A Sense Of Purpose: Metalcore With A Message Of Hope
- Ann Schlottman
- Jun 10
- 4 min read
I don't think I will soon forget the date I first heard music by the Cleveland metalcore band A Sense Of Purpose. It was Thursday, April 10th, 2025. It was a cold, damp, miserable day, but I was happy because I was headed to Scranton, Pennsylvania with friends to see one of my favorite bands, Softspoken, for the first time. Ironically, it was announced on that date that A Sense Of Purpose would be joining the Theoria Records lineup, which is the same label Softspoken is on.
An Instagram post by Theoria that day led me to "ASOP" and their brand new single "Pushing Daisies". I heard a brief clip of the song on the IG post and was intrigued, so I dove right into it. Well, one thing led to another, and through the beauty of Spotify I found myself listening to their previous three singles all in a row -- “Reaching (For You)”, “Ruin”, and “Save Me”. I was hooked immediately. How I had not heard of this band before that day, I'll never know. But I'm so glad I found them and now they have a new fan and supporter in me!
The members of A Sense Of Purpose are: Jon Benjamin (vocals); Chris Petrof (guitar and backing vocals); Seth Holt (bass); Nick Chiudioni (drums); and Kyle Whittaker (guitar). The band started out playing in their local scene in 2015 after releasing a self-produced demo the year prior and finalizing their lineup as a five-piece band. A few of them knew each other from high school, and then they actually met Seth and Nick through a Craigslist ad posted by a mutual friend, Nick Barker, who is now the drummer in Pain of Truth.
The thought process behind the band's name, A Sense Of Purpose, is interesting. As the band explains it, the name comes from a lyric in one of the songs on the band’s first demo. They thought “A Sense of Purpose” evoked a deeper and more hopeful tone than some of the other messaging found in modern metalcore, and they try to bring that imagery into their songs both lyrically and instrumentally to this day. “Like yeah, here's something I worry about when I think about the news, or my life choices, or my relationships . . . is there something beyond this discontent and unease that we feel? There's dissonance, and there's resonance; there's harmony, and there's harshness; just like life has its ups and downs. We try to convey that through sick guitar riffs and thoughtful songwriting.”
In the past the band has worked with producers Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland of Atrium Audio, and Andrew Baylis. Currently they have been working with fellow Ohioan Danny Cullman for producing/mixing/mastering. They worked with him on “Pushing Daisies” and the other handful of singles released the past couple of years.
Chris Petrof writes all the music and typically has an idea for the vocal arrangement in the first demos. He often writes the lyrics as well, but Seth Holt and Jon Benjamin will rearrange or rewrite certain lines once they're in the studio. Their recent songs “Ruin” and “Reaching (For You)” were partially written in the studio with Danny Cullman in a more collaborative effort, which was a new approach for the band. Some songs are created with lyrics and vocal melodies in mind first, and others start instrumentally and then the lyrics and vocals are written. It really depends on the song - the creative process can be varied but it’s all about the end result.
I love everything about A Sense Of Purpose’s songs. The instrumentals are complex. Even though it’s heavy music, it also has a pleasant melodic quality. The clean vocals are beautiful and expressive, and there are hard vocals mixed in for emphasis. I love hearing A Sense Of Purpose’s music anytime, whether it be on my gym playlist, driving in my car, or when I’m in the mood to just relax in my dad’s old recliner and just listen to music and do nothing else (something I wish I had more time to do). This is the kind of music you can get lost in. It makes me happy.
Song topics are very deep and emotional. When I listen to this band’s music I hear themes of depression, sadness, heartbreak, regret, inner demons – the emotions that we can all relate to. I can tell their music is written from the heart. Simply put, as the band says, they write about LIFE. “Most of our songs deal with personal struggles and come from life experiences. Creating music serves as a sort of personal catharsis through the writing and recording process.”
A Sense Of Purpose is about to release a new song called “On My Own” this Thursday, June 12th, so make sure to check the band’s socials for the pre-save link and listen to it on whatever streaming platform you choose when it drops. No doubt I'll be adding it to multiple playlists and sharing it with all of my music friends.
As for future performances, A Sense Of Purpose has two shows with their friends ARCHERS, along with RIVALS and Dead Eyes, in Ohio in early July – Monday, July 7th in Columbus at Skully’s Music Diner and Tuesday, July 8th in Lakewood at Mercury Music Lounge. In addition, the band has been selected for two upcoming music festivals -- FauxFest Saturday, August 30th at Debonair Music Hall in Teaneck, New Jersey and Brewstock Music Festival Saturday, September 27th at The Rooster in Gastonia, North Carolina.
You can follow A Sense Of Purpose on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and the band’s website.
Written by: Annie Schlottman Photo credit: Blurred Moment Photography, Andrew Bastion Photography
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