Turbid North Left Alaska for the Metal Pastures of Texas

Orogeny is the process that the earth takes to sculpt mountains; it's not an easy process, and there could be no greater name for Turbid North's second release. Beyond the crushing defiance of metal Turbid North display, they have built their own challenges and truly conquered them, the first being getting out of Alaska.

"There was nothing up there. We knew we had to get out pretty quick," guitarist Nick Forkel told Noisecreep, recounting that there wasn't much for a metal band in the cold far north of the U.S. Six hours removed from the largest city (Anchorage), the band found it too hard to make the trek more than twice a year, leaving them to play shows at the only metal-friendly club near them once a month, with the same bands. "Everybody knew each other -- very tight scene."

The turning point came after the band opened for Drowning Pool. "They actually watched us," says Forkel. "They came up to us afterward and told us, 'You guys were really good. What are you doing up here?'" They asked where they should go for the best exposure and Dallas was what they were told. "You guys will get picked up easily," Forkel recalled hearing from one of the Drowning Pool members.

Other places were looked at, but something kept drawing them to double city of Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. "We saved up money, put our two weeks in and got out of there."

Dallas was a drastic change: shows going on constantly, an actual metal scene and, of course, the attack of the sun. "It took like a month to get used to weather and the heat, but we were so like, 'We Want do this!' It didn't matter." Turbin North jumped into playing shows rather quick, having already gained connections online while they were still up in Alaska working away at a lumberyard, planning the move.

Not too long after establishing their base of operations in Texas, frontman Jason Hippert went back, unable to deal with being away from home. Turbid North didn't go long without a singer, pulling local friend Brian McCoy to step in. "He filled in for a couple months and we were secretly thinking, 'Wow this would be great if we could steal him!'"

With prayers answered from the metal gods, McCoy left his band to join Turbid North. "Everything we've gone through since the move has been a constant struggle," says Forkel, defining the themes of 'Orogeny' as straight from their lives.