by Eleanor Ditzel
One of the few death metal bands to develop true technical skill, Burning Inside aims at keeping the glory of its genre and witchery alive. The band was formed during the cold winter of 1995, in Missouri, by Steve Childers (lead and rhythm guitar) and Richard Christy (drums, who also played for Control Denied, Death, and Acheron), after they left Public Assassin. They wanted to create their own unique sound, not just be another clone. They recruited Jamie Prim for vocals and bass, and the three put together their self-titled, monumental debut demo, which etched a strong groove in the death metal underground. Michael Estes (guitar, and also from Acheron) joined on in early 1996, and to strengthen its future potential, Burning Inside moved to Florida.
Pavement Music released the band's debut album, The Eve of the Entities, on Halloween 2000, the day of the year when the dead rise, evil abounds, and the witches are in power. The album was considered by some to be the best death metal album put out. Burning Inside maintained brutal and fast technical skills, and wrote their own lyrics that seethed of dark subject matter. Some lyrics are about psychological problems, while "Blind to All That Exist" is almost a eulogy for the millions of innocents the Christians killed for being witches.
A year later, Crash Music released Apparition, which again was a masterful showpiece for the technical ability of the band, and which reflected a melodic love of blood and brutality. In addition to their albums, Burning Inside also was heard on a number of compilations, including Full Moon's Tribute to Hell: Satanic Rites, and recorded covers, such as of Black Sabbath on Mob Rules; Judas Priest on Green Manilishi; and King Diamond on Twilight Symphony, proving that Burning Inside can be both traditional and technical.