Lasciaté is a melodic metalcore band based out of Hershey, PA formed in the spring of 2016 by Tanis Pellegrini (Vocals), Aaron Perry (Lead Guitar), Robert Greenberg (Bass), and Mark Caruso (Drums) later joined by Sam Hart (Rhythm Guitar). Lasciaté is known for their breakdowns as much as for their catchy choruses and technical guitar work. Lasciaté is an underground metal success story built upon their insatiable work ethic and unique stylings. They have shared the stage with national and international acts August Burns Red, Ice Nine Kills, Suicide Silence, The Black Dahlia Murder, Upon A Burning Body, and I set my friends on fire. Releasing an ep in 2017 and following up with a few singles a year since that, Lasciaté has plans to hit the studio and record another EP in the near future with longtime producer/collaborators Jeff McKinnon and Evan Seeberger.

We had the chance to ask Lasciaté a couple questions as part of The Refrain Interview Series. Check it out below.

Refrain Music Blog: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. You have a new single out now. What’s it called?

Lasciaté: “IED”, which stands for Inhale, Expire, Die.

RMB: What is the song about, in terms of lyrics? Any overarching messages or themes?

Lasciaté: It’s about how we’re all being taken advantage of by people in power, and if we don’t all recognize that fact and work together, we’ll all suffer and die.

RMB: Is this single part of an album?

Lasciaté: This single actually brought the band back together. We’d all gone somewhat separate ways over the past few years, but our singer, Tanis, individually showed each of us this idea for a song and we all loved it. We all came together to make something greater than the sum of its parts, which is perfect considering the core message of the song.

RMB: How does this single differ from your previous work?

Lasciaté: “IED” is a refined, mature, singular vision. When Tanis, Mark, Aaron, and I started playing together, we were teenagers with a lot to prove; but now, everyone in the band knows who they are and how they want their music to sound, and it shows.

RMB: What’s the story on how it was recorded?

Lasciaté: So, Tanis and Aaron actually recorded basically the entire thing with long time collaborator and producer Jeff McKinnon before he got in touch with the rest of us. We were all so enamored with the track that we left it mostly alone. We touched up a few things to make each instrument truly our own, but he did a really great job of synthesizing a perfect Lasciaté track.

RMB: Tell us a little about the band. Who all is in it and how did you form? How long have you been together?

Lasciaté: The members are Tanis Pellegrini on vocals, Aaron Perry on lead guitar, Mark Caruso on drums, Sam Hart on rhythm guitar, and me, Rob Apollyon, on bass and the occasional backing vocal.

The history of Lasciaté is long and complicated, so I’ll try to give you the short version.

Tanis and I met in 2016 when he auditioned to be in a band I was trying to start. Instead, I joined as bassist for his band, A Scarlett Sunset. After that, we had audition after audition for just about every position in the band, trying to get the best sound we could. At one point, I was even set to audition for the drums, but luckily for everyone we were able to get Mark instead. A little while after that, Aaron auditioned and we immediately offered him a spot. A Scarlett Sunset ended in 2017 so that Lasciaté could be born, and once it was, we started putting out even better music. Unfortunately, we were all starting our own lives at that time, too. I had been balancing college at two different universities, drum, guitar, and vocal lessons, and my time with the band for years and I was worn out. I had to leave to focus on my education and my mental health. Sam joined during the time I was out of the band and took us to a whole new level. I actually met Sam the day we filmed our video for Memories in 2018, and I remember texting my fiancée about it. I said something along the lines of, “I met the new guitarist, Sam, today, he seems super chill. Like, ‘wouldn’t raise his voice if he stepped on a Lego’ levels of calm.” I stand by that assessment. Lasciaté was on and off hiatus for a while because of Covid, so we all individually spent a few years practicing, making music on our own, and growing as people. When we got the call from Tanis we were all finally on a place where we could be together as friends, make music together as coworkers, and then go home to have separate lives.

RMB: Who are some of your biggest musical influences? 

Lasciaté: We’re all actually big fans of pretty wildly different things, so we all bring something different to the table. Mark is very into metalcore and thrash metal. I don’t know if I’ll ever meet someone who loves Metallica more than Mark.

Tanis is big into bands like Atreyu, Gojira, and Protest the Hero.

I also love Gojira, but I’m also way into horror music, like The Misfits and Ice Nine Kills (who we got to open for!), as well as political bands, like Rage Against the Machine and Stray From the Path.

Aaron likes John Mayer and The Goo Goo Dolls, while Sam likes Korn, Lamb of God, and many modern metalcore bands.

So, if you mix all of that together, you get fast complex drums, smooth bouncy bass, a great mix of clean and harsh vocals, guitar riffs that feel as heavy as mountains, and sweet melodic leads that come straight from the heart.

RMB: What’s the one thing you are most proud of in your career so far?

Lasciaté: Opening for Ice Nine Kills and August Burns Red. That show was crazy and so many people came out to see us. Gives me the warm fuzzies every time I think about it.

RMB: If you had to pitch your music to a potential fan in less than 10 seconds, what would you say?

Lasciaté: If you hate how the world is screwing us all over and like catchy vocal hooks on top of heavy riffs, we’re your guys.

RMB: What’s one piece of advice you’ve gotten that you think everyone needs to hear or that has meant the most to you?

Lasciaté: Don’t overthink things while you’re doing them. It’s fine to think about it before or after, but when you’re doing something, don’t do anything else.

RMB: If you could go back in time, what’s a piece of advice you would give to a younger you?

Lasciaté: Listen to way more bands, you fool! People constantly ask me how I’ve never heard of their favorite bands and I just have to tell them, “oh yeah, I was listening to nothing but Linkin Park, Evanescence, Seether, and Breaking Benjamin, from when I was 14-20, so if they were popular before or during that time, I’ve probably never listened to them.”

RMB: What’s coming up next for your musical project?

Lasciaté: mostly recording and releasing singles in the near future, followed by either getting pizza or going to a Chinese buffet. Pizza and Chinese food are an integral part of the music-making process, and you can quote me on that.

RMB: What got you into music?

Lasciaté: My brother let me use his Pandora account when I was in high school. At the same time a bunch of my friends were really into writing stories for fun. I figured I’d give it a shot and started writing and would put on music from his account. It took a while before I heard anything I liked, but once I did, I listened to those same few bands on a loop constantly as I wrote stories and poems after school. My dad bought my brother and I some guitars around the same time, so I started looking up how to play all my favorite songs and practiced a lot. It was about six years between me getting my first guitar and when I first joined a band. I’m 26 now, so I’ve been playing guitar for about half my life and I’m still finding out new things.

And, as far as my writing went, I did actually manage to get a few poems published in Shippensburg University’s student poetry collection, The Reflector.  

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