The band Only has been together barely a year, but that doesn’t mean the members haven’t earned local credentials.

Drummer Chuck Van Haecke comes from a jazz-fusion influenced background. Not only has he played with Des Moines blues legend Tazz, he also attended Boston’s Berklee School of Music.

Vocalist Sol Bales has been doing time in local bands since he was 12 years old and guitarist Erich Tran since the early 1990s.

Bales, Tran and bassist Joe Shields were all involved in W.A.D., an Ames-based band that broke up in January 2002.

So when Only says the local metal scene is building itself up to where it was during its prime in the early ’90s, take it seriously.

“I think every band in Des Moines is working right now to be a band worth seeing every weekend,” Bales says.

“I think it is starting to get some momentum again,” Tran adds. “It got real big there and then died out, but I feel like there are a lot of new bands coming up that are really awesome.”

One of the bands that Only has formed a solid relationship with is On A Pale Horse, a band that features original Slipknot member Josh Brainard.

Brainard and company have helped Only land some good shows in Des Moines and have helped out where they can with advice and industry contacts.

“They are good for the Des Moines scene in and of the fact that there is not one band around here that sounds like them,” Brainard says. “I think the sound is unique solely for the fact the musicianship is top notch — the song writing is well thought out.”

Much like Brainard himself, Tran’s craftiness on the guitar has earned him notoriety among both local musicians and fans.

One look at central Iowa rock radio station Lazer 103.3’s “Lazer’s Local Licks” message board will show numerous posts hailing Tran as the best guitar player in the scene.

“I’ve never been into the ‘Who’s the best guitar player?’ or stuff like that, but it’s definitely an honor to be recognized by people out in the scene,” Tran says. “I’ve never even thought of myself as having that kind of reputation.”

Bales has a reputation of another kind in local music. Don’t get the wrong idea, it’s not that he can’t handle himself as a singer, but his uncanny Henry Rollins-like stage presence is undeniable. From the gym shorts and T-shirt to the wide-leg stance and microphone cord wrapped around the hand, Bales admits Rollins has been a huge influence in his musical career.

“When I was in fifth grade, one of the first CDs I had was ‘The Crow’ soundtrack, and Rollins was on there with [the song] ‘Ghost Rider’ — so that was one of my favorite songs and I am just a huge Rollins fan,” Bales admits.

From Black Flag to Rollins Band to his books, Bales takes in all the Rollins he can get. While he admits he is trying to create his own persona, it doesn’t bother him when people make the comparison.

“It’s not a bad thing at all,” Bales insists. “There’s not a whole lot of people that bring in a Rollins influence. I’ve gotten some compliments and some I don’t know if they were compliments or not.”

The band’s shows have primarily been limited to Des Moines and Ames so far, but Tran says the four-piece has shows set up in Nebraska and Missouri, and is working on shows in Clinton, Iowa, and Minnesota.

Only also plans to hit the studio this summer and record a three to four song demo, its second.

“We’re definitely trying to expand out into other regions and trying to make a name for ourselves,” Tran says.

Download an MP3 of the Only song “No Escape“