Emery

Emery is probably my favorite band. Yes, they do have screaming in some of their songs, and yes, they are controversial at times, but I like them because they push the wire and they know what they're talking about. Don't believe me? Check out their song, "Listening to Freddie Mercury." I know that the middle of the song is screaming, but at least it's understandable if you listen to it, and the song has a very good message. Either way, the more of their music I listen to, the more I like it. I current own three of their CD's, and am hoping to get my hands on the rest soon. I seriously recommend this band.

Emery was formed in South Carolina in 2001, when Toby Morrell (lead vocals, guitar), Matt Carter (guitar, keyboards, background vocals), and Joel Green (bass) got together with Devin Shelton (guitar, background vocals), Josh Head (keyboards), and Seth Studley (drums). All of the Southern musicians were recent college graduates, and when they formed Emery, they were determined to make music a career instead of a mere hobby.

For Emery, the conventional vocals outnumber the screaming vocals, which is a major difference between their approach and the unforgiving ferocity of the more extreme hardcore and metalcore bands of the 2000s -- Emery gives you tortured screaming some of the time, whereas hardcore and metalcore purists will give you tortured screaming 100 percent of the time. Without question, Emery's kindness/cruelty juxtaposition is a long way from the unmitigated ferocity and relentless brutality of metalcore bands like Brick Bath, Hatebreed, and Rotten Sound.