Sometimes it's hard to separate the good underground bands from the awful ones. But fear not! Contributor Drew Zalucky is willing to take one for the team and every now and then, pick one he likes and guilt you into tell you why you should like them. Here is a new installment made especially for Underground Week:
Warm
Warm is an experimental metal band with post-rock influences, hailing from northeastern Connecticut. Forming in May of 2010, the band has self-recorded and self-released both of their previous efforts, Warm (2011) and Warm II (2012). Warm is set to release its first full-length album, The Human Exemplar this fall. Aside from their creative efforts in the studio, Warm has kept busy on the road, mounting three tours across the east coast and mid-west.
According to frontman Mike Taylor:
The music always comes first. We're not interested in what will garner immediate success. The goal is to be able to sustain our well being by making music. But we have to believe in what we're creating before anything else.
Though the band certainly aims to craft a sound all their own, they describe their main influences as ISIS, Tool, Swans, Frank Zappa, King Crimson and Dinosaur Jr. – along with bread-and-butter metal bands like Metallica, Meshuggah and Black Sabbath. From my perspective, I could also catch several hints of Torche, Helms Alee, High on Fire and Remission-era Mastodon in the mix as well.
Current Lineup:
Mike Taylor: Guitar, Vocals
Keenan O'Connor: Guitar, Backup Vocals
Ryan Kelly: Bass
Eric Holle: Drums
Why You Should Check Them Out
At this point, the grounds of post-metal, first explored by bands like Neurosis and ISIS, have been well paved and developed by Junius and Cult of Luna. Still, there is certainly room for a band that can take the sound and inject the excitement of just…you know, METAL into its more droning tendencies. It’s not enough to have 10-minute songs and layers of atmospherics, we need something to get excited about. Warm is the perfect band for this job.
More than anything, the band deserves attention for its strong songwriting skills, as their songs all have an engaging quality matched with infectious, memorable riffs. Though it’s not all there is to metal, you’d be hard-pressed to find a great band that didn’t pay careful attention to whether their riffs could pull a listener in and keep them rocking beyond the 30-second mark. They also do a great job of using their experimental or “progressive” side to their advantage, allowing it to reward multiple listens, rather than boring the listener upon the first one.
Convinced?
Here are some helpful links:
