Work place accidents occur every day and can have a big impact on a person’s normal daily life. A stint in hospital, perhaps, hours of physiotherapy exercises and, for some, the inability to play or practice music. For Greg Smith, drummer of central Alberta’s Before The Unseen, this scenario is all too familiar.

“I work for an oilfield cleaning facility, so I clean 400 tanks and clock tanks and anything to do with rig equipment, and was inside a tank when an 1,800 lb piece of ice came off the wall and landed on me,” Smith recalls of the Dec. 16, 2009 incident.

Smith fractured both his pelvis and lumbar, and spent the next two weeks lying in a hospital bed wondering what was going to happen.

“Actually, I was really lucky; I was supposed to be in there for three month,” he admits. “I’ve been on crutches for six weeks now. Recently, I’ve been allowed to light bare, which means I’m allowed to walk for so long without my crutches, but then I have to use them again for a certain length of time.”

Fortunately for Smith, his band mates were more than understanding of the time he needed to heal up, and, while they continued to rehearse without him, they didn’t write him off either. And even more fortunate, Smith is now back behind the drum kit at the band’s rehearsal space in Lacombe.

“Because I never really used the pelvic to femur muscles, I always just use my ankles, getting going again was really simple. But it still took a while to get back into the groove, because I hadn’t played drums in so long,” he says.

Smith first formed Before the Unseen with guitarist Levi McConnel three years ago when the two aspiring musicians were 14. Vocalist Trymer Martin was brought on board in May 2009 and, at the beginning of 2010, a new bass player was found in Brendan Pears.

Now, with their drummer on the mend and the 18th birthdays of two of the youngest members coming up this summer, Before the Unseen are counting down the days before their venue options open wide and they can finally take on Alberta’s metal scene by storm.

What challenges does the underage factor bring to the band?

Levi McConnel: We’ve been offered lots of bar shows, but then they find out that half the band is under-18, so we can’t take it.

Brendan Pears: But we’ll all be 18 by July.

Trymer Martin: I’ll be 18 in April, and Brendan is 18 in July.

Pears: That’s when, I think, we’ll have a major chance (to really get out there and perform). It has been hard because most venues are 18+, but we’ve been seriously thinking about it, and this summer we’ll finally be able to put our full effort into it.

What brought about the decision to start a band?

Greg Smith: In grade 8, I went and bought a Shadows Fall album. I loved it, and not a week later went out and bought double kick pedals.

So it wasn’t for the fame, fortune and women then?

Smith: Oh no, it was all for the music

Martin: I think that’s why Brendan’s in it though.

Pears: Fame, fortune and women?

Smith: Dude, you already have a hot girlfriend

How long was it until you played your first show?

Levi McConnel: It was probably around four or five months after we started playing together. We realized we were ready to play live when we didn’t mess up the songs as much as we used to.

Have you played many out of town shows, or do you prefer to stay local?

Martin: It’s harder to book venues that are out of town, because then there’s lots of traveling back and forth, paying for the venue, promoting the show, finding bands from other cities; it’s much harder for us that way.

How does the weather factor into your pursuit of shows?

Martin: Winter is kind of a slow time because everyone just wants to stay in their house and they don’t really want to go walk to a shows and stuff, cause not everyone has vehicles. It’s more logical to play more shows in the summer for us, because everyone is out of school and they just want to party.

Of the venues you’ve played, which has been your favourite so far?

Pears: The Lou Soppit Community Centre in Rocky Mountain House. They have a really big stage, and lots of room to move so you don’t get tangled in everyone’s cables.

Do you do much promoting for your shows?

Pears: Trymer does lots of promoting, because every person he sees he tells about our band.

Martin: Yeah, I do. I meet someone and I introduce myself by saying, ‘Hey, I’m Trymer. I scream and sing for Before the Unseen. Go listen to it!”

How else do you promote yourselves?

McConnel: Posters and flyers, and we’ve used electronic billboards. That works well.

Pears: The Internet.

Martin: We’ve also gone down to Red Deer College and spent the day passing out handbills.

What do you think is the most effective way to promote shows these days?

Pears: Lots of it is just telling our friends we’re playing a show. Word of mouth is good in smaller communities.

Martin: Facebook also works really well for setting up events and inviting people.

What is the most effective promotional tool you have tried so far?

Smith: Internet. There are definitely a lot more sites available now than there used to be, making it a lot easier to get the music out there and let fans know where to check us out. And we can reach way more people with the Internet than we can through word of mouth.

Which songs are your favourites to play live?

Pears: I have two different ones for two different reasons. I like “Desolation,” because I think it’s the funnest to play, and as a band I think we enjoy playing that the most. I really like to play “Merciless Awakening,” because that’s the song that people know the most. It always gets a great response. And the first line of “Merciless Awakening” is “Welcome all,” so it’s a really good show opener.

Do you have any plans to record any time soon?

McConnel: We’re planning on recording a four or five track EP.

Martin: We are going to be going to Green Essence Studios in March in Edmonton. The guy recording us there is Jeremiah Simmons. He has diploma in digital audio production, he knows what he’s doing and he’s got a kick ass studio. We didn’t want to go to someone who just bought a bunch of recording stuff and read up on how to use it. It makes more sense to us to go to someone who fully knows what they are doing and understands it completely. Also, he rents out the studio with all the professional gear and he’s taken the time to know how to get the best sound out of it

Have you decided which of your songs to record for it?

Pears: I’d say we have eight different songs to choose from; it’s going to be pretty difficult to choose, but “Merciless Awakening” for sure, because it is a crowd favourite.

Without using genres, how would you describe your sound to those who haven’t heard it?

Smith: Eccentric and likable.

McConnel: Intense and addicting.

Martin: Makes you wanna throw down.

What can audiences expect from a Before the Unseen show?

McConnel: A fist full of metal.

Smith: Good music and a good time.

What’s next for Before the Unseen?

Smith: More shows, more responsibility, and more dedication.

Martin: More fun, connecting with people and just having a good time.