Malcolm Brickhouse (13), Alec Atkins (13), and Jarad Dawkins (12), may be kids themselves, but they have something special that sets them apart from their schoolmates. Music. Loud, unexpected, music: “We do heavy metal. We don’t have kid audiences,” Malcom says.
Very true. In fact, Unlocking The Truth is now officially the youngest heavy metal act to ever be signed to a major label. Their soar to the top has been driven by their own passion for metal music, their resistance to conformity, and by some major players who have taken notice of these boys. In 2013, Alan Sacks, a longtime producer for the Disney Channel, came across Unlocking The Truth and immediately had the idea to create a television show based on them. He thought to himself, “Three African American kids in a metal band? What a great idea for a TV show. I can sell this to Disney (DIS) in a second”. As one may have guessed though, heavy metal is a tough sell in a children’s market, a sentiment echoed in Malcolm’s statement, “we don’t have kid audiences.”
With Alan Sacks as part of their management team, and support from industry fat cats such as Jolene Cherry (Sony), known for her work with bands such as Korn and System of a Down, Unlocking The Truth is breaking ground. But it all started at church. Read more on the next page!
