Are you a fan of early '90s AFI and have grown sick with the continuing emo-fication of the band's sound? Then it looks like you're in luck! Vocalist Davey Havok and guitarist Jade Puget have formed side project XTRMST, a "straight-edge hardcore band."
We'll be the first to say that we're glad that the core members of AFI are heading back to the hardcore side of things, especially after its last two albums. Our question: Isn't it kind of counterproductive to label your band as "straightedge hardcore"? Havok and Puget have always been straightedge—no drugs, no alcohol, no loose sex, no meat (optional?)—but now they're in a hardcore band too.
"The straight edge philosophy is something that Davey and I gravitated towards at a young age, drawn by concepts and ideals that seem almost foreign in modern society," Puget said in a press release. "Like much of the other subcultures we were a part of growing up, it put us at odds with 99 percent of the people around us, which was something we embraced."
If you already expect that this will sound like a huge Minor Threat rip-off, you aren't alone. So did we. Then we listened to the four-song sampler at Loudwire and realized...it sounded like a nu-metal/hardcore hybrid. Obviously let us know if we're wrong but we'd recommend just going back to Answer That and Stay Fashionable for your hardcore kicks, or even newer tracks like "Kill Caustic" from AFI.
This isn't the first duo Havok and Puget have launched together. Blaqk Audio was launched post-December Underground by the band as a more relaxed electronic experiment, which we have to say sounds a lot better than XTRMST. If you don't believe us you can pick up the self-titled album on November 18.
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
