Local metal players confident scene is doing well
Dylan Federico and Daniel Alexander have something in common – their music. Though coming from two different bands and two different sub-genres, both musicians are artists in the local metal scene.
Federico, a rhythm guitarist and vocalist for the band Among the Ashes, started listening to metal a year and a half ago. He’s now performing the music in Cache Valley, Ogden and Salt Lake City.
“Over there, it’s just chaos,” Federico said. “It’s just really hardcore.”
Hardcore, a description of a subgenre of metal, is a bit heavier than what Among the Ashes plays, but it’s a scene many young students and teenagers in the valley are growing into. Miss May I, The Word Alive, August Burns Red and Alesana are all examples of the genre who have toured in Utah.
“I see a lot of kids walking around with shirts of those bands on in town,” guitarist Daniel Alexander said.
Alexander is a lead guitarist in three different bands – Deicidal Carnage, Gravetown and Deathblow. Though he’s a metal enthusiast like Federico and Among the Ashes, it’s a different sound than hardcore.
“Metal is so widespread, so many different types of metal,” Alexander said. “You’ve got more hardcore influence – Miss May I, Asking Alexandria – a lot of those bands have a very distinct sound than if you listen to Cannibal Corpse and Sadist. They’re almost worlds apart.”
Alexander’s musical influences include Iron Maiden, Slayer, Venom and Cannibal Corpse. These bands are older than the hardcore genrea, and they sound is completely different. The musicality is often more technical and the attire worn is often very different.
Despite the subgenres of metal, there’s one lingering thought in the mind of many musicians in the valley. There are more metal shows and bands in the local scene and throughout the state in Ogden, Layton and Salt Lake City.
“I think the scene’s doing well right now,” Alexander said. “There’s younger kids getting into it.”
The reason for the somewhat slow rise of the genre could be attributed to the political culture of the area.
“There’s an underground culture that accepts it,” Alexander said. “It might not be acceptable to everyone here but there’s still a crowd here, especially this being a college town that brings in students from all over the nation, and there’s even foreign students that dig metal every now and then.”
Kaden Schlieper, former vocalist for local band Stumble Bee, blames metal’s bad reputation on a few disrespectful artists.
“A few people who are disrespectful make it seem like a bad thing,” Schlieper said. “Also, there are types of metal, some questioning Christianity and some that seem to suggest drugs, alcohol and violence. Those types of metal really do give it a bad reputation.”
Schlieper said there are plenty of bands that sing about positive and uplifting views on life.
“A lot of my favorite bands who have made it big are Christian metal bands, or promote doing good things in the world and suggest we change our views on something important things such as politics, bullying or taking care of ourselves and where we live,” Schlieper said.
Alexander’s hope is that metal will become more accepted among businesses and possibly have new venues to perform in.
“I see metal the next decade or two, growing,” Alexander said. “Hopefully within the next few years, local business owners will follow the example of WhySound.”
Schlieper is excited about the rise of metal in the valley.
“Metal is a sound, not a lifestyle,” Schlieper said. “I love metal and I hope it’s here to stay. If we set a good example, I think we can change the minds of anyone who looks down on metal music.”
– daniellekmanley@gmail.com
Twitter: @DanielleKManley