December 20, 2009
Neil K. Warner
Alternative Addiction

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Music, words, riffs, are always circulating in Chester Bennington’s mind.  He’s become a world-wide recognizable star by fronting the band Linkin Park, but sometimes song ideas overflow and there is no room to contain them.  Those ideas and rough songs have turned into the foundation of Dead by Sunrise, a group that consists of Bennington, Amir Derakh, Ryan Shuck, Brandon Belsky, Elias Andra, and Anthony Valcic.

“He (Bennington) came in and laid down these ideas in the studio after working with us on Julien-K. We didn’t really plan on being a band or anything like that. It was really just sort of Chester laying down some ideas. Just sort of talking,” said guitarist Ryan Shuck of how Dead by Sunrise got started. “Chester and I have always talked about doing something together, but we didn’t really know what that was going to mean. When he laid down the parts, the rough sketch of the songs,  we kind of played with it and he said, ‘yeah do whatever you want.’”

Shuck did and when Bennington returned, the songs had morphed into something that Bennington liked so much that it turned into Dead by Sunrise's debut album, “Out of Ashes,” that was released in October.

“When he came back about three days later we did whatever we wanted, kind of put a band to the music and rearranged some of it and kind of made it into what later became Dead by Sunrise,” Shuck said. “Chester loved it and it sort of faded into being a band. I’ve heard him quoted in interviews, and he said that’s the moment that the songs weren’t his anymore that they were ours. From that point on he’s come in with ideas. He’s certainly the primary writer of the band. He comes in with ideas and we sort of use the same process that we used during that first initial stage of our band relationships.”

The song “Crawl Back in” cracked the top 20 on the U.S. mainstream rock category. The song “Fire” was used on the TV series Three Rivers and “Let Down” has the potential to get the most airplay.

“Let Down is one of the first songs. We certainly worked on that the longest because that was one of the first songs,” Shuck said. “We never really say this is done, and move on. We sort of work on all of them all the time. We just go back and forth from song to song over however long the process is. One of the songs that I am most fond of is of course ‘Let Down’ because it was one of our first songs. I think it’s a beautiful song. I think it’s going to be a big hit. It’s just a very special song. It sort of created the band.”

The success of Dead by Sunrise does not mean Linkin Park is in trouble. In fact, there is talk of having Dead by Sunrise open for Linkin Park on future tours.

A touring schedule has not yet been announced but, Shuck said they band could hit the road in February and for those who are wondering if this will be  a one-record wonder, forget about it.

“We’re already working on material for our next record,” Shuck said. “Sometimes the songs are like a real rough sketch they need a part, and sometimes they come in with a complete vocal. The way we work is we really go through and test and try everything. We tear everything apart and rebuild it back up. Often we go back to the original idea, but as part of the process we go through and strip away every single layer and make sure it’s going to be cool.”

Shuck says the record does not sound like anything the band members have worked on before. In other words, it’s not a Linkin Park sequel or an Orgy or Julien-K sound-a-like.

“It’s extremely different. Orgy and Julien-K are both heavily based in electronica. Dead by Sunrise has more of an organic feel. We’re really playing guitar and more classic instruments,” Shuck said. “Chester is the primary writer so that makes the songs sound much different. Much different than Linkin Park as well because Mike (Shinoda) is the primarily writer in Linkin Park. I think we’ve come up with something totally new and unique, and something we can make a couple records with and create an awesome body of work that people really like.”

The response so far has been positive. The group may have started as a side project for Bennington, but it is now his current focus. Everyone involved has put aside their other interests to see where Dead by Sunrise will take them.

“We’re totally happy with how the record came out. Whenever you create a work like this that’s going to have to go and live forever you can always second guess yourself to the point of never putting the record out,” Shuck said. “At some point you have to decide on something and put it out and let your work stand so we’re extremely happy.”