20 February 8 - 14, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Top Heavy Five North Texas metal bands making major moves in 2024. BY GARRETT GRAVLEY I t’s a new year, and that part of the new year where we are past those best-of-previous-year album lists. Now that the dust and recency bias has at least somewhat settled, we can look ahead to the music we’ll be keep- ing our eye on. We published a detailed story in November about some of the torchbearers of Dallas heavy metal, and now other artists are poised to make similar career strides in 2024. Since we already discussed Fugitive and Frozen Soul at great length in that story, they will not appear in this list, as worthy of our accolades and attention as they are. So consider this a guide for what’s to come for Dallas metal’s national presence in 2024. Many of these bands have been on the come-up for a while, but those of you who have not felt this particular pulse of local metal are now put on notice. Here are the North Texas metal bands to watch this year: Escuela Grind For fans of: Infest, Napalm Death, Scowl, Integrity Songs to check out: “Meat Magnet,” “Forced Collective Intro- spection” and “Misrepresented” This band is based in Massachusetts, but drummer and founding member Jesse Fuentes got his start in Dallas after playing in bands such as Kill the Client and Melora. Tom Si- fuentes, also from Dallas, was previously in White Arms of Athena. Escuela Grind has since evolved from a powerviolence band into one that meshes the genre with grindcore, hard- core, death metal and other subgenres. With a Barney Gre- enway of Napalm Death collaboration now under their belt for January, this already proves to be a year of promise for School Rechina (this nickname will probably not catch on, but that’s OK). Escuela Grind are currently doing a tour with Take Offense and Bonginator, which will be followed by yet another tour with Capra. The band has had something of a polarizing reception in grindcore circles, but music that upsets the anti-deodorant demographic is a selling point, especially considering that the band making it is for “the girls, the gays [and] the theys.” This messaging extends to Escuela’s merch game, which has graced us with now-sold-out tees that include a Sailor Moon graphic and a non-disclaimer that they are “Funded by Big Homo.” Post Profit For fans of: Hopesfall, Circa Survive, Incubus, Thrice Songs to check out: “Phantom Limb,” “Smother!” and “When You Think It’s Right” Earlier this month, Revolver magazine named Longview- based post-hardcore band Post Profit one of five “Badass Rising Bands You Need to Know,” a list that carries even more weight considering how early in the year it was. A couple of months back, Post Profit did a coheadline tour with Atlanta band Silly Goose and opened for another Texas band, the Grammy-nominated Nothing More. Fresh from being signed by SharpTone Records, a week-long leg through the Midwest with Dead Poet Society is on the docket for the first half of this year. We can only speculate that the latter half of the year will be just as eventful, but that’s speculation we’d be comfortable with. Kublai Khan TX For fans of: Cro-Mags, Have Heart, Knocked Loose, Turnstile Songs to check out: “Theory of Mind,” “Eyes Up” and “Swan Song” Kublai Khan TX got their start in the Sherman-Denison area in the late 2000s/early 2010s, when they often played VFW shows with other locals such as Kid Liberty. It was a godsend for Sherman kids who wanted to experience a punk or metal show but couldn’t just get down to Dallas on a whim. After paying thankless dues for a good decade or so, Kublai Khan made a meteoric ascension that can be best compared to that which Hatebreed and Killswitch En- gage encountered 20 years ago. In the spring of this year, the band will embark on a U.S. tour with Sunami and Ju- diciary, which includes already sold-out shows at historic venues such as Metro in Chicago and Union Transfer in Philadelphia. In November, Kublai Khan teased a new record that ap- pears to be scheduled for release this year. Tribal Gaze For fans of: Dying Fetus, Immolation, Sanguisugabogg, Creep- ing Death Songs to check out: “Tower of Illness,” “Until the Savior Re- turns” and “Shapeless Sovereign” As we have perpetually reported, Frozen Soul has become one of the biggest metal exports to come from Dallas over the past couple of years. As they made a huge splash in 2023, the proverbial tidal wave lifted all boats, including that of fellow Dallas-via-Longview death metallers Tribal Gaze. This culminated in mid-2023 when the two bands embarked on a tour that doubled as a roadshow for Frozen Soul’s Wrecking Ball Metal Madness, which included a fes- tival appearance in Worcester, Massachusetts, with Lamb of God and Hatebreed. Death metal is having another moment, and along with other bands such as Gatecreeper and 200 Stab Wounds, Tribal Gaze is already proving to be a significant part of it. UnityTX For fans of: Ho99o9, Slipknot, Linkin Park, Dropout Kings Songs to check out: “ROC SH!T,” “POWER” and “PICTURE THIS” Speaking of Lamb of God and Frozen Soul, Dallas’ own hybrid- metal-and-rap-and-hardcore outfit UnityTX is playing Lamb of God’s Headbanger’s boat cruise with Frozen Soul, as well as Dethklok, Corrosion of Conformity and Napalm Death. At this point in 2024’s trajectory, UnityTX is positioned to become one of Pure Noise Records’ most hyped acts, along with Knocked Loose and Drug Church. Sydney Stauts Tribal Gaze is one of the best metal bands in North Texas. | B-SIDES | t Music Hand built not bougHt. Franklins TaTToo and supply TWo loCaTions: 469-904-2665 • 4910 Columbia ave, dallas, TX 75214 open now • 903-710-2028 • 17581 old Jacksonville hwy, flint tx 75762 proFessional TaTToo supply For pros only Call for your appointment or design commissions today! www.dallasobserver.com/signup go to WEEKLY EMAIL D SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY EMAIL LIST for feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more!
