Adjudicator is a new group out of Oakland, California merging hardcore and the swing of groove metal within its songwriting approach. "The band was originally called Leash, and the only current original member is me," Matt Herrick, who handles both guitar and bass duties at the moment, tells No Echo.
"I met [vocalist] Nick [Noro] off Craiglist looking for a singer. Leash dissolved more or less in 2019, but me and Nick stayed in touch and decided to rebuild the project.
"When we met [drummer] Ed [Vigil], we knew we immediately wanted him in the band. Since then, we just have been rehearsing every Sunday (now socially distanced). I was actually a bass player previously and we're looking for a guitarist, so I can get back to my natural habitat of bass playing."
A couple of weeks back, Adjudicator released a 9-track collection called Fatal Flaw on its Bandcamp page:
In addition to Adjudicator, Vigil plays in a band called Alcatraz, and previous to that, he spent time in First Blood. Meanwhile, Noro played in a thrash outfit called Survival in the Bay Area.
As far as Adjudicator, Herrick breaks down some of their influences: "We're a mix of '90s hardcore with some more modern hardcore vibes. We all listen to different stuff, but I think our main influences are Harm's Way, Hatebreed, Trapped Under Ice, and Inclination."
Noro adds: "For sure the bands Matt mentioned, and I would also include Breakdown, Merauder, Negative Approach, and Leeway. But I grew up on the thrash: Exodus, Vio-Lence, and Attitude Adjustment."
No Echo asks the gentlemen in Adjudicator about the Oakland hardcore/metal scene and how they think they fit into that picture. "That's a strange question because even though we've been writing and recording for about a year, the COVID stuff has prevented us from playing," Noro explains. "We actually don't fit in with what Oakland has had on rotation for many years. People move here from other places to play garage rock or to play crust/grindcore"
Herrick closes the interview out with some thoughts about Adjudicator's future: "We're stoked for COVID to go away so we can play shows again and hopefully open for some of our favorite bands in the scene. We're all Bay Area natives so we've been a part of this for a while."
Adjudicator on social media: Bandcamp | Instagram
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Tagged: adjudicator
