Allegaeon is (from left): Corey Archuleta, Ezra Haynes, Greg Burgess, Ryan Glisan and Jordon Belfast
If you, like many Reverb readers, live outside of Colorado, you might get the impression that we only churn out a couple kinds of music. If you’ve kept current, you might think that the piano-driven pop of and characterizes the Colorado sound. If you’re a few years behind, it might be the Gothic Americana of and . And if you go way back, you might call , or even the music of Colorado.
Of course, the fact is that Colorado churns out great music in almost every genre, and the world outside of our backyard continues to take notice. Inarguably, the conscious hip-hop of the and the let’s-get-unconscious hip-hop of have broadened expectations of the music that comes out of the Denver area. But did you know that Colorado is also producing world-class heavy metal, hot enough to melt the stubborn snow that just won’t go away this winter? If you did, please feel free to pat yourself on the back and throw your horns in the air now. If you didn’t, let us introduce you to one of the Colorado metal scene’s shining stars: .
Comprising brutal guitarists Ryan Glisan and Greg Burgess, thundering bassist Corey Archuleta, octopod drummer Jordon Belfast and glass-gargling vocalist Ezra Haynes, Fort Collins-based Allegaeon ended 2009 by signing to the legendary . , and are among the bands associated with Metal Blade’s legacy, and the rise of more recent bands like , and can be attributed, at least partially, to the label and its founder, Brian Slagel.
Allegaeon’s rise has been a rather quick one. Under the name Allegiance, the band performed its first gig in Loveland on June 10, 2007. The band has continued to incubate in northern Colorado for the past two and a half years, enjoying the support of a small-but-enthusiastic following. “Fort Collins has always been good to us,” says Glisan. “ and the have always been good in terms of how they treat us and just general turnout.” The vicious metal band didn’t gain Metal Blade’s attention with just a couple of venues, however. “Venues like the in Boulder, the , the and the have always supported metal and seem pretty receptive.”
Following up on its assaultive 2008 self-titled debut EP, Allegaeon will soon enter the studio to begin work on its first full-length, “Fragments of Form and Function.” Denver’s own Dave Otero of , will man the sliders and monitors. Otero — who also helmed the band’s first EP — has worked with some of the best and brightest metal bands in the Denver area, including longtime luminaries and recording artists Cephalic Carnage.
As it prepares for wider notoriety, this promising melodic death metal quintet is proud to call Colorado home. “Colorado — and especially Fort Collins — have some pretty die-hard and appreciative fans,” Glisan explains. “There aren’t a ton of seem to appreciate bands from our area.” Of course, Allegaeon isn’t the only metal band of note in the area. Glisan cites , , , and among Colorado metal bands worth noting.
However, Glisan notes, being a Colorado metal band isn’t all wine and roses. Every Colorado band faces the challenge of touring outside of our state, struggling to make it to the next major market by braving the interstates for 8-10 hours. Glisan also notes that this time of year is particularly hard on metal bands, who require a lot of heavy gear (pardon the pun) to get their sounds across. “Playing shows in the winter is not too much fun,” he admits. “It takes forever to warm up, and dragging equipment through the snow and slush is a pain.” In spite of that, and its metallic Colorado compadres are still making music that’s hot, heavy and hellish enough to melt our city’s stubborn snow.
Eryc Eyl is a veteran music journalist, critic and Colorado native who has been neck-deep in local music for many years. Check out every Tuesday for local music you can HEAR, and the every Friday.
