Extortionist

Band names go a long way in helping paint a figurative picture in the listeners' mind of what to expect before one ever hits “play.” When it comes to Extortionist, you think crime—you think gritty, raw, merciless and unsavory and maybe, just maybe, a little sprinkling of suaveness. When it comes to the Pacific Northwest’s resident moshslingers, those premonitions from their name are exactly what you get. As a band who have proven themselves exemplary at styles of heavy music ranging from downtempo deathcore to grunge-tinted metal, Extortionist are more than just a jack-of-all-trades; they’re masters. Utilizing bold, roaring guitars overtop crushing, steamrolling percussion and vocals that run the gamut from guttural to grating, pitched singing and topped off with—you guessed it—a now-infamous dodgeball-smack snare, Extortionist have proven that not only are they incredible at what they do, they’re a band that the heavy scene just can’t go without.

Emerging from the relatively understated pastures and prairies of Coeur d’Alene in early 2013, to say Extortionist have been on a journey since their inception would be an understatement. With The Black Sheep instantly earning them notoriety with its combination of feral grooves and eviscerating breakdowns, Extortionist proved themselves early on as prodigal masters of all things punishingly heavy. As the band grew and gained more experience on the road in light of the success of their debut EP, their style and dynamic grew as well. After nearly four years of touring and writing, Extortionist would unleash The Decline in 2017, a band that saw their breed of brutalizing deathcore hybridized with riff-heavy metalcore and more introspective lyrics that tackled suicidal ideation and substance abuse. The Decline was met with immense critical praise and continued to open up larger opportunities for the Northwestern act, ultimately earning them multiple co-headlining tours from coast to coast, and a spot on Stay Sick Records, alongside other up-and-coming heavyweights like SPITE and Bodysnatcher. Barely a year and a half after their signing, the band announced their sophomore full-length release, Sever the Cord, which saw them experimenting with the inclusion of grunge and alternative influences, adding even more depth and grit to their dynamic. Their sophomore album earned them not only critical acclaim, but nationwide tours alongside The Browning, Betraying the Martyrs, Lorna Shore, and First Blood. Sever the Cord was followed shortly thereafter by an eponymous EP which saw them diving deeper into a more exploratory realm of metalcore, colliding ferocious riffs into moments of warm, nostalgic melody. While their self-titled release was widely heralded as the band’s strongest work to date, was declared their Swan Song, as in the weeks that followed towards the back-end of Summer 2019, Extortionist announced their dissolution.

That isn’t the end of Extortionist’s story, however. As 2019 gave way into 2020 and the chaotic months that followed, the heavy music community felt the band’s absence all too strongly. In the early months of 2021, Extortionist announced their return with a series of shows in Spokane, Washington alongside AVOID and Seconds Ago as well as a new single, “Once More in Torment.” Once more highlighting the seamless blend of raunchy aggression and groove-heavy catchiness that only Extortionist can provide, the band’s comeback track is a strong reminder of just how missed they were throughout their nearly two-year absence. Frontman and founding member Benjamin Hoagland states “This is the best place we’ve ever been in as a band...Extortionist lives, and we’re here to stay.” Indeed, with a full length record in the works and a ferocious return to live performance already underway, it would seem that Exortionist’s relative break was only a brief moment with which to collect themselves before reasserting their dominance over the contemporary Deathcore, Industrial, and Metalcore scenes.

[Connor Welsh, New Transcendence]