For many years, the worlds of heavy metal and hip hop have collided with in several projects and musical acts. These seemingly polar opposites have somehow gravitated towards each other, and made for a recipe for success by bridging genres and creating a larger mass appeal. However, Denver’s No 1 Left Standing has managed to meld these two genres of music into a style that forces you look at it as a style in and of itself rather than a mixture of the two.

N1LS (myspace.com/no1leftstanding ), consisting of Jimmy (vocals), Dino (guitar), Ross (bass) and Caleb (drums), say there really isn’t a simple way to explain their type of music. It is fair to say that they’re not either a metal or hip hop group, rather a blended hybrid of the two, plus infusions of punk, funk and everything in between. Yet, none of these singular styles emerge as truly the dominant one in their music.

"We want metal fans to know we’re not making fun of metal," Jimmy says. "We’re taking it in another direction. Metal has always been about rebelling against something. We’re rebelling against everything."

Formed in February 2005, N1LS had seen lineup change after lineup change until finding solidity this past August. They persevered through people telling them that their genre of music sucked and that they were riding a wave that was over 10 years earlier.

"Hip hop in metal has been hated on since day one," Ross says.

This isn’t the kind of music that should be unfairly labeled as rap-rock. Nor is it music that is typically heard anywhere in the scene. Smooth sounds and beats warp into thought-provoking rhythms and vocals, taking you on an amazing roller coaster ride of flooring feelings and emotions. Therefore, their namesake is very indicative of their music and its effect on a live crowd.

"One of our old drummers came up with (the band’s name) out of thin air," Ross says. "But it was kinda frustrating , because for the longest time everyone would spell it wrong. And when people look at the ’N1LS’ logo too quickly, they ask, ’Who the hell is Nils?’"

"After we came up with the name, we were looking on the internet to see if anyone used it," Jimmy says. "There was one band that did, but they spelled it different. I’m from a ghetto high school, so I said, ’Let’s put a 1 in it instead.’ Last I checked that other band wasn’t around anymore."

Their writing process involves the entire band, yet it still has certain sections working together in jam sessions to create music that evolves into songs heard on stage. Other times, like in the case of Dino, musical ideas come from dreams he’s had. And Caleb says being in N1LS gives him a musical experience that he hasn’t had before.

"For me, I never have to write around the vocalist’s idea, his style is based around the drums," Caleb says. "It’s a better position to find myself in. Jimmy’s style is more improvisational, more multi-dimensional."

"Before, as a whole, we would come in with a concept for songs," Jimmy says. "Now, they can get together and jam and come up with a song, which irritates me because of how easy it is for them. The formula is to come up with something new and different, but not so off the wall. People have too short of attention spans for nine-minute songs anymore."

"We push ourselves as musicians, but we want to challenge our other bandmates, as well," Ross adds.

The members of N1LS don’t perform music for the same reasons as many other people, which can sometimes include doing it for popularity or just for the sake of being in a band. To them, music is an extension of themselves, and the opportunity to share their creation with the crowd in attendance. Highlighting on this point, Ross says that being on stage presents the opportunity to show the crowd his love of music, and goes on a thrill ride when he sees fans’ love of his music being sent right back to him. But, it’s also the chance to be able to share the mutual respect for each other on stage, as well.

"At every show, I always take the time to share a moment on stage with Ross, then share a moment with Caleb, then with Dino," Jimmy says. "Then you share moments with people in the crowd."

One thing that sets their live set apart from others is the inclusion of the visual show into the performance. At each show, they perform to a backdrop of their well-known laser show, which is yet one more way to enhance the concert-going experience.

"I pride myself on having a great time on stage," Ross says. "And people come out and pay good money to see you up there, so we make it a point to give them a show, both audio and visually."

"We have that consistency with putting on good shows," Dino adds. "We’re not up there playing around; we bring the pain and the heat. It’s cool when people come up to you after a show and tell you how much they enjoyed your music and want to buy your merch. Girls come up wanting to buy and wear panties with your logo on them."

"We sit around and talk about intros and things like that," Jimmy says. "We’re building something here, and we want to show people that we’re not a one-trick pony. We don’t like playing it safe and leaning only on older songs that people already know and love."

Caleb explains that while many people may think being on stage is a way to get away from reality, he sees it more like a new level of life.

"It’s not even an escape, it’s a totally different frame of mind," Caleb says. "To be able to get up there with people you truly trust and believe in, there’s nothing like it."

At any one of these shows, one thing that has become almost a given is a large crowd in attendance to see N1LS. Many things can be attributed to this, including non-stop promoting and the aforementioned business-like work ethic on stage. But being easily approachable and personable with fans also helps out with gaining a fanbase such as this.

"Our ’family’ has stuck with us through the good and the bad. Every show we’ve played, to both the fans and the other bands, we take the time to introduce ourselves to all of them," Jimmy says, with Ross adding in agreement, "We shake as many hands as possible. There’s a kind of code of conduct, and we’ve made a lot of good friends along the way."

They also throw a curveball at the crowd on occasion, keeping them guessing at all times. This may be an occurrence such as joining fellow Denver music act thiC on stage for a united rendition of the Beastie Boys’ So What’cha Want, or even the inclusion of a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Fortunate Son into their setlist.

"We never did a cover before the Snot show, we never wanted to be known as a cover band," Jimmy says. "But we turned over a new leaf. We talked a long time about doing it, and it felt good to do a cover."

All of the hard work N1LS has put into the band’s success has paid off. Not only has it helped build a large fanbase, but it has also earned them spots opening for several big-name national acts. A partial list of such shows includes Snot, Wu Tang Clan and, most recently, serving as the sole support for Sevendust at the Gothic Theatre.

"It’s like a sign of success. But those shows make you try that much more to do a good job," Ross says, with Jimmy adding, "It’s a challenge to us because we know there’s other people in bands in the audience at those shows telling themselves, ’We’re better than these guys, we should be playing this show.’ It makes it a challenge to us to step it up. We’ve put a lot of hard work in, and we’ve earned these spots. It’s also an opportunity to catch people’s eyes."

The Best Band in Denver competition, put on by Denver radio station 106.7 KBPI, gave N1LS a boost in the way of gaining an even larger fanbase. Not sitting on the opportunity, they took full advantage of it and excelled in the contest, making it all the way to the final round.

"The Best Band in Denver was like boot camp," Jimmy says. "The crowd was intense, and thankfully all of our hard work paid off. In the final round, that’s when we really realized we have something here. We got a lot of good attention."

"It was kinda strange, because it was like I went from not being in a band to being in a band in the Best Band in Denver contest," Dino adds.

Currently, N1LS has one album recorded. The self-titled release, which was recorded at Boulder Sound Company, contains many tracks that fans know and love. However, the band says that it could have been a lot better of a recording, and chalks it up to a learning experience.

"Recording takes a lot of time and money, both of which we didn’t really have," Ross says.

The new upcoming album from N1LS promises to be a night and day difference when compared to the first release, both in terms of sound quality and musicianship. This is not to take anything away from their previous work, but rather an exhibition of the writing ability and tightness that comes from a band that has been able to gel over time together. Half of the band’s lineup is different this time around, and they have been coming into their own as a group. The best news for fans is it doesn’t look like they’ll have to wait too much longer to get their hands on the new album.

"Realistically, we’re looking for a mid-to-late summer release, maybe August. It’s going to exceed people’s expectations. It will be unique, have a new edge, actually tell stories in the music, and properly represent Denver," Dino says, before finishing, "And it’s going to be really good music to f*ck a chick to, I guarantee it."

And, as far as the release party for the new album, there has even been talk by N1LS of doing a set for that show that consists entirely of new songs.

The members of N1LS see the local music scene, as a whole, making leaps and bounds towards a healthy level. With radio stations like 93.3, 106.7 and 101.5 helping out local musical acts by holding competitions and featuring their music on the air, groups are able to strive for success with a little more assistance from the local music community.

"Colorado is tits," Dino says. "It could be the next Seattle."

"It’s coming out of a recession, it’s a lot better now than it has been," Caleb says, with Jimmy adding, "With the contests, you get to see a lot of really good bands, there’s never a shoe-in to win. There are a lot of good bands with different styles, and we’re all leaping over barriers."

Without letting egos get in the way, the members of N1LS have been able to stay humble after all of the success and exposure they have experienced. They maintain their determination, and still see what needs to be done to hit that next level of success, with Ross saying they want to reach out to as many more people as possible with their voices.

"We want what every band wishes for, to be able to do this for a living," Jimmy says. "Like I said before, we’ve worked hard for what we’ve got, and we’re happy with the outcome and the rewards. Hopefully, we’ll be blessed with more of the same."