After years embedded in Pennsylvania's hardcore scene in bands like Strength for a Reason and Choice to Make, vocalist Nate Preschutti left Wilkes-Barre for Johnson City, Tennessee, searching for a reset after a rough stretch. It didn't take long before he was back in familiar territory, putting together another hardcore band.
"My partner Kristyn and I were in a transitional period in life as far as loss and whatnot, and it just felt like time for a change," Nate tells No Echo. "We started researching Tennessee and ended up digging Johnson City. We'd driven through in the past on trips, but after a proper few visits, we knew we wanted to move here."
Landing in Johnson City, Nate found himself surrounded by a local music community that was already thriving."The scene here is dope," he says. "There's definitely a pretty rich music scene in general in Johnson City. I felt welcome pretty much immediately."
Nate met guitarist Wes Lick not through a show, but through a shared subculture outside of music. "As soon as I moved down, I met my homie Wes, because I was wearing a shirt from another subculture we're both into," he explains.
Wes was already splitting his time between Fingers Crossed, Die Laughing, and Godsize. On a drive to Virginia to pick up screen-printing gear, the idea for Killing Floor started to take shape. "We were talking about how it'd be cool to start a band," Nate recalls. "At the same time, Die Laughing was winding down, and Godsize was going to be taking a break."
The lineup came together fast. Joey, who played drums in Die Laughing and Godsize, took his spot behind the kit. Will, who handled vocals in Godsize and plays guitar in Haal, picked up the bass. "It just kind of naturally came together," Nate says.
Killing Floor pulls from different corners of hardcore and metal, but skips the empty nostalgia. "The sound is a scoop of Texas with New York seasoning," Nate says. "Definitely Iron Age, Merauder, Minus, Eddie Leeway, Max Pen, Slayer. Just '80s metal and hardcore in general."
The demo came together over a few months before the band even booked their first show. "We'd been writing since January and ended up booking our first show in June," Nate explains. "Our homie Travis Kammeyer from Haal and Generation of Vipers was down to record it for us, and he crushed it."
With the demo just out, Killing Floor is already working on the next phase of the band. "We're trying to play out for sure," Nate says. "We're also writing more songs and will probably drop a promo in the fall, but we mostly just want to play.
Relocating hasn't meant leaving Pennsylvania behind. "Strength for a Reason is a Pennsylvania hardcore institution, so we've got some shows coming up this year," he says. "Choice to Make is on chill mode for a minute, but I'm down to do more if the rest of the crew is. Dan has been rocking it with Demonstrate XXX, so check them out."
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Killing Floor on social media: Instagram
Tagged: choice to make, killing floor, strength for a reason
