American band She Hates Me Not offer up a turbulent, high-octane hardcore and thrash hybrid sound that comes with a sore neck hazard warning and they describe as “remorseless, loud and aggressive.”
The Tulsa-based band came together when the members were students at the Oklahoma Music Academy. It started with lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Jett Fleeman moving to Tulsa from Arkansas and taking lessons around the same time as drummer Cade Baldwin. They soon met lead guitarist Nico Stevens, who was also taking lessons at the academy, before discovering bassist Alex Lim at a School of Rock performance.
On the sound they’ve crafted, the band told us: “It’s a collision of fast-paced thrash riffing and hardcore energy. We pull from the speed and aggression of bands like Sodom and S.O.D., then balance that with slower, weighty riffs that give the songs punch and groove.
“Genre-wise, we’re not too concerned with fitting into one or another. It’s thrash, but not strictly. Hardcore, but not entirely. Metal, but not boxed in. Every track carries a bit of each member’s personality, so the sound stays unpredictable while still feeling cohesive. At the core, we’re just a group of close friends who bonded over heavy music and live shows.”
Our latest taste of this is N.D.P., which was released two weeks ago and completes their EP Heaps Upon Heaps. It opens up with feisty stabbing guitars and heavy drums, before Jett’s lively vocals take over supported by chunky guitar chords. That flows into a heavy chorus, which ends with a cool stabbing guitar riff before looping into another feisty verse and chorus. That gives way to a funky little guitar solo to bring the track to a close.
On the track, the band said: “The reception has been incredible. Streams picked up quickly, and the response to both the track and the video has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s always surreal seeing something you built from scratch connect with people. For anyone jumping in fresh, expect a driving, high-impact track that pushes further into our evolving sound. It carries the same DNA as our earlier material but feels sharper, more focused, and more explosive. Also, fair warning: sore necks are a common side effect.”
That follows on from previous releases Life at Fault, Mechanized Murder and Face What Fights You to complete the EP. We especially love the sound of the latter, which opens up with a delicious chugging riff that continues into a powerful opening verse. And there’s plenty more music to get stuck into, including their 2024 debut album Secrets of Salem.
The She Hates Me Not sound has been heavily influenced by metal founders like Ozzy Osbourne, Dio, Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, as well as the newer wave of bands including Power Trip, Drain, Mindforce and SpiritWorld. And they call out the precision and groove of Scott Ian (Anthrax)’s riff writing as being massively influential in how they approach songwriting.
“Creativity and freedom drive everything,” the band explained. “There’s something addictive about taking a small idea, expanding it into a full song, then seeing it come alive onstage.
“Lyrically, a lot of the material explores political tension, the past and how it echoes into the present and future. There’s also a narrative element where some songs follow characters or stories. We’re generally more interested in meaning and perspective than cliché. Musically, the guiding question is always the same: how do we make this the strongest possible version of the song?”
She Hates Me Not have a busy year in store, as they put the final touches on their sophomore album while stacking up live shows. That includes a return to the world-famous Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, playing their very first festivals, and opening for Death Angel and VioLence while expanding into new cities.
And the band added: “She Hates Me Not isn’t going anywhere. There’s a lot in motion, a lot being built, and we’re only getting louder. The goal is simple: bigger stages, stronger songs, and a nonstop upward climb. If you want to keep up with releases and shows, follow us online and come experience the chaos live.”
You can follow She Hates Me Not on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
Listen to She Hates Me Not and more new bands on our Spotify playlists GigRadar Core and GigRadar Metal
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