The metallic hardcore outfit Buried Truth is preparing to unleash its new 7″ EP, Tortured Ascension, through Transcendental Revolution this March. “Defiled,” the project’s single, is already raging across streaming platforms and Bandcamp, accompanied by a stark, heavy music video.
The band, officially formed in 2022, melds dark, down-tuned guitars with brutal, pummeling rhythms that recall early-2000s metalcore and hardcore. Influences such as Blood Has Been Shed, Martyr AD, Advent, On Broken Wings, Terror, and Remembering Never loom large, and there’s a simple motto:
Bring back breakdowns!
Buried Truth’s story starts in a Kentucky storage unit, where Kevin and Justin—veterans of Masked, Ten Year Winter, Dead Icons, and other local acts—began writing heavy material during the early days of COVID. Doyle joined soon after on bass, bringing a background that spans funk, blues, pop punk, and hardcore.
Dan, previously of Left to the Wolves, took on vocal duties, and the band started channeling the collective tension of the times into crushing songs. Their writing process is a group effort, with Kevin generating riffs and everyone weighing in on arrangements. Months of deliberation and revision shape each track, ensuring the final cut reflects the raw intensity they seek.
The new music demonstrates the band’s willingness to dig into personal struggles and mental battles. On “Growing Pains,” the focus is on self-reflection and confronting the person in the mirror. “Defiled” lashes out at old ghosts and the people who tried to hold you back, while “Natural Law” wrestles with day-to-day pressures and the pull of nature as a source of solace. “Echoes of Sanity” explores anxiety’s relentless grip, highlighting the inner fights needed to break free.
Even in a city known for country and bluegrass, Lexington’s hardcore and punk community remains active. Buried Truth points to Age of Panic, Retribution, Raptured, Dismal, and Lips as just a few of the acts fueling the local scene.
Support runs both ways, with bands propping each other up and forging a tight-knit network despite a shortage of solid venues. Buried Truth recorded their newest EP at Bricktop Studios in Chicago with Pete Grossman, managing to wrap up sessions before their original drummer had to depart. The addition of drummer Cameron Covington and guitarist Zach Honeycutt from Raptured has given the group an extra boost for what they see as a next-level chapter.
If you’d like to dive deeper into their writing process, the Kentucky scene, their background, upcoming releases, and the significance behind the EP’s visuals, read the full interview below.
Give us a brief background of the band. Your inspirations, your creative process, how you’ve reached this point, and how you view your evolution so far.
The band started in a storage unit, during covid we were all bored, so Kevin and Justin started meeting up and jamming in a shared storage unit, just something to pass the time, they had both been in bands together in the past, both Kev and Justin were in a local hardcore band “Masked” previously, Kev was in the locally heralded “Ten Year Winter” in the 2000’s and Justin had found success in the band “Dead Icons” and had several projects before this. They got a few songs together and realized they may have something here..
Around that time Justin got a new custom kit, he posted it on Instagram and Doyle (bassist) DM’d him saying.. “We should do something with that kit.” so he was invited to the jams. Doyle has been a Bassist in many local acts ranging from funk, blues, pop punk, and hardcore. With a full band going and a few songs under our belt, we decided a singer was necessary, after some short conversation we all agreed we needed to hit up Dan. Dan was a local hero from the band “Left to the Wolves” a staple of the Kentucky music scene gone international.
With writing, Kevin usually will bundle a lot of riffs and we pick one that will give us a good start and if any others can be pieced together to fit nicely in the song. Oftentimes, parts are written on the spot or riffs are changed or written together to make a better flow for the song. Everyone is part of the writing process rather it be riff writing or compilation of a song. We’ll usually write a song and sit on it for quite a while and listen to it over and over and make changes. Usually the first version of the song is not what you hear on our final recordings. Rather months of changes and deliberating.
The influences involved in the writing process definitely draws heavily from the 2000’s era metalcore and hardcore sound. Blood Has Been Shed, Martyr AD, Advent, On Broken Wings, Terror, and Remembering Never were and still are some of the heavy influences used when composing music for this band. Our motto, especially early on, was “Bring Back Breakdowns!”
Give us your commentary on all new tracks and share some thoughts on the meaning behind the lyrics and the message of the release.
In general, Buried Truth writes what we feel, both lyrically and musically. I will usually take the songs -once we feel like it is to a stopping point musically- and sit with it for a while to see what thoughts and emotions are brought forward. It helps me to be able to feel a real connection to the songs and their individual meanings.
Then the rest of the band helps me finalize what I have to fit it just right. It is important that people can feel that real connection and form one of their own with our music. Every mind is different, that is what makes music and its shared meanings so special.
Total strangers can connect over the way lyrics or a riff make them ignite with emotion/passion. Every song lyrically has its own thought process and meanings driving it. Giving all listeners a chance to find and share similar emotions to us in the band.
Growing Pains:
Is about those moments in life when self reflection has occurred and it’s time to face the person in the mirror. We all must have these moments if we ever care to better ourselves and truly change. This song is a look into my struggles eliminating parts of my life to grow in new, better ways.
Defiled:
As soon as I heard this song, I knew exactly what I wanted to do lyrically. I had a run in with a past “ghost” we will call it. The flood of emotions from that moment timed perfectly with the creation of this song musically to give birth to this creation. It’s a big middle finger to anyone who ever tried to hold you back in life and despite them you grew and now they couldn’t even begin to know you now. Who they knew is dead and gone, just like them.
Natural Law:
This song reflects on the daily struggle we all share in being a human in modern times. We all feel the pressures from time and society everyday. In nature, many people can find themselves and their peace. The song is about my struggle in finding that balance to find some sort of peace.
Echoes of Sanity:
The turmoil of the mind. Anxious minds are in general always racing, putting us on the attack and defense all day long. Trying to filter the thoughts and find the right state of mind is an art form few can master. This song discusses the fight and how finding the right one can set you free to a better everyday existence. Something I wish for us all.
If there’s a connection between the music and visuals, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the cover art.
The cover art was chosen from an online artist @imageofabuse. The particular cover we used depicts a funeral scene of a deceased man lying in a casket.
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I (Kevin) was the first to see the image and shared it with everyone and it was a unanimous “yes”. I think for me it depicts how I felt all year.
I had to deal with a lot of turmoil and instability in my family life due to a major medical issue with one of my loved ones. The darkness of the image, the death, to me signifies the fight and death of my worry.
The death of my depression and anxiety that I fought with all of 2024. To me it’s the death of my fear. Therefore, the music is very angry and depicts that fight I was in all of 2024.
We’d love to hear your perspective on your local alternative and underground scene. How has it evolved since you’ve been part of it? Are there any bands, labels, or key players you’d recommend?
I think we’ve got to this point mostly by writing good songs and being in a very supportive music scene. When you think of Lexington, Kentucky, you usually think of bluegrass and country music but there is a very active hardcore and punk scene here. Even without a solid venue, bands support each other. Bands promote each other. We’ve played with great bands in the area such as Age of Panic, Retribution, Raptured, Dismal, and LIPS just to name a few.
What are your hopes for the project in 2025?
2024 was definitely a slow year for us. We didn’t get to play out as much as we wanted. So I feel like we took a step back. We all have jobs and families and for a few of us that had to take priority.
By the end of the year, we had scraped up enough time to record our newest ep at Bricktop Studios in Chicago with Pete Grossman. Shortly after, our original drummer had to quit due to a demanding job schedule. Luckily another local drummer, Cameron Covington stepped in and has killed it.
In addition, we added a 2nd guitar player Zach Honeycutt who plays in one of our favorite 859 bands Raptured. It’s all uphill from here. We love the new songs and you can definitely hear the growth of this band. It’s only gonna get better with the new people we added.
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