rock

ünloco

1 upcoming festival →

Texas alt-metal band out of the turn-of-the-millennium nu-metal boom, done by 2003 — a short, loud run of heavy riffs and shouted-to-sung dynamics.

ünloco formed in Austin, Texas in 1998, out of the alternative-metal wave that would later be filed under nu metal. The original lineup brought together vocalist Joey Duenas, drummer Pete Navarrete, bassist Victor Escareño and guitarist Brian Arthur, and in 2000 the band released a six-track EP, Useless, through Captiva Records.

A demo handed to the ska-punk band Goldfinger drew the attention of producer John Feldmann, who helped secure a deal with Madonna's Maverick label. The band's debut album, Healing, arrived in 2001 under producer Johnny K, built on down-tuned riffing and percussive verses set against melodic, sung-and-shouted choruses, though it sold modestly.

Guitarist Brian Arthur left to join Goldfinger not long after and was replaced by Marc Serrano. In late 2002 ünloco co-headlined an American tour with Kittie, with Clockwise and Acacia supporting, before returning to the studio for a follow-up record.

That record, Becoming I, came out in March 2003, produced by Andrew Murdock, who had also worked with Powerman 5000, Godsmack and Chimaira. The band toured with Korn, played the Music as a Weapon II package and appeared at Ozzfest, but the album underperformed and ünloco split up before the year was out.

The band reunited for a one-off show in Austin in 2014, with drummer Pete Navarrete back alongside new guitarist Kash Sarkaria and bassist Mando Ayala. They released a new track, "Undone," in 2016 and played a SXSW show in Austin the following year.

Read more

rock