Band: xTESTIFYx
From: Charlotte, North Carolina
Their formation story:
(Mike Wentzel, guitar): "Honestly, it started pretty randomly one day in Charlotte. I was at a local coffee shop near my place, and Nathan (vocals) happened to be there at the same time with his girlfriend. He noticed I was wearing an x-rated Swatch and caught me outside to have a chat.
"We got to talking and realized we were both straight edge and into a lot of similar bands. From there we left it at a 'just hit me up to write' and later started getting together at my house to write the demo which we released this year in May."
Their sound in their own words:
"We play fast, direct straight edge hardcore. Mostly influencing us is Lockin' Out and DFJ bands like No Tolerance, Mental, Dump Truck, etc. The name is actually from an XFilesX song, 'Testify,' which is another big influence.
"We both wanted to make a bold statement being edge and what it means, but without being over the top."
Latest release info:
"We recorded this with our good friend Holden (Your Spirit Dies) at his house right outside Charlotte and it was just Nathan and I at the time that recorded the demo. Since then we have had some fill-ins for shows, shoutout Kohai (Fading Signal) and Ders (Collective Action) but now have officially picked up two new members which are in our photo, Mikey and Carson (Divine Right)."
Future plans:
"We just released the demo on tape through Bitter Melody Records, and will be playing some shows that have not been announced yet in the new year. We are also currently writing an EP which we hope to have released before the spring, with maybe a small weekend tour to follow."
What other bands from their region should we check out?
"Check out the other bands Mikey and Carson are in: Point of View, Level 6, Divine Right, and Shrine. I also play guitar in Overturn. Also, mad love to Fading Signal, Magnitude, Get Wise, and Your Spirit Dies — give them a listen."
The xTESTIFYx demo is available on cassette via Bitter Melody Records.
Tagged: xtestifyx
