SONG PREMIERE: U.S. Thrash/Hardcore/Hard Rock Band X-Method

The Bay Area has given birth to a host of classic metal bands, particularly when it comes to thrash.  Over the years there have been plenty of new groups forming that take some of these influences and branch them outwards to head in different directions.  X-Method is a great example, as while some of their material on debut full length ‘Sex, Alcohol, Rebel Music’ has that fast paced thrash and crossover thrash sound, they incorporate a lot of other genres into their mix.  Faster riffs give way to slow hardcore-tinged grooves and rock melodies that wouldn’t sound out of place from a band like Sevendust.  Though I know some of you might be way of the hardcore/rock mix in thrash, rest assured that these guys actually do it in a way that works rather than jamming the styles together awkwardly.

With the album due out on August 12^th from Pavement Music, we’re excited to give you an early listen of the song Southern Comfort.  This is one of the slower tracks that emphasizes a heavy hitting groove and pushes the band’s sound a little more towards the rock/hardcore side.  While on other songs they might speed things up and hit you with some riffing that would make crossover thrash fans happy, here you have the type of headbanging worthy groove that’s damn catchy.  It sticks at that slower, mid-tempo range the entire through and lets vocalist Abby take the spotlight for much of the song, but around the three quarter mark the guitars suddenly open up and unleash a squealing solo that leans towards the metal side and is sure to grab your attention.  Speaking of the vocals, this is another area where X-Method is able to offer a considerable amount of variation.  Some songs have softer melodic singing that’s reminiscent of Sevendust and other hard rock bands circa the early 2000s, while tracks like Southern Comfort showcase Abby’s abrasive screaming/shouting.  His pitch here is gritty and raw but easy to understand, and when you’ve got an entire song that’s dedicated to drinking and partying (which this group has quite a few of), that’s something I can dig.

Let the slower rock oriented grooves of Southern Comfort accompany your say and pour a shot of whiskey as you listen, no matter what time of the day it will be.  This particular song only showcases one element of X-Method’s versatile approach to thrash, hardcore, and hard rock, but you’ll be able to see just how varied they can be next week when the album releases.  ‘Sex, Alcohol, Rebel Music’ is out on August 12^th via Pavement Music, and the pre-order link is below.  We’ll have an interview with the band in the days leading up to release, so stay tuned!

Pre-Order ‘Sex, Alcohol, Rebel Music’

X-Method | Pavement Music