THE FIRST THING you’ll probably notice at a SubRosa show is that three women line the front of the stage. Second, two of them—Kim Pack and Sarah Pendleton, the kickass bookends on either side of kickass vocalist/guitarist Rebecca Vernon—are holding violins.
Seeing SubRosa perform is not like seeing other modern metal bands perform, and that’s a beautiful thing. For a decade, the Salt Lake City five-piece has been one of the most ambitious and impressive heavy acts around. With the release of 2013’s More Constant Than the Gods, SubRosa became one of the sought-after darlings of American doom.
Since then, the band has racked up effusive reviews, hired booking agents, and played major festivals both nationally and abroad. All five members still hold day jobs, Vernon says in an interview, but it’s been a time of tremendous growth and opportunity for SubRosa.