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Derek Kerswill | |
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Birth name | Derek M. Kerswill |
Born | Wilmington, Delaware, United States | April 5, 1973
Genres | Hard rock Heavy metal metalcore sludge metal thrash metal |
Occupation(s) | Drummer, record producer, artist |
Instrument(s) | Drums & percussion, guitar, bass |
Years active | 1990–present |
Labels | Equal Vision Records, Relapse Records, Metal Blade Records |
Website | MySpace page |
Derek M. Kerswill (born April 5, 1973 in Wilmington, Delaware) is an American musician best known for his drumming in the bands Unearth, Seemless, Kingdom of Sorrow, and multiple fill-ins/studio projects. While no longer on the road, he continues to play in several bands in the greater Boston area.
Derek has been playing drums since the age of 9. He is completely self-taught and also writes music on guitar and bass for his band Seemless.
His resume boasts some of metals top visionaries, including most recently, Massachusetts based metal outfit Unearth and underground sludge-core super group Kingdom of Sorrow. Kingdom of Sorrow's debut album was released in February 2008, debuting at #131 on Billboard Top 200. He has also spent time in Shadows Fall, Icepick, and a host of studio work that has demonstrated his diverse playing, while always maintaining a style all his own. He has also coined the term "Brutal Groove", which best describes his style. He was also officially named as Unearth's new drummer. Most recently, his project Seemless has disbanded, but the surprisingly atmospheric and pop-sensible T A N G E N T S has surfaced as his new project, with longtime friend and song writing collaborator Dave Witham.
In late 2010, Derek announced his departure from Unearth and immediately toured with The Ghost Inside on their "Returners" 25 date European tour. Another new project with Matt Bachand and Jon Donais of Shadows Fall fame has surfaced in the form of a heavy and 80's influenced rock/metal band called Dead of Night.
In late 2014, a new supergroup featuring Derek & Brian Fair of Shadows Fall surfaced in the form of Downpour and rumors have been flying through the metal industry for months claiming they have an entire record finished and they are just waiting for the "right label" before releasing.
Derek Kerswill uses USA Custom, New Classic, and Renown Maple Gretsch drums, a variety of snare drums, and Gibraltar Hardware. He also uses and endorses Aquarian drumheads, Vater drumsticks (he uses X-Treme Designs "Punisher" and "Warrior"), XL Specialty Cases and Meinl cymbals.
Jesse David Leach is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist of the metalcore band Killswitch Engage. He is also a vocalist for Times of Grace and The Weapon. Leach co-founded Killswitch Engage in 1999, but left the band in 2002; in February 2012, he rejoined the group following the departure of vocalist Howard Jones. He currently resides in the Catskill Mountains in New York.
Jaska Raatikainen is a Finnish musician, he is best known as the former drummer and co-founder of the melodic death metal band Children of Bodom from 1993 until his departure in 2019. He is currently in the project called Mercury Circle.
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Daniel Svensson is a Swedish drummer. He is currently a member of the Swedish supergroup The Halo Effect (2021–) and formerly a drummer of the metal bands In Flames, Sacrilege GBG and Diabolique.
Unearth is an American metalcore band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1998. The group consists of lead guitarist Buz McGrath, vocalist Trevor Phipps, bassist Chris O'Toole, drummer Mike Justian and rhythm guitarist Peter Layman. They are currently signed to Century Media Records and have released eight studio albums. Their most recent studio album, The Wretched; the Ruinous, was released on May 5, 2023.
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Seemless was an American stoner metal band formed by ex-Shadows Fall/Unearth drummer Derek Kerswill, Killswitch Engage vocalist Jesse Leach, and ex-Overcast/Killswitch Engage guitarist Pete Cortese.
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Kingdom of Sorrow is an American sludge metal band that features Kirk Windstein of Crowbar and Down, along with Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed.
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Benny Greb is a German drummer, singer and clinician. He started playing the drums at age six and began taking lessons at age twelve. He plays a large variety of music and can be seen playing rock with Stoppok and The Ron Spielman Trio, jazz with The Benny Greb Brass Band and Sabri Tulug Tirpan, funk with Jerobeam, fusion with the NDR Big Band on their Frank Zappa Project, with 3erGezimmeR and Wayne Krantz, and acoustic punk with Strom & Wasser. He has also performed at the Modern Drummer Festival 2010 and at many clinics and drum festivals around the world. Greb is endorsed by Sonor Drums and has his signature snare, Remo Drum Heads, Vic Firth, and by Meinl Percussion. He developed with Meinl a signature line of Byzance Vintage Series cymbals including the "Sand Ride" and "Sand Hats," both known for their sandblasted finishes. In 2012, Meinl introduced new "Sand Crash" and "Sand Crash/Ride" cymbals to the Byzance Vintage lineup.
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