Brütälür melts faces despite winter cold

It’s not every day that I get declared an honorary member of a metal band, despite the fact that I don’t play any instruments. However, the three members of local Fargo metal act Brütälür saw fit to honor me with that status. Great times were had by this metalhead and the band members as we had drinks and waxed on about the band, heavy metal in general, and the upcoming concert on Saturday, January 14 that they would be performing with their openers: the newly-premiered Fargo black metal outfit Demifiend and hardcore band Swing Low. 

Brütälür, which was formed in the summer of 2015, is composed of guitarist Natanic Pehler, lyricist and vocalist Jarret Vossler, bassist Drew “Andy” Dominic, fellow guitarist Dustin DeTar, and drummer Dave Johnson, the first three being the ones able to show up for the interview. Their own Facebook page describes them as “foul-mouthed punk-infused metal outta Fargo, ND that gives no f***s.” When I asked them if they were sticklers about the customary metal umlauts in the band name. “Absolutely,” said Natanic. 

Jarret said that when he was designing the logo for the band with those totally metal umlauts that grace the names of bands like Motley Crue and Motorhead, he wanted a “recognizable logo” that’s “not too serious. The whole thing is very tongue-in-cheek and over-the-top. We can still strike a nerve with some of our lyrics though.” Jarret went on to talk about how controversial art has to exist in order for our society to grow and change. “I’m not saying we’re going to change the world by any means, though,” he said. 

Indeed, we discussed how metal bands, despite the fact that their music can touch on serious issues, often thrive with a certain degree of self-awareness of their own antics and extreme lyrics and imagery, and often embrace a certain degree of ridiculousness, like how vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher of death-metal band Cannibal Corpse, lent his likeness to the main character of Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse, a cartoon that parodied metalhead culture. 

Natanic said, “Look at horror,” as another example of an often self-aware form of entertainment that pushes the boundaries of acceptable behavior and good taste in order to entertain, and to a certain degree to be cathartic. 

That being said, despite the flak that both horror films and metal music have received over the years for supposedly perverting youth, no director or band worth their salt actually condones or encourages imitating the shocking material often found in their content. No one expects someone to go on a killing spree imitating Jason Voorhees after watching a Friday the 13th movie, just to watch it and get a few scares. 

A perfect example of this button-pushing, over-the-top aesthetic that the band embraces is a new song to be premiered at the concert, according to Jarret, called “#nolivesmatter.” The song’s lyrics melt faces by describing the destruction of the entire human race. While that subject matter obviously can’t be taken seriously, the excess in the lyrics is a great vehicle to vent frustration with, and satirize the phenomenon of “hashtag activism,” putting trending hashtags on one’s social media site instead of actually putting in the time and effort to volunteer and donate. It also encapsulates Jarret’s idiosyncratic view that every person is responsible for all of the world’s problems. 

In fact, Jarret’s original working title for the song was “A Not-So-Modest Proposal.” This is, of course, an obvious nod to famous satirist Jonathan Swift’s essay “A Modest Proposal”, which suggested to the corrupt and greedy English aristocracy that was taxing Ireland into poverty that they could address the issue of poverty and overpopulation in Ireland by having the poor sell their infants as a delicacy to be eaten by the rich Englishmen. This satirical work was obviously not suggesting that the rich English start eating the children of the Irish poor, but rather a jab at the wealthy’s disdain for the well-being of the Irish people. 

This will be the first time that Brütälür has performed at the Aquarium in several months. In fact, Natanic said that the band has probably performed only about a dozen times in Fargo. They have never toured terribly often, either, with their furthest performance being in Ohio for Natanic’s horror film-directing idol Fred Vogel. 

“We don’t want to tour too much around here because it creates a sense that you can miss the show,” Natanic said. “By only performing in Fargo occasionally, the anticipation for each upcoming show is greater due to them not happening as often, and people are less likely to just stay home, thinking, ‘Oh, I can go ahead and miss that show because they’ll be here next week anyway.’” 

Besides the concert, the band also said they have their first full-length album in the works, are willing to publish their demo for people who approach them on social media asking for it, and that their music can also be found on Bandcamp. 

When asked if they had anything else to add, Natanic proudly displayed the metal horns gesture and said, “Hail Satan.” Jarret shook his head, to which Natanic said, “F*** you.” That’s a hell of a way to end an interview. 

IF YOU GO 

Brütälür, with Swing Low, and Demifiend 

Saturday, January 14, 9:30pm doors, 10pm show 

The Aquarium (Dempsey’s upstairs), 226 Broadway, Fargo $5, 21+