Photo credit: Ebru Yildiz
METZ
There is a refreshing economy to the music of METZ, a three-piece noise-rock band based in Toronto. This does not mean the act’s songs are either too short or overtly simplistic; the best cuts on Strange Peace, the band’s most recent album, start with a standard post-hardcore sound and push it in new directions. Refreshingly, Strange Peace announces its intention to steamroll the listener from the very first note, as album opener “Mess of Wires” doesn’t waste any time in setting the tone for the entire album. As singer/guitarist Alex Edkins screams “Let them preach only violence,” you know this band isn’t messing around.
It’s been close to two years since the release of Strange Peace. Edkins chooses his words carefully when pressed to discuss what the band’s next record will sound like—and when it will come out. “Sonically,” Edkins does reveal, “it’s a lot darker than our last record. It may be the heaviest thing we’ve done.”
Any METZ fan may wonder how that could be possible, as the band’s first two albums—their self-titled LP (2012) and 2015’s II—sounded like they were recorded with all amplifiers set to 11. Asked why they want to push their songs in such a direction on their fourth album, Edkins casually notes “It’s a natural thing. It’s just where our heads now.” Does that mean that the new songs are written? “We’re right in the thick of it,” Edkins explains. Will the band be working with famed engineer Steve Albini, who recorded Strange Peace at his Chicago studio, again? “We don’t know. We’re not there yet.”
Such uncertainty is not a sign of any sort of lack of motivation. In many ways, METZ is a throwback to an earlier era, one in which bands thought about albums as unified products and spent hours agonizing over the layout and visuals associated with such products. The members of METZ, Edkins explains, “grew up as record-collecting nerds, often starting at an image on a record cover.” Not surprisingly, the band has gone to great lengths to cultivate a certain aesthetic for the band: drummer Hayden Menzies, who has an arts degree from Concordia University, often does the artwork for the band’s releases. METZ has also worked with director Shayne Ehman on a series of surreal videos for songs from Strange Peace. “We choose those collaborations with care,” notes Edkins, as Ehman’s chaotic style proves to be a perfect visual complement to the music of METZ.
Yet deeper than any attention to such aesthetic matters is METZ’s determination to present fully developed, fully formed songs. As Edkins observes, “Today it’s all about content, content, content. I can see how that might work. And I sometimes wish we were more like that.” There is something appealing about a musician able to churn out new material quickly and without a hint of self-consciousness. After all, our digital age is all about access, and fans want to feel that they are in almost constant contact with their favorite performers. Edkins understands that taking multiple years off between releases does little to placate the band’s fan base, but “We just can’t function that way.” Instead, as Edkins concludes, the band remains almost defiantly “old school… trying to make a cohesive album” in a moment marked by the rise of the downloadable single.
So, don’t hold your breath waiting for the next METZ record—but know that it will probably be worth the wait.
METZ will perform at the Cactus Club with Ex Nuns on Monday, May 27 at 8 p.m.
