Emerging headbangers Drillbit to perform at CSPS's Cold Shock 2

It's curious how death metal vocalists develop that guttural growl. Drillbit vocalist-bassist Isaac Webb laughed when he revealed how he developed his “inner Cookie Monster on steroids” sound.

"It's all due to Mongolian throat singing," Webb said while calling from his Oshkosh, Wisconsin, home. "I was just going through YouTube one day when I was in the eighth grade and this video popped on with this dude in a green robe singing. I thought, 'That looks so cool.' Then I heard him sing and I loved it. That had a huge impact on me. Going from Mongolian throat singing to singing metal songs was no problem."

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Webb's deep vocals are as intense as his band's tunes. Drillbit, an apt name for a jackhammering metal band, will showcase such heavy songs as "Deadneck," "Defecated Remains" and "Massacre," among other uplifting tracks on Saturday at CSPS's Cold Shock 2, the second annual Iowa Metal Underground Midwest Death Metal Showcase.

Drillbit, which also includes guitarists Aaron Dietzen, Austin Smalls and drummer Tyler Ruff, has an EP to its credit and is finishing its first album, "Consuming Abyss." Drillbit will preview some of the new songs. The band, which formed in 2022, is comprised of those born in the early aughts, who were raised on nu-metal.

"My dad listened to bands like Korn and Slipknot," Webb said. "I remember listening to that stuff when I was growing up. But I gravitated to heavier bands like Cannibal Corpse and Deicide. Those bands have been around for such a long time, and they're great."

Webb, 23, is also into new death metal bands such as Maul, which is part of the Cold Shock show. When the members of Drillbit learned that Maul is headlining, the group jumped at the chance to play its first Iowa gig.

"When we heard Maul was part of this show, we accepted and we're still really pretty pumped," Webb said. "Maul is great. This is our second time playing with them. We played last year with them in Madison, (Wisconsin), and they're just tremendous."

Maul is a top tier death metal band. The group doesn't come out of a death metal hot bed, such as Tampa or Stockholm, but the band is riding high behind its latest album "In the Jaws of Bereavement."

Maul is a punishing, old school band that features rhythmic guitar, a lugubrious rhythm section and an intense vocalist, Garrett Alvardo. The Maul frontman, who may or may not have benefited from Mongolian throat singing clips, is a commanding presence from the stage as his band batters the audience with big beats and a swagger that emanates from the hardcore scene.

"It's definitely true that Maul is worth catching," Webb said. "They're amazing."

Drillbit is formidable in its own right. The band's forthcoming material is more technical, and the flow has improved as the band's songwriting has reached another level.

After a few spins of Drillbit tunes, you can hear elements of those who laid down the metal template, which is Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden.

"Those were great bands," Webb said. "They've had an impact on our band."

However, Webb had no interest in forming a band that is straight up old school or possesses a nu-metal flavor.

"Some of that nu-metal stuff is so corny," Webb said. "As far as where we are sonically, well, with this (death metal), I love how subversive and different it is from other music. I love the deep guttural vocals and the absolute storm of distortion since the guitars are so big."

Webb believes his father, who passed away in 2014, would have loved Drillbit.

"He played guitar and loved metal," Webb said. "He would have been in the pit loving what we do."