*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*
This month’s State is South Carolina!
Decadence (noun):
1. The act or process of falling into an inferior condition or state; deterioration; decay:
2. Moral degeneration or decay; turpitude.
3. Unrestrained or excessive self-indulgence.
4. (often initial capital letter) The decadent movement in literature.
5. Kick-ass Hard Rock/Metal band from Columbia, SC!
Photos by Paul Jones Photography
Decadence was founded in 2007 and has established themselves as one of the premier bands in the thick, Columbia, SC music scene. Being active for damned near a decade now, band members have been shuffled in and shuffled out over the years for any number of reasons, leaving the cream to rise to the top with current members Jeremy “Scott” McGrady (Columbia, SC) on vocals, Dustin Welch (Columbia, SC) and Will Clark (Columbia, SC) on guitars, Ryan “Wick” Wicker (Newberry, SC) playing bass and Ben Burriss (Saluda, SC) on drums. With influences coming from Breaking Benjamin, Shinedown, Bullet for My Valentine, Killswitch Engage, Seether, Staind, Sevendust, Rob Zombie, Stone Sour and many others, it comes quite clear that Decadence has a scope that is uncommonly wide. Ranging from impassioned, clean sung Rock to angry, Metal screams, Decadence prides itself in being nobody’s bitch while at the same time, polarizing neither end of their spectrum of adoring fans. With this in mind, songwriter and guitarist Dustin Welch has a mature sense of melody interwoven with heavy, standout guitar riffs, tempo driven, modern breakdowns and thoughtfully appropriate lyrics that properly dramatize meaning and intent of each song. Nothing is created with an overly light or overly heavy hand. Guitars are sharp and clear, using the upper timber of distortion instead of the oppressive sound of so many modern bands covering this field in the musical landscape. Strong, rhythmic foundations are provided by the exemplary skills of Burriss and Wicker leaving the extraordinary pipes of new vocalist McGrady to shine and complete the successful Decadence template of tone. This is the type of music that will strike different emotional chords depending on mood. Cool and catchy as background at the office, fun in the car as you push the accelerator a little harder than normal, heartbreaking at times or bang your head at one of their shows. Know for “in your face live show that is unrelenting from start to finish, with a level of energy that is rarely seen in local bands”, Decadence has played all over the US with band members playing with an impressively wide array of touring acts including Shinedown, Tantric, Straight Line Stitch, Soil, Crossfade, Trust Company, Smile Empty Soul, Deepfield, Seven Mary Three, BobaFlex, Social Burn, Saliva, Flyleaf, Sevendust among many others.
Since recently stabilizing their lineup, Decadence is currently working ardently on writing new material in preparation to start production on their new album. Until then, they play almost constantly in and around South Carolina and Georgia so you can pick up what is sure to be one of the most kinetic shows available anywhere if you live in the area. You might want to do it now, because they have a cool and memorable sound that will catch on as their wings fully spread. Once caught in the updraft, Decadence is going to soar!
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