Early Man

Ohio heavy metal duo Early Man thrive on the unfiltered force of minimalist hard rock. The pair, both raised in a Pentecostal household within Columbus’s college setting, came across the music of Motörhead, Judas Priest, and Mercyful Fate at age 19—well after most fans typically do—yet the discovery hit them with immediate force. Guitarist/vocalist Mike Conte and drummer Adam Bennati channeled that spark once they settled in New York City, where they cut a self-titled EP and spent 2004 on the road alongside genre-bending Georgia quintet Mastodon. Their first full-length album, Closing In, arrived the next year via Matador.