Converse Rubber Tracks x MetalSucks 2016 Preview: Clover

Earlier this fall, three unsigned bands visited the Converse Rubber Tracks recording studio in Brooklyn, NY, where they laid down some jams at one of Converse’s completely free, state-of-the-art facilities with producer Will Putney (The Acacia Strain, Suicide Silence, Exhumed). 

MetalSucks held an open application process in July for bands to apply, then Axl and Vince worked with Will to choose their three favorites. We’ll be previewing each of the selected bands in the next few days (we already previewed the three bands who recorded with Kurt Ballou in Boston over the summer), and then we’ll be releasing the tracks they recorded next month. Today, we feature Clover from Kingston, NY.

If you’re not from near New York City and you aren’t familiar with the city of Kingston, you can be forgiven. Roughly two hours north of NYC, it’s in the Hudson Valley / Catskill Mountain region of New York State, which vocalist/bassits Mike Guthaus believes contributes to the band’s sound and way of being:

Regardless of our proximity to NYC, we couldn’t be any more different than the way of life in NYC… It is a very scenic and rural area which separates us greatly from the NYC region. I also believe that it translates into our music scene as well. There is much more of a camaraderie among local musicians that we just don’t see as much when we play in the NYC/Brooklyn area.

Kingston is an absolutely lovely place, don’t get me wrong, but we certainly hope to welcome Clover here in Brooklyn with open arms and show ’em some of the camaraderie in our metal scene. So to start, we invited the band down to record for two days with Will Putney at Converse Rubber Tracks.

Bands like Clover are tough to pigeonhole; they blend elements of atmospheric metal, sludge and post-hardcore, but they’re certainly not a metalcore band. Their songs hit hard, but they’re not afraid to explore a melody through delicate guitar work. Think of the band as a more cerebral, ethereal version of Trap Them and maybe you’re close. Or just listen to their most recent album Exile below and decide for yourself.