New York band Sylar was very ahead of the game when it came to modern heavy bands taking lessons and sounds from nu-metal. Along with bands like My Ticket Home, Sylar really tapped into what made nu-metal so visceral and effective, weaving together rap and metalcore heaviness in a major way.
Now, Sylar vocalist Miguel Cardona has taken what he’s learned from his time in Sylar with a new band Rust. Today they’ve dropped their debut single “Hate Me,” a ripping odyssey through the capabilities of what nu-metal and geenres beyond are capable of.
Produced by Andrew Baylis (Jellyroll, Sleeping With Sirens, Attack Attack!), Cardona pulls from his world travels for maybe the first nu-metal song to ever reference Bollywood music. If any other musician tried their hands at merging the two together, there’s a good chance it would wind up being awful, however, Cardona’s mastery over the genre comes in clutch, making it a genuinely impressive combination.
Everything about it is built to get stuck in your head, Cardona’s vocals flips between rapped lyrics and clean singing while guitars chug forward. The production on it is pretty immaculate, pulling in moments of hip-hop drum hits and samples to create a further level of texture on the song.
As the song progresses, things slow down to a sinister beat, Cardona rapping and screaming out “I know I’m sick” before returning with a hell of a breakdown.
In terms of a debut single, it’s hard to get it any better on a first try than this. Pulling in sonic influence from bands like Linkin Park as well as Sylar’s previous work, it’s a hell of a combo that makes us excited for what Cardona’s got coming next.
Listen to Rust’s debut single “Hate Me” below. Follow the band on Instagram here.