Buzz grows for Cease to Exist

By John Benson

There’s something happening with local metal/rock act Cease to Exist.

Even its bassist Ben Ilich admits, at the risk of sounding cocky, it was hard to acknowledge such a phenomena surrounded his band, which formed just over a year ago. However, a recent Youngstown gig confirmed this quartet — Ilich, Adam Pichitino (guitar), Craig Thomas (vocals, drums) and Drew Brown (guitar, vocals) — has found an audience.

“I witnessed it,” said Boardman native Ilich. “The last show we played at Barley’s, there were about 250 people there at the beginning of the show. And I was like, ‘All of these people are here for these other bands.’ Then after the first band finished, all of those people were still there. So then we played, and afterwards the same people left. I was like, ‘Those people didn’t all come here for us did they?’ It’s just crazy.”

Apparently crazy things seem to happen with Cease to Exist, which recently won a battle of the bands event in Kent. After beating out 17 other groups from all over the Buckeye State, the foursome received free studio time, which it plans on using to record its full-length debut effort for a tentative summer release.

As far as the band’s style is concerned, the band exists in two worlds, which ostensibly draws a larger audience.

“From the metal side I’d say we’re somewhere from Killswitch Engage or Slipknot and from the rock side we come from somewhere like the band Thursday or Story of the Year,” Ilich said. “There’s actually a really good number of metal bands in the area, and a good number of rock bands in the area. I think we’re a good mix in between the two.”

He added, “And I don’t think anybody else in the area is really doing it.”

Already taking notice of Cease to Exist’s music is WNCD-FM 93.3, which during its “Home Grown” show has been playing the band’s title track from its debut EP “Cloverfields of Concrete.”

Ilich believes this renewed interest in metal/rock proves the Northeast Ohio music scene is on the rebound.

“Back in, say, 1996, this area used to be flooded with local bands,” Ilich said. “And I think it’s finally starting to make a comeback. Everybody is getting more involved and radio is starting to get involved, media is getting involved and fans are actually coming out to shows again. So we’re just trying to resurrect the rock scene around here.”