Tyler Beam: Vocals
Wyatt McLaughlin: Guitar / Synthesizer
Andrew Petway – Bass
Dylan Potts – Drums
Intense and intensely personal, The Dead Ones marks The Last Ten Seconds of Life‘s Metal Blade label debut. For the 10 original tracks of pulverizing deathcore produced by Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland of Pennsylvania’s Atrium Audio, the band focused on “the guitar/bass/drum tones as well as the mix/master to achieve a super-thick sonic output and ‘rolling-tank’-like feel,” guitarist Wyatt McLaughlin explains.
With the singles “The Dead Ones,” “Make It to Heaven,” and “Rat Trap,” TLTSOL have once again “reasserted their position as innovators and leaders in the deathcore genre…crafting an experience that challenges and captivates their audience,” as Knotfest raved about the lineup.
Four stellar guests are featured on the album – “Make It to Heaven” has David Simonich of Signs of the Swarm; Nate Johnson, ex-Fit For an Autopsy, appears on “Rat Trap;” “Dollar to a Dime” has Alan Grnja of Distant; and “XXXXXXXXXX” features original TLTSOL vocalist Storm Strope.
In creating The Dead Ones, “everyone took what we learned from the past two releases and assembled what we thought would bring out the best of us from song structure, tonality of instruments, the mix/master, and the lyrical themes,” furthers McLaughlin. The end result reflects a more personal and human experience rather than the philosophical and fictional approach used on NNG.
The first single, “The Dead Ones,” is specifically about how the actions of humanity can take an individual’s actual innate humanity away. “Dealing with these emotions can make you want to reach out to people who bring you comfort or peace and be a vessel to speak to them again,” McLaughlin says. “It invokes the physical scene of a seance and connecting with those, but questions if good is only a temporary veil for evil and warns about what lines might be crossed looking into the void.”
Musically, TLTSOL have a level of comfort in the studio with producers Slovak and McFarland that allowed for a no-b.s. experience. The Dead Ones was recorded with a six-string baritone Viper from ESP-LTD tuned to Drop F, the same tuning used since 2012′s Warpath EP in 2012. To elevate the intensity, the band also used an Earthquaker SUNN and Keeley Octa Psi drop tune pedal on certain sections.
Lyrically, The Dead Ones follows 2024′s acclaimed No Name Graves in the theme of death and rebirth, but in contrast, is directly focused on the human experience and the band members’ own struggles. The Last Ten Seconds of Life has never been stronger as a unit. With singer Tyler Beam, bassist Andrew Petway and drummer Dylan Potts in the band since 2022, the chemistry is super-charged. “Everyone is very direct and any bumps in the road are solved through group conversations,” McLaughlin says. “Sometimes it takes years to find the right mix of people who all coincide at the right times in their lives to coexist and elevate each other and this is it for us.“
The Last Ten Seconds of Life was forged in 2010. Within a year, they were touring regularly and had self-released their debut album, Know Your Exits. By 2013, they unleashed their second album, Invivo [Exvivo], the prolific act would go on to release five more full lengths, each earning Billboard chart placements and reaping critical accolades both stateside and abroad. With a total of 50+ tours since 2011 with bands including Sepultura, Cattle Decapitation, and The Black Dahlia Murder, TLTSOL are showing no signs of slowing down. On the contrary, they’re looking to a 2026-2027 that’s among the busiest times in the band’s history. “Everyone in the group was a teenager or in their early 20s when this band started,” says McLaughlin, concluding, “The sonic and lyrical growth has been immeasurable in ability and maturity. At this point it seems like another life!”
