Too young to drink, ready to destroy: How young punks Xcomm are crashing the hardcore scene

On a precocious Monday day successful aboriginal May, 3 members of the set Xcomm beryllium down the power committee astatine multiplatinum shaper Ross Robinson’s workplace successful Atwater Village during an day bent portion bassist Adan Escoto joins via Zoom. Usually astatine this constituent successful the year, a teen would beryllium counting down the days until the extremity of school. Instead, the young set conscionable returned from dazzling audiences astatine Las Vegas’ Sick New World Festival and is focused connected the merchandise of its debut medium — homework beryllium damned.

The members of Xcomm, which consists of vocalist Michael Gatto, 19, drummer Revel Ian, 14, DJ Hunter Grogan, 20, and Escoto, 16, transportation themselves with the easiness and assurance of euphony lifers arsenic they beryllium confidently and explicate the past fewer years.

The set was formed successful 2023 erstwhile Ian and Escoto began penning riffs together. The duo are household friends and astatine the time, Ian (whose parents are Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian and vocalist Pearl Aday) played guitar. After adding a guitarist, Ian moved to drums.

“One of the main reasons I broke up with my aged set successful January 2023 was that I wanted to commencement a heavier, hardcore band,” Ian says. “Originally, I wanted to beryllium much metal, similar Slayer and Mastodon.”

They named the set Xcomm, a notation from the “John Wick” movie franchise.

Following its formation, the emerging outfit needed a singer. Instead of putting up fliers astir town, Ian did what astir young musicians would bash today: He posted a integer flier successful an Instagram Story.

The set was formed successful 2023 and consists of, from left, drummer Revel Ian, 14, bassist Adan Escoto, 16, vocalist Michael Gatto, 19, and DJ Hunter Grogan, 20.

(Maxim Elramsisy / For The Times)

“It work thing on the lines of ‘I’m starting a caller band, it’s hardcore and sounds similar Discharge, Black Flag and Bad Brains,’” Ian says. “Michael instantly replied to it.”

A fewer months earlier, Gatto met Ian aft attending his erstwhile band, the Minor Threat and Circle Jerks screen set Minor Jerk Brains’ show. The duo stayed successful touch, with Gatto inactive a subordinate of 2dust. After seeing them perform, Ian was mesmerized by Gatto’s skills arsenic a frontman.

After bonding implicit a communal appreciation for Queens of the Stone Age, Gatto joined Xcomm successful precocious 2023. A fewer weeks aft Gatto took implicit vocals, they knocked retired 4 songs, highlighted by the assertive doom of “Time to Burn” and the blasting guitars that echo Gatto’s melodic angst connected “Hot Pursuit.” Armed with those, on with immoderate covers, the set played its archetypal show, which was wrong a dispensary connected the Venice boardwalk.

Since then, Xcomm has aggressively honed its dependable without losing its pursuit of hardcore purity. They got tighter and crisper, arsenic reflected successful the reactions astatine their frenzied unrecorded shows, wherever fans flying done the assemblage and the hurricane swirl of their mosh pits are commonplace.

The set volition execute astatine the upcoming Washington, D.C., and Long Beach editions of the Warped Tour.

(Maxim Elramsisy / For The Times)

Xcomm past caught the receptor of existent Ministry drummer Roy Mayorga, who would spell connected to nutrient the five-song 2024 demo “Westside Punks.” That sampler captured the band’s marque of thrash punk successful its purest form.

Ahead of a merchandise enactment successful Venice successful August 2024, the members, done a household friend, invited Robinson to the show. They thought it was a agelong changeable astatine champion that he’d travel ticker them play. After it started, Gatto and Ian saw Robinson lasting connected the broadside of the stage, impressed by what helium saw.

“I caught myself laughing retired large arsenic they blasted done their set,” Robinson says. “For me, that’s an instant yes. That younker needed to beryllium captured — earthy and fast.”

“After the show, helium walked up to america and said, ‘Let’s bash a record,’” Gatto says. “And we got to it.”

Over 4 months opening astatine the extremity of 2024 into 2025, the radical hunkered down with the shaper astatine his studio, wherever it knocked retired 12 tough-as-nails tracks that comprise its debut full-length, “Time to Burn,” which is retired May 22 done the Robinson co-owned Blowed Out Records.

Watching Xcomm’s maturation excited Robinson.

“Luckily, they’re mode cooler and much talented than I could’ve hoped!” helium says. “The aboriginal is perfectly unlimited for these kids. I tin spot them inspiring their procreation to play euphony with an unfiltered occurrence — 100% existent instruments with authentic look of feeling — embracing the imperfection of being a human.”

“The aboriginal is perfectly unlimited for these kids,” says shaper Ross Robinson of Xcomm.

(Maxim Elramsisy / For The Times)

In the studio, Robinson pushed the young radical arsenic hard arsenic helium did with Korn, Slipknot, At the Drive-In and Limp Bizkit.

“The modular Ross held for america during pre-production was utmost to a constituent wherever if we didn’t springiness him chills, we couldn’t spell into the workplace to really record,” Gatto says. “His attraction to item is wherefore his records dependable however they do.”

In summation to Robinson’s plaudits, Xcomm has earned praise from artists similar Sid Wilson of Slipknot and Pennywise guitarist Fletcher Dragge.

“I was instantly caught by the elemental but hooky straightforward guitar riff, and ripping drums holding it down,” Dragge says. “With vocals that are gritty, unforgiving, with conscionable the close attitude, these guys are delivering precisely what I emotion to hear. The aboriginal looks bright, and I’m in.”

It wouldn’t beryllium punk stone if Xcomm faced naysayers who question the band’s credentials for a assortment of reasons. Not that it bothers them astatine all.

“If we didn’t get hatred comments, I’d beryllium concerned,” Escoto says.

“If you get hatred comments, it means you’re attracting radical to your music,” Ian adds, “and the much radical perceive astir it, it gives america much publicity. Thank you for helping us!”

“I’ve heard the societal media rumors that these kids’ parents are each successful bands and are helping them fast-track their careers … I’m calling bull—,” Dragge says. “These kids are earning everything they person achieved. Trust maine erstwhile I accidental these kids were calved to beryllium punkers.”

After celebrating the merchandise with a amusement astatine the Palladium opening for Dethklok, Xcomm is acceptable for a antithetic benignant of summertime vacation. It’s performing connected the Washington, D.C., and Long Beach editions of the Warped Tour, on with further festivals and bigger plans to come. Despite not being capable to legally portion (or, successful immoderate cases, drive), the bandmates person the chops and the cognition to propel them forward, which Gatto succinctly sums up.

“Punk stone ‘til we drop.”