Start The Fire Up

Unlike a lot of their contemporaries, local metalcore sextet Start the Fire Up are not out to play as fast and loud as possible-well loud, yes, but not fast. They do have some earth-shatteringly fast moments in their songs, but they play deep, heavy grooves at a tempo that most people can head-bang to without getting whiplash. As intense as the songs are-and the singer growls and screams like a madman-the addition of keyboards adds a New Wave vibe to their otherwise heavy pummeling, aggressive sound. But, make no mistake, this is definitely not pop music. (Aaron Carnes)