Music
Press
Without missing a beat, the Metal Hill went straight into their set as soon as Dapper Doe left the stage. The group consists of the Front Runners, Chose and Diamin, backed by the five-piece Metal Hill Band and with vocal support from host/singer, Summer. While hard to place into a specific genre, the group falls squarely into the category of good music. With a spacey sound of a N.E.R.D. meets Kanye West song, the group “tranced” on stage in a very impressive set. While there was hardly a lackluster song, “Hollywood No More” was definitely the standout, featuring some very heartfelt verses from Front Runner, Chose. The band's playing, however, was once again the real star. Blending rock, funk, hip-hop R&B and any other genre you can imagine is no easy task, but the Metal Hill Band showed with the right guitarist, drummer and keytar player (yes, they have a keytar player), it can be done. - PHILLY.COM - 10/16/08
Metal Hill Raps About Capitol Hill
Philadelphia new age hip-hop group Metal Hill has posted a new track on their MySpace in celebration of President-elect Barack Obama’s historic victory on Tuesday night. In keeping with the groups sound, the hip-hop beats and rhymes are the toppings on a base of European style electronic synthesizer flourishes.
Some of the lyrics to the incredibly poignant track include: “I know I can’t fly but look what heaven sent/The people say this is needed and relevant/I told my baby she could be a doctor but what I could tell her she could be the president?/I tell my people this could be the case and when I say my people I mean every race/Just a different address in the same crisis, the same foreclosures and the same gas prices”
The track was announced in an e-mail sent out in a blast to the group’s followers who are signed up on their e-mail list. You can listen to a high quality version of the song right here.
Metal Hill’s next show is at Silk City on November 11th at 8pm. - PHILLY.COM 11/08
Emergenza Music Festival Finals
NEWS
FEELING THE PHILLY SOUND!
The Philadelphia Regional Final for the Emergenza Music Festival took place over two nights last weekend at The Trocadero. In the heart of Chinatown, we had great bands, and a great venue.
Exposed was an incredible band that is a relative new comer to the Philly music scene, known as Metal Hill. An Urban Alternative based group with an amazing core of musicians, including the winners of the awards for 1st Place Best Drummer and 2nd Place Best Guitar Player. Amazing stage presence and energy upfront to go along with funky rhythms and tight transitions, this is a band sure to entertain anyone, no matter what the setting.
Article Written: 6 Jul 2007
- EMERGENZA FANZINE
Discography
- Featured twice on Phrequency.com.
- MTV Networks has just licensed one of Metal Hill's music libraries, for use on its top network shows.
- Featured as SonicBids.com's Artist of the Month.
- Featured twice by Urban Network Magazine (Los Angeles, CA)
- Currently scoring 380 The Motion picture and provided the title song for the upcoming soundtrack.
- Have shared the same stage with artist such as Day 26, Shon Penn, Floetry, etc.)
- One of the number one groups in the International Emergenza Tour
- Have rocked every major venue in Philadelphia and are currently doing a music series in NYC.
- Have just finished up their new EP titled, "Love Suicide" under their Metal Hill Music, LLC. imprint.
Photos
Bio
During the late 90s, the city of Philadelphia was responsible for some of the decade's most influential music acts. Philadelphia artists such as Beanie Siegel, The Roots, and Jill Scott experienced unheralded national success. The success of these and other artists not only reminded the rest of America of the role that Philadelphia played in Hip Hop history and music in general, but it also sparked a new movement of artists that have help cement the city as one of Hip Hop's main stomping grounds. Although many of the artists that experienced this success are no longer in the national spotlight, there is a new movement taking hold in the same city. The name of this movement is "Metal Hill." The movement consists of front-runners "Chose" (Artist/Songwriter/Producer) and "Diamin" (Artist/Producer/Musician) along with the Metal Hill band. "Metal Hill isn't just a group, it's a lifestyle and a movement. We call it a movement since we want our music and what we stand for to appeal to the world." With a style of music that does not rely on sampling, Metal Hill produces music that's not only original, but is also influenced by an array of genres. From the heavily piano and bass laden song like "Hollywood no more" where Diamin displays his prowess on the piano, to the trance sounding synth-heavy "Velvet Pillow" where Chose belts a falsetto and raps, Metal Hill's music refreshingly borders on alternative but keeps within the true element of Hip Hop. “Yeah, we try not to think in a box or particular genre when we create. We just create based on feeling and it comes out the way the public hears it.” According to Metal Hill, their movement is also out to restore the lost art of the live performance. Their live show consists of a live band, which has an array of instruments that can display more than one guitar and a bevy of synthesizers. “At the end of the day we are all performers, but what you perform on stage should always be superior to the way you perform while recording in a studio. We are here to restore that rule. The live band element helps us to control our music and deliver it to the public the best way we can.” Metal Hill’s music is definitely genre bending but not in a way that will turn off Hip Hop fans or confuse the casual music listener. "Hailing from the North side of Philly where those closest to us have been involved in the daily struggles whether it be drugs, trouble with the law, or the general feeling of hopelessness, people tend to be surprised when they hear the music we make." "We make music that will hopefully touch the masses."
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