MINECRAFT . . . FOR METALHEADS

(Our guest contributor Rob K. is back with another contribution — this one about three of his musical discoveries that you may not have known about.)

Metal is not unlike the nerd sensation taking over computer screens everywhere: Minecraft. You stumble around the internet, uncovering useless stuff, digging up places you really shouldn’t, digging deeper to ultimately find that rare metal (see what I did there?) and build a full-size replica of the Starship Enterprise out of Album Covers. Or, you know, whatever tickles your fancy. You hold the fort after dark, knocking back waves and waves of evil trolls and flamers trying at every turn to “dis you’re band dawg” [mispelling to achieve ultimate real-ness].

It’s becoming ever more clear, as our genre grows older everyday, that more and more people paint a stark picture of deathcore.

Don’t get me wrong, this genre has its fair share of copycats. But come on fellas (and ladies), EVERY genre and sub-genre over the whole spectrum of music has its copycats. Frankly, I occasionally break away from metal for a while and listen to other things. And while I don’t mind the occasional rap or hip-hop song (it’s gotta have meaning, none of that booty clapping, money and hoes bullshit), for the most part, I can’t tell any of it apart from one artist to another. Same thing goes for country (looking back though, today’s “country” is nothing more than pop/rock with twangy steel guitars; Johnny Cash is rolling in his grave).

Now that we have all the sentimental shit out of the way, I want to introduce you folks to some underground stuff that I dug up. You see, this shit isn’t just a hobby for me. It’s what I live for. Besides my day job, I spend time scouring the internet looking for the best the underground has to offer.

I don’t discriminate among tags that either the fans or the bands themselves give their music. I don’t turn my nose up at Album Covers (I’d lie though if I said I don’t cringe a little when I see dudes in girl jeans and bad haircuts). And unlike the title of this blog (which I appreciate more than, say, a warm blanket), I don’t mind the occasional bout of clean lyrics.

But I digress. Let me introduce you to the first band, Otis Driftwood. If you think this sounds familiar, that’s because it’s the name of a character in the Rob Zombie movies House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects.This group is a little out of the ordinary when it comes to their interest-killing title of Deathcore. Sure, their logo fulfills the stereotype, but look beyond that and really listen to the music.

They have a unique mix of styles. Listen closely and you’ll hear the down tune-y crunchy goodness of Meshuggah, the chugging and thrashing of The Absence, Beneath the Massacre and The Faceless, the vocal mash-up of Ion Dissonance and Lamb of God. All that said, these guys know how to put forth the pain. And they’re catchy as all hell. Enough of my rhetoric, listen for yourself.

This next group I think you’ll really enjoy: Ruled by Reason. These guys are sort of deathcore, but think of them more along the lines of Revocation. They’re very thrashy and, unlike most groups in this sub-genre, they can shred.

I think some bands today are starting to try too hard to move away from the label of deathcore, but while these guys have elements of it that are all too noticeable, they do a great job of branching off from their other brethren with their flat-billed hats, puffy sneakers, and hoods up.

Apiary is another band that deserves attention.

[Side Note: Googling Apiary brought to my attention that an “Apiary” is a Bee Yard. Quote from Wikipedia: “a place where beehives of honey bees are kept. Traditionally beekeepers (also known as apiarists) paid land rent in honey for the use of small parcels.” Pretty fucking metal, huh?]

[Side Side Note: Apparently these guys have been around a while and they now go by the name Early Graves.]

Anywho, think Coalesce blended with Converge, add a dash of Gaza and a twist of Fuck the Facts. If your head doesn’t bob at least a little bit, or at the very least your toe doesn’t tap, check to make sure you still have a pulse. These guys do what they do very well, and deserve some love. Check out this song “Peril’s Divinity” from their album Lost in Focus.

Stay tuned, there’s more to come! Enjoy.