Forged in the Trenches: Subsanity’s Rise from Vegas to the Whisky

Forged in the Trenches: Subsanity’s Rise from Vegas to the Whisky

There’s a raw, hungry electricity running through Subsanity — the kind that only comes from a young band pushing hard against the edges of their scene and refusing to stay in the lane assigned to them. Based out of Las Vegas, where punk and indie dominate the landscape, the trio has carved out their own corner of heavy metal through sheer force of will, technical precision, and a genuine love for connecting with people. At the center of that storm is bassist and backing vocalist Tommy Gunn, a charismatic presence whose passion for the craft is matched only by his drive to make Subsanity impossible to ignore.

Fresh off a string of SoCal shows, a standout appearance at the Whisky opening for Raven, and the upcoming release of their debut record, Tommy sat down with us to talk songwriting, influences, viral moments, and why 2026 is the year Subsanity plans to make themselves unforgettable.

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in the band, and how long Subsanity has been together.
I’m Tommy Gunn. I play bass guitar and handle backing vocals. We’ve been a band for about two and a half years now. We started out playing around our local scene and just building from there. This month we’ve got a bunch of shows lined up across the SoCal area, mostly around L.A.

We also have our debut record coming out through Notes for Notes Studio with our producer, Rob Lacy. I’m really excited for everything we’ve got coming up, and I’m constantly working to get us more opportunities to grow and be successful.

You mentioned Rob Lacy. What has he done, and what’s his background?
For the most part, Rob is a hip‑hop producer. He’s also his own artist and has been in the music industry for—I want to say—twenty‑five or thirty years. He’s been in the game a long time. One of the things we thought was that it would be cool to work with someone who doesn’t normally mix our style of music, just to see where it goes. And honestly, it’s been a wonderful experience.

He’s extremely easy to work with, and his input and suggestions have really pushed our sound. He’s just a really good dude.

Do you have a name for the album yet?
As of now, it’s just going to be self‑titled. There isn’t a straightforward theme to the record—it’s more of a collection of songs we’ve written over the past couple of years. Right now we’re in the mixing process, and then we’ll figure out the release plan and how we want to get it out to the public.

Where is the band based, and what’s your music scene like there? I believe it’s Las Vegas.
Yes, we’re from Las Vegas. Our music scene is primarily punk, hardcore, and indie. Metal—especially our style—isn’t the most popular genre there, but we’ve been making it work. People still really enjoy what we do. Our goal before the end of the year is to put ourselves out there even more in the Vegas scene and get more people into the awesome world of heavy metal.

The other day you attended the Rock for Ronnie show. What were the highlights, and what was it like meeting Wendy Dio?
Man, the people were the coolest part of Rock for Ronnie. Just seeing everyone come together for one purpose—celebrating the life of Ronnie James Dio and raising money for cancer research—you can’t go wrong with that. Everyone was super cool. I had a lot of people come up to me, talk about my look, talk about music. I really felt like I fit in there.

Meeting Wendy Dio was amazing. She pointed me out in the middle of a crowd and said, “You look like a rock star,” and I just melted. She’s the sweetest person. I didn’t talk to her for long, but she has this positive energy about her. Nothing felt like it could go wrong around her.

You recently played the Whisky opening for Raven. What was that experience like, and did you get to meet or hang out with them?
I did get to meet all of them—Slackjaw, and the rest of Raven. They were all really cool dudes. The frontman even let me play his bass, which was wild. He’s the only guy I’ve ever seen with a whammy bar on a bass. He had a whole pedalboard full of effects and did this ten‑minute bass solo that just blew my mind. I’d never seen anyone play like that. He’s got his own style and he’s extremely underrated.

Both bands were super inviting and great to work with. And the show itself—walking down those stairs, stepping on that stage, seeing a sea of people waiting to hear your music—it felt incredible. The crowd fed off our energy, and I think we got a really positive reaction. If I could relive that day, I would in a heartbeat.

For people who didn’t see the show—like me—what can someone expect from a live Subsanity performance?
A lot of heavy, technical playing. We like to challenge ourselves with the riffs and the songs we put together. For only three people, we aim to sound huge. And we love entertaining the crowd. Connecting with people is one of the reasons I love doing this. As long as the audience is entertained and gets what they came for, that’s what matters to me.

Since you have a new album coming out, pick two songs that will be on it and tell me what inspired them. Let’s start with “Born on the Battlefield.”
I wasn’t in the band yet when that one was written—our guitarist Octavius wrote it. When I first joined, he sent me a demo of the riffs and it just blew me away. The inspiration is basically a stereotypical war‑themed song—kind of a World War I reenactment vibe—but the way the music is written really embodies the feeling of being in the trenches. We love telling stories through our songs, and “Born on the Battlefield” is one of our best examples of that.

And the second song?
Another really cool one is “Waste Away and Die,” which we also have out as a single. It was the last song we wrote before going into the studio. Our drummer Mike showed us a couple of riffs, and within three hours the whole song was done. Some songs take years to write, but this one just came out of nowhere.

We immediately talked about making it one of the lead singles. It didn’t get much attention at first, but then I made a TikTok video that blew up, and now it’s one of our most popular songs on Spotify. I’m really proud of that one.

If Subsanity could open for any band—now or from the past—who would it be and why?
We’d all answer this differently, but for me personally, I’d love to open for Dokken. I’d love to open for Megadeth. And I’d love to open for Testament.

Dokken is actually playing the Whisky in a few weeks.
I know! As long as I don’t accidentally schedule a show that day, I’m definitely going. Dokken is one of my biggest influences—the songwriting, the sound, Don Dokken’s voice. He’s one of my favorite singers ever.

Are you involved with any other bands or projects outside of Subsanity?
Not right now. I have been in the past. I subbed for a local band that isn’t playing anymore. Another band I had an EP with was Rumination. That was my first experience recording in studios outside of my dad’s place. I’m really proud of what I played on for that EP. I’d love to make music in that style again someday.

Last question: What do you hope the rest of this year brings for you and Subsanity?
Visibility. Before the end of this year, I want people—any metalhead—to look at us and say, “I’ve heard of them. They kick ass.” We’ve only been doing this a short time, but this year we’re extra hungry to put our stuff out there and really change the world with our music. That’s my ultimate goal.

In Conclusion

Subsanity may still be early in their journey, but there’s nothing tentative about the way they approach their music or their future. Whether it’s crafting war‑torn epics like “Born on the Battlefield,” capturing lightning in a bottle with “Waste Away and Die,” or stepping onto legendary stages with the confidence of veterans, the band radiates a sense of purpose that’s impossible to fake.

For Tommy Gunn, visibility isn’t just about numbers — it’s about impact. It’s about making sure that any metalhead in Vegas, L.A., or beyond can hear the name Subsanity and immediately know they’re in for something heavy, heartfelt, and undeniably real. If their momentum is any indication, this debut record may be the spark that pushes them from local standouts to a band the wider metal world can’t ignore.

Subsanity will be playing Nicstock in at Three Clubs in Hollywood on June 2oth!  Get your tickets here!

(Interview by Ken Morton – Photos by Karyn Burleigh of Rock Edge Photography)

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