Accuser of the Brethren: A beatdown brought to you by Random Acts of Violence

Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Keato, the vocalist of Accuser of the Brethren, a deathcore band, based out of Lansing Michigan to chat about the band’s history and their plans for the future.

With influences like Traitors, Bodysnatcher and Kublai Khan TX, and a self-described sound that’s a deathcore/beatdown blend, Accuser Of The Brethren has two official singles on all major streaming platforms, Buried Deep and Random Acts of Violence. The band writes songs to engage the crowd and get them to get involved and interact when playing live. On top of the two singles that have been released, there are five other full-length songs they perform in their live sets, and they have very recently re-entered the recording studio to lay some new tracks.

The band consists of four members: Keato, the vocalist, Brandon on drums, Dustin on bass, and Pockets on guitar. Accuser was born from two other bands, Immortal Insight, the band Keato, Dustin and Pockets had been in together previously, and Heed the Assailant, the band Brandon originally played for. Accuser formed out of a desire to evolve their writing and sound to a different style. Couple in what the band says is instant chemistry, and you end up with some killer beatdown deathcore music.

The band formed, in name alone, in 2019, but didn’t unveil themselves to the music world until 2022. Their first live performance was at Hear This Fest at the Diesel Concert Lounge in New Baltimore, Michigan, on March 18, 2023. I was actually there in the crowd that night. Their cohesiveness was incredible, and I never would have thought it was their first live performance. Impressed to find that out is an understatement. While they had some minor technical difficulties that night, it’s live music, an unpredictable beast, and they handled themselves like pros.

Though they were offered the opportunity to play several shows throughout the year, the band chose to play only a few to focus more on writing and launching the band. From Hear This Fest, they went on to open for another Michigan band, Heartsick at the Junction in Lansing Michigan on April 28, 2023. They also played at Mulligan’s Pub in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on May 19, 2023. From there, they went to Spartanburg, South Carolina, to Total Death Fest on October 21. They then headlined their own show on November 11 at Turnstiles in Grand Rapids Michigan and ended the year at the Music Factory in Battle Creek Michigan on December 16, opening for North Carolina’s Filth at Dark Christmas 2023. As of right now, you can catch them on June 15, 2024, at Indy Metal Fest, presented by Snakepit Promotions at Black Circle in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The band has accomplished a lot in a year. They write all their own music and make their own demos and have even created their own merch. All of their music is produced, mixed, and mastered by Fractured Audio. As they grow and their reach increases, they are choosing to stay independent for now and forge their own path. Trying to play shows and have fun is their main goal. They love meeting and interacting with their fans. “We just want people to come out and punch each other in the face for us,” Keato joked.

Aside from working with Accuser, Keato spent a big part of 2023 recording features for other bands. You can hear his vocals on Beyond the Veil by Final Confession and Pesticide by Let it Rot. He can also be found on a Glass Guillotine song, as well as a couple of unreleased and untitled tracks still to come. He’s assisted in writing some of the lyrics for these tracks as well.

Accuser of the Brethren has some huge things in store for 2024, some of which were shared with me, but haven’t been released by the band yet, so all I can say is I’m very excited for all of their future endeavors and you all should be too. This band has an amazing future as they solidify themselves as a deathcore force to be reckoned with in the metal community.

Photo credit: Crista West

Logo: Jake Smith