Apologies From Oklahoma
As a resident of Oklahoma, please accept my heartfelt apology on behalf of my gross state.
Every year, we’re painfully reminded of the existence of Rocklahoma. We feel a great disturbance in the Force as tens of thousands of flat-brimmed Fox Racing hats and Monster shirts descend on the garbage town of Pryor, Oklahoma, the deafening clang of their Trucknutz reverberating across the plains in a heinous anthem of douche. Look at this flyer and think about how much lower Oklahoma’s average literacy level will be on those days (to be fair, it didn’t start very high). Think of how many times the Confederate flag will be defended to someone who replies with “Hell yeah, brother.” Think of the poor young men who will instantly have chin strap facial hair when stepping within a five-mile radius of the event.
As recompense for this yearly self-inflicted tragedy, please accept this list of excellent bands from Oklahoma. Not everything about my state is a hot pile of garbage.
The Great He-Goat is an aggressive black metal band with convincing melodic tendencies and a flair for longer, well-written tunes. Their EP from 2014 is only a few bucks, and it is excellent. Give them a like on Facebook.
The oddly named Senior Fellows go hard with their heavy-handed sludge. The neck-vein-bulging urgency of the vocals sit perfectly on the slow, crushing catchiness of the music. If you like heavy, you like Senior Fellows.
My good buddies in Broken Flesh play some of the most mosh-inducing, slam-worthy death metal out there. Obscenely heavy and terrifyingly brutal, their 2015 self-titled album will convince you that no wall is a match for your head. Buy the album here.
For all of your blasphemous black metal needs, an individual by the name of Revenant has a few different projects (Moloch, Black Candle Ritual, and Blackmoon Spells) and a small record label. Check out this icy, grim, and excellent track from the Moloch album Cold Black Death.
For you dweebs out there (like me), Anatma mixes up our list with their meandering, groovy instrumental prog. These guys can play circles around most others on their instruments, but only get flashy at the right times. The groove, the jam, and the killer tunage reigns supreme here.
Lastly, Contagion 237 brings an unhinged dose of riffy, grindy death metal on their 2015 full length, Autolobotomy. It’s a blasting thrill-ride of an album that warrants a lot of repeated listening.
Ahh, I already feel better about living here. There were plenty of solid bands I left out, but these should help offset the monstrous garbage pile of Rocklahoma. Oh, and in case you forgot the pissed-off hardcore jams of Cottonmouth, the Oklahoma winner of the best unsigned band contest, hit that up again.
