Coinciding with today’s release of the newest single from Denver based heavy hardcore pack FOX LAKE “Gaslight” (featuring Marc Zelli from Swiss beatdown heavy hitters Paleface) , we’re giving you the band’s top picks for best collabs in hardcore! Check them our below and share yours via our Facebook / Instagram / Twitter!
“Gaslight” marks the second single from their dual-track EP Fear & Loathing; while their previous single “Dog Eat Dog” represented fear, “Gaslight” represents loathing. The vicious track features a roaring vocal performance by Marc Zelli from Paleface, all while seamlessly melding the brutality of modern hardcore with the rhythmic aggression of hip-hop that Fox Lake are known for.
Lyrically, it shines a light on the deep-rooted frustration of questioning your reality and being gaslit: “Gaslight is our heaviest and meanest song to date. The anger that comes from questioning your own reality, whether that comes from external or internal forces, is very hard to deal with and that’s what we wanted to tackle in this song. We’re so thankful to Zelli from Paleface for hopping on the track and absolutely killing it. He brought a level of intensity to the song that simply couldn’t have existed coming from anyone else.”
Idiosyncrasy can often be the lifeblood or the death knell for musicians in the digital era. Without a familiar sonic foundation to build upon, artists can feel foreign and jarring; without innovation, stale and derivative. Since their inception in 2017, Fox Lake has spent 5 years cautiously walking the line between these two polarities, pulling inspiration from dozens of unique sources in order to create something both familiar and singular. Evoking the attitude and visuals of 90’s boom-bap hip hop, the aggression of beatdown hardcore, the intentional song structures of pop, and the earworm catchiness of modern metalcore, the band has found a way to be equal parts Rage Against the Machine and Slipknot, Hatebreed and the Beastie Boys. While their tone and delivery tentatively approach tongue-in-cheek, the execution is undeniably deliberate.
Following the release of their debut album Silence & Violence in October of 2020, Fox Lake have organically fostered a rabidly engaged following on social media, more than one million plays and over 25,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, over 200,000 views on YouTube, and have played multiple concerts across the country. They have collaborated with veteran artists like Gideon and Cane Hill, performed at multiple festivals, toured with domestic and international acts, and remain relentlessly primed to continue accumulating accolades for years to come.
Top Hardcore collabs, by FOX LAKE
1: Cursed Earth – Fear (feat. Matt Honeycutt of Kublai Khan TX)
It’s no secret that Kublai Khan TX is a massive inspiration to this band, so kicking off the list with a Matt Honeycutt feature just felt right. He sounds like an actual rabid animal and the instrumentals for the track go just as hard as he does. The entire album is a gold mine for outstanding metallic hardcore, and every track features a different vocalist who brings something new and different to the songs. A vegan hardcore band called World Of Pleasure just released a similar style project with a different vocalist featuring on each track a few days ago that absolutely deserves an honorable mention on this list, so go stream both records and thank me later.
2: Judiciary – Pure Fury (feat. Jess Nyx of Mortality Rate / World Of Pleasure)
This band is criminally underrated, and this song shows exactly why. It’s got everything you could want out of a hardcore song – Texas-sized riffs, pissed-off attitude, and a perfect breakdown. Jess’s vocals paired with the lyrics “I am pure goddamn fury, I will devour you whole” makes me want to deadlift a building.
3: Gridiron – Helta Skelta (feat. Brody King of God’s Hate)
Gridiron and God’s Hate are two of Fox Lake’s favorite bands of this year, so this pairing is flawless. Brody is featured throughout the song and he brings so much intensity to an already insane track. Also shout out to the track “25-8,” which features a quick but amazing guest spot from Mindforce’s Jason P. I couldn’t decide which song to include on the list so I’m sneaking that one in.
4: Sleeping Giant – Lanterns (feat. Bruce LePage of 100 Demons)
Sleeping Giant has arguably some of the best features in the game on their discography. One of the coolest things to see was how they successfully incorporated so many different sounds, scenes, and ideologies from bands like Xibalba, Advent, Impending Doom, Emmure, and Stray From the Path in ways that didn’t clash with the band or the songs. 100 Demons is a band that usually wouldn’t come up in conversation next to Sleeping Giant, but the feature is outstanding and the song is all the better for it.
5: Snuffed On Sight – All Talk (feat. Steve Buhl of 200 Stab Wounds)
There is nothing better than Slamming Death Metal made by hardcore kids.
Honorable Mention: Regional Justice Center – Regional Justice Center (feat. Justice Tripp of Trapped Under Ice / Angel Du$t)
I can’t leave it off the list in good conscience. Plus the whole EP is only 118 seconds long.
