Here at Revolver, we pride ourselves in living on the cutting edge of heavy music, from metal and hardcore to industrial and hip-hop, 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. From genre-smashing metalcore to rebellious black metal, here are five artists you'll want to get on now.
Omerta
RIYL System of a Down, Slipknot, Dillinger Escape Plan
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE Slipknot and Korn producer Ross Robinson, a.k.a. the "Godfather of Nu-Metal," called them the "next generation." Omerta prefer to call themselves "America's most hated boy band." Cartoonishly vibrant, genre-averse and gleefully unpredictable, the Houston band mix a melting pot of metal, rap and avant-garde influences into a sonic soup that tastes like early System of a Down in one bite, Ghostemane in the next and then Circa Survive when you come back for an intrigued third scoop. "Next generation" of what is not exactly clear. But yeah, they're next.
QUOTE "Our next release [Suicycle] is probably best described as 'genre accelerationism,'" the band says. "We've had a lot of industry suits tell us that the songs off Suicycle are impressive, drawing comparisons to artists whose expertise and repertoires dwarf ours, with very few recognizing our actual influences. As flattering as it can be, we're not really interested in flexing our virtuosity. We don't know what we're doing most of the time."
Scarab
RIYL Hatebreed, Knocked Loose, Jesus Piece
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE A veritable supergroup for modern metallic hardcore aficionados, Scarab features former Year of the Knife frontman Tyler Mullen screaming like a maniac alongside members of Gridiron, Seed of Pain, Simulakra and more. Their clobbering four-song demo dropped a week before their surprise first show, and attendees were already screaming the words — and breaking a Hate5six record by voting video of the set into YouTube rotation the morning after it happened. The hype for Scarab is already unreal, and for good reason. This is some of the most visceral heavy hardcore in recent memory.
QUOTE "I think the most important thing for our band, as far as an ethos goes, is that we aren't going to do anything we don't wanna do because it's a 'good move for the band,'" says guitarist Lennon Livesay. "We're gonna play what we wanna play with our friends' bands and whatever happens with it happens. Sonically, we wanted to make it a little dirtier and faster than some of the other bands we play in."
Lamp of Murmuur
RIYL Immortal, Satyricon, Enslaved
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE Lamp of Murmuur have dropped over a dozen projects since 2019, journeying from raw black metal to black 'n' roll to the lush, galloping form of stadium-tier black metal that defines 2023's excellent, Saturnian Bloodstorm. Entirely created by a mysterious multi-instrumentalist named M., the album's crushing yet pleasantly sleek sound evokes peak-era Immortal without any of the campiness. It's unlikely that Lamp of Murmuur will stay on this sonic terrain for his next release, but wherever he goes, black-metal fans need to be paying attention.
QUOTE Lamp of Murmuur's mission is simple: "To reinvigorate black metal in a way most bands have been failing to do so, at a moment in time where the genre is plagued with stagnation and a never-ending influx of 'projects' with small putrid tongues and questionable musical quality." For M., the band's purpose stems for a kind of higher calling. "I found myself being a medium for an incredibly intriguing entity that took the form of music. That was the initial vision, to open myself to these mysterious waves of energy that were assaulting me, and translate them in the best way I could with the tools that I had."
Inner Peace
RIYL Rage Against the Machine, Soul Glo, Show Me the Body
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE Rapped vocals and hip-hop grooves are having a big resurgence in hardcore right now, but there's no other band doing it quite like Inner Peace. That's probably because the Indianapolis quintet have an actual rapper, Drayco, as their vocalist, who the band met through their local scene's unique cross-pollination of hip-hop and hardcore punk. Influenced by traditional crossover hardcore as much as they are Lil Wayne and Prince, their phenomenal '23 Demo features hardcore compositions that follow wherever the charismatic, gripping Drayco wants to go — rising, falling and exploding to the tune of his gritty poetry.
QUOTE "Rap and hardcore have always been linked in Indianapolis," the band says. "Two rapper/two band bills have been a big thing here for years. I think the biggest thing [that separates us from other rapcore bands] is although there're a few of us with a good bit of history in hardcore bands, we've never given Drayco any direction on his lyrics and delivery. We just write the tracks and let him cook."
Kommand
RIYL Bolt Thrower, Entombed, Gatecreeper
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE Kommand's music is so downright dirty and evil-sounding that it stands out clearly amid the current death-metal renaissance. With a membership of experienced players (including a former Trash Talk drummer), the L.A. unit's latest release, Death Age, is an assortment of highly skilled OSDM that nods to skull-crushing staples like Bolt Thrower and Entombed, as well as even nastier bands like Convulse. This is the soundtrack to apocalyptic brutality.
QUOTE All Kommand want to do is "play dark and war-like death metal," says guitarist Ian Logan. "As far as the lyrics, each Kommand release has been based around a particular historical conflict. Death Age is unique in that it is about a speculative conflict in the near future. Jesse [Sanes], our singer, worked with the artist Danu to visually represent this future conflict." It looks absolutely hellish.
