Dead Heart burst onto the Columbus scene in 2025 with Burning From Within, a visceral debut that fuses raw punk, psychobilly upright bass, and DIY energy into a blast built for sweat-soaked underground stages. From their improvised early rehearsals to the creation of tracks like “Choking” and the dark “Nosferatu,” the band has forged a sound of its own—one that rejects traditional labels and prioritizes live intensity above all. With deep roots in punk, hardcore, metal, and kindred genres, the trio steers clear of uniforms and aesthetic clichés, favoring honest, defiant chaos over spectacle. In this interview with their drummer, Charlie Taylor III, we explore their genesis, creative process, life on the road (including a Motörhead tribute project Charlie is part of), and where Dead Heart is headed as they continue expanding their singular vision of countercultural rock.
What inspired you to form Dead Heart in Columbus back in 2025?
I have known John from the Columbus punk scene and saw a post on Facebook looking for a drummer for a psychobilly band. I had never tried playing that style because I came from the d-beat crust hardcore punk and thrash metal scene, so I was up for a challenge …. The day we all got together was magic. It was the first day that I met David on guitar player and I had never played with either of them before. As soon as we started playing it was like effortless and we came up with two songs. It was amazing. We had all the songs for the first record within 7 practices.
How did your previous bands influence thesound you’re exploring now? I knowyou’ve been involved in several projects, such as Laid to Rest, Lethal Aggression, and two spectacular tribute bands dedicated to Celtic Frost and Death.
Actually, I have been in hardcore, punk, and metal bands since the late 80s. The energy and aggression is definitely there. We are kind of like the Dead Kennedys and the Ramones smashing into the Stray Cats.
I’ve also noticed that you play bass, butyou also sing. What does it feel like to facethe audience from the singer’s perspective, and how does that compare to being behind the drums?
I have played bass in bands and sang in bands, but in Dead Heart I and solely behind the drums. I did not want to be up in the front anymore. I decided about 15 years ago that I was going to only play drums in whatever bands I am in, so when John contacted me about playing and said he and David would be up front, I was very happy.
Your record Burning From Within feelsboth aggressive and deeply emotional. What themes were you trying to express on this album?
This is a question for John to answer as he comes up with the lyrics if I had to say, the lyrics are about reflections on past relationships, narcissistic exes, and vampires of the psychic and of the supernatural.
Psychobilly is known for blending punk and rockabilly with horror imagery and counterculture attitude. How do you seeDead Heart’s approach fitting into that tradition, whether lyrically, musically, Or aesthetically?
Dead Heart is not a traditional psychobilly band. We do use elements of punk and horror and we do have a stand up bass but our lyrical content differs from the normal and we don’t wear the fancy typical psychobilly uniforms We are just three dudes in street clothes that come to kick ass on stage . I would like to describe the band as psycho-punkathrashabilly.
How did the recording process at VaughnMusic Studios shape the final sound of the album? Were there any memorable moments during those sessions?
We had an incredible time from the moment we brought our gear in until the final day of mixing. Vaughn music studios is a very professional studio with an incredibly welcoming and comfortable environment. Matt Hagberg our engineer was amazing about getting us the sounds and feelings on the album the way we wanted. There were plenty of awesome moments in the studio too many to even get into. There were many laughs.
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Which song on Burning From Within do youfeel best represents Dead Heart’s identity, and why?
I think the album as a whole is an accurate representation of our identity as a band. It is full of great music and great energy.
I also heard you started a MOTÖRHEAD tribute band; are you still doing that? What other band would you like to pay tribute to someday?
Yes, I also play in a Motörhead tribute called Fast & Loose. We also play shows. We are currently up to about 125 Motörhead songs in our catalog. That is my side band.
What would be your best response to critics of tribute bands? Some people see them as a way of making money off other artists’ music. Personally, I don’t mind as long as the tribute band captures the spiritand sound of the original.
The way I see it, bands like Motörhead that don’t exist anymore wouldn’t exist anymore if there weren’t any tribute bands to keep their music alive in a live setting. What I mean by that is we try to keep the music alive and that spirit alive, yes we get paid to do it but we only make enough money to get back home. I don’t look at it as making a living off of other people’s music or else I would be more money, hungry. I don’t give a shit about money. I’m not doing the Motörhead tribute so that I can live. That’s what a job is for. That’s why I work a regular job playing in a tribute band is a hobby and it’s for fun overall. Once it becomes not fun anymore, I will stop doing it plain and simple right now. Dead heart is my number one priority band.
Columbus has a vibrant but undergroundmusic scene. How has the local scene supported or challenged the band’s growth?
Columbus’s music scene is very different from the way it was 31 years ago when I first moved here. It is not really supportive now.. bands have their own little groups that they gel with and if you don’t belong to their group of friends they won’t support you..a lot of people in the underground scene here in Columbus Ohio go to shows to be seen and not to be a scene .. everywhere outside of our own area we get good turn outs but here we get no respect… that will change with our next record.
What are your top five bands from Columbus, past or present, that our readers should check out?
Presently in Columbus I would have to say Coxey’s Army (street punk), Prime Directive ( punk), Hell is Here(d-beat crust) , Breath of Sarin (metallic hardcore), and our garage a billy brothers whom with we share a guitarist, Feral Housecats. There’s a couple other bands that deserve mentioning. the Broken Barcodes( punk) , Angry Cougars(punk) , Feed us Snacks ( punk). We also have a killer death metal band in town called Church that recently got signed to Ablated records as well as Another band in town called sanguisugabogg.
Your lineup includes members with backgrounds in punk, hardcore, and psychobilly. How do those different musical histories come together when writing new material?
I don’t know how to explain it, John comes to practice with ideas already manifested and shows us the way he wrote the riffs for the songs which already have lyrics, and then David and I bastardize it, and it ends up being the final result, which is totally different than the original idea that he came into the rehearsal studio with. That’s it.
I’ve heard Dead Heart shows are known for their raw live energy. How does performing live influence the way you write or play music?
I think when we write songs, they just come out exactly how they would translate live, performing live doesn’t influence the way we write.
What’s next for Dead Heart? A second LP, touring plans, or any new creative directions?
We are about nine songs into the writing process for the next record, there will definitely be more Records because we don’t ever stop writing. We have several shows booked and a mini tour of the northeast United States coming up in July 2026. I will keep you informed on when the next record will be released.
Thanks so much for your time, Charlie. One last question: if you could ask Lemmy toplay one final Motörhead song, which one would it be—and why?
That’s a tough one, but I think I would pick “Back at the funny farm” because it’s one of my favorite songs off of my absolute favorite motorhead album. Another perfect day.
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