BEARTOOTH's CALEB SHOMO Names One Concert Which 'Completely Changed The Trajectory' Of His Life

In a new interview with Germany's Radio Bob!, BEARTOOTH's Caleb Shomo reflected on one particularly memorable concert he attended as a fan prior to launching his band. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): 'Yeah, I'll never forget. I don't remember the year exactly, but it was [the 2006] Ozzfest in Columbus, Ohio, where I was born and raised. I was probably, like, 12 years old, 11, something like that. And my friend's dad got tickets through his work to this. And I remember it was AVENGED SEVENFOLD, DISTURBED and SYSTEM OF A DOWN playing back to back to back. And we got there right when AVENGED SEVENFOLD started, and they were one of my favorite bands at the time. This was right as they put out 'City Of Evil', which, that record is one of the records that kind of changed my life. And I just will never forget it. I went in and I sat down and everybody's just horns in the air going crazy and everybody's yelling, 'Fuck'. And I don't know — it was just like nothing I'd ever experienced. And it was loud and it sounded great. And they wre playing guitar, and I love guitar. I was already really into music at that point and playing. Yeah, that completely changed the trajectory of my life, seeing AVENGED and DISTURBED and SYSTEM OF A DOWN. Just crazy."

A year after the release of BEARTOOTH's chart-topping fifth album "The Surface", which earned the band their first pair of No. 1 singles at U.S. Active Rock radio ("Might Love Myself" and "I Was Alive") and nominations at the Heavy Awards and Libera Awards, BEARTOOTH dropped "The Surface (Deluxe Edition)" via Red Bull Records. The expanded edition of the album features the brand new song "ATTN.", along with an accompanying music video.

"The Surface" was released in October 2023 on Red Bull Records. It debuted at No. 1 on Billboard Hard Rock Albums, Luminate Alternative Albums, and Luminate Record Label Independent Current Albums, as well as No. 5 on Billboard's Top Album Sales. The single "I Was Alive" landed at No. 1 on both the Billboard Mainstream Airplay chart and the U.S. Mediabase Active Rock radio chart. Just six months prior, the album's previous single, "Might Love Myself", also hit No. 1 and was the band's first-ever chat topper at the format.

Shomo first turned the pain of his struggle with mental health and self-image into music in 2013.

BEARTOOTH began as a living document, a diary, a journal of repressed rage and depression. Alone in his basement studio, screaming and singing, playing all the instruments, and self-producing a batch of furious but melodic songs filled with reflection and confession, the Ohio native stared into the abyss, initially with no intention of returning to the heavy music world that burned him as a teen. A decade later, the different pieces of his body of work connect in title, sound, and spirit. As the frontman approaches 32, BEARTOOTH's 2023-released fifth album, "The Surface", completes this era. It kicked off a new chapter filled with surprising optimism and just as honest. Depression is a sick, disgusting, aggressive disease below the surface. Shomo stands ready to bask in the light.

Like NINE INCH NAILS, BEARTOOTH remains a one-person band in the studio. On the heels of the introductory "Sick" EP (2013),"Disgusting" (2014) produced the band's first gold single, "In Between". "Aggressive" (2016) and "Disease" (2018) expanded on the desperation and pain, each a step closer to a balance between the blood and tears of classic recordings and the shimmer of modernity.

Rolling Stone heralded BEARTOOTH as one of 10 Artists You Need to Know. The rabid response to Shomo's music demonstrated how many people related to his struggle for self-acceptance. "Below" (2021) topped the Rock and Alternative charts and several Best Rock/Metal Albums Of The Year lists. As of 2024, the BEARTOOTH catalog boasts more than one billion streams across all platforms.