In just a year

For one year, local earthquake metal act All Kills Aside has been crafting its sound to perfection.

The effort has paid off.

Within one year of its inception, All Kills Aside has performed with headlining acts Puddle of Mudd, Adema, Egypt Central, Earshot, Theory of a Dead Man, Trapt, Static X and 10 Years.

“I have never accomplished so much in one year with a band,” said Shannon Low, guitar and vocals.

Playing with the large acts has not exploded the egos of Low, Clancy Leakey, bassist; Reed Arnold, percussionist; Chad Terry, vocalist; or Mike Fodor, guitarist.

“You get spoiled playing in the larger cities,” says Leakey. “When we play other places, we’re very catered to and taken care of…

“But most of us have been in this area for a long time so we try to keep this ambiance of where we’re from.”

The band always thanks its supporters, and regardless of the size of the crowd or venue, All Kills Aside knows what to do.

“Whenever we get on stage, it’s like a light switch,” says Low. “We just go straight into stage mode. It’s a monster.”

The result of their efforts over the past year has proven to be phenomenal.

The crowds have reacted in unexpected and sometimes frightful ways.

One time during a performance, in the middle of a mosh pit, a member of the crowd suddenly began convulsing.

“We were at a show in Springfield in the middle of one of our breakdowns and this one dude went into a convulsing seizure,” recalls Low. “I thought he was hit on the head.”

“It was really scary. There were five of us on stage and 300 people in the crowd,” adds Terry. “We were just sitting there wondering, ‘Is this kid going to die?’ So we stopped the show and waited until we knew he was okay.”

The paramedics were called in, but the audience member got up and stayed until the end of the show.

All Kills Aside released music videos for “Your Song” and “For-Ever” in October, which are available at myspace.com/allkillsaside.

The bands next show is Dec. 6 at The Keystone Lounge with Chemical Discipline.