Scene Not Heard

Hardcore and Metal in Alabama

By Bradley LedbetterPublished 12 days ago • 3 min read

Witch Hunter performs at Pit at the Pitman in Gadsden, AL | Brad Ledbetter

This piece was originally written back in January 2024 as part of a local showcase about the blossoming Alabama hardcore and metal scene

LED lights illuminate the front patio area of Atomic Johnny’s on a Saturday night, with the roar of loud guitars, screaming vocals, and fast drums bellowing through the front door as patrons move in and out of the venue. This isn’t the music you normally associate with the “bar scene” of Gadsden, AL, but that is what makes it special.

When you think about the bars in Downtown Gadsden and the musicians that usually play, you can’t help but think about everything from classic rock cover bands to a local singer-songwriter doing a great Tyler Childers cover. Not that this is a bad thing; there are some incredible musicians that play nightly downtown, but every now and then you need some people to come shake things up. Below, you can find a vlog from one of the bands that played at the Pit at the Pitman Festival back in 2023, which I definitely think was a shake up to downtown Gadsden.

This past weekend, bands like Meadows, Heavy Handed, Heel Turn, Avian Theory, and Witch Hunter did just that, and it was an absolute blast to see people two stepping in the middle of the Atomic Johnny’s. While this is a unique thing to the local bar scene, it’s becoming more common not only in Gadsden but in Alabama as a whole.

For decades, Alabama has been a hotspot for bands to pass through, from the yearly Furnace Fest (both iterations) in Birmingham to playing venues like Cave 9, The Boiler Room, The Nick, PA 101, The Shma, etc., but over the last few years, the scene here has erupted into something entirely different. No longer are the local bands expected to be the openers for the national acts coming through; you are seeing more and more of our bands going out on tour and gaining major exposure, thus turning people’s eyes and ears towards Alabama.

Sure, we have our "well-known" bands like ERRA, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Gideon and mychildren mybride that people from all over associate as “Alabama bands," but then you bands like No Cure and Wielded Steel, among others, are featured in major publications like Lambgoat, Revolver, Blabbermouth, and more, gaining both notoriety and exposure, so much so that I see their names getting brought up in constant “next big thing” discussions on places like Reddit, various Discords, etc.

Needless to say, while I am not the leading expert on all things Alabama hardcore and metal, I am paying enough attention to see that things are getting hotter every day around here, and I can’t help but think they are only going to go up from here.

Below, I plan to include some links to some great resources to help discover more bands and shows, as well as provide Spotify links to all the artists that I have mentioned in this story.

I am in no way a music historian, and I am sure this is only scratching the surface of the Alabama scene as I can already start thinking of so many bands (past and present) that I have left out (I’m sorry if I missed any). I just wanted to write about something I love, and that something is Alabama hardcore and metal.

Alabama Hardcore Shows Facebook Group -https://www.facebook.com/groups/1265884043940571/

Gadsden Underground Music Scene Facebook Group — https://www.facebook.com/groups/170792982964675

DIY Birmingham Facebook Page — https://www.facebook.com/diybirmingham

Huntsville Heavy Metal Facebook Page — https://www.facebook.com/groups/329846997035290