Do artists with a national buzz still need record labels? As the new age debate trudges on, Unlocking The Truth, the overnight sensation metal band consisting of African-American teens from Brooklyn, are looking to free themselves from the million-dollar deal they signed with Sony last July. Reports Billboard: Unlocking the Truth, the heavy metal band of three African-American teens from Brooklyn who signed a much-ballyhooed contract with Sony, is looking to become a free agent. “Our attorneys are working on our exit from Sony now,” guitarist, songwriter and singer Malcolm Brickhouse said at the March 14 world premiere of Breaking a Monster, a documentary on how the band rose from playing the sidewalks of Times Square to the main stage of Coachella and Vans Warped Tour. Band manager Alan Sacks confirmed they were in the process of leaving Sony, but said there were no other details to give. As the film shows, Brickhouse and his seventh-grade friends Jarad Dawkins (drums) and Alec Atkins (bass) started performing instrumental metal in 2010, and by the summer of 2013 had turned to busking. A year-and-a-half later, Sony signs them to a multiple album deal that, if sales figures are met, could land them $1.8 million. Their deal was fodder for discussion on Good Morning America and other talk shows at the time. The trio, which was seen in a Verizon ad and is expected to appear in upcoming Beats ads, has yet to release any material. In the film, they are seen recording one single, “Monster” and director Luke Meyer used the shooting of a video for the song as “a goal post” for the end of the story. It does not note where the act or its music stands within Sony. The well-received film, which CAA represents, is looking for distribution. The flyer for Unlocking The Truth’s SXSW itinerary can been seen on the next page.
