Sources: River Reporter; Facebook; Your HHRS News
(L-R) Drummer John Haring and brothers Bryce Maopolski (guitar, vocals) and Reece Maopolski (bass) make up Brotality, a young Christian heavy metal band.
They have been racking up accolades including winning Best Metal Band at the 570 Music Awards, and taking the first place at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts Dream Tank Talent show. That led to being signed to Christian heavy metal label Rotweiller Records, plus opening for Deep Purple and at the Judas Priest sold-out show on the Bethel Woods pavilion stage.
Brotality’s most recent New Jersey gig was at the Steve Ferrigno Celebration Of Life memorial benefit at the Cavern At The Moose lodge in Jackson, New Jersey, where they complimented their heavy but positive musical messages with a very special shoutout in favor of youth suicide prevention.
“Basically, we’ve partnered up with the organization HeartSupport, which was founded by Jake Luhrs, the lead singer of August Burns Red,” the band explained in a statement. “It’s something our parents have always supported.
“They work within the Metal community to provide support and resources for those who are struggling, so we asked if there was a way we could help at our shows. They gave us the phone number that anyone can text to with our band name as a prompt and then HeartSupport responds to them and takes it from there.
“They have tons of cool videos from musicians who tell their stories of struggles they’ve dealt with. They also have books and resources. We’ve seen them in action at Warped Tour and other festivals where they talk to people who are struggling. They also have a giant support wall where people can write encouraging words to others. Reece wrote about them for his school newspaper. It’s a very cool organization.”
From the HeartSupport.com website: “Long story short, we’re people who care. We’re not counselors, therapists, or mental health professionals. We’re just regular people who want to love, accept, and encourage people to live with purpose. On our live streams, our forum, and our Discord server, people find hope and love on a daily basis.”