DEREK KERSWILL AVAILABLE TO SPEND MORE TIME ON TANGENTS

Derek Kerswill, who has been the drummer in Unearth since 2007, is now out of the band. The oft-utilized “creative differences” explanation was the only one given; the band promises to that they “will be announcing a replacement drummer for our upcoming European stint” shortly, and still plan to release a new album next year.

Kerswill is a great drummer but this news doesn’t really get me down. He’s the band’s third skin beater (that means “drummer,” right?), and The March, the 2008 release on which he played, wasn’t my favorite Unearth album, but it also wasn’t my least favorite Unearth album, and I really don’t think that any of Unearth’s albums are bad. I guess what I’m saying is, Kerswill was not the driving creative force behind this band, and I somehow suspect that they’re gonna bounce back pretty quickly.

And in the meantime, Kerswill’s Tangents project released their debut album, One Little Light Year, yesterday. It’s not my thing but I know some fine people who dig it. Hopefully it will keep Kerswill busy.

-AR