Descender
New York City, New York, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Meshing metallic density of bands like Mastodon with the compelling rhythmic thrust of Unsane and staccato riffings of bands like Snapcase (“The Killed”), this quartet doles a thick sound out with unconventionally structured songs bursting with brawny brevity. Providing a strand of music where the wares of Fugazi, Coliseum, and Quicksand intersect (“For What It’s Worth”), Descender dispenses a sound championing the integrity of the DIY underground with smart and provoking influences adding to their well-rounded attack. - Ear Candy Magazine
"Shouting and pummeling their way through four tasty tracks, Descender sound a lot like a 21st Century compliant post-hardcore band that was raised on metal and got dosed with a tab of AmRep... If you like Planes Mistaken For Stars or Git Some as much as you do Quicksand, And So We Marched could be your aural trip to a brand new set of front teeth." - Jaded Scenester NYC blog
"The songs have plenty of the things that lend themselves to thought evoking, emotion provoking music for late nights or long drives… The ringing notes, slowing drums, build ups and explosions- its all still here… Hardcore and Punk colliding with all the right touches of Metal mixing in."
- It Follows
"Angularly aggressive hardcore that takes an abrasive shape on purpose." -CMJ - CMJ
"The band has a great early 90s throwback sound. Think Quicksand and Helmet and you are on the right track." - DeafLeftEar.com
Brooklyn-based outfit Descender are one of the premier hardcore bands ripping its way onto the at times boring NYC scene. The dudes don’t fuck around with any trend bullshit. Its Self-Titled, self-released debut is core at its finest. Think equal parts Unbroken, Snapcase and Quicksand. The band’s performance at Chronic Youth’s recent Shai Hulud show at Santos Party House certainly should have humbled most of the following bands. This is heartfelt, authentic shit. Download “Crooked Teeth” and look out for these dudes as they crush their way to the forefront.
Descender’s Self-Titled EP is out now. - chronicyouth.com
...Descender guitarist Eric Palmerlee, who creates a sonic tidal wave with his co-axeman, Angelo Pournaras. - connectsavannah.com
...The band members live in New York and work in the graphic design profession, which became the primary influence for their name. "We wanted to reference our profession somehow," Palmerlee said. So the band chose Descender, which in typography is "the portion of a letter in a Latin alphabet that extends below the baseline of a font."
...One look at the band's Myspace page and it's clear that Descender pulls from a range of influences. Palmerlee says fans have stated that the band has a "wall of guitar" sound that he attributes to influences such as Sonic Youth, as well as having some more heavy metal-influenced parts that come more "from bands like Slayer." Pulling all of these influences together is what gives the band its unique sound, and Palmerlee notes that "there are little nods to all our influences mixed in throughout." - Savannah Morning News
Brooklyn metal band with dirty drop-D power chords and shouting vocals.
- Flagpole Magazine (Athens, Ga)
"Descender constructs melodic songs without losing the hardcore killer instinct. And the best part of Descender is that it sounds like a classic hardcore band, but the music is never verse-chorus-verse. The line “This will end!” in “Breaking” could easily pass for a classic hardcore mantra, while the main riff sounds like something out of Steve Albini’s brain with metal Kung-Kungs breaking it up." - NY PRESS
"Creating music that is well versed in the tradition of NYC underground heaviness, this unit does a solid job in projecting a relentless sense of immediacy with enough lung-ripping refrains that stick in your head for days while implementing the kind of Sick of it All-esque moments of infectious melody that call for immediate pile-ons (“Crooked Teeth”). Fusing the indomitable spirit of DIY hardcore with a jagged blend of modern hardcore punk brutality and indie rock dexterity, Descender has developed a specific strand of blunt heaviness that doles out qualities you can still feel ok about throwing elbows to with rounds of stellar musicianship that transcend the throwback tag" - The Deli Magazine
Discography
S/T EP - 2010
And So We Marched - 2012
Photos
Bio
The members of Descender grew up wearing out Dinosaur Jr cassettes, watching Pantera videos on Headbangers Ball and marveling over Sunny Day Real Estate on The John Stewart Show. Fusing a reverence for that classic era with an unflinching sense of immediacy, Brooklyn’s Descender has spent the last four years crafting their singular style — resulting in a sound that is as distinctive as it is familiar.
When newer metal bands like Mastodon, Pelican and Torche aren’t referenced, Descender is most often compared to mid-90s post-hardcore giants like Helmet, Snapcase and Quicksand. This mix of the old and new wasn’t necessarily their intention, but it’s also not completely surprising. It would be weird if they weren’t partially a product of the music they grew up listening to.
Formed in 2008 by Eric Palmerlee (guitar), Angelo Pournaras (vocals/guitar), Jay Morris (bass/vocals) and George Manolis (drums), all four members of Descender are professional graphic designers. Wearing the passion for their day jobs on their collective sleeves, the band fittingly took their name from a formal typography term.
The band has slowly been making a name for itself, playing tirelessly in New York City, touring as far as Chicago and Savannah, as well as sharing the stage with the likes of ASG, Shai Hulud, Iron Age, Goes Cube, Pianos Become the Teeth, East of the Wall, Red Chord, Premonitions of War, Primitive Weapons and Wizard Rifle.
With two well received EP's under their belt, Descender is writing songs for a new full-length to be released in early 2013.
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