Meet Candy, the Pittsburgh metal band even heavier than Code Orange

Candy
Guitarists Michael Quick and Steve Di Genco either side of vocalist Zak Quiram

Positioning themselves as the heavier, more chaotic sibling of Pittsburgh metallers Code Orange – which is, indeed, a feat in and of itself – Richmond, Virginia upstarts Candy have made ripples in the underground hardcore and metal scenes since their debut three-track demo in 2017. 

If their first full length, 2018’s Good To Feel, got their metaphorical foot in the genre’s door, its follow-up, this year’s Heaven Is Here, kicks that door squarely off its hinges. Alongside sporadic digitally influenced effects and soundbites sit guitarists Michael Quick and Steve Di Genco, whose urgent and frenetic alternate picking runs and doomy powerchord riffs keep the Candy freight train barrelling along in a genre of their own crafting.

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Sam Roche

Sam was Staff Writer at GuitarWorld.com from 2019 to 2023, and also created content for Total Guitar, Guitarist and Guitar Player. He has well over 15 years of guitar playing under his belt, as well as a degree in Music Technology (Mixing and Mastering). He's a metalhead through and through, but has a thorough appreciation for all genres of music. In his spare time, Sam creates point-of-view guitar lesson videos on YouTube under the name Sightline Guitar.