Metal Up Your Ass

Wed., Mar. 21 2007 at 12:03 PM

Categories: Up On Sun

Fracture Point

All the commotion on here lately regarding my distaste for Marshall "Fucking" Beck, formerly of the metal band Rebirth, seems to have left many metal heads (or at least Marshall's Myspace friends) under the impression that I either don't care about metal or don't appreciate the genre. Granted, I grew up as a punk rock kid, and in those days I didn't give a fuck really about metal — Metallica was ah-ight, y'know, but you had all this hair-band shit that overwhelmed the quality music that was coming out.

These days things have changed. The lines between hardcore and metal are often blurred, and you get some quality, thoughtful, complex metal bands kicking out some bad ass songs. The shit I like takes metal out of its usual parameters; bands like the Dillinger Escape Plan, The Red Chord, The Black Dahlia Murder, and locally, Job for a Cowboy totally kick my ass, and are breaking new ground.

Personally, I think Mr. Beck's bands Rebirth and Descend are recidivists; the first band he lists as a favorite is Pantera, and you can hear it in his band. Meanwhile, Job for a Cowboy is playing tonight in Nottingham in the U.K. with Unearth and Despised Icon, as part of a nearly month-long tour. And since this whole metal debate began, bands have been sending me their tracks, and I plan on posting the ones I like the best. Today's come from Fracture Point, I'll slip you more from other local bands as I sort through them.

"Rage Will Tear":http://media.newtimes.com/id/732920/

"Scars": http://media.newtimes.com/id/733008/

"Trapped Among the Fallen": http://media.newtimes.com/id/733054/