Biography
Formed in August 2013, The Apex are a band formed from Ontario’s metal community, with members coming together from past bands such as Closed Casket Funeral, Dismata, Blood Shot Eye, The Coalition Design, and Corprophemia. The band members are Darren Marchand (vocals) Steve Landgraff (guitar), Brian Gemus (guitar), Jer (bass) and Tyson Taylor (drums)
Discography
The Apex is an eclectic fusion of grindcore, death metal, and mathcore or as they put it “ghetto tech metal,” band from Windsor, Ontario. If you’re a fan of groups like The Dillinger Escape Plan, Meshuggah, The Red Chord and Candiria you’ll love The Apex. Their unique hometown sound is a brutal sonic assault. They recorded their debut self-titled full length album in 2014 at the Shark Tank Productions studio with sound engineer Nick Kinnish of Serafina Productions. The album was released in February 2015.
The Apex
1. Contention: Chapter 2
2. Promise
3. Means to an End
4. Attack
5. Glass Walls
6. Interlude
7. If Detroit River Could Speak
8. You’re Not Dead Yet?
9. The Girl Death Left Behind
10. Contention: Chapter 1
Popular songs
Their self-titled album slays, with maniacal drums that crush the entire album. The solos on “Glass Walls” are superb.
The band ace guitar-work in “Contention: Chapter 2” has riffs that swirl, twist, stop and start their way through the song without missing a note or dropping the beat. Darren turns his barbaric Jens Kidmanish death vocals into a bit of a percussion instrument as well.
The majority of Apex, though catchy in its own rite, is purposefully a-melodic. However, there are some moments towards the end of the album where some light attempts to shine through. In “You’re Not Dead Yet?” there’s a moment where it sounds as if a big, soaring chorus is being set up…only to be strangled back to the ground.
In August 2016 the band released a new EP titled Underbelly.
1. Scabs and Sheep
2. Underbelly
3. Paid in Exposure
Showing a new side of Apex, the songs are intense, the musicianship is madness, and the atmosphere is thick with dystopian high rises and nihilistic bile. Maybe you’re already angry, maybe you just want to feel something, or maybe you just want to slam dance a bit. Whatever the case may be, it’s time to fuel the fire. The EP is an incredible 11-minute slab of brute, technical intensity.
