Deafening Sound

Some of you (those who read the things I write anyway) may remember that about this time last year I did a writeup on ten bands in the metal underground that I thought were going to be making some serious waves, and who I believed people should take notice of. Of the bands on that original list, we all know how big Job For A Cowboy's gotten, Elysia is embarking on their first national headlining tour, Suicide Silence is poised to release their first full length record on Century Media Records, and Once Nothing is signed to CI Records (former home of August Burns Red and Albert React) and embarking on another landmark tour in support of their new amazing full length record. And that's just a few of the bands on the original list. So in the spirit of looking out for the underground, here is Bands to Look Out For part 2. Enjoy. (I'd also like to add that the numbers here don't really mean anything...they're just to make sure that my no-counting ass doesn't put more or less than 10 bands on the list.)

10. Decrepit Birth

Decrepit Birth is a brutal death metal band hailing from Santa Cruz, California. These guys debuted (on record anyway) in 2003 with their phenomenal "...And Time Begins", and something was certainly beginning. These guys are a breath of fresh air (albeit incredibly gorey fresh air) in a sea of bands that are all doing essentially the same thing. With winding death metal guitar riffs, guttural, violent death growls, drums that perforate the rhythm section like a nailgun, and ridiculously speedy delivery on all fronts, these guys are what most brutal death bands want to be when they grow up. And unlike everyone and their mother these days, they're not relying on breakdowns to call attention to themselves. Check them out (http://www.myspace.com/decrepitbirth)

09. Excoriate

I love this band. Plain and simple. Calling more than a few comparisons to fellow deathcore pioneers, Elysia, Excoriate bring the ruckus, and then some. I don't usually say this about a band, but these guys might actually be more brutal and have heavier, meaner breakdowns than Elysia, and their vocals may be even scarier too (don't you miss the days when if you were talking about a scary vocalist you usually meant Scott Vogel was coming to town? I know I do). The band has been around for a few years now, with three songs released, my favorite of which is the ridiculous and aptly titled "Flawless", which could probably give an elderly woman a heartattack in the right circumstances. These guys are writing a new record right now, and I don't think anyone's as stoked as I am to hear it.(http://www.myspace.com/excoriateband)  

08. Ghost Of A Fallen Age

While I don't necessarily love the idea of promoting a band from a place called "Lynchburg", when you're hot you're hot, and these guys are nuclear. Formed from the ashes of cookie cutter Christian metalcore band, Winter Solstice, and Everything Falls Together, Ghost Of A Fallen Age quickly dispel any misconceptions anyone may have that they are a Winter Solstice part 2 of any kind. These guys SLAY. GOAFA bring heavy, gutteral, violent death growl vocals, sickening neckbreak drum lines, and even sicker and more...erm...neckbreaking breakdowns, and some ridiculous musical affinity that you'd expect to hear from a more seasoned veteran band. Blending, and quite successfully so, might I add, the better parts of the metalcore genre (winding, melodic dual guitar riffs) and the burgeoning deathcore genre (read: BREAKDOWNS), Ghost Of A Fallen Age are not the average metal band. These guys are out for blood.(www.myspace.com/ghostofafallenage)

07. Hacksaw To The Throat

Before I say anything else, I have to say it: this band name is AWESOME. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I'd like to follow that statement with this one: this band is AWESOME. These guys take what you know about death metal and thrashcore and they turn it on its head. Blending thrashy, yet catchy metallic riffs with a death metal sensibility and edge that borders on ridiculous, Hacksaw To The Throat are a dangerous animal. The band's full length recording, "Tear My Eyes Out" shows a band that respects the classics like Slayer, Entombed, Carcass and At The Gates, but that they also recognize the need for new blood in such an old genre. This band is indeed the total package, and hopefully their upcoming record, "Wastelands" will deliver the same level of brutality and then some.      (www.myspace.com/hacksawtothethroat)

06. The Irish Front

Every year there are one or two bands that I just have a really good feeling about. Bands that I just know are going to be breakout hits in the near future. This year, one of the biggies is Arizona's The Irish Front. It's a quality I can't quite put my finger on, but these guys have big things coming to them in the future. They combine sick riffs, death metal vocals, disturbingly heavy breakdowns, and just a (very, very small) tinge of metallic melody, and of course the occasional squeal for the kiddies doesn't hurt either, to create a maelstrom of angry, riot inducing metal. I don't think it's possible to describe these guys in words, you really just have to hear them. And if you plan on doing that, make sure you set apart a good block of time, because you'll be listening to these songs over, and over and over again.(www.myspace.com/theirishfront)

05. Last House On The Left

These guys are one of many bands that caught my eye in the first place based on their album's cover art and their highly unusual band name. I'm sure it's an allusion to something, a horror movie or something that I'm not familiar with, but along with bands like A Stained Glass Romance, Clearing Autumn Skies and Job For A Cowboy, they join the canon of bands who get my name seal of approval. That being said, these guys are one of the more melodic, and well, catchier deathcore bands on the market right now. There's much more in the realm of dual guitar melodies and catchy drumlines here than in many of their deathcore contemporaries, a lot of whom border on brutal death metal with breakdowns. There's a great deal of vocal versatility on display here, as the band's singer Tyler Semyaza jumps lithly and with what sounds like little effort at all from deep, brutal growls to hoarse shrieks at fairly regular intervals. And while we're talking about brutality with little or no effort, these guys churn out a breakdown that makes one want to throw down ECW style without putting forth much effort, at least they make it sound that easy. Get into these guys, and the first time you check them out, be careful there isn't anything breakable around. You'll thank me later.                                                      (www.myspace.com/lasthouse)

04. Liferuiner

These guys are another of my absolute favorites in the newer bands category. They combine utterly ridiculous song titles (I Don't Have To Be Straightedge To Be Better Than You) with DISGUSTING breakdowns (there's an oldschool Mortal Kombat style 'WHOOPSIE' right before the breakdown in the song 'The Jump Off'). They throw together a great blend of catchy, metallic punk 2-step beats, hardcore sensibility, and of course, the coup de gras...ill breakdowns. Their newest album "No Saints" calls to mind bands like Stick To Your Guns, and Suffokate. These guys are amazing, and they are looking to be one of the breakthrough bands of late 2007-2008. These guys are going to be huge, and when they are, don't say I didn't tell you so. (http://www.myspace.com/xlifexruinerx)

03. The Partisan Turbine

This is a band that seems to have benefited from the huge surge in death metal and deathcore bands. While a band like The Partisan Turbine wouldn't have generated NEARLY as much buzz as they have a few years ago, the sudden boom in heavy music popularity has made these guys a huge internet fan favorite, and a genuine psycho-metal phenomenon. I say psycho-metal because these guys HAVE to be out of their minds to write music the way they do. It's aggressive, breakneck fast, brutal and the vocals are out of this world. I'd like to say drummer Matt Cuty does an exemplary job on the skins on this recording, a commendable effort from an awesome band. Give these guys a whirl, and be on the lookout for their self titled album.                                                     (www.myspace.com/thepartisanturbine)

02. Underneath The Gun

The idea of a Christian deathcore band seemed...well...novel at best when I first heard of these guys. When I actually managed to get a copy of their newest release, "The Awakening", the idea turned from novel to volatile. Every once in awhile, a band who doesn't take the whole "br00tal death metal" thing too far is a nice breath of fresh air. Any band that throws a good old fashioned cowboy "whoooo" into the mix right before an excellent breakdown is a-okay in my book. Check these guys out, they're ill and a half.                                                        (www.myspace.com/utg)

01. Whitechapel

These guys caught my eye with their 2006 demo, which featured Circle Of Dead Children-esque vocal psychosis, sick breakdowns, awesome drum fills and some crazy whirlwind guitar work. Whitechapel is the total package and then some. After waiting a little while for their full length, "The Somatic Defilement" was released through Siege of Amida (the same label that brought you The Partisan Turbine and Last House On The Left, among others), I was hooked. The triple guitar assault is sick, Phil Bozeman's vocals are ridiculous, and these guys are going to be one of the biggest products of the deathcore genre, mark my words. If you thought Job For A Cowboy was a phenomenon, wait till you get a load of these guys.(www.myspace.com/whitechapelmetal)

Check all these bands and their recordings out at www.myspace.com.