By Jacqueline Radakovich
Brotality brought their “It Feeds” Tour to Lincoln, Nebraska last night, bringing a night of metal and intense headbanging to 1867 Bar. The New York band is celebrating the release of their new EP, “It Feeds,” and is hitting tons of midwestern cities and shows in Arkansas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and, of course, ending the tour in their home state, New York. Opening the night for Brotality included Cyphen, a local metal band in Lincoln, and Blindied, another Lincoln local who played a solo show to kick off the night. Each act went well together, and while it was a bit last minute, the bill came together nicely, and each band complemented each other in their own way.
Blindied is Ethan McCorkle Dieken, who played a solo set to open up the night. Unfortunately, I could only catch the end of his set, but he played his acoustic guitar and sang some hard rock/Midwest-emo-sounding songs. One of his middle strings broke on his guitar less than halfway through, but he did not let that stop him and continued his set passionately. Ethan belongs to a local Nebraska metal band, Orialus, and is active in the local music scene. He is working on an upcoming festival in Lincoln called “Fautumnall.” This event will occur on September 7 at Antelope Park in Lincoln, Nebraska. This event is exciting because it will feature several acts of live music, arts and crafts, and vendors, and it will also be a drive to recycle. They will accept a wide variety of recyclables with an emphasis on disposable vapes and batteries. This event focuses on keeping vapes out of landfills and into recycling to help our environment. Not only is this beneficial to the environment, but for every vape recycled, you will receive a raffle ticket for the possibility to win certain prizes. Be sure to check out Fautumnall in September!
Cyphen performed second, and I could not take my eyes off the stage. I have seen Cyphen once before, and they never disappoint. Cyphen is a high-energy rock band from Lincoln, Nebraska, formed in 2022 by Cody Harlan (bass) and Will Gades (guitar). They recruited Bryant Hunzeker for vocals and Josiah Hastings for drums. These guys perform so well together, and each member brings flair to the stage. Every member is always energetic and brings their all for every performance. Bryant’s vocals are impressive, and he is great to watch. Cody and Will are constantly headbanging while shredding on their guitars.
Even Josiah was going crazy behind the kit. They play with great chemistry and bring a sense of humor into their sets. Cyphen interacts with the crowd like it’s their friends, whether the crowd is big or small. I have seen them share the stage with metal giants like Vended, and they brought just as much passion and energy to this show as they did previously. I love to see bands give their all no matter how big the crowd is or who is in the crowd (and I can confidently say all bands did a great job at this). Last night, people questioned, “How is this band not bigger?” and I agree! They deserve more exposure and attention in the local scene and outside of it. The sound was a little off last night, but that will happen from time to time. If I had to give Cyphen any suggestions, it would be to work on promoting and putting themselves out there more. With the right strategies, they can get the attention they deserve. Their first album is releasing very soon, so be sure to be on the lookout for it! If you missed this show, you could catch their next show at Maloney’s in Council Bluffs, IA, on August 10, or if you are from Lincoln, Duffy’s Tavern on August 20. You can find them on Instagram @cyphenofficial, and on Spotify, where they have three songs on streaming so you can get the idea of Cyphen before their album release.
Brotality at 1867 Bar Photo Credit: @jrad.arts
Brotality is a metal band from upstate New York and was formed by brothers Bryce Maopolski and Reece Maopolski, along with John Harring. Bryce is on guitar and vocals, Reece is on bass and vocals, and John is on drums. With influences from Mastodon and Megadeth, they bring an old-school feeling to their modern destruction. Brotality was amazing to watch. From the guitarist's mad riffs and solos to the heavy bass, I didn’t want their set to stop. They were amazingly in sync and had great chemistry on stage. There was no moment when they lacked energy, and they had everyone moving. I was constantly impressed by the guitar skills and couldn’t keep my eyes off Bryce. I never knew what he was going to do next. He had amazing solos where I could not stop looking at his hands and provided interesting sounds to keep the crowd on edge. Bonus point for his two guitars looking so cool. Reece had some of the most energy I have seen out of a bassist, and frankly, I could never choose who out of the three members to watch. The bass was guttural and distorted, adding so much to the music, not just your average bass tracks. John shredded behind the kit and played with energy and flair. Everyone was always moving, and there was no boring moment on stage.
Brotality at 1867 Bar Photo Credit: @jrad.arts
Both brothers contribute their elements to the vocals that make up the band. Bryce contributed more guttural-sounding screams, and the bassist carried on clean vocals and added his screams; they brought the heat to this area. Was there an area of their performance that was lacking? Not really. Vocals were on par, the guitar was crushing, the bass was guttural, and the drums were quick, loud, and on the beat. Their energy was 110%, they played great together, and they also had crowd interaction. While the crowd was not huge, everyone in the crowd was moving during their set, and little mosh pits even broke out. I also saw many people smiling and enjoying themselves during their set, which is true evidence of having fun. A quote from Bryant of Cyphen, “They were f****** awesome! They need to come back to Lincoln. They should be the new 1867 house band.” So, as you can see, we can’t wait for Brotality to come back! Don’t let their screams and thrash metal fool you; these guys seem so genuine and are mental health advocates for their fans and the metal scene. They partner with an organization that provides free mental health care to ensure people in the metal scene are never alone and always have someone to talk to. Their tour is less than halfway over, so check out their remaining dates to see if you can hit one! I would recommend experiencing this band. If you want to learn more about Brotality and its story, check out our interview! They just released an EP called “It Feeds” on all streaming platforms, so be sure to check it out!
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