ION INDIE MAGAZINE July 2016, Volume 26 | Page 118

Music by
DREAD ENGINE
“Coward”

By Tim Campbell
Inspiration to start a band can come in many forms. Many bands are born when a group of friends discover
a mutual interest in music--and some are chasing fame right from the start. Music can also be a good way
for a fat teenager with bad social skills to get girls, which worked surprisingly well for me. For all the reasons
we start bands, few stories probably start with a fan letter to a video game company. For Columbus
Electronic/Metal Juggernaut, DREAD ENGINE--an unconventional start is only a small piece of the puzzle.
Dread Engine is SAM STOCKDALE (lead vocalist), RICK KAERCHER (digital engineer/vocals), JAY COUGHLIN
(drums), JAKE LAHMON (lead guitar/vocals), SHAUN HALE (guitar) and JOHNATHAN COLLIN (bass). The band
is the brain child of Stockdale. After cutting his teeth in a variety of regionally successful Metal and Hard
Rock bands in Central Ohio, he formed Dread Engine. The sound of this new group combined the melodic
grooves of early 90’s Metal and the intensity of modern day Metalcore, with an electronic twist. The result is
an ever-growing following around Ohio. The big thing that sets this group apart from much of the Midwest
Metal scene is the group’s work ethic. If you’re connected to what’s happening in Ohio Metal, you won’t go
long without seeing/hearing the band’s name in promotion material.
If it seems like Dread Engine is all business, it’s because the band originally formed as a business. Back in
2012, Stockdale was singing for Columbus radio rockers, KRYNOS. He sent a fan letter to the head of IE