Here at Revolver, we pride ourselves in living on the cutting edge of heavy music, from metal and hardcore to industrial and goth, and we try to keep you on the front line, too, by giving you a deep look at the innovative noisemakers poised to shape the sound and the scene. To that end, we've rounded up a handful of musicians who, we think, are on the rise across several different genres. Spanning from nihilistic, noisy D-beat punk from Iceland (D7Y) to energetic post-hardcore from India (Pacifist), here are five artists you'll want to get on now before everyone else does.
PACIFIST
RIYL At the Drive-In, Converge, Modern Life Is War
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE Though India's Pacifist are located literally thousands of miles away from some of the bands that they cite as influences (see above), the quartet mine post-hardcore with a level of emotional honesty, originality and rancor rarely seen anywhere in the world.
QUOTE "India isn't exactly known for a hardcore scene: We have some extreme metal bands here that are earning a name for themselves globally, but apart from that we're pretty much left to our own devices to be inspired and informed by," says vocalist Siddharth. "We access and discover music through the internet — our sound is informed from our own individual tastes and interests, at the end of the day. The lyrics and theme for the music finds it's inspiration from our urban existence, in the hustle of Mumbai, the city we're based out of. We definitely share synergies with our fellow hardcore bands in Mumbai: False Flag and Death by Fungi."
HIGH COMMAND
RIYL Slayer, Power Trip, Cro-Mags
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE Fresh off a tour with the rising titans in Spirit Adrift, High Command bring ripping, crossover thrash with about as much subtlety as a running curb-stomp. The Massachusetts-based crew are now poised to conquer realms far beyond their home state with their forthcoming effort Beyond the Wall of Desolation, due later this year via Southern Lord.
QUOTE "We were all surprised about the attention the demo received — we didn't have many expectations from it besides writing some audio love letters to bands that got us pumped on metal in the first place," admits guitarist Ryan McArdle. "But it eventually grew into its own beast. I think the aesthetic of the demo definitely has a charm of its own that harkens back to days of yore and I wouldn't want to change a thing about that. Keeping that in mind, the upcoming LP is the next logical step for us, sonically and aesthetically. Think a little more South of Heaven mixed in with Haunting the Chapel."
SKOURGE
RIYL Sheer Terror, Killing Time, Integrity
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE Living in the shadow of local greats like Iron Age and Power Trip can be a hard road for a Texas hardcore band, but Houston's Skourge prove there is still plenty of opportunity to make one's own name — in their case, via ultraviolent, nihilistic and unrelenting hardcore of the finest order.
QUOTE "The thing about Texas that makes bands so great is no one gives a fuck whether you like them or not," proclaims guitarist Jacob Duarte. "We make music for us and us only. Sure, it's nice to have people like your band, but at the end of the day if some random fool from another state wants to hate on a band from here, we usually just brush it off because they ain't Texas and no one cares what they think 'cause they just gonna rip it off and try to steal the drip anyway. Bottom line is, Texas rules and Iron Age forever."
D7Y
RIYL Discharge, Physique, Disclose, Lebenden Toten
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE Somewhere between noise and raucous punk, Icelandic trio D7Y practice a particularly caustic brand of D-beat that feels as aggressive as it does alien and off-putting — in the best of ways, of course. D7Y's recent appearance at the Iron Lung Records–focused "What We Like" festival in NYC showed that not only can they keep up with the rest of the label's roster, but they might even be one of its best acts.
QUOTE "Though Iceland is very isolated from the international punk community and it is very expensive to travel and ship things overseas, the main advantage is probably how small and tight-knit the punk community here is," bassist Júlía Aradóttir says. "There are great people here to work with."
OSSUARY
RIYL Dead Congregation, Beherit, Demelich
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE Madison, Wisconsin, may not be a wellspring for underground music, but Ossuary's bulldozing take on death-doom, which tips it's hat to Rippikoulu, Runemagick and Autopsy among others, is enough to shake the world into paying attention.
QUOTE "If I'm forced to choose a favorite region and period for death metal, I'm going with early Nineties Finland — let's say '91 to '94 — on the basis of stand-out originality and visceral ugliness," enthuses vocalist-guitarist Izzi Plunkett. "Finnish death metal from this era has clear influences from heavy-hitter North American bands, but you can feel how isolated these dudes were, in the best possible way. Unlike their Scandinavian neighbors in Sweden, every band I've heard is uniquely fucked up and depraved sounding, and there's not much obvious crossover in style in each band's interpretation. Unconventional, unguided and seemingly organic choices all around."
