The Past Is Dead

2021 single by Beartooth
"The Past Is Dead"
Single by Beartooth
from the album Below
B-side"Skin"
ReleasedMarch 25, 2021 (2021-03-25)
Recorded2020
StudioCapital House Studio, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Genre
  • Rock[1]
  • heavy metal[1]
Length3:36
LabelRed Bull
Songwriter(s)
  • Caleb Shomo
  • Zach Huston
  • Will Deely
  • Oshie Bichar
  • Connor Denis
Producer(s)
  • Caleb Shomo
  • Oshie Bichar
Beartooth singles chronology
"Devastation"
(2021) 		"The Past Is Dead"
(2021) 		"Hell of It"
(2021)
Music video
"The Past Is Dead" on YouTube

"The Past Is Dead" is a song by American rock band Beartooth. The song was released on March 25, 2021, as the second single from their fourth studio album Below. It peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in September 2021.[2]

Background

The song was released on March 25, 2021, as the second single from their fourth studio album, Below, a week after the first single "Devastation".[1] A music video was released the same day,[3] featuring footage of the band performing the song among pyrotechnics and the band battling a surreal demon.[4]

Frontman Caleb Shomo noted that "The Past Is Dead" was one of the earliest songs written for the Below album.[4] The band worked on the song for over two years, eventually settling on the version that was included on the album, which ended up setting the tone for the rest of the album as well.[5]

A vinyl press of the single was released in August 2021, featuring "Skin" as the track's B-side and is limited to 500 copies.[6]

Themes and composition

The song is noted for maintaining the high energy commonly present in their music, but emphasizing emotive and melodic vocals rather than aggressive screaming.[7] It contains metalcore guitar riffs and breakdowns with extensive guitar layering and overdubbing.[8][9] The song's sound was described as more "anthemic", creating a juxtaposition between an uplifting sound and dark lyrical matter.[10] Lyrically, the song is about the inability to move on from traumatic situations in life,[1] inspired by Shomo's own mental strain he experienced over the course of 2020.[4] The song's music video is meant to be a visual representation of the mental strain written about in the song.[8]

Music video

The music video for "The Past Is Dead" premiered on March 26, 2021.[11] The video was directed by Wyatt Clough.[12]

Track listing

Digital download
No.TitleLength
1."The Past Is Dead"3:35
7" Vinyl
No.TitleLength
1."The Past Is Dead"3:35
2."Skin"3:19

Personnel

  • Caleb Shomo – vocals, all instruments

Charts

Chart performance for "The Past Is Dead"
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Germany Alternative (Deutsche Alternative Charts)[13] 1
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[14] 39

Release history

Release dates and formats for "The Past Is Dead"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various March 25, 2021
Red Bull [15]
United Kingdom August 2021 Vinyl [16]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Brown, Paul 'Browny' (March 25, 2021). "Beartooth Drop Another New Song Called 'The Past Is Dead' + Album #4's Title Revealed!". Wall Of Sound.
  2. ^ "Beartooth Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  3. ^ "Beartooh Announces 'Below' Album; 'The Past Is Dead' Music Video Available". Blabbermouth.net. March 26, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Hear Beartooth's Anthemic New Song "The Past Is Dead"". Revolver. March 26, 2021.
  5. ^ Emily Carter (March 26, 2021). "Beartooth announce fourth album Below; unleash new single/video, The Past Is Dead". Kerrang!.
  6. ^ "Beartooth 'The Past Is Dead'/'Skin' 7"". Revolver. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  7. ^ "Beartooth Drop Anthemic 'The Past Is Dead' + Announce New Album". Loudwire.
  8. ^ a b "Beartooth announce new album Below, share "The Past Is Dead": Stream". Consequence.net. March 26, 2021.
  9. ^ "Beartooth Drop "The Past is Dead," Announce New Album, Below". MetalSucks. March 26, 2021.
  10. ^ "Beartooth announce new album Below with anthemic new single The Past Is Dead". Metal Hammer.
  11. ^ "Video Alert: Beartooth – 'The Past Is Dead'". Alt 105.1. March 26, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  12. ^ "The Past Is Dead - Behind The Scenes". YouTube. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  13. ^ "Germany — Alt. Singles". Deutsche Alternative Charts. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  14. ^ "Beartooth Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  15. ^ "The Past Is Dead - Single by Beartooth". Spotify. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  16. ^ "Beartooth – The Past Is Dead / Skin". Discogs. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  • v
  • t
  • e
Beartooth
  • Caleb Shomo
  • Oshie Bichar
  • Connor Denis
  • Zach Huston
  • Will Deely
  • Nick Reed
  • Brandon Mullins
  • Taylor Lumley
  • Kamron Bradbury
Studio albums
  • Disgusting
  • Aggressive
  • Disease
  • Below
  • The Surface
EPs
  • Sick
Singles
  • "In Between"
  • "The Past Is Dead"
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