETH emerged from the sludge of a foul generation. For over 20 years founders Blake Louis Prince and Chris LeMasters have not just maintained a friendship, but a working relationship on the road, touring with other projects, and sustaining their careers. Their need to create this specific variety of instinctual music eventually led to a decision to collaborate and develop a pressure cooker of raw and abrasive sonic eruptions. “There was never a big plan to record an album and go on tour, it was more because we both needed an outlet, and since then it just snowballed,” explains LeMasters.  

While many bands and record labels are enslaving themselves to the algorithm, TEETH simply allows their music to be a conductor for the inevitable pain and violence that is reality. Their adherence to this artistic integrity is a huge part of what caught the eye of heavy metal foundry, Nuclear Blast Records. Recently signed to the label, this new union stands only to further amplify into the new year. “This band; this vehicle, is fuelled by very personal experiences for both Chris and I. It’s what made the whole situation so effortless, but it’s also made it organic and pure, and I think that’s what’s been received so well as far as what we’ve put into this,” describes Prince.

Resolved to utilize the carcasses of their conquered demons as fodder for a new euphonious weapon, TEETH wanted to create the most ignorant, aggressive sounding music imaginable. “We wanted it to be uncomfortable. We’d both been going through a lot of heavy stuff in our personal lives; family issues, separations, addictions… it was like: either go crazy, or start a crazy band. We needed to do this so we didn’t implode as individuals, and it’s been a very cathartic experience. I’m sure as a listener you can hear it,” recounts Prince.

Highly influenced by discomfort, there can be no compromise in the structure of what they’re producing because what flows from TEETH is purely honest, and quite unlike anything that has been heard before. Songs like “DESTROYER” (the first song the band ever wrote or released) received overwhelming feedback that led them to hunker down and record the others. 

“We recorded a ton of it in my home studio. It’s a fast, super heavy, almost punk influenced thing; a nod to some of the older thrashy-punk roots that we come from. We grew up listening to 90’s hardcore so we appreciate the speed and the craziness, there,” describes LeMasters. 

“‘DESTROYER’ touches on some personal, life altering stuff that I was going through, and some experiences that I was dealing with throughout that era of my life,” explains Prince. “The lyrics are pretty pissed off.” 

The violent, and almost hypnotizing track “DEATH RACE” starts with an alarm, then blasts into repetitive, jagged guitar work. “We actually wrote ‘DEATH RACE’ about the pandemic,” laughs LeMasters. “We were already in the midst of writing the song, and then around March Covid hit the United States and we thought ‘fuck, this needs to be a Covid song.’ The lyrics are about being locked up and not really knowing what to do with yourself. The message isn't’ deep or political, it's more about dealing with the insanity that ensues such a situation. I think ‘panic’ is the best word that fits both the situation and the song. It was like our little contribution to the soundtrack of Covid.” 

TEETH themselves, have proclaimed that the project is more like an absence of songwriting. While most bands are trying to figure out how to fit a chorus into the first 30 seconds of what they want to be a single, TEETH are of the philosophy that every subsequent part of the song needs to be more disgusting, uncomfortable, and nasty than the part before it. “It’s supposed to feel frantic; super visceral and aggressive,” explains Prince. “Pain is an adhesive, and in a time where there’s a lot of pent up emotion towards friends, family, everything around us... it gives people a nice vehicle to air their grievances.” 

Only a couple things remain to be seen with TEETH: when will their new album drop, and what bands can you look forward to seeing them grace the stage with? Keep your eyes on Nuclear Blast Records and TEETH socials for updates. TEETH is Chris LeMasters, Blake Louis Prince, Marc Quagliarini, and Mat Stewart.