Left Behind: Where Slayer and Hardcore Unite

Once upon a time it was anathema to like both metal and hardcore. It’s hard to believe now, I know, in these times of everythingcore and barely any discernible difference between the genres whatsoever. But a hardcore band playing thrash riffs in 1985? Psshh, forget it. You’d have been more likely to find Ronald Reagan at a MENSA meeting.

I may be old, but I’m not THAT old — I came of age in a time when metal and hardcore were [mostly] allow to co-exist, but the existence of a band like Left Behind still gives me pause for a hot second. Just when and how exactly did it become possible for hardcore kids to jock Slayer so hard while still playing downtuned punk riffs, and how on earth could they be this good at mixing the two? Like, I wanna know the EXACT moment these dudes turned off their Black Flag and Minor Threat records and first got hip to Metallica, and how that transition came to pass. Or is it just that the two scenes are so intertwined these days that this kind of crossover is inevitable?

Old man rant over. Here’s Left Behind’s new video for “Rock Bottom” from their new album Seeing Hell, coming out on March 18th, 2016. The song is quite good, and based on the video it seems like the band’s live show is a fun time too. Lucky for you you’ll be able to check them out on the road with Seeker and Great American Ghost starting next week. Dates below the video.

1/21 Austin, TX – Dirty Dog Bar
1/22 Ft Worth, TX – Tomcats West
1/23 Oklahoma City, OK – 89th Street Collective
1/24 Lawrence, KS – The Jackpot
1/25 Des Moines, IA – Vaudeville Mews
1/26 Wichita, KS – Rock Island Live
1/27 Colorado Springs, CO – Sunshine Studios
1/28 Denver, CO – The Marquis
1/29 Salt Lake City, UT – The Loading Dock
1/30 Reno, NV – Shea’s
1/31 Salinas, CA – La Movida
2/1 Los Angeles, CA – White Oak Music
2/2 San Diego, CA – Soda Bar
2/3 Mesa, AZ – The Underground
2/4 El Paso, TX – Mesa Music Hall
2/5 San Angelo, TX – YAYAS
2/6 San Antonio, TX – Korova
2/7 Houston, TX – Walters