The Colorado music scene is crushing it, plain and simple.

Over the last few months, I’ve checked out a lot of bands that call the Centennial State home. After listening to the first few groups, I knew an article was bound to happen; EVERYTHING I heard was so incredibly impressive.

With a myriad of styles being adopted by these musicians—from hardcore to doom metal to alien-themed psychedelia—there is clearly no shortage of creativity in our backyard. Though I could have picked dozens of groups to write about, I wanted to focus on those who I believe are pushing the boundaries of what heavy music can be.

Below is a list of five bands I’ve found on my musical excursion who I believe are accomplishing this goal with great effect. And I am convinced that if you are a fan of heavy music, there is something here you’ll love as well.

 

Circling Over—

To categorize Circling Over as being just another doomgaze band would be to remove the multiple layers of nuance their music holds. Yes, slow, dirgey riffing is present, and their cleaner/melodic aspects ring with Alcest vibes, but there is so much more. A dash of Gojira here and there, even a little taste of Opeth will pop up on occasion—this is the kind of music you have to listen to multiple times to notice everything. With that said, given how truly amazing the musicianship and song crafting are on their EP “Never,” the thought of multiple listening sessions of the release becomes a given after the first playthrough. From the opening notes of “Torch” to the ending of the EP’s title track “Never,” every song is just that much better than the last, and NONE of them disappoint. This group has quickly become a favorite and I’m hoping that this 2024 release will signal the beginning of a long career filled with a ton of output.

 

Temporal Driver—

If you were to tell me there’s a band out there that is an amalgamation of sound that includes “Black Age Blues”-era Goastnake riffing, while also utilizing some of the psychedelic ideals of The Doors, and then drenching it all with an alien-themed stoner metal vibe, I’d know you were talking about Temporal Driver. This band has taken all those ingredients and made them into a musical goulash of perfection. “Tie The Devil Down,” “Enter: Hototo,” and “Ms. Callin” are all standout cuts, and any would make a great starting point when beginning a musical exploration of this group. Of course, with their 2024 release “A Treatise Of Sorcery: The Definitive Guide To Mysticism In Magic” being a concept album, you could just light up a fat one and hit play—I guarantee the next 40 minutes will be occupied by the most entertaining piece of haze-filled brilliance that will ever caress your senses.

 

Suicide Cages—

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a complete sucker for music containing insane time signature changes that are sprinkled with a-tonal phrasing and make your head spin a little. This fact immediately gave the band Suicide Cages an unfair advantage when it came to picking the bands for this list, as those items are found in every single track they present. The songs “Charm Offensive,” “No Man’s Path To Heaven,” and “All Things Ruined By Man” are a combination of certain technical death metal sections found in a band like Anata and the extreme mathcore phrasing of Dillinger Escape Plan. The riffing presented by Suicide Cages is easily some of the heaviest to come out of this bunch of Colorado bands, and their ability to keep each track interesting is second to none. If you’re looking for something equal in terms of extremity and technical intensity, then look no further.

 

Cobranoid—

In a blender, combine a bit of Rob Zombie with the melodic sensibilities/edge of Probot, and then whip in the heaviest groove metal components found in a band like Clutch; these results yield the band Cobranoid. Though each of their songs carries these influences proudly, Cobranoid has found a way to bring in something unique to each track; preventing any possibility of “same song syndrome.” A good example of this comes from the cut “Flesh And Bone,” which has a running bassline during the ending minutes that turns into a kick-ass solo of sorts. And though “Flesh And Bone” is a great way to start their self-titled 2024 release, I believe the song “Halfwit” is where anyone interested in this band should begin—it takes all the aforementioned influences and turns them up to 10. If a major groove metal renaissance were ever to hit the world of the underground, I guarantee Cobranoid would be at the helm.

 

Clusterfux—

Between the anger, speed, and sloppy/precision elements found in the guitar work, Clusterfux epitomizes what good old-school hardcore punk should be. When you learn that they’ve been around since 1995, you realize the authenticity of their sound comes from a place of legitimacy. Songs like “Blood,” and “Buy Or Die“ illustrate their sound the best; a mixture of the frenetic piss and vinegar found in Minor Threat, all rounded out with a sound akin to Scum (both musically and vocally, with a sing/yell reminiscent of Casey Chaos). With that said, it’s one of their more diverse tracks—“Ignorant And Arrogant”—that I’ve been listening to the most since discovering this band. I guess what I’m trying to say is, that if hardcore is your thing, then you should probably give everything Clusterfux has available a spin.