Believe It Or Not, Deafheaven Cite Wilco As An Influence

With the release of their acclaimed sophomore album Sunbather, Deafheaven won over the masses with a combination of gorgeous guitar melodies with crushing rhythms and throat-ripping vocals. Catching up with the guys at Bonnaroo 2014, we gained further insight about their distinctive sound with the San Fran band revealing a slew of surprising inspirations. 

"We're all very interested in hooks and incorporating that to black metal is an interesting thing to all of us," says guitarist Kerry McCoy of a sound he describes as "putting Wilco through a [veteran metal bands] Godflesh-and-Swans filter."

Adds guitarist Shiv Mehra, "We both listen to a lot of pop music and there's ways of incorporating it to be heavier. Wilco uses beautiful chord structures which you can make more black metal."