Starting a band as part of a ‘Worship Team’ isn’t exactly the most rock’n’roll thing we’ve ever heard. But fear not, Seattle melodic rock band Limberlost’s fusion of dynamic, tenacious grooves, infectious hooks and powerful vocals is right up there with the rockiest of them.
The band first started out with Mike Burt (drums) and Ricky Dunn (guitar) finding each other on Craigslist in late 2010 then, a few years later, found vocalist Krystle Pyette through a church she was leading. Fast-forward a couple of years and they had a few songs written but suddenly broke up, only for their local community to rally around them and eventually ignite their passion for creating music.
Bassist Ben Beman soon joined the band, before more personnel changes around one year ago saw Anthony Ciarochi come in on keyboard and Brittany Lauren take backing vocal reigns, who the band tell us have “swiftly inserted themselves into the character, personality and sound of Limberlost.”
Speaking of which, the name Limberlost is apparently derived from a legend of a place where people were lost and a girl whose life was influenced by the power of music. And, to the band themselves, Mike explains: “It serves as a metaphor of that place where we are found and have found each other and others that we will together, lead each other out of the darkness.”
So what does that sound like? Well, it’s pretty awesome. Long Shadows, from this year’s debut seven-track EP Limberlost Vol. 1, is an infectiously heavy track that opens up with a delicious little guitar solo over driving drums. Krystle’s engaging vocals take over and quickly intensify in a big chorus of “The long shadows bring me down on my knees, Drowning in turning tragedies, But it’s impressed on my soul to resist, I’m not going on like this.”
Another cool solo kicks in and drops into Krystle’s building vocals that feed into a second catchy chorus. That drops into big wailed vocals over fun bursts of guitar licks, which feed into impressively powerful repeats of the chorus vocals. Another huge guitar solo comes in alongside more repeats of the vocals to bring it to a huge ending. If this is religious rock, then sign us up for Church on Sunday. Give this corker of a track a listen below:
Another personal favourite is the lively Refiner, which opens up with a darting guitar riff then a big piercing lick that feeds into a light opening verse. It builds up to a singalong chorus “I’m in the fire, And it burns, But it moves me, it moves me, it hazes my return, ‘Cos in the fire I am revealed, It burns away the mess I make, Until I come to the refiner.”
A more upbeat second verse is dominated by dual vocals between Krystle and Brittany, which again feeds into a catchy chorus that drops into Krystle’s intense vocals. A big guitar solo takes over to wind to a laid-back ending. Give it a listen below:
The EP is packed with rocky goodness, such as the awesome Not My Own and excellent closing track Hands Up, so go and give it a listen. On the EP, Mike tells us: “The reaction and reception has been great. We recently won Album of the Year at the International Singer-Songwriter Awards in Atlanta, GA.
“What to expect… It’s an introduction, so come to meet Limberlost! Experience the stickiness of Ricky’s hooks and the hard-hitting grooves of the low end and the captivating voice and vocals of Krystle Pyette.”
The band draws influence from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Rival Sons, Fleetwood Mac and Heart, which come across in their infectious rock sound. While on their musical approach Mike explains: “We have an interesting songwriting dynamic. We have several writers so we write as a team and it can come from different directions at any time. Most of our content focuses on relationships and overcoming, with occasional social commentary.”
There’s plenty more to come from the band, who have several singles in the mix and a worldwide campaign upcoming with producer Timothy Eaton, a few shows coming up, then working on new markets they haven’t been to – including their biggest fanbase of Brazil. Random, right?
And Mike adds: “To date we have been blessed with an incredible team of people that believe in this band, David Mark from Crash Bang Boom Productions, David Jimenez from Jimenez Productions, Paul Crosby from the multi-platinum band Saliva, Bryan Perry from Perry Music Group, and most recently Timothy – that doesn’t even scratch the surface about this gentleman. Not to mention all the family members and others that keep us grounded and moving.”
You can follow Limberlost on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and check out their music on Spotify, iTunes and YouTube.
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