by Sarah Rae
Staff Writer

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, Seattle was a magical place full of famous bands and talented musicians.

From Pearl Jam and Modest Mouse to Heart and Merilee Rush, from the grand landscape of the Gorge Amphitheatre to El Corazón (or whatever we’re calling the historically renowned local all-ages dive these this week), the Emerald City housed the best of the best.

What the outside world may not know is that it still is, and we continue to have a rich and thriving metal and hardcore music scene.

Enter Gift of Prophecy (GoP). While they have labeled themselves “death metal,” the words “metalcore” and “melodic black metal” have also been thrown around to describe them. Slightly reminiscent of As I Lay Dying and of FMLY in its early years, GoP are relatively musically complex and vocally pure zzzcore. Lead singer Hodge’s growling singing voice is an acquired taste, even if it’s not for you. But with five new tracks posted on their My Space page, GoP are worth a listen. “Retribution” is paying homage to the metal champions of yesteryear while “Black Tooth” has a renovated classical feel, like Johann Sebastian Bach on steroids.

In the erstwhile days of Seattle Metal Online, these guys would have found a place in “the brotherhood” of local bands that congregated around the organization, networking with other bands and managers, learning the business and promoting themselves and each other. Since their demise, many have tried, but there seems to be no such place for young bands to go to find such a comparable alliance. This is not, however, meant to be an obituary to the now-defunct group: GoP are a testament to the future of metal and hardcore music in Seattle. With a new CD in the making, upcoming local shows, a DIY website, MySpace and an account on Pure Volume, these guys seem to be covering all the appropriate bases for the self-promotion of independent metal in Seattle.

Rock on.

For more information on GoP, visit the following links:
www.myspace.com/gopmetal
gop-metal.tk