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 forward-thinking Nashville metallic hardcore (Thirty Nights of Violence) to extreme-metal-inflected German death rock (Rope Sect), here are five artists you'll want to get on now.
Wargasm
RIYL Bring Me the Horizon, Poppy, Atari Teenage Riot
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE International model Milkie Way and DIY veteran Sam Matlock met at a concert on Camden in London just last year. It proved to be a fateful encounter. Now collectively known as Wargasm, the twosome pursue a particularly now mash-up of nu-metal, punk, electronic music, pop, hip-hop and anything else they damn please. The results are brash, electric and irresistible.
QUOTE "When we wrote 'Spit,' it was about the disgust we felt with how people treat each other and the disgusting state of the world," the duo said in a joint statement about their latest single, released in early June. "Sadly, it's ringing truer day by day. In times like this, art is vital. Silence is not the way we support the causes that we stand for. This is the time for change. Make a positive impact."
Thirty Nights of Violence
RIYL Deftones, Converge, Poison the Well
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE Yes, the band's name comes from a Deftones lyric. No, we won't confirm that their drummer is Code Orange's mudman. All you really need to know is that this Nashville quintet slays in their own right. Across its six tracks, their new, sophomore EP, You'll See Me Up There, splices together elements of chaotic hardcore, shreddy metalcore and atmospheric metal into an emotive and innovative collage of heavy sounds readymade to rule the mosh pit.
QUOTE "For me, I use music as a way to foster connection with other people," vocalist Zach Wilbourn says when asked to verbalize Thirty Nights of Violence's mission statement. "I think, more often than not, finding common ground on something like music is the easiest way for me to connect with someone — or anything creative for that matter. Understanding one another and our experiences on a very human level is something I strive for on a daily basis. I think my band just so happens to allow me to do that."
Oxymorrons
RIYL The Fever 333, N.E.R.D., Gym Class Heroes
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE Newly signed to the Fever 333 frontman Jason Aalon Butler's label 333 Wreckords Crew, this Queens, New York, alternative hip-hop group live up to their name, juxtaposing their contrasting influences from rap, rock and beyond into a cool, genre-defying and distinctive style. When they go hard, as on Oxymorrons' latest single, "Justice," they pull no punches.
QUOTE "We are angry. We are traumatized. We are scared," the group commented of the politically charged "Justice." "But mostly, we are tired. Tired of our people dying in front of us in broad daylight from a senseless act of racism. Tired of harassment from the very people whose job it is to protect us. Tired of screaming at the deaf ears of a government who never had our best interest in mind. We are enraged. We are frustrated. We are beyond fed-up. But again mostly, we are tired."
Rope Sect
RIYL Joy Division, Grave Pleasures, Christian Death
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE Much hyped by the extreme-music cognoscenti, Rope Sect make gripping, twisted, black-metal-inflected death rock, and they come with the endorsement of none other than scene taste-maker and Grave Pleasures bandleader Mat "Kvohst" McNerney, who took the group on tour and collaborated with them on two songs off their killer upcoming debut LP, The Great Flood.
QUOTE "I have always been surrounded by music and gradually developed my own taste, went through different genres and noticed the attraction to darker music and art quite early," Rope Sect main man Inmesher says of his discovery of death rock and post-punk. "When starting to play the guitar, I have also started buying some metal magazines and just loved to discover bands that follow and guide you through life. There hasn't been any particular album that marked the entrance into darker music, but I definitely have to mention Katatonia as a major influence, especially when starting to make own music. In fact, I got into death rock and post-punk much later than metal, and I didn't grow up with all these old goth or wave bands that are often mentioned in connection with Rope Sect."
Glorious
RIYL Minor Threat, Gallows, Drug Church
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE Employed to Serve and Renounced are two of the U.K.'s finest young metallic hardcore bands, and they already share members so obviously they should all mix and match to form yet another group together. Enter Glorious, a fun, furious outfit that lacks the tight, metal-leaning technicality of the aforementioned acts but more than makes up for it with raw, throwback punk-rock fury. Oh yeah, and their new debut EP, Unashamed, features a ripping, revelatory cover of Type O Negative.
QUOTE "Living life without compromise and being completely proud of who you are," singer Justine Jones says of Glorious' core message. She adds, "The first hardcore band I ever got into was Hatebreed, and [I] loved the fact that heavy music could have such positive and self-empowering lyrics."
