Nate Bergman targets music industry exploitation on hard-hitting new single The Butcher
Nate Bergman has unveiled The Butcher, a new single and video that pulls his hardcore roots sharply into focus while retaining the bruised, roots-driven edge of his solo work.
The track features appearances from Jean-Paul Gaster of Clutch, Scott Vogel of Terror and Geoff Rickly of Thursday. Their contributions give the song an abrasive, communal charge, matching Bergman’s attack on the transactional side of the music industry.
Though its language initially suggests a violent breakup song, The Butcher is aimed at the manipulation and commodification that can leave artists feeling disposable.
A song for artists treated as product
Bergman said: “How can so many bad actors in the business act like you are more than just a commodity to the profit machine, but at the end of the day, you are a disposable product? I think anyone who’s also dealt with a manipulator, abuser, love bomber – all these things – feels the same emotion, the same mistreatment.
“To relate to this song is to know the feeling of finding out too late that you are, in fact, just a piece of meat for a narcissist to consume.”
The collaborative line-up grew from Bergman’s longstanding connections within hardcore, punk and metal circles. He has toured with Gaster and Rickly previously, while Clutch, Thursday and Terror have remained key fixtures in his listening.
“I am the ultimate fan of all of the artists involved,” Bergman said. “The collaborations came through my relationships to the metal and hardcore world, which I’ve been involved with since I started going to house shows in DC back in 1997.
“When it came time to do the most aggressive song in the works, this line-up made the most sense. It’s always great to work with friends, and I’m very grateful my friends happen to be in kickass bands.”
Hardcore muscle meets Americana songwriting
The Butcher follows a run of releases which have shown the singer moving freely between heavy music, Americana and emotionally direct rock songwriting. The new track is a notably heavier proposition, with its guest vocal and rhythm section appearances pushing the song towards the pit rather than the porch.
