“Hypocrite” By Dead Within Days Unleashes Aggressive Intensity
- Ann Schlottman
- 7 days ago
- 6 min read
Written by: Annie Schlottman
Photo credits: Sean Raynor/Internal Vision @internal.vision; Dynamic Shot Lab LLC/@dslconcertphotos; Luke McAfee/@inmoshwetrust; Daniel Bove/@maximusb2012; HanT Photo/@han.t_photo
Sometimes there is a band who comes along who tugs at your heartstrings. Just listening to their music and learning about the band, you feel a sense of community and belonging. Dead Within Days is one of those bands for me. I'm pretty sure I first fully started following them because of my colleague with The Sound 228, Gina, when she included them in one of her articles in The Sound 228 Magazine. I did some research on the band and I was intrigued.
Not only does the music of Dead Within Days resonate with listeners, but the whole aura of this band does. They spread a message of strength, courage, and empowerment, and living your life to the fullest no matter what obstacles are thrown at you. They are also humble and kind and fans are drawn to them not only because of their music, but because of the kind of people they are.
Recently this metalcore band from Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, released a powerful new song called "Hypocrite" and an energetic video to go along with it. I reached out to the band and asked if I could write a more in-depth piece on the band as well as the new song and video, and they agreed.
Robert Pepe
Members of Dead Within Days include: Robert Pepe (guitar); Matt Chinkel (guitar): Joel Sofia (vocals); Tom Bove (bass/backing vocals); and Anthony Latorre (drums). The project began when Robert and Tom, who were in a previous music project that was going on hiatus, decided they wanted to continue creating music. So, they started talking with Matt in the summer of 2023, having become acquainted with him through mutual friends. After a couple of tryouts for vocalists and from familiarity with Joel from being in the same scene, he joined the band. The final member, Anthony, joined in the fall of 2023.
From that point, they started working relentlessly on their music, as they still do now, and Dead Within Days became official to the world on April 1st, 2024. Luckily for the band members, right from the start they have all gotten along very well and it just feels like family to them.
Tom Bove
Where did the band’s name come from? Well, Robert and Joel were at lunch discussing ideas for band names, and they finally landed on “Dead Within Days”, which was a combination of two others they had considered. It’s actually the perfect name that reflects the message this band portrays, which is you never know what life is going to bring you, so you have to live every day to the fullest and like it’s your last.
Most Dead Within Days songs start out with writing instrumentals. Robert and Matt have an extensive library of riffs, leads, and other components they have made, and they’ll get together and craft a basis of a full song. They present that to the rest of the band, and Tommy and Anthony fill in the backbone with bass and drums. Throughout the process, Joel will write his vocals. The band writes all of their songs in-house.
Matt Chinkel
All Dead Within Days music has been recorded, mixed and mastered at Westfall Recording Company studios on Long Island with Billy Pfister. The band shared with me that he has been very good at achieving the sound they’re looking for when crafting their songs.
The newest Dead Within Days song, “Hypocrite”, is definitely on the heavier side. It packs a powerful punch for sure. It is mostly hard vocals by Joel, but there are some cleans as well. As with all Dead Within Days songs, the guitar riffs are stellar. The instrumentals of the song reflect the intensity of the topic.
As the band explained, “We have a lot of fun mixing different emotions into each of our songs. When it comes to ‘Hypocrite’, we knew we wanted it to be aggressive – something that would get people excited to move and blow off steam. We think the instrumentals reflect that.”
For the lyrics, the band shared, “Joel focused on capturing moments of frustration and putting them directly onto paper. It’s like all of those things you wish you could say in the heat of the moment, but don’t. ‘Hypocrite’ is that chance to let it all out.”
Anthony Latorre
Like the song, the music video is full of intensity. However, there’s also a fun element to it. It shows the energy this band puts into everything they do. As with many of the band’s videos, it was put together by Joel – styling, directing, editing. They were going for high-energy visuals to match the music, while also keeping true to themselves. As the band explained, “We're not super angry people, so you'll notice plenty of fun was had trying not to break character on set. We left those moments in because that’s just who we are. What's aggression without fun?”
As I said earlier, this band’s music resonates with people. It reflects emotions and feelings we all have while handling situations life throws at us. I asked the band about this connection with their fans.
“This is something we are constantly talking about within the band. How important it is for us to be able to reach and connect with others. We've all come a long way but no matter how much progress is made, I think we all still hold onto those unforgettable moments of being in the crowd, or meeting one of your favorite artists and having a conversation with them. Being so enamored with something that it takes you away from all your stress for a while, then also being able to realize how human those things really are. That really sticks with us.”
Joel Sofia
They talked specifically about lead vocalist Joel Sofia, who is blind. “Joel especially, being open about his blindness, sets an example of confident vulnerability that resonates with others. Our message that ‘no matter what you go through in life, you should never give up on following your dreams’, is one the world definitely needs to hear right now.”
On a personal note, I have been very fortunate to see Dead Within Days perform. They actually came to a venue only 20 minutes from where I live back in February to be a part of a special show for my birthday and the birthday of one of my best friends, Amy. I had actually found the bands for the show, which was the first one I had attended since mid-September due to having a left below-knee amputation last fall which took four and a half months to heal before I could get a prosthetic leg.
Dead Within Days was actually the first band I had invited to perform for that show, and they got back to me so quickly saying that they would do it. I was so honored that they wanted to be a part of it, and after everything I had gone through in the fall and early winter it meant even more to me to have them there. I worked so hard in my recovery and physical therapy so I could get to that show. It was a great night. Dead Within Days is a fantastic band and they are so much fun to see live. I definitely encourage anyone that has the opportunity to go see them to do so.
At that birthday show in February, I had a very nice conversation with Joel. We talked about how you have to do everything you can to overcome life's challenges in order to live your life the way you want to and achieve your goals. Joel's amazing spirit and attitude is a reflection of the whole band. I feel so fortunate to be connected with Dead Within Days. They are truly amazing people and also super talented.
Regarding what’s coming up in the future for Dead Within Days, the band gave me some teasers. They told me there is a lot in the works for the rest of 2026 and also 2027. They will have shows throughout the whole Northeast, including some festival appearances. They encourage fans to check out the band’s website at www.deadwithindays.com for show dates and ticket information.
In terms of new music, the band shared that the two most recent Dead Within Days songs, “The Cutting Edge”and “Hypocrite”, are the start of something bigger. They said if you look at the art you’ll start to piece it together.
The band shared this to close out our interview: “Let Dead Within Days be your escape from the stresses of life, but also a reminder that despite how difficult life can become, as long as you never give up on yourself or your future, everything is possible.”
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