Downset

About

Also known as: Downset, ダウンセット

Few bands from the early 1990s Los Angeles scene packed as much into their sound as Downset, who fused rap, funk, hardcore punk, and metal with lyrics tackling police brutality and social injustice head on. Originally operating as Social Justice, they shifted their name and their sonic approach around 1993, moving into rap metal territory and releasing the Our Suffocation demo to strong critical notices. Their self titled debut on Mercury Records in 1994 and the follow up Do We Speak a Dead Language? in 1996 are the records that cemented their reputation, and touring runs alongside Pantera, Metallica, and Korn helped them build a devoted following across Europe and the US. Though mainstream radio never really came calling, Downset are widely credited as an early influence on nu metal, headlining the second stage at Ozzfest in 1997 while that whole subgenre was still finding its footing. After disbanding in 2009 and regrouping in 2014 for One Blood, they signed to Nuclear Blast Records in 2022 and put out Maintain, their most recent studio album.