If you’re a hardcore music fan, this punk rock band are definitely for you! SHOCKLORE are a four-piece punk rock, thrash and speed metal band based in the South Bay, Southern California. Made up of guitarist and vocalist James Fuentes, guitarist and bassist Eric Wood, drummer, vocalist and lyricist Mark Luther and lead singer James Harned, the band started out as a group of friends who shared a common goal of putting together a “compilation of hardcore music encompassing all of our best-combined influences” from the 80s punk rock scene.
Taking inspiration from huge bands such as Slayer, Metallic and many more, SHOCKLORE has so far produced 21 “hardcore, driving, face-melting, and provocative tunes that are as relevant today as the day we wrote them.” The band’s newest single, Static Audacity, was released earlier this year and is only the start of the new content coming our way! The long-term goal is to combine the influence of their inspirations with their years of friendship, producing VOL 2.
Three fan favourites of their tracks are from their EP, SHOCKLORE VOL 1. It’s Your Trip, Falling and What’s My Genre are all from the EP and have definitely taken the music scene by storm! What’s My Genre is track five on the album and brings a serious amount of energy right from the start. The energy is maintained throughout the whole song, the pace never dropping throughout the instrumental sections.
The same can be said about It’s Your Trip. It’s catchy and definitely upbeat enough to make it impossible to sit still while listening to it! With an infectious tune, It’s Your Trip is sure to be in your head for days after listening to it despite only being a minute long. The track is a perfect blend of each band member’s talent and really showcases their skill effectively. Falling is more guitar-heavy than It’s Your Trip and features a longer instrumental to further highlight the band’s talents, both with performing and putting together a track. It's easy to see why these tracks are crowd favourites and with these to fall back on, it's no wonder that Static Audacity had such a good reception!
Released on January 1st this year, the band’s newest single is a reaction and message to 2020. Static Audacity starts off with a recorded message which is a different and effective way to bring the single. It doesn't take long for that upbeat, contagious energy to come back however, the track kicks off with some serious momentum which carries through to the end, where we’re brought back to the beginning. Ending with another message, the track leaves fans hoping for more!
With a music video coming out by the end of the month and a new single planned for an April release, fans won't have to wait long! In the meantime, punk rock and thrash fans should definitely familiarise themselves with the band’s previous material available on all major streaming platforms! Give them a follow on social media too to make sure you don’t miss any announcements!
Check out SHOCKLORE here!
Words by Chloe Pollard.