Shai Hulud

Few bands better embody the term "metal­core" than South Florida expats Shai Hulud. Founded in the mid-'90s by hardcore guitarists/record-store employees Matt Fox and Oliver Chapoy and propelled by the youthful exuberance of 14-year-old future New Found Glory guitarist "Little" Chad Gilbert's vocals, Shai Hulud's mid-tempo Slayer-esque riffage and Gilbert's screaming like someone just stabbed him in the eye with a red-hot poker quickly elevated them to the top of South Florida's hardcore scene alongside Strongarm (with whom they shared drummer Steve Kleisath) and Morning Again. That trio of bands all wound up with independent record deals, with Shai Hulud inking with California hardcore label Revelation/Crisis for 1997 debut EP A Profound Hatred Of Man. Strongarm and Morning Again are long gone, but Fox continues to tour the world with Shai Hulud's ever-evolving lineup; he once plucked a singer out of a Holland audience and kept him for three years. SH's third LP, Misanthropy Pure, was released last May on Metal Blade, and its musical hate pushes the same adolescent buttons as back in the Clinton administration. While some may find Shai Hulud's lack of musical growth off-putting — get out of the pit, grandpa — this ain't meant for them anyhow.