The Oklahoma Kid nail nu-metal & metalcore in 2019 on 'Feed Me Fear'

'Feed Me Fear' is proof that a good execution can trump an unoriginal idea any day of the week.

Let's not kid ourselves: so many other bands today sound like The Oklahoma Kid, and The Oklahoma Kid sounds like so many other bands too. Both old and new artists. However, on newest single 'Feed Me Fear,' this nu-metal-loving German metalcore band have pulled together plenty of familiar elements and songwriting ideas before pooling them all into something damn solid.

Following on from the Rostock group's previous single, the more melodic and mental-health-focused tune of 'Shaking Off The Disease,' 'Feed Me Fear' goes a lot harder. The churning, Wes Borland-like note-shifting during the killer groove at 0:55 is excellent, and those chopped-up vocal screams at 2:22, whilst a very typical metalcore vocal production, are implemented quite well. It's all proof that a good execution can trump an unoriginal idea any day of the week. Which I think best describes this song.

There are lots of riffs and little guitar runs firing off, the kind that wouldn't go amiss in a Counterparts or Napoleon tune, and there's a decent balance of prog-metal and 90's nu-metal flowing through this track too. (The band's style and the visuals of the track's goofy video feel like it could've been released in the late '90s.) Outside of the songs pitched-screaming and the surprisingly hooky, layered chorus melodies, there's this great uplifting melodic section that completes the track, sending it all off nicely during the last third where things take an atmospheric direction; more layers, watery guitar tones, snare rim clicks, etc. If that outro was just the first half repeated again, without any other changes or additions, it wouldn't work. But that's thankfully not the case.

Straight up, 'Feed Me Fear' shows that there's a lot of potential within The Oklahoma Kid. And because of this new song, their next album, 'Solarray' (out September 13th) is right on my radar. So here's hoping that record taps deeper into that potential. This also shows that with the right BPM, the right riff, the right groove, the right kind of vocal intensity, and the right structure, something generic can become something great. It can be meaningful; it can be fun; it can be The Oklahoma Kid's 'Feed Me Fear.'

Also, is it just me, or does their vocalist look like Jamie from Polaris, just with more facial piercings?