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 artists who, we think, are on the rise across several different genres. Spanning from Orange County hardcore (Fury) to Toronto death metal (Tomb Mold), here are five groups you'll want to get on now before everyone else does.
FURY
If you've even passively followed the hardcore scene in the past couple years, you've probably noticed a band called Fury bubbling to the top. The O.C. five-piece has a series of impressive releases to its name, including the critically acclaimed 2017 breakthrough Paramount. The group — currently tearing up stages and turning heads on the Power Trip/Sheer Mag tour — got R I F F S and represent a new wave of thinking within hardcore that stands in contrast to the scene's overtly-bro tendencies. "I have an 11-year-old sister and there's no way in hell she would've been comfortable at a show 10 years ago," says vocalist Jeremy Stith. "Now, not only does she feel comfortable, but she has role models that she can look up to, strong women who don't have time for the archaic culture they've grew up in and had to deal with."
TOMB MOLD
2018 is a particularly fertile time for death metal, and one of the best young bands leading the charge is Toronto duo Tomb Mold. It all started with The Bottomless Perdition demo in 2016 and the unexpected fervid reaction it received in the underground upon release; 2017's Primordial Malignity LP followed and quickly sold out. Bandmates Max Klebanoff and Derrick Vella were taken aback, to say the least. "Three of the songs on Primordial Malignity were supposed to be on the second demo tape, which we figured we'd do and then pack it in," recalls Vella. "So much for that. We honestly had zero expectations so everything following it has been a great surprise." Soon after, the twosome decided to move from studio project to real band and started working on their next record. Those efforts have resulted in a worm-ridden masterpiece called Manor of Infinite Forms, set to drop June 8th — don't miss it.
GOUGE AWAY
Gouge Away may share the name of a classic Pixies track, but don't mistake their approach for anything less than passionate and explosive post-hardcore. Off of the strength of a pair of 7-inches and one LP, the Florida-based band caught the eye of Touché Amoré's Jeremy Bolm, who is co-producing the group's second full-length, which will be released later this year via Deathwish Inc. "We're very excited to get this record out because it's something we've always wanted to create," enthuses vocalist Christina Michelle. "We ultimately wanted to be honest in the songwriting, drawing from heavy influences of ours and focusing on more personal lyrics. I think there will be the same amount of aggression and energy, but in a new way."
IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT
"Music just needs to keep evolving," Imperial Triumphant guitarist Zachary Ilya Ezrin says. "Stop recycling old tropes and explore new frontiers. We are operating very far from traditional black-metal music. However, our music is extremely dark and focused on terror." Indeed, terrorizing its audience is what the avant black-metal crew does best, whether on record (their latest is the cacophonous Vile Luxury) or onscreen (don't miss their disturbing "Swarming Opulence" video, above). In an age where instrumental wankery passes as a show of "brutality" and nothing is truly shocking, Imperial Triumphant are here to make metal frightening again — and we couldn't be more supportive of that cause.
S.H.I.T.
Toronto's S.H.I.T. ask a pertinent question with their new effort due on June 1st via Iron Lung, What Do You Stand For? In the case of the five piece from the T.O., the answer is a good old-fashioned DIY spirit and raging, throat-gripping hardcore punk. Known by many as the land of Drake, Toronto has long been a bastion for underground music, from bands including Career Suicide, Fucked Up and Cursed to fests such as Not Dead Yet — the latter founded by S.H.I.T. guitarist Greg Benedetto. "Over time, I came to learn that all these bands, one way or another, grew out of autonomous anarchist and queer spaces," he says. "They were part of a wild politic running back to the beginnings of punk here in Toronto — or back to people like [activists] Jane Jacobs and Emma Goldman. And despite how much the city continues to change, the spirit that bred those bands is alive and well here."
