Tank full of Oil: METZ

METZ

METZ is a noise rock band formed in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and based in Toronto. The band consists of guitarist and vocalist Alex Edkins, bassist Chris Slorach and drummer Hayden Menzies.

Founded in 2008, METZ released its eponymous debut album on the Sub Pop label in 2012. The album was named to the 2013 Polaris Music Prize shortlist on July 16, 2013.

On February 17, 2015, the band announced a new album, II, with the release of its first track, "Acetate," and an accompanying music video; the album was released May 5, 2015 in North America and the previous day elsewhere. II was a long-listed nominee for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize.

- - -

Canadian noise rock trio METZ originally came together in 2007, when vocalist/guitarist Alex Edkins and drummer Hayden Menzies began playing DIY shows together in Ottowa’s punk rock basements. After relocating to Toronto, they recruited bassist Chris Slorach, and began concocting a post-hardcore racket that simultaneously recalls Melvins-style sludge and Jesus Lizard abrasiveness.

Their self-titled album – recorded with Holy Fuck’s Graham Walsh and Alex Bonenfant, who had previously produced Crystal Castles – prompted interest from Sub Pop, grunge’s seminal documentarian record label, and it was duly released via the Seattle stable in 2012. Comparisons were swiftly drawn to Nirvana, but the flattered band found it hard to agree, as Edkins told The Skinny: “I almost feel like it’s doing an injustice to them. I mean you can’t mention us in the same breath, it’s just not right.”

In 2013 the band found themselves on tour in the UK with their heroes Mudhoney and the Meat Puppets, before embarking on headline jaunts of their own across North America and Europe. After catching a performance in Manchester, The Skinny remarked: “METZ are by no means for the faint of heart, or indeed eardrum, but that’s true of any punk band this committed, this honest and this impassioned.” A new track, Acetate, appeared in February 2015 with an accompanying video. Their second album METZ II was released in May, ramping up the intensity of their debut, as our writer affirmed in a four-star review: “Social anxiety has rarely sounded this thrilling.”

METZ Band Members:
Alex Edkins (vocals, guitar)
Chris Slorach (bass)
Hayden Menzies (drums)