Drowningman

Drowningman forged an intense, hard-to-classify style that fused heavy metal with contemporary hardcore, grinding noise textures, math-rock complexity, and emo’s dual strains—both its tuneful side and its more experimental, Dischord-rooted variant. The group took shape in Burlington, Vermont, an improbable college setting, where vocalist Simon Brody joined guitarists Javin Leonard and Matt Roy, bassist Dave Barnett, and drummer Joe Villemaire. Their first release, the 1997 7-inch “Weighted and Weighed Down,” came out on Boston’s Hydra Head Records; the same imprint delivered the full-length Busy Signal at the Suicide Hotline the following year. That debut stirred excitement within the metalcore underground, a reaction that grew louder once the band moved to Revelation and unveiled the 2000 EP How They Light Cigarettes in Prison. Later in 2000 they returned with the second album Rock and Roll Killing Machine, whose strong critical notices broadened their dedicated audience. Extensive touring filled 2001, capped by the Equal Vision EP Drowningman Still Loves You. Internal instability soon followed, however, and the lineup began to fragment. In 2004 Brody renewed ties with founding guitarist Denny Donovan; together with additional local players they relaunched the project. A collection of rarities surfaced that year, and Thorp issued the full-length Don’t Push Us When We’re Hot in fall 2005.