There was something interesting brewing at Interlink Studios. It was where Ryan Cooper got together with Mike Monto(who was in Alterations and Monday Night Heroes), and decided to pound out a sound that is reminiscent of early Bring Me The Horizon mixed with Maylene and The Sons of Disaster, and created Drifter. Choosing to go the indie route, Drifter released their EP on February 23rd.
Drifter is composed of Mike Monto on vocals, Joe Derogatis on guitars/vocals, Jon Plunkett on guitars, Filip Halajko on bass, and Mark Karlstein on drums. Drifter personifies hard work as judging by their sound, they’re a band that pays attention to the details. It may not be the lead guitar solo or a particular scream, or a chorus, it may be that layer that you have yet to discover when you put Drifter on repeat.
“The Howling” starts off with some intricate guitar work that almost has a Spanish flavor to it, then the thundering drums come in with a heart attacking inducing bass and the gutteral screams. That was the first thing that we noticed about Drifter is that there are intricate parts that make this band out of New Brunswick, New Jersey make them begin to stick out in a very saturated metalcore/hardcore scene. The guitars in the title track are succinct, subtle in the harmonics yet it adds to the dynamics of Drifter. The trade-off between the screams and clean singing between Mike Monto and Joe Derogatis is essential for some quality metalcore.
The second track entitled “Vicious Cycle” sounds haunting and brooding and is reminiscent of old-school Underoath in their “Lost In The Sounds Of Separation” days. In this track, Drifter showcases that they are able to put together a catchy chorus that is infectious to the listener. The sudden tempo changes and progression changes are pretty seamless for the most part, which showcases that Drifter are very talented musicians, and the difference is that they don’t just do the tempo changes just to be doing them, it fits the music, and in this genre, that is a solid compliment for the band.
In sports, we often talk about “dark horses” and “sleeper picks”, those that fly under the radar. Drifter is that dark horse in metalcore, they could be surprising some people with their hard-hitting tracks, gutteral screams, while adding intricate layers in order to make the recipe that is Drifter be extremely palatable for the listener. Madness To Creation rates “The Howling” by Drifter a solid 9 out of 10 stars. Here is the track listing below.
- The Howling
- Vicious Cycle
- 00Savage
- Black Mamba
- Nocturne
Check out the music video to “Black Mamba” below!
Fans can find Drifter at the following locations:
One thought on ““The Howling” by Drifter, boding well for the future!”