WKNC 88.1 FM - North Carolina State University Student Radio
Artist Record Label
1 CURRENTS The Way It Ends SharpTone
2 MAKE THEM SUFFER “Soul Decay” [Single] Rise
3 CARNIFEX “Cursed” [Single] Nuclear Blast
4 FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY"Fear Tomorrow" [Single] Nuclear Blast
5 HOLEHEARTED Hivemind Redzone
6 KNOCKED LOOSE A Different Shade Of Blue Pure Noise
7 CREEPING DEATH Wretched Illusions eOne
8 GATECREEPER Deserted Relapse
9 THE GHOST INSIDE The Ghost Inside Epitaph
10 DESERTION “Imperfection” [Single] Self-Released
Photo by Courtney Breen
Erika aka ‘The Saw’ is a DJ at WKNC and has also been the Chainsaw music director for over three years now. She’s worked multiple other positions including Content Creator and Content Manager. As NACC’s DJ of the month for June 2019, The Saw has also emceed the State Fair and introduced Between the Buried and in 2018. Also in 2019, she taught 2 workshops at the CBI convention! The Saw’s work is endless also including interviewing bands, writing blog posts for WKNC and a personal website, hosting ‘The Saw’s Electric Chair Heavy Metal Podcast’, and so much more.
In this episode, The Saw gives us insight into how she got into metal and how it set her on her current path. Both her parents are metalheads who met in a mosh pit, “it’s in my roots” she said. The DJ was also exposed to metal through her older brothers and cousins who were in local bands and was involved with the scene since she was 8. At age 14 she went to her first Carolina Rebellion. “This is where I’m supposed to be, this is where I belong,” she said she knew this as soon as the show started “it filled a void in my heart,” after this she said “metal was always there for me.”
As far as getting into working at WKNC the DJ says her father told her about the station and suggested she try out DJing Chainsaw. She said she had no idea before and when she checked she saw that no one was currently in the genre. This is where she decided to fill the gap and started her mission to share metal with more people and make sure people see how special the genre is.
This is where Erika’s mission comes in. “There’s a stigma that metalheads are mean and you can’t talk to them” she says. “The music might sound one way but the people are very kind.” Erika wants to show people the truth behind the genre and that there’s no need to stigmatize or judge based on how the music might sound. Since metal got her out of a rut, she wants to do anything she can to give back to the music. She says metal is an underground genre right now, so she wants to do all she can to shine some light on the genre and the bands in it, “I wouldn’t be here without the local bands.” This is why The Saw started ‘The Bone Cruncher,’ her local metal segment at WKNC. This helped ‘The Butcher Shop,’ gain another segment and that is when The Saw took off.
As I mentioned, The Saw has a website, attached below, this is where she showcases all of her work. She plans to use the site to continue her work after college, using it as a ground base. She soon realized “I can really do something with this website.” She considers all of these platforms a way to show off all the band’s hard work, and she enjoys her role in the community. Especially being able to support these bands. She said she loves “seeing the community come together” and that “the DIY scene in all genres, it’s all helping one another out.” She’s participated in many benefit shows (Crowdkill for Cancer and WKNC’s First Chainsaw Show where she emceed) and says seeing the people come together is really what makes it worth it and what keeps her going. She enjoys the friendship and commodity of the scene. “You can be happy, metal isn’t that sad to be honest.”
As The Saw says “I’ve been a metalhead my entire life, it’s a lifestyle for me,” “my blood type is type o-negative, (which is) a metal band… that’s not a coincidence.”
The Saw’s Butcher Shop Website
– “You can’t get rid of DJ Psyched and The Saw”
DJ Psyched
ALBUM REVIEW: CLIFFFS – Panic Attack
BEST TRACKS: You Are Freaking Out, Panic Attack, Tilt
FCC Clean
CLIFFFS is a lively three-piece band from Dallas, Texas that brings an unparalleled sense of purity to the scene, taking garage punk back to its roots. I love three-piece bands for their simplicity. A guitar, a bass, and drums are all anyone really needs to make an astounding punk album. Four years ago, CLIFFFS released Bill, You’re Only Human, an album about which there is very little to complain about, to say the least, except that it lacked the element of passion and fury I seek in a punk album. What CLIFFFS’ debut album lacked, their sophomore album, Panic Attack, has in abundance. Panic attack shows the immense growth of the band over 4 years and leaves me eagerly awaiting to see what CLIFFFS has in store next.
Panic Attack exhibits fast, slightly surf rock-esque guitar riffs and solid, grounding baselines. The fourth track, ‘You Are Freaking Out’ is my favorite, sounding dark and urgent. The rises and falls of intensity in this song are masterful, starting out with a nervous, anticipatory riff that then gets propelled into a cathartic climax by thrashing drums and elevated vocals. Other tracks, such as ‘Tilt’ and ‘Life’ are less dark, having brighter melodies, and are truer to the legacies of the OG garage punk gods like Descendants and All. Punk albums have a bad habit of sounding messy and unpolished. Panic Attack is a punk album that is very cleanly put together and puts a focus on melody, making the music sound passionate, powerful, and beautiful- not just loud and noisy.
A common theme throughout this album is anxiety, as the album title might suggest. True to this theme, Panic Attack fills me up with nervous energy (in only the best way). This short, 13 track, 24 minute album makes me want to get out of the house and shred some asphalt- the sign of a truly excellent punk album.
I recommend CLIFFFS if you like bands like Descendants, All, the Frights, and the Orwells.
-Safia
Led Zeppelin is one of those bands that everybody knows. They opened the door for many bands after them. Even though their music was released in the 1970s, their music sounds as if it was released in this day and age. There is something about Led Zeppelin’s music that moves me. It relates to me in a way that other bands do not. The rawness of their music and the talent that all the members had created an amazing band. My mom used to listen to Led Zeppelin all the time and played them when I was little. At a young age I was introduced to this band and 21 years later, I still listen to them on a daily basis. I would also argue that the style in which Led Zeppelin played influenced metal and opened the door for metal bands. I think this because when listening to Led Zeppelin, it’s dark. The music, the lyrics, and the overall vibe is dark, and this is where I believe it correlates to metal. Led Zeppelin’s music may not be as fast, heavy, and technical as today’s bands, but they all have that overall theme of darkness.
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group consisted of Robert Plant (vocalist), Jimmy Page (guitarist), John Paul Jones (bassist), and John Bonham (drums). With their heavy guitar driven sound, they are regularly cited as one of the pioneers of heavy metal, although their influences included a variety of blues and folk music. When looking at the members of Led Zeppelin, they had a super-group. By a super-group I mean that each member is the best at their instrument. You had four extremely talented musicians that formed a band and this was a force to be reckoned with. With so much talent also comes hardships and struggles. There are positive and negative factors when having such a talented band like Led Zeppelin.
After changing their name from New Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin signed a deal with Atlantic Records, although they were unpopular with critics, they achieved commercial success with eight studio albums. Page wrote most of Led Zeppelin’s music while Plant supplied the lyrics. The latter half of Led Zeppelin’s career saw a series of record-breaking tours and had fans all around the world.
Things were coming to an end during the late 1970s and the group disbanded following the death of their drummer John Bonham. There have been many successful reunion shows with Bonham’s son (Jason) on drums.
Led Zeppelin is known to be one of the most successful bands due to their sales success, fame, and talent. They influenced many hard rock and metal bands such as Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Queen, Aerosmith, Megadeth, Tool, Dream Theater, the Ramones, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Sound Garden, and Pearl Jam.
When watching Breaking the Band on Reelz tv channel, they did a segment on Led Zeppelin which lead me to write a post about them. A fun fact that I learned was that Jimmy Page was interested in the occult and black magic. The symbols on their album release in 1971 have been argued to be black magic symbols. Some of the symbols are used to describe Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. Jimmy Page said that he believed Led Zeppelin’s success of their release, Led Zeppelin IV (1971) and the hit song off that album, Stairway to Heaven, was because of the use of these symbols and the magic behind them.
Discography:
Led Zeppelin (1969)
Led Zeppelin II (1969)
Led Zeppelin III (1970)
Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
House of the Holy (1973)
Physical Graffiti (1975)
Presence (1976)
In Through the Out Door (1979)
Coda (1982)
Favorite Songs:
Kashmir
Stairway to Heaven
Black Dog
Ramble On
Babe I’m Gonna Leave You
When the Levee Breaks
What are some of your favorite Led Zeppelin songs?
Stay Metal,
THE SAW
ALBUM: Distant Minds by Prismo
BEST TRACKS: Coexist, Shame, Dreams (Eliminate Remix)
FCC Clean
Zach Burgett, aka Prismo, is a music producer, DJ and songwriter from Houston, TX who decided to produce his own music after he was unsuccessful in creating his own band. After reading a short biography about Prismo, I have to say I admire his tenacity to create his own career after being unable to find a group to produce with. At 19, he has already made a name for himself and earned the reputation as a versatile artist with tracks ranging from EDM bangers to more melodic, slower songs.
Distant Minds is Prismo’s second album release from November 2016 and contains seven tracks, four of which are remixes of the first three tracks in the collection. Prismo’s style is very unique because he delivers a big, glitchy sound with added hip-hop elements which adds variety. The distorted vocal effect that Prismo uses also adds a unique element to Distant Minds. It sounds like the quality of a phone call almost, but also much higher quality so the vocals still sound crisp. Tracks such as Coexist and Dreams (Eliminate Remix) have a good mix between higher energy EDM and melodic breakdowns which contrast nicely. My personal favorite track in this album is Shame because it is one of the first electronic songs I listened to that I really enjoyed. What is even crazier to think is that Prismo released this track at a young age, only three years older than me at the time I listened. Now, at the same age, I still appreciate his music.
I recommend Prismo for anyone who is a fan of San Holo, Monstercat, and Taska Black.
-Tegan
Music has always intersected with historical events and movements. In many cases music has fueled movements forward and allowed more individuals to understand the scope of the issues being protested.
In the late 60’s and early 70’s, musicians and bands focused on mobilizing a cause to end the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War lasted over sixteen years, and countless American and Vietnamese lives were lost. Pete Seeger, an American folk singer, wrote a song against the Vietnam War, singing “Bring ‘em Home.” This song was widely used as a tool of the peace movement and it represented widely held views against the war. He also wrote “Turn, Turn, Turn” which discretely advocated for peace. Both of these songs written by Seeger around the time of the Vietnam War served to embolden an increasing public dissatisfaction with the war and its many costs.
USA For Africa was created in 1985 by Harry Belafonte, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, and Lionel Richie; as an American response to Band Aid’s song “Do They Know It’s Christmas.” The group performed pop-style songs on their We Are The World album. Their song,“We Are the World,” won a Grammy for song of the year and helped raise more than seven million for famine relief. Many groups and singers like USA For Africa, Band Aid, and others helped raise awareness and funds through charity songs. The African famine was a major social issue during this time period, and groups like this helped to raise money to provide medical aid, clothing, and food for countries in need.
The events of the September 11th terrorist attacks in late 2001 sparked a musical movement which highlighted patriotism and strength during a difficult time in our country’s history. Bruce Springsteen, a rock artist, performed “My City of Ruins,” breaking the silence after a period of fear and anxiety over safety and our nation’s future. Multiple musicians during this time period contributed to the healing of our country after the attacks and raised awareness about what happened on 9/11.
A lot of music today is reflective of the #BlackLivesMatter movement and the issues that have caused it. We can reflect on Kendrick Lamar’s album, DAMN., which became the first non-jazz and non-classical album to win a Pulitzer Prize for Music. This album contains so many themes relevant to why this protest is important today. Artists like Lauryn Hill, Beyonce, and Kanye West have also all created music relating to police brutality and oppression against black people in America.
I will be releasing another blog post diving deeper into some of these modern movement songs, but for now most major music platforms like Spotify and Apple Music have created playlists by black artists relating to the social issues that have prompted protests in all 50 states.The Rolling Stone also published a list of songs relating to the movement. Definitely check these out!
– Miranda
Ahhh yes, one of my all-time favorite records by Miss May I. This band is the band that got me into heavier music when I first started listening to metal. My brothers and cousin used to play Miss May I all the time, and I thought that this band would be the perfect opening to get into heavier music, and I was right.
I remember when this album was released. I was leaving the beach with my dad and on our way back home, we played this album over and over again. To this day, I still go back and listen to this album. In my opinion, it is one of Miss May I’s most dynamic records. It is very technical in its overall sound. While listening to each song on this album, you can hear the different riffs being layered onto one another along with the drums. Deathless showcases that Miss May I is a force in the metal world to be reckoned with.
With this record, Miss May I went back to their traditional, old school sound that’s reminiscent of their 2010 single, “Relentless Chaos.” It appeared that on this album, the band returned to the roots and evolved their songwriting skills. Deathless is the most dynamic record the band has ever released, and the title track reflects the nature of the complexity put into the album. From thrash riffs to symptomatic “woahs,” Levi Benton (vocalist) and Ryan Neff (bassist and clean vocalist) play off one another to bring the best of both worlds.
There is no argument that Miss May I are talented musicians, however, the musicianship displayed on Deathless breaks new ground for Miss May I’s skill set. I would argue that Deathless is the best record Miss May I has released to date and will reach listeners far beyond the metalcore genre.
Favorite Songs:
Deathless
I.H.E.
Bastards Left Behind
Turn Back The Time
The Artificial
What is your favorite Miss May I record? What is your favorite song off of Deathless?
Stay Metal,
THE SAW
With the recent attention toward the Black Lives Matter movement, I wanted to take the time to share on this platform educational resources to help those of us who aren’t black gain an understanding about the protests and their roots. There are many different ways to gain knowledge about these important topics and I have compiled a list of some of them below.
Movies and TV Shows:
13th
This documentary on Netflix provides insight about the problem of mass incarceration and looks at it from different lenses. It explains the criminalization of black Americans and the disproportional treatment of individuals in the prison system.
When They See Us
This true-crime style Netflix show relating to the 1989 Central Park attack and the five boys of color who were wrongly charged for it. It additionally highlights modern injustices carried out against minorities by police and the judicial system.
Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap
This short video from the Explained series helps one understand disadvantages that black families have in America and concepts like redlining which have allowed systemic poverty to persist within black communities.
Who Killed Malcolm X?
This series follows activist Abdur-Rahman Muhammad’s attempt to seek the truth surrounding the assassination of one of the most important leaders in the Civil Rights Movement, Malcolm X.
Reading:
This reading list thread contains books and writings by authors like Malcolm X, Toni Morrison, and W.E.B. DuBois. All are excellent reads and most are created by black authors and are directly relevant to the protests
Black Revolutionary Texts
A Google Drive has been compiled with links to free books and poems by black revolutionary authors. It includes interesting perspectives about struggle, Civil Rights, and liberation.
In Defense of Looting by Vicky Osterweil
This article from The New Inquirer can help you understand why looting should not be shamed in relation to the protests. Human lives are more important than property, and Osterweil gives reasoning to this end.
Hope you all find this useful and are able to use these resources! I hope to expand upon these resources, but these are ones I have found and compiled so far. Happy reading!
– Miranda
Artist Record Label
1 SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL"Demolisher" [Single] Sumerian
2 FIT FOR A KING"Breaking The Mirror" [Single] Solid State
3 AS I LAY DYING “Destruction or Strength” [Single] Nuclear Blast
4 UPON A BURNING BODY"Built from War" [Single] Seek & Strike
5 BENIGHTED Obscene Repressed Season of Mist
6 SUICIDE SILENCE “Overlord” [Single] Nuclear Blast
7 NEVER ENDING GAME Just Another Day Triple B
8 KUBLAI KHAN Absolute Rise
9 WHITECHAPEL The Valley Metal Blade
10 CURRENTS Monsters [EP] Sharptone
ALBUM REVIEW: Jeff Rosenstock – No Dream
BEST TRACKS: State Line, ***BNB, Ohio Tpke
FCC dirty except for: State Line, Leave It In The Sun, Monday at the Beach
Jeff Rosenstock is the punk icon that can do it all. Most notably, he is the past lead singer of Bomb the Music Industry! and a solo artist, but he is also a producer, founder of independent record label Quote Unquote records, and has been a part of many other bands and collaborations. No Dream is Jeff’s fourth full-length album as a solo artist, which he dropped last week with absolutely no promotional buildup. This Summer-y, cathartic album came just in time for June. In accordance with Jeff Rosenstock’s strict DIY ethics, the album has been released for free online via Quote Unquote Records, with all donations going to vegan anti-hunger organization Food Not Bombs.
Jeff Rosenstock is a household name amongst fans of catchy basement punk. Each song on No Dream has potent DIY energy, due to the fact that the album was taped with analog outboard equipment rather than being mixed completely with a digital audio workstation. This album feeds nostalgia with its boisterous, scratchy, half-yelling, half-singing vocals and frantic drums that are starkly reminiscent of late 80s skate punk. In classic early Jeff Rosenstock style, the riffs are hard and fast and the lyrics are even faster.
Jeff’s previous two albums, WORRY and POST, were characterized by bleak sadness and anxiety. In NO DREAM, the anxiety hasn’t vanished, but exists in a more rambunctious, self-assured, let loose light that has been missing since the days of Bomb The Music Industry!. As a result, NO DREAM is heart-wrenching, yet still somewhat optimistic. NO DREAM is about embracing helplessness. Jeff Rosenstock’s songs have always expressed the rawest human emotions of anger, love, and heartbreak in the simplest, most straightforward, most hard hitting way. No Dream is another album for the DIY punk wall of fame. One thing’s for sure, Jeff never misses.
I recommend this album if you’re into bands like Joyce Manor, Deafheaven, PUP, or Antarctigo Vespucci.
-Safia