*Photography: ADH Media, Deb Palacious, Nia Villanueva, Trey Hainsworth, Brian DenetclawHeavy metal is a Scandinavian thing. At least, that's what most of the world of music is led to believe, and I don't blame them. There are more signed heavy metal bands per capita in Sweden, Finland, and Norway than anywhere else in the world. Is it the biting cold and deathly freeze that fuels their inspiration? Or perhaps the old stories of their Viking ancestors make great thematic material? Quite possibly, but there's hardly a single reason that makes this claim evident.
I never had the privilege to grow up in a place known for its metal. Instead, I grew up in scorching, dry Arizona, in which old west movies, cowboy legends, country music, and a big-ass desert comes to mind. Heavy metal is scarcely associated with my neighborhood. Even in the United States, places associated with this brutal, uncompromising genre tend to be, for instance, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Florida, or even New Jersey. But dusty, old Arizona is never among their ranks.
I grew up as a musician here, nevertheless, tinkling the ivories since I was 10 (and picking up a guitar when I was 16), unaware of the sleeping giant that was Arizona's heavy metal. And now that I'm older and more mindful of what's happening in my community, I look back and the very notion of my obliviousness perplexes me. Through attending a number of concerts and seeing the many faces, both familiar and strange, thrashing as hard as they do in the mosh pit or banging their heads violently without a care in the world, I realized that heavy metal in Arizona isn't just a fad or a fleeting musical phase, but a lifestyle to a large number of its inhabitants.
This understanding wasn't an instantaneous experience for me. Rather, it was a growing notion, in which I learned new things as I frequented more events and met plenty of people. Lately, I've begun to understand how diverse Arizona's heavy metal scene really is, and to my surprise, the growing and incredibly expansive genre that falls under the label of "progressive metal". These bands find their own sound through the use of wide vocal ranges, polyrhythms, and the low, chugging rhythmic guitar sound known as "djent", which is produced from a 7 or 8-stringed guitar's lowest string. All in all, I love it! I can't seem to shake those melodious tones from the back of my mind or come up with polyrhythms on the fly. It simply sticks with me, and it sticks hard.
All of this reached an apex of understanding on the night of June 5th. Pub Rock in Scottsdale, just north east of our capitol, was holding a show with a good representative sample of Phoenix's Progressive Metal groups – 5 in total, all of whom took it upon themselves to ensure that this show actually happened. They called it a "do-it-yourself" concert, which doesn't do justice to the amount of work that these bands put into the event. Everyone contributed in scheduling, promoting, merchandising, setting up, and managing the event without the aid of promoters, record labels, or any other 3rd parties (other than the limited venue staff). This night was a standing testament to how devoted these people are to their music. And I'm glad I went to the show out of spontaneity. I took back a few things I never thought I'd find.
A Night to Remember
There was a certain buzz in the air when I arrived early – anticipation rattled with the band members who sat out front, discussing matters with their bandmates. Friends came to help them load their equipment into the venue only to come back out later and rejoin everyone else in line. Several more people showed up and discussed their own bands that didn't have the chance to perform tonight. This is how the underground life is lived: everybody pitches in something.
The concert began on a sudden note as I was struck hard by the first band of the night: ALTERRA, which was probably the best choice for an opener. With unrelenting vocals and slamming double-bass, there was definitely death metal influence mingling with progressive overtones, a style that could easily hype the crowd and get things moving for the following performances. Grinding low guitar and death growls fused with polyrhythms and virtuosic, scaling lead guitar is what makes ALTERRA so unique. I'd call it "progressive death metal" if anything.
ALTERRA's performance was well-played and gave a stupendous first impression, considering I had never heard of these guys before that night. As technical as their music can get, the delivery was spot-on, leaving me wanting much more. This is a band that I hope to see at future underground performances!
Next featured for the night was THE WORLD TO COME, who describe themselves to be "deathcore with hints of progressive elements and ambience". Personally, I'd call it more than just a "hint", not saying that's a bad thing at all. It works in the band's favor and individualizes their music. As far as deathcore goes, this genre is more or less just a simplified branch of death metal with more breakdowns and sometimes higher, more screeching lyrics. But THE WORLD TO COME came off as way more technical than any Deathcore band I've previously heard, with more instrumentally-inclined scaling guitar riffs and the "djent" undertow. Not to mention that the overarching ambience is a nice added touch to fill in any tiny gaps.
If you consider yourself a connoisseur of your local underground bands, then you know all too well that these shows aren't without their own problems. Due to technical difficulties and equipment issues, THE WORLD TO COME was, unfortunately, only able to play a single song from their set in order to continue as scheduled. But as they say, "the show must go on", and the band stepped up to the plate and gave it their all. It was clear that they didn't come for nothing, and they handled the situation professionally. Truth be told, I've seen bands throw fits for a lot less. I look forward to seeing them again under better circumstances and experience their set to its fullest extent.
I had high expectations for ANIMUS COMPLEX as they took the stage. I've seen them live on more occasions than any other band, having opened for many shows that I've attended, particularly at The World Famous Nile Theatre. They weren't terribly new to me, so I came in hoping for something a bit out of the ordinary.
ANIMUS COMPLEX, another progressive metal band of the night, shared similar musical technicalities and artistic themes as the previous two bands. However, the main difference was the wider range that their vocalist, Matt Turkington, offered, using cleans in conjunction with his own gutterals while the band's only guitarist, Jeremy Davis, provides backup growls, an impressive feat to say the least. Stylistically, the guitar is much less "djent" than the previous two bands as well, giving Davis more room for a driving and musically-complex lead role.
Despite all my expectations, ANIMUS COMPLEX delivered a fantastic performance. Not being the opening act, for once, gave them the opportunity to present an extensive list of songs for the night, including a few I've never heard before. But what really got me was the bassist of the band that I hadn't seen yet – a new face that I've never seen before at their past few performances. Expecting him to be somebody new, I carefully observed how he performed these songs I've heard several times before live, and he was spot-on. He stood at the front of the stage, drawing in lots of attention as he thrashed about with his bass (even narrowly missing Turkington a few times). Later, I found out that he, Stephen Poff, was the original bassist of ANIMUS COMPLEX and returned to the band after taking a year-long hiatus. This was only the second time performing with his old band again since his return. Every time I've seen ANIMUS COMPLEX live, they've gotten better with each of their performances, and I can say the same for this show.
Credit: ADH Media
Credit: Trey Hainsworth
I had never given A DISTANT CALM a listen before the show, which surprised me. With the crowd that they drew and the predisposed interest of their followers, these guys seemed to be a fan favorite of the Phoenix underground. Like the rest of the bands, A DISTANT CALM definitely had progressive elements – rhythmic low guitar notes and ambience that seemed to loom over the instrumentals, yet there was a Metalcore touch to their approach with breakdowns and consistent time signatures. To my delight, they mashed these two styles together quite well to the point where everything flowed naturally.
At the start of the show, the crowd had already been primed for noise and the mosh pit that broke out was fierce. The open area for thrashing encompassed over half the standing-room area. But what made their set truly special was the departure of their guitarist from the band that night. More of a bid farewell, if anything. Just before the final song, Will Fezatte, their vocalist, announced that this was Alex Rieth's finals show. As they performed their final song for the night, Rieth walked into the audience as they parted ways and stopped in the middle of the mosh pit. He played the outro to the song as a storm raged around him and the circle pit filled with over half the night's attendees. This was something I had never experienced before at a concert, and to see the band's devotion to their fans like this was truly memorable. I'm proud to say that, even though I had never given these guys a chance before, that I could at least be a part of this moment.
The night drew to a close with KARDASHEV, a band that walks a particular road of metal that not many groups tread. They describe their music as "ambient death metal", which bears many heavy progressive influences. KARDASHEV's unique sound is marked with extremely technical and fast polyrhythmic drumming along with a crunchy bass. Not only does the single guitarist, Nico Mirolla, fulfill the "ambient" guitar that hovers above, but doubles-down to fill in the more rhythmic drive with fast riffs and a liberal use of "djent". And finally, a wide range of vocals that know no bounds from Mark Garrett.
KARDASHEV didn't start pits like A DISTANT CALM and didn't stand up front with a particular stage presence like ANIMUS COMPLEX, though not to say that people weren't enamored with what was happening on stage. The group performed differently than most other bands: on a darkened stage with a projection screen as a backdrop, on which many shapes and images danced around their music. Songs weren't announced, but rather shown on the projections, as well. The band changed pace with their projections and followed along perfectly, which is no easy task. It makes me think of PINK FLOYD's old underground days when their light shows and color effects would drive their performances. KARDASHEV is not only trying to revive this kind of art, but redefine stage effects. I, for one, think they're doing a great job, especially with how the audience reacted. If people weren't headbanging furiously, they were staring with their mouths gaping open in awe. And this went on and on in a relative phase in which I lost track of time, up until the show was finally over and we could all take in what just happened.
The show as a whole was an eye-opening experience for me, an evolution in how I perceived Phoenix's metal underground. I realized not only how big its presence really is, but what kind of bands it's starting to draw in and which direction's taking. Even if there was a known metal scene in Arizona, few people would suspect one of its big players to be Progressive Metal. My first impression on this was completely wrong, and I'm glad it was. Metal is alive in Phoenix and growing every day.
Many of these bands may interest you, the reader, and I implore you to not only look up the bands listed here, but the many more that fill the ears and liven the nights of Phoenix, Arizona. I'll continue to advocate for every musician and artist that tries to give Phoenix the name in metal it deserves.
ALTERRA
Alec Trow - Guitar
Jason Benkhe - Vocals
Esteban Marcos Galindo Palacios III - Bass
Jacob Miles - Drums
Daniel Dobbs - Guitar
THE WORLD TO COME
Luis Menchaca - Vocals
Tim "Kiwi" Franzkowiak - Guitar
Shane Griffin – Guitar
Jon Infranco - Bass
Josh Merrill - Drums
ANIMUS COMPLEX
Matt Turkington – Vocals
Jeremy Davis – Guitar
Stephen Poff – Bass
Michael Ohlson - Drums
A DISTANT CALM
Cory West – Guitar
Alex Rieth – Guitar
Will Fezatte – Vocals
Nic Landwehr – Bass
Jared Fron - Drums
KARDASHEV
Mark Garrett – Vocals
Nico Mirolla – Guitar
Chris Gherlings - Bass
