Metz

Metz are noise rock's most relentless modern practitioners, a Canadian power trio who deliver songs of punishing volume and precision aggression. Alex Edkins's guitar tone — a snarling, overdriven assault achieved through a Gibson SG, Orange amplifiers, and stacked distortion pedals — sits at the intersection of punk's velocity and noise rock's textural extremity. Hayden Menzies's drumming and Chris Slorach's bass provide a rhythmic foundation of controlled ferocity that never sacrifices groove for chaos. Their self-titled debut on Sub Pop announced a band capable of making visceral noise that still functioned as songs, with hooks buried beneath layers of distortion and feedback. II refined the formula with tighter arrangements and even more explosive dynamics, while Atlas Vending expanded their palette into more atmospheric territory without losing their essential heaviness. Metz carry the lineage of Big Black, Shellac, and the Jesus Lizard into the present, proving that noise rock remains a vital and evolving form.