Locking down the thrash metal scene: Local band releases first EP

Locking down the thrash metal scene: Local band releases first EP Categories: Features L&A Features L&A General Life and Arts Music Locking down the thrash metal scene: Local band releases first EP Leo Tchoulanov-Ezhevsky, Life and Arts Contributor October 14, 2026 Photo Courtesy of Lock It Down Students, barhoppers and music lovers buzzed around inside The Porch as Lock It Down, a local thrash metal band, took center stage. The performance was on Sept. 10 and preceded the release of their first Extended Play (EP), titled “Demo,” to streaming services on Sept. 22, which featured five songs. The band features Mack Wilcox, business marketing sophomore and guitarist, Logan Starr, psychology junior and rhythm guitarist, Jax Stevenson, lead vocalist from Chicago, and Mike Ibanez, drummer from Austin. The band began with just the two guitarists, Wilcox and Starr, playing together. “It was just the two of us. We were looking for people to jam with but couldn’t find anybody, so it was just us,” Wilcox said. “We would make music on our computer and program the drums and bass and stuff like that.” The pair said they made music that way for four to five years, starting in high school. They said it eventually became clear that they needed to recruit additional members. To do this, they posted on social media and reached out to friends in the scene, eventually finding Jax Stevenson, their lead vocalist. “We looked for people for a long time, and then one day a friend of ours knew our singer, and he’s from Chicago. We got in touch with him, and he decided that he wanted to move down here and pursue the band full time,” Wilcox said. Lock it Down held their first rehearsal in May and immediately began writing music. According to the band, each member comes from a different musical background. Wilcox said that thrash metal features fast, aggressive vocals and guitar playing, but with lyrics that still typically follow a story. Stevenson said he writes all the lyrics himself through a unique process. “I do spend a lot of my time writing, not necessarily poems, but kind of poetic writing sometimes,” Stevenson said. “And there’s a lot that I will like to take from it if it fits, like the way I’m writing each song depending on what topic the song is about.” The song “Anguish Grows,” which comes second in “Demo,” has a particular set of lyrics that Stevenson said he came up with on the drive to San Marcos from Chicago. The lyrics are: “The weight of the world is a heavy chain forged in the fire of collective pain. The end isn’t death; it’s a great release of violent war for timeless peace.” Stevenson said these lyrics are some of his favorite that he has ever written, and that the song, as a whole, carries a significant meaning as well. “You know, everyone has their own problems and stuff, and like sticking together and trying to overcome that is kind of like what the song is about: no matter how angry you are, like still try to be a good person,” Stevenson said. Lock It Down differs from other thrash metal bands in a significant aspect: They do not have a bass player. Instead, they have Starr on the rhythm guitar, who plays a fundamental part in keeping the music going. “I mean, at the end of the day, you’re really just holding [it] down. I guess the whole machine as it like keeps going if it’s fast or slow,” Starr said. “[Rhythm guitar is] really just like the beams to keep everything from just kinda like falling down, just keeping it tight.” The group said that they also spend a lot of time together, outside of the playing and practicing, which enhances their onstage and offstage chemistry and music writing. “We’re together like 24 hours, like every single day, like right next to each other,” Wilcox said. They are a group whose closeness has kept them pushing through turbulent times, according to Stevenson. He said they shared a hunger for creating new music and a strong desire to rise to the top of the thrash metal genre. “It sounds a little silly, but honestly [our goal is] to be the best band in the world at some point,” Stevenson said. Wilcox said that the band aims to achieve this goal through the combination of each member’s efforts and unique styles. “Just start driving, trying to be different from everybody else and also just like solos too,” Wilcox said. “Just having everybody in the band having their own kind of unique style and ways of doing things, I think just adds a really cool element.” As it stands, Lock It Down already has a solid foothold in the local thrash metal scene in San Marcos. The band aims to continue to rise to the top through taking steps that include the release of this latest Extended Play, as well as performing at bigger and better venues in the near future. Lock It Down’s last onstage show was on Oct. 4 at the Brushy Street Commons in Austin, and their much-awaited return to San Marcos is slated to be held at The Porch on Oct. 23. 0 Like This Story Share on Facebook Share on X Email this Story Print this Story More to Discover More in Features Austin City Limits Music Festival TXST couple retires after roughly decade of supporting student success Take your concerns to the ballot box 'Cats look to get first conference win vs Colorado State Lucky Cruz finishes in the top 15 at the Testudo Cup Quintanilla leads the Bobcats at Ron Moore Intercollegiate More in L&A Features 5th annual Variety Show brings community together for Price Center Genius at work: Texas State professor awarded MacArthur Fellowship Retired professor remembered for long life of giving back Students reimagine classic movies at film fest Texas Center for Public History fosters community through sound Worldwide Poetry: 24th Poet Laureate joins Texas State faculty More in L&A General Community building: Musicians and Artists Club hosts Fall Showcase Actors tap into personal experience in 'All My Sons' From San Marcos to Austin City Limits Excellence: Texas State celebrates 4 Regents’ awardees First Generation panelists encourage students to seek support, build connections Clay Club SMTX shapes community through art