Metal Rises
By Kyle Santos
Guam’s local music holds an abundance of island and reggae talent. Also on the rise are alternative artists, acoustic artists, as well as rappers. However, when it comes to rock music, we are limited to a handful of bands that mostly gig regularly in age-restricted bars. Though some of these bands play a heavy style of rock, it’s nothing like the punchy, screaming, in-your-face, moshing type of rock. Guam’s rock scene has been diminished and condensed to only the adults with free time and money to frequent this scene. Seven years ago, a heavier side of music thrived on our island. In house par-
ties, ColdStone Teen Nights, Battle of the Bands competitions, and do-ityourself band shows, different styles of rock music could be heard. It was live rock music, played by local people. Shows were spread and shared through word of mouth, SMS texting, posters at the local mall, and early social media services. Avid followers ranged from early high school students to college undergraduates. These followers came to hear rock bands, including: Ellipsis, Mochang, Sound of the Stereo, Warhead, Nzeexruos, Anchor?st, Riot!, Run Don’t Walk, Build-a-Boy Workshop, Axs Denied, and Fairy Tale Heroes. There were also many different metal bands at the time. Twenty-two year old Daniel Soto, local musician and former guitarist of the
metal band PETROS, recalled bands paving the way “Adherence, Camo is My Favorite Color, and Minatatnga, really pushed the hardcore movement,” Soto said. “Bands like Dismember the Shepherd and Hymn for the Tortured [also] showed the death core and death metal talent on Guam,” added Soto. Currently, these bands described are inactive or have disbanded since then. These heavy rock groups were a great way for people of all ages to get together and enjoy music. Crowd participation played a big role in shows. Soto described his favorite part of these metal shows to be the hardcore dancing, moshing, and head banging. He added that although most people may see it as weird and probably danger-