AI-generated metal act Broken Avenue is drawing backlash for mimicking real bands like Knocked Loose while racking up streams across Spotify and Apple music.
A suspicious metal project called Broken Avenue has started drawing serious attention online, and not for good reasons. The act, widely believed to be AI-generated, has quietly built a sizeable presence on Spotify (and Apple Music) while closely mirroring the sound and visual identity of established bands including Knocked Loose, Counterparts, and The Devil Wears Prada.
Broken Avenue currently sits at just over 127,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, a number that would be impressive if it were attached to a real band with a touring history, label support, or any kind of scene presence. Instead, the project appears to exist solely within the streaming ecosystem. It has landed on numerous algorithm-driven playlists and even has its own Spotify-generated “This Is” page.
Listeners began raising alarms after noticing how closely Broken Avenue’s music resembles existing hardcore and metalcore acts. The similarities go beyond vague influence, though. The riffs, vocal patterns, and song structures are uncomfortably close to specific bands, particularly Knocked Loose and Counterparts. The visual side is just as glaringly similar. As spotted by Metal Injection, artwork tied to the project appears to be AI-generated, and bears strong resemblance to altered versions of real album covers, including multiple near-copies of Knocked Loose’s You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To.
The situation caught the attention of Counterparts vocalist Brendan Murphy, who addressed it directly on X. On Twitter, Murphy wrote: “$100 to anyone who can get me the legit contact info for James Trolby I won’t do anything f**king crazy you won’t get in trouble.” Broken Avenue’s writing and production credits are attributed to a “James Trolby” on Spotify, although scouring the internet doesn’t seem to yield results for any real person – so it’s not clear whether Trolby is a pseudonym, a real person, or a fake identity used to shield whoever is behind the project.
Many musicians and fans are frustrated not just by the existence of AI-generated music, but how easily it’s being folded into streaming platforms that already struggle with fair payouts. Much of Broken Avenue’s traction appears to come from algorithmic playlists, raising concerns that automated systems could be actively promoting content that borrows heavily from real artists without contributing anything back to the culture it feeds on.
There has been no public response from Spotify regarding Broken Avenue or similar projects. For now, the act remains live on the platform, collecting streams and royalties while the bands it closely resembles continue grinding it out through touring, recording, and community support.
When fake bands, fake artwork, and possibly fake identities can generate real money, the line between innovation and exploitation starts to blur fast. Broken Avenue isn’t the first (potentially) AI-generated act to rip off other artists, or just post slop to streaming platforms, and they most certainly won’t be the last.
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