CJLO X SXSW 2024: Metal Music Preview

Zheani is an Australian native who is mixing hyperpop and metal and its honestly really grating and fantastic. If you like her, you'd probably like the hip-hop with nu metal flavoring from UK's Crae Wolf, so check them out.

Flatspot Records is doing a showcase of some of their hardcore bands, so if that's more your flavor, you can check out End It, Day by Day, Buggin, Kharma, Life's Question, and probably the biggest draw of these, Santa Cruz's Scowl.

For my money Range Magazine is doing the best of repping Canadian heavy music of all stripes including a showcase with the grindy prog from Wake, some Indigenous hardcore from Toronto's Indian Giver, weirdo punk from Saskatoon in the form of Grimelda, and some straight punk from right here in Montreal from NOBRO.
But, as always, none of this compares to the unofficial portion of SXSW for finding the heaviness.

Of course this year has another edition of Stoner Jam, which once again has more than thirty bands performing including Greenbeard, Hashtronaut, Thunder Horse, and the organizers, Duel happening at The Far Out Lounge on Thursday. It's quite the trek from downtown Austin, but definitely worth it if you like your riffs big and fuzzy.
In fact, the Far Out Lounge also has a show happening Sunday with more of a punk focus featuring Tear Dungeon, Spoon Benders, Grocery Bag, and more, so if you're staying until Monday, check out the Two Stager Rager.

Now if you'd prefer to "shop local" with your metal, you can check out one of the Austin metal showcases, one at Come and Take It Live on Tuesday (SXSE: Metal Showcase), and the other at my personal favorite venue in Austin, The Lost Well, on Friday (Austin Metal Showcase).
 

But, much like SXSW, I like more than just metal, so here's some bonus bands that you might want to check out if you are heavily inclined. Don't worry, I'll take the hit here. You don't need to expose that you're a metal poser. Just don't tell any of your trve kvlt friends you listened to any of these so you keep your cred.

- UK's more goth version of Royal Blood, Tigercub, will be at SX and if you didn't listen to one of the top records of last year with Perfume of Decay, you are really missing out
- Irish rockers Therapy? will be laying down a set and I'm hoping they play a large chunk of Troublegum since the record turns 30 this year
- Speaking of Ireland, The lone band brave enough to put "industrial" as a genre is Belfast's Chalk who are mixing it pretty well with punk to make a more aggressive post-punk that you could easily see playing a stage next to Skinny Puppy in the 90s
- Of course Chalk will pair nicely with the noisy, industrial-esque mixed with hip hop sensibilities that Enola Gay is putting down, which is convenient since they're playing together at the British Music Embassy on Thursday
- Ho99o9 will be on hand to show why Death Grips isn't the sole owners of the industrial hip hop crown
- Wolves of Glendale construct some pretty funny, story driven tracks that I'm looking forward to laughing at and rocking along to

 

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Andrew is CJLO 1690AM's Metal Music Director and the host of Grade A Explosives, Sundays 4PM-6PM