Phoenix metallers Incite have been releasing classic sounding thrash/groove based albums for over a decade, but their most recent, ‘Savage New Times’ is one of their best to date. Ploughing through ten heavy workouts in a little over a half-hour, the record is insanely tight. From the speed-oriented opener ‘Lies’ – playing like a cross between Soulfly and the faster elements of Testment – to the groove laden ‘No Mercy, No Forgiveness’, to the heavy, rhythmic title track that showcases a sharper guitar tone for its first half, before tipping the hat very obviously in the direction of Soulfly for a much moodier climax, it’s a record that never lets up.
Tag Archives: groove metal
Listen: Irish metallers Asylum Road share new track ‘Desolate’
From the moment ‘Desolate’ crashes in, Asylum Road sound like a band that means business. The number’s earliest riffs borrow, in part, from Testament and Machine Head but toughen them up considerably, and even before allowing their signature groove to take a hold, it’s pretty much guaranteed they have their audience’s attention.
Check out ‘Grind’, the new video from Zygnema
When thinking of groove metal, it’s easy to think of the standard tropes: huge riffs and grinding tones, often coupled with a growled vocal. Often, the results fall into a sound that draws from ‘Far Beyond Driven’ era Pantera, and ‘Ashes of The Wake’ era Lamb of God. Whenever bands borrow from these sources, the results are always impressive – despite Phil Anselmo’s insistence on ruining Pantera’s legacy in a number of ways – but once in a while, a groove metal band will come along who are just a little more interesting.
Listen: Transport League unveils new track ‘Primate Apeshit’
The new single from Transport League is a riff-centric beast that should appeal to a huge cross section of the rock and metal audience. A very cold and mechanical feel employed during the intro suggests something with an industrial heart, but the track ultimately blossoms into something very different.
THROAT LOCUST – Dragged Through Glass EP
This debut from American death metal band Throat Locust might only present three tracks, but in terms of being an effective CV, ‘Dragged Through Glass’ suggests immediate greatness. Taking elements of a classic death metal sound derived from Entombed, Bolt Thrower and Death, and fusing that with some of the heaviest groove metal touches ever, they have the subtlety of a truck, but in extreme metal terms, they could be the best band to emerge since Eaten By Sharks released their debut in a pre-pandemic 2019. Considering the release claims to be only a demo recording, that says a lot about how strong they already sound.