If you read my recent feature on Deftonescore, you will know of the current trend of bands emulating – either consciously or subconsciously – the stylistic explorations of the Deftones from their White Pony era onwards. Think heavy riffs, shoegaze soundscapes, and alternatingly ethereal and biting vocals. So if you did read said feature, I hope that one of the names that’s still on your mind is sace6, because they’re one of the most unique acts on the list I was able to assemble.
Originally, sace6 was the manifestation of vocalist Sace’s solo journey, which makes sense given how much the band centers around his delightful clean vocals. Around the tail-end of 2024, however, Sace recruited his producer Noah Thomas (whom he met in 2020) on guitar and unclean vocals, as well as to handle the production end of the project. Session drummer Tyler Saxz was brought into the fold later on, completing the transformation of sace6 from a solo vehicle to an alternative metal unit.
Combining the downtuned heaviness of alt-metal with contrasting soundscapes is barely an innovation; the way sace6 approach this dichotomy, however, puts an entirely new spin on the pre-established formula. Drawing influence from alternative R’n’B/neo-soul, their sound inches closer to modern metal benchmarks Sleep Token, without imitating the pomp and circumstance that act usually invites. There’s a much more reticent energy to their music – less of a ‘horny sad’ situation and more generally contemplative.
This is reflected in the overall concept of their début EP Limerence. Centered around the title’s implication of borderline self-destructive infatuation, these six tracks are meant to represent the different stages of the addictive feelings that come with a heavy-duty case of ‘the feels’. Beginning with the initial infatuation and reaching its final resolution after dealing with obsession and denial, Limerence takes the listener on a woozy, intoxicating ride that packs enough of a punch to satisfy even the most riff-hungry lovebirds.
The EP also brings in guests like JXDN (who took the band on one of their first higher-profile tours) and Matt McAndrew of Rain City Drive to enhance the sace6 experience with their respective talents. This makes a lot of sense, given how the project started as a loose collaboration; perhaps this sense of creative interaction will become something of a through-line in their work as a band.
As far as personal influences go, sace6 have divulged very little information. You could infer a taste for Deftones-style alt-metal, obviously, but aside from that it’s hard to get a read on these guys. In an interview with Xposure World TV, Sace listed Paramore, Chris Brown, Bring Me The Horizon, Issues, Asking Alexandria, and Sleeping With Sirens as touchpoints, while Thomas references Glass Cloud, Northlane, Loathe, and Architects. Funnily enough, both briefly touched upon Sleep Token, so the similarities start to make a lick more sense by now.
It’s a bit of a shame there’s so little official information on sace6; the guys have barely done any interviews or press events, so it’s hard to find out more about their backgrounds and inspirations. This is surely meant to feed into a sense of mystique, or at least heighten the focus on their social media presence – I just think making themselves more available to the general public would be beneficial for their overall standing.
In any case, it’s very clear that sace6 are a band on the rise. A couple of days ago, they announced a run of shows in support of Don Broco, who are one of the biggest acts in alternative music right now. That kind of co-sign will undoubtedly carry the band far and bring their music to a whole new audience, which is exciting to see.
If you want to stay in touch with the creative vision Sace and Thomas share, be sure to hit up their official website and give them a follow on Instagram. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more promising young band in alternative metal right now, so getting as many eyes on them before their eventual breakthrough would be a great thing. You can find their EP Limerence on Spotify; the limited vinyl run the band made available via their own shop has since sold out. I’m very curious to see where sace6 will take their sound from here; surely, their trajectory can only go in one direction: up.
