More metal than you

Precocious middle school metal band signs $1.8 million record deal with Sony

Unlocking the Truth are so metal their amps go up to 11 — which, as it happens, is just about how old the band members are, too.

The trio of Brooklyn middle schoolers — 13-year-old guitarist Malcolm Brickhouse, 13-year-old bassist Alec Atkins, and 12-year-old drummer Jarad Dawkins — have been turning heads with their precociously ferocious shredding ever since a video of them busking near a New York City subway station went viral (watch the video below). After landing gigs at Coachella and Warped Tour this summer, the band has finally parlayed their talent into a mammoth five-record deal with Sony worth $1.8 million.

The band is only guaranteed a $60,000 advance for the first album, and will need to sell 250,000 copies to tap the rest of that fortune — no small feat for a new band, let alone one in a niche genre like metal. Still, how many kids get a $60,000 check before hitting puberty?