Silent Civilian

When asked to assess the postseason chances of his 1982 New York Knicks, Michael Ray Richardson predicted “the ship be sinking.” Jonny Santos foresaw the same fate for new metal, so he paddled away from his Grammy-nominated group Spineshank in 2004. His old outfit remains on indefinite hiatus, but Santos soldiers on with Silent Civilian, a modern metal-hardcore hybrid. A vocals-only frontman with Spineshank, Santos contributes to Silent Civilian’s dual-guitar harmonies. He has honed a fresh, feral growl, but he still summons melodic tones during most choruses. Several songs contain “hey, hey” chant-along segments, custom-made for audience interaction. Metalcore fans should dig Santos’ new sound, and even those who despise the genre should keep an eager eye on this bellwether, for the end is nigh whenever he jumps overboard.