Chicago’s Nequient have spent more than a decade forging a volatile blend of hardcore, grindcore, thrash, and mathy metallic chaos that feels both calculated and feral. Their 2022 album, Darker Than Death Or Night, drew praise for its suffocating intensity, with comparisons to The Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge, and Combatwoundedveteran. Through relentless touring and a fiercely DIY ethos, the band has continued to sharpen its identity in the aggressive music underground.
With their third full-length, Avarice, produced by Sanford Parker (Brutal Truth, Youth Code), Nequient push that sound even further into a dense, confrontational space where grind, d-beat, mathcore, and thrash collide. Given how eclectic their music has become, it’s no surprise the band’s creative DNA comes from a wide spectrum of influences.
In the section below, the members of Nequient break down the records and artists that helped shape their approach to songwriting, heaviness, and the chaotic spirit that drives the band forward.
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Jason Kolkey (vocals) picks:
Converge – Jane Doe (2001)
Converge is our most obvious musical influence, and as much as the rest of their discography kicks ass, there’s no escaping the gravitational pull of their most iconic release. I picked up the CD as a teenager, largely on the basis of the now-ubiquitous cover art, only to be smashed in the face by the combination of technical prowess, chaotic yet hook-laden songwriting, and emotional volatility. Almost a quarter of a century later, Converge has continued to serve as a model for how a band can challenge itself and evolve without sacrificing its core sound or integrity.
Napalm Death – Smear Campaign (2006)
Every era of Napalm Death’s very long career has a lot to offer, but I feel a particular fondness for the run of albums beginning with 2000’s Enemy of the Music Business, when they rediscovered the love of grind. Barney Greenway’s vocal interplay with Shane Embury, as well as his onstage demeanor, has been a major Inspiration for me since I first saw them live during that period. This particular record has, in my opinion, some of the band’s most memorable and intense songs, featuring lyrics that criticize religious institutions from a more thoughtful and humanistic angle than you usually hear in metal.
Refused – The Shape of Punk to Come (1998)
Experiencing Refused one last time on their recent farewell tour was a reminder that while the classics may go out of style, they never stop kicking ass. When I first listened to this album in a high school classmate’s basement, I had little hope of ever seeing the band perform since they’d broken up mid-tour before I’d even heard of them. Nonetheless, the record showed me the nigh-endless possibilities for cross-pollinating hardcore with other genres, all in service of songs that stay with you forever. I still find much that’s worth emulating in Dennis Lyxzén’s political lyrics, tireless showmanship, and unflagging devotion to the liberatory potential of punk rock at its best.
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Patrick Conahan (guitar) picks:
Arsis – A Celebration of Guilt (2004)
This record blew my little high school mind when it came out. Move over, Children of Bodom; Arsis is my best friend now. It built on all the other European melodeath I was into at the time by dialing up everything I dug about the genre. I learned a couple of songs back in those days, and certain melodic tendencies have stuck with me since. Big fan of the breakdowns in “The Face of My Innocence” and “The Sadistic Motives Behind Bereavement Letters.” It's a bummer they never released anything else that came close to this debut, but I did catch them with Necrophagist once back in the day, and that was a killer show.
The Dillinger Escape Plan – Ire Works (2007)
This one's got it all. The trademark chaos, weird glitchiness, big melodic singalong choruses, and the more experimental sections. It's probably their most sonically diverse record. I'm particularly a fan of the huge electronic influences throughout, like on “When Acting As A Wave” and “Dead As History.” Like some metal Aphex Twin. Shoot that straight into my veins.
Thee Oh Sees – Orc (2017)
Story time. Friends said I should see this band live, so I went out, bought myself a ticket, and went in blind. Holy shit. Absolutely amazing live band with infectious energy. Hearing the song “Animated Violence” for the first time in a sold-out room, losing its collective mind, is up there for me. I rode that high and proceeded to party for the rest of the night with the homies. This show happened to be the same day as our first session to record our debut record, Wolves At the Door, and I was due back in the morning to finish tracking the guitars. Damn, that was a rough one. Now that hangover is eternally etched in the history of the band, as you can hear the sloppiness sneak through on some of the guitar tracks. 10/10 experience, would fuck up another record to relive that magic.
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Chris Avgerin (drums) picks:
The Dillinger Escape Plan – Under the Running Board (1998)
When I saw these guys open for Mr. Bungle, I had no clue who they were. But I was instantly blown away. There was nothing quite like it at the time. It really was calculated chaos. About a year later, I saw them play at a bowling alley in Chicago. I had just enough money to buy this EP. It's still my favorite release of theirs. A compact, concise 7-minute punch to the face.
Today is the Day – In the Eyes of God (1999)
I always loved the way Steve Austin sounded so completely unhinged while composing some really complex and heavy music. I still believe this is Brann Dailor's best drum performance.
Burnt By the Sun – Soundtrack to the Personal Revolution (2002)
This band had a knack for twisting riffs into something unexpected. Another stellar drum performance from Dave Witte. I'm still waiting on a reunion from these guys.
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Aaron Roemig (bass) picks:
Tomb Mold – The Enduring Spirit (2023) | Pyrrhon - Exhaust (2024)
While recording this record, I spent a lot of time listening to Tomb Mold’s The Enduring Spirit and Pyrrhon’s Exhaust. What stood out on both albums was the way the bass holds everything together — solid and deliberate, working underneath the chaos without drifting into unnecessary technical flash. That restraint definitely influenced how the low end came together on this release.
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Avarice will be available on splatter vinyl, cassette, CD, and digital formats on April 24th via Nefarious Industries (pre-order).
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