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Scion No Label Needed Contest & Series, Scraping Genius Off The Wheel

GARY SUAREZ’S AMPED-THE-FUCK-UP ENDORSEMENT OF PROVEN FOR SCION’S NO LABEL NEEDED CONTEST

 Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 at 4:00pm by

Although the editors of MetalSucks get a vote in the Scion No Label Needed Contest, the staff of MetalSucks, alas, does not. Thus, over the course of the next few days, each MetalSucks writer will post an endorsement for his favorite finalist for the contest. You can check out all the finalists, and vote for your personal favorite, here.

Most of the bands competing in this contest are so underwhelming or otherwise not-to-my-liking that, were they to open for a group I’d actually want to see, I’d bust out my UNO cards. (I kid! I kid!) Much to my surprise, however, I found one group in the running that I think is pretty fucking great: Portland, Oregon’s Proven.

-GS

Listen to and vote for Proven here. You can also visit them on MySpace.

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  • Franco

    they do sound pretty good.

    i noticed that the design they have with the wings and bloodsplattered face, they totally just jacked that image of that face from all shall perish’s first album. idk i thought it was kinda funny.

    • http://www.myspace.com/provenmetal KarlProven

      Franco, that wings and blood splattered face was publicly available graphics – kinda like that bloody hand print nearly every band has used at one point or another.

      This happened before I was in the band but we weren’t aware another band used it until somoene posted a comment about it. Whoops.

      Thanks for checking us out!

      • Franco

        Well now i know haha.

        keep up with the sick music though, and you guys should play some shows on the east coast eventually

  • John

    What about that isn’t underwhelming?

    • Chairman Of The Bored

      I concur; this is the same old boring Harcore/New Metal shit that another 1000 bands are doing.

      Prognosis: boring.

  • http://www.myspace.com/provenmetal KarlProven

    Thanks Gary!

    For anyone who only has heard of us through this contest I highly encourage you to check out our myspace page and listen to the body of our music – we have a couple of releases out and there’s probably alittle something for everyone.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ian-Wilmot/1177765489 Ian Wilmot

    iron thrones is better
    therefore they are probably gonna win

    this is okay, but its kinda… average

    • ChestTheMolester

      Iron Thrones better? Why? Because they have face paint? hahahaa. please. go sing along to your slipknot. Cut your hair while you’re at it!!

      Proven is the shit – I saw them with Terror and Emmure a few weeks ago.

      Portland fuckin metaaaaaaaaaaaaal!

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Steven-J-Henningsgard/1024517365 Steven J. Henningsgard

        I usually stay out of these kind of things, but face paint? Are you referring to the joke photo shoot we had in which we were wearing semi-corpse-paint makeup?

        Confused…

        Oh wait… you like Emmure. My apologies: I was unaware of your handicap.

        • http://www.facebook.com/people/Steven-J-Henningsgard/1024517365 Steven J. Henningsgard

          P.S. I want to be clear that my post was entirely unrelated to Proven: best of luck to them and the rest of the bands!

          • ChestTheMolester

            Nice way to bow out gracefully. Gonna rag on Emmure? They’re tearing it up regardless if you like them or not – they’re what the kids are listening too. I went there for Terror and was fuckin stoked to catch Proven, This is Blood?, After the Burial….good heavy music.

            Love your narrow minded attitude towards music – it reflects when i listen to yours!!

          • http://www.ironthrones.com Steven J. Henningsgard

            Pardon me, but I could give a flying fuck what the kids are listening to, or what you think of my band’s music man.

        • http://www.last.fm/user/Jugglemonkey Jugglemonkey

          Haha :D Iron Thrones already had my vote anyway, they’re the only band whose music really drew me in. I need to listen to all the tracks again anyways, the other bands may be growers.

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ian-Wilmot/1177765489 Ian Wilmot

        no
        its because i like prog

        • Blarrg

          If you want prog, go with Lorus!

  • Kris Grosse

    PROVEN IS DA SHIT!! Favorite song is Alligence… not just because i wrote and recorded the drums for the song, its just badass!! Good luck guys!!!

  • christopher

    i am provens bigest fan they are better than slipknot and korn they kick ass if i had the chance 2 meet them i would passout proven= kick ass best band

  • christopher

    i am provens bigest fan they are better than korn they kick ass if i had the chance 2 meet them i would passout proven= kick ass best band

  • christopher

    i am provens bigest fan they kick ass if i had the chance 2 meet them i would passout proven= kick ass best band

  • Sam Payne

    About time this band got some fucking recognition!

  • Jizzmaster3000

    I don’t get it, what was wrong with Hatebreed’s old name?

    • fester

      lolocaust!!!

    • evilfatguy

      Aww I should’ve come here a little earlier; you beat me to it.
      I don’t remember Hatebreed’s guitar tone being so muddy and mixes sounding so disjointed though.

      • http://www.myspace.com/provenmetal KarlProven

        haha. keep up the shit talk!

      • svc181

        probably because you dont remember hatebreed before they got a label

        • evilfatguy

          Probably because you don’t know that I don’t usually trash something without a solid base and a good frame of reference. I hear a LOT of music, and it’s not all good. Sorry. Refer back to Eyal’s last blog post if you feel butthurt about my words.

    • DidgeryDo

      LOL. I don’t want to join the shit parade here but before I went into the jump I was thinking
      “these guys are going to sound like Hatebreed.”

      Stupid reasons I guess. I was thinking these dudes kinda looked like Hatebreed and then the
      name Proven made me think of the first track off Hatebreed’s most comercially popular
      album Persevearance.

      “…PROOOOOOOOVEEEENNNNNNNNN…..DUN DUN DUN…DUN DUN DUN…DAH DAH..DOH DOH..
      DUN DUN DUN…DUN DUN DUN…DAH DAH..DOH DOH”

      So I listened to them on Myspace and yeah, this sounds just like Hatebreed. Hey there is nothing
      wrong with being influenced by your heroes so it’s cool with me but you might just have
      to deal with the stigma of sounding just like them. I’d say ignore people that say that because
      you do sound pretty good.

  • soy el niño más bonito

    if its aint iron thrones it aint shit

  • evilfatguy

    I thought you guys fired Suarez for this very reason…

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mathew-James-Saunders/1153389571 Mathew James Saunders

      For real…I’m open to different genres, but all of these “hardcore” bands all sound so similar. Couldn’t be the exclusive use of repetitious power-chords, “tough-guy” image, and “the world is an evil place” embellished lyrics? Nahhhh…this genre will die out just like the punk and grunge scene did. With their guitars, do they realize that there are more than 7 frets? Because it sure as hell sonically presents itself that way…

      • Genial Gentile

        You are an idiot, hardcore has been around for nearly 30 years now and has influenced metal as much as the other way around. You may want to do some research before to comment next time so you don’t sound like such a pompous jackass.

        • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mathew-James-Saunders/1153389571 Mathew James Saunders

          Well I can really tell that 30 years has really evolved the genre! It sounds oooo so unique, and here’s some tissues for your whiny ass. It’s funny how people like you get sooo offended from a SUBJECTIVE fucking statement…deal with it. Now excuse me, I’m gonna go not waste my time replying to your useless 4 year old name calling remarks

          • Genial Gentile

            Little late for that clown.

      • pandaman

        i think its funny how in one of your above posts you point out that you arent directing that comment towards proven then down the comments alittle ways and you do a kind of passive shit talk that indeed seems aimed towards them from the above posts it seems you are in iron thrones which while good isnt anything original either whatevs my 1 cents (to poor to dish out my two cents :)

        • pandaman

          oops now i see that you are not the same person i retract my statement placing foot in mouth now lol a thousand apologies i got bad eyesght

  • oh_shotdown

    Oh my holy pants! I thought, just perhaps, that in spite of the metal-head moron images associated with this type of music that people would try to, in fact, prove that stereotype wrong but all I see is a bunch of s***-talking children! Grow up and make valid comments, or please keep them to yourselves. It’s fine to agree to disagree, and even to post a disagreeing argument, but we’re actually all dumber for having read half of these b.s. comments! Keep on rockin’ it gents!

    • DidgeryDo

      There is nothing wrong with pointing out the obvious and saying they look and sound like
      Hatebreed and have a name most likely inspired by a Hatebreed song….

  • oh_shotdown

    Then I suppose it’s a good thing I don’t listen to or give an eff about hatebreed, then. Quit crying!

    • DidgeryDo

      Way to not be a ” s***-talking child”

  • http://myspace.com/northwestroyale Blake

    Proven are a great bunch of guys. We shared a festival bill with them and they were super chill.

    A couple of factoids – one of their earlier CDs was produced by Billy Graziadei of Biohazard, and they’ve done a tour of Ireland. Lucky lil’ bastards, haha!

    Best wishes, gents.

    • http://myspace.com/northwestroyale Blake

      Oh, and if you’re interested in another killer band from our state, check out Tallboy Shotgun. More on the thrash side of things.

      http://www.myspace.com/tallboyshotgun

      • http://myspace.com/northwestroyale Blake

        Shit, I forgot; they’re from Vancouver, WA. Ah, fuck. Well, close enough.

  • http://myspace.com/provenmetal RandyProven

    wow… Pretty awesome, but to clear it up, I came up with the name Proven after the fact that I survived a horribly abusive childhood and had proven that I could survive whatever the world could throw at me.

    Marc and I were riding in a car to a show back in 2006 with a mutual friend when I mentioned the name, along with the reasoning behindj it and it was set from there on out.

    As far as the music sounding like Hatebreed, I think these people need to clear their earwax out and put down the meth pipe. Our music is, and always will be some of the most original shit you’ll ever listen to. It’s main focus is on being brotherly towards each other, moving forward and spitting in the face of defeat.

    I write and arrange from the heart, always have, always will. I never even really listened to Hatebreed much, even though they do have some badass riffs. Proven is directly influenced by a lifetime of struggle, child abuse, Soilwork, Biohazard and NYHC. Fuck you if you wanna talk shit.

    We’re supposed to be propping each other up, not tearing each other down. Best of luck to the other bands involved
    Randy

    • SonOF

      “As far as the music sounding like Hatebreed, I think these people need to clear their earwax out and put down the meth pipe. Our music is, and always will be some of the most original shit you’ll ever listen to. It’s main focus is on being brotherly towards each other, moving forward and spitting in the face of defeat.
      I write and arrange from the heart, always have, always will. I never even really listened to Hatebreed much”

      This is not “shit-talking,” just being honest: Your band is, in some ways, similar to Hatebreed. Vocally, there are strong similarities to Jamey Jasta’s style. If someone put Proven on and told a Hatebreed fan, “this is Jasta’s new side project,” they would most certainly believe it. Couple that with the fact that, like Hatebreed, you are basically a straight-up hardcore band preaching positivity and overcoming obstacles, and you should be able to see where the comparisons are coming from. People aren’t just making this shit up to be assholes.

      I have no reason to think you are being dishonest when you say you don’t really listen to Hatebreed, and that your band name has nothing to do with one of their song names, but these are eerie coincidences. Imagine if a new thrash band came out named “Master of Puppets,” and they claimed they “weren’t really into” Metallica. Silly right?

      You shouldn’t really take this as an insult, your band is being compared to the most successful band in the genre, an influential (as far as hardcore in concerned) and world-renowned group in Hatebreed…you should take that as a compliment instead of getting all bothered and claiming your shit is “the most original shit you’ll ever listen to.” Your band seems to do what they do well, it just so happens that not a ton of people around here get all that excited over old-school, straight-up hardcore.

      • RandyProven

        To be straight, I am in no way offended by the comparison and it’s an honor to be compared to those guys. They’ve worked their asses off to become who they are and they deserve all the credit they get for it. Most of the great hardcore/metalcore bands from the last decade went unrecognized and unappreciated and we are very grateful to have this opportunity presented to us.

        I think that the bottom line is that text on a computer screen is very impersonal and if I explained this to you over the phone or in person, it would be much more clear.

        I compose many different genres of music, including old-school country, jazz, nyhc, classical, metalcore, Norwegian style black metal, ska and punk. Even with a palette as diverse as that, there’s stuff that I don’t particularly care for, so I don’t listen to it.

        I do understand that there are similarities, but I assure you that this has never been our goal. I also understand that not everybody will like what I write… No skin off my chin. It’s the essence of living: personal choice.

        If you take a minute and listen to the songs Allegiance and Inner Struggle on our myspace page, you’ll get a sense of the direction we’re heading. I never said our music was the best, that would just be ridiculous.

        Take Care
        Randy

        • SonOF

          Nice work, I respect you for doing your thing and being passionate and honest about it. Come to Long Island some time, tons of kids would dig you guys here. There is a pretty thriving hardcore scene…seriously.

          • http://myspace.com/provenmetal RandyProven

            Cool, thanks.

            Hopefully we’ll be getting over there sometime this spring/early-summer and we can’t wait to rock the east coast.

    • Jizzmaster3000

      Don’t make me whip the Uno deck out.

    • http://www.metalsucks.net/category/scraping-genius-off-the-wheel/ Gary Suarez

      The problem is that many metalheads are unfamiliar with the history and breadth of hardcore, and as such use Hatebreed as a dismissive point-of-reference. Positive hardcore has been around for decades. Jamey Jasta doesn’t own the rights to it nor to metallic hardcore.

      • DidgeryDo

        “As far as the music sounding like Hatebreed, I think these people need to clear their earwax out and put down the meth pipe. Our music is, and always will be some of the most original shit you’ll ever listen to.”

        Gary, I didn’t bring that up to be dismissive. I even said I thought they sounded good.
        It’s just the biggest impression to jump out at me when I started listening. I’m obviously
        not the only one who thinks so.

        As far as Randy telling me to put down the meth pipe and recoginize just how
        original Proven is….right. Whatever.

      • DidgeryDo

        “As far as the music sounding like Hatebreed, I think these people need to clear their earwax out and put down the meth pipe. Our music is, and always will be some of the most original shit you’ll ever listen to.”

        Gary, I didn’t bring that up to be dismissive. I even said I thought they sounded good.
        It’s just the biggest impression to jump out at me when I started listening. I’m obviously
        not the only one who thinks so.

        As far as Randy telling me to put down the meth pipe and recoginize just how
        original Proven is….right. Whatever.

        Also Gary, I think you and I both know that there are a LOT of hardcore bands that
        don’t sound anything like Hatebreed. Most Precious Blood for instance.

      • SonOF

        Suarez, you are definitely right about Hatebreed not being the be-all, end-all for positive hardcore (although they did bring it to the masses), but this band DOES have some similarities to Hatebreed, even from the perspective of someone with a well-versed hardcore background. Especially vocally, where the guy sounds an awful lot like Jasta on at least a few of the tracks. Again, this is not necessarily a bad thing at all. But I agree, a lot of metal heads who aren’t into hardcore cite Hatebreed as the only ones doing this type of stuff (since they haven’t really dug deeper into the scene).

  • http://www.myspace.com/jimsanity2164 jimsanity

    PROVEN Kicks Ass!!!! if anybody wants to see a band that totally fuckin rocks I highly recommend seeing them live. they ALWAYS put on a great show full of high energy no nonsense Metal!!! they are all great guys that arent full of ego BS definatly one of the best Metal acts around the Portland music scene

  • Helmut

    Ich Liebe Proven!!! Diese Band hat gute musik!!

  • Sponge

    PROOOOOOOOOVEN!!!!!!

    I get the Hatebreed comparisons as a close point of reference but c’mon, carbon copy, no way!!!

    Check out Allegiance on their page, some actual singing on it.

    Good job guys! Nice to see the name getting out there more!

  • fakemilkman

    Proven down for life! They’re fuckin and deserve your vote. They done so much already this comp would put them overr the top! They are always out working it, they put in some leg work I haven’t seen any else do in years! Their music is Badass and theyre funny guys. Watxh their tour footage. I got a dvd from one of them for free. Fuck all the haters!

  • PhotogPhenom

    I am quite new to the Metal scene – my metal experience is limited to Metallica, Megadeth, Motorhead and Rammstein – which may have some saying I am not qualified to judge the quality of the music of any of the bands in the contest – but one could also say that I am not predisposed to judging them by what someone else may sound like either. One thing I can say is that Proven ROCKS!!! I was lucky enough to catch them at two separate venues – one in Portland and one in Vancouver – this band knows how to get the blood pumping in the crowd – at the Vancouver show the crowd was already pretty spent after listening to several previous bands – but when Proven came on you could FEEL the renewed energy in the crowd!!! Playing to a packed house in Portland’s Hawthorne Theater Proven whipped the crowd into a frenzy with their hard-hitting sound! Marc’s hard vocals were supported throughout by the energetic performances of Karl and Randy on guitars, Brett’s masterful command of the frets and Josh’s kick-ass drum rolls!!
    I also recently had the unique opportunity to witness the band in creation mode – under Randy’s direction the band combined all their considerable talents to birth an ever-evolving sound no one in Metal-dom will want to miss!

  • http://www.myspace.com/provenmetal KarlProven

    Thanks for everyone who posted in support, badass!!!

    Blake, thanks for the post. Along with TallBoy Shotgun I’d also check out Regiment 26, and Bedlam Massacre (RIP), all great bands making some killer music in town. Wild Boar Cannery is sick also, great guys too. So many good bands in town.

    To any detractors, rad. Love it, hate it, its all good. Personally I don’t get all the intrametal genre hate. I might not like melodic death metal but I still try to be supportive of our metal brothers in general. Metal gets shit on by everyone; we don’t need to do it to ourselves.

    Help prop each other up, not tear each other down.

    • pandaman

      word DEATH TO THE ELITE!!!!