Funeralbloom

From: Austin, Texas
Genre: Blackgaze, Post Black Metal
For Fans Of: Deafheaven, Wolves in the Throne Room, An Autumn for Crippled Children

Formerly The Measure Of, Funeralbloom seems to have fully come into their sound more comfortably and more distinctly after the name change. Previously, while still making some fantastic blackgaze, they had a much stronger screamo influence, and some of their songs felt a bit more disconnected. Essentially, the parts were all there but it was hard adding them up to make a coherent whole. However, that changed along with the name. As Funeralbloom, the band has finally hit the sweet spot, making seamless transition between the black metal sections and much more shoegaze-y, ambient sections. Overall, everything about their release as Funeralbloom just feels much more natural and comfortable, creating a far more enjoyable listening experience and showing just how good blackgaze can be when the style is done correctly. As well as highly recommending you check out their fantastic music, it's also recommended you check out their often hilarious facebook page. It's sort of nice to see a band playing this style of music not being "brooding" and "mysterious" all the time.

Free Tunes: http://funeralbloom.bandcamp.com/

Sic Bacchus

From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genre: Screamo, Post Hardcore
For Fans Of: Raein, Touche Amore, Hot Cross

First of all, RIP Sic Bacchus. While I only got one chance to see them before they broke up, they were easily one of my favorite locals and boy did they put on one hell of a show. This band really loved to explore the full spectrum of post hardcore, borrowing from some of the more melodic acts such as Touche Amore and Hot Cross, as well as some of the raw passion and anger from emoviolence. They also totally stole the entire Jerome's Dream screaming with a mic schtick, but they pulled it off well so it was cool. I seriously love that this band can completely pummel you and then the next have you bobbing your head and humming along. Their diversity is truly their greatest strength, and it never fails to impress me. I highly recommend you check this band out if you like some true sadboi post hardcore/screamo.

Free Tunes: http://sicbacchus.bandcamp.com/album/sic-bacchus

RIP SIC BACCHUS

Towers

From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genre: Mathcore/Screamo/Sludge/Post hardcore
For Fans Of: Heavy Heavy Low Low, The Number 12 Looks Like You

Towers plays a variety of genres sort of smashed together, to make some incredibly interesting, and intricate, extreme music that never really feels to disappoint. They display more than enough technical skill and utilize many of the key factors of "mathcore" bands, but at the same time play with the fury of emoviolence, but often at a sludgey, slow speed. The result is a discography that is constantly throwing the listener through a loop and wondering just where the hell a lot of the songs are going. One of my absolute favorite parts about this band is those unnerving, odd parts usually set between where the vocals kick in, that really set the mood for the song to come. They never fail to make you wish the song would just begin, but also force you to wonder if the song will actually build off that repetition or simply evolve in some other completely different way.

Free Tunes: http://towers.bandcamp.com/album/full-circle-cd-lp-cassette

Oak

From: Sweden (Can't spell the city name due to lack of special characters).
Genre: Screamo, Hardcore, Chaotic Hardcore
For Fans Of: Converge, Antioch Arrow, Pg.99

Oak takes some of the most primal, chaotic parts of hardcore and mashes them together in one super lump of insane hardcore. This band reminds me of emoviolence bands in all of the best way possible, as in interesting riffs yet still retaining heavy, crushing riffs that make your brain want to implode. The bland charges through song after song, ripping apart any dead space and making sure there is absolutely no room to breathe. When breakdowns do hit, they are crushing masterpieces, maintaining the intensity and making sure that the listener has no time to settle down and feel comfortable. This is not to say that Oak is simply a band who relies solely on their extremity, however. As well as maintaining the raw passion and power reminiscent of early Converge, the band also shows their ability to craft a strong post hardcore melody amid the chaos. Check it out.

Free Tunes: http://oakhardcore.bandcamp.com/

5 New Pop Punk Bands that will remind you not all pop punk is god awful

Over the years, Pop Punk has taken a sharp decline as a genre. And by sharp decline, I mean it has essentially plummeted straight into the toilet. For a genre formerly characterized by bands like the Descendents and the Dead Milkmen, it sure did get a little ahead of itself wanting to be taken seriously, which is why you now have legions of tank top/snapback-core bro down pop punk bands wandering aimlessly through local music pages trying desperately to promote their "new single!" and prove how "talented" they are at writing lyrics (and making pizza jokes). If that wasn't enough, pop punk kids are also just about the worst people ever (maybe not worst, but unarguably extremely annoying/unfunny). In spite of all of these negative factors of the modern pop punk scene, it is hard to deny that there are some bands powering through who still bring some total jams, and even some that retain the stupid humor of pop punk past. Here are 5 New Pop Punk bands that will remind you that all pop punk, is not, in fact, god awful.

1.) Grizzly

The fact that I like this band surprised me as much as anybody else. The fact that I don't just like them, but really, really dig them, is a total shocker for me. I'm honestly not a fan of the more radio pop rock/pop punk sound of many of the modern "pop punk" bands such as Fall Out Boy (Bring back Race Traitor and Arma Angelus!) and Good Charlotte, who, on some level, Grizzly seems to emulate. However these guys really bring something else to the table that makes the music extremely appealing to me. They keep those pop hooks without the grating never ending repetition of the choruses. I can also definitely pick up on some 90's alt rock influence, perhaps some Oasis, that also contributes to setting them apart from all the other millions of bands trying to pull off the pop rock/pop punk sound. I highly recommend checking these guys out.

For fans of: Fall Out Boy, Oasis
Tunes:  http://grizzlypdx.bandcamp.com/album/small-things

2.) Dizzy Bats

Oddly enough, I found this band on a shoegaze compilation someone put together on the internet, and while they were not really shoegaze band, I immediately dug what I heard. This band plays pop punk heavily influenced by the "post grunge" power pop bands like Weezer and the President of the United States of America, but with slabs of fuzzy guitars that causes the listener to be reminded overwhelmingly of bands like Dinosaur Jr. and Yuck. They meld these two sounds together into a perfect blend of 90's throwback music. I seriously just can't get enough of these guys and would highly recommend checking out their song "Please Stall", as I usually listen to it at least 2 or 3 times a day and just jam out.

For Fans Of: Weezer, Yuck, The Thermals
Free Tunes: http://dizzybats.bandcamp.com/album/sundial

3.) Bad Year

Again, not usually a huge fan of this style of pop punk, but Bad Year does it right. It's also nice to see a band that isn't just hopping on the insanely annoying trend of tr00, tank top/snapback-core pop punk, and instead throwback to a sound that is much more appealing, that of New Found Glory. This means catchy choruses, a nice little breakdown in the middle, and some truly sadboi group vocals. Hopefully they won't be alone forever, but instead find a wider audience who can appreciate their lack of annoying tr00-ness and actually good brand of pop punk.

For Fans Of: New Found Glory, All for One
Free Tunes: http://badyearfl.bandcamp.com/releases

4.) The Oddities

Before I moved, these guys used to be locals, and while I never got a chance to see them, I did/do listen to their stuff on a pretty regular basis. Their brand of pop punk is one that takes from a couple of recent trend bands, such as the Menzingers, and the more "melodic hardcore" stuff such as Title Fight, and blends it into a totally unique sound all their own. They aren't too "rough around the edges", and show an amazing amount of melody. but also keep enough of the punk edge that they don't fall to the general bane of a lot of "pop punk" bands, in that they pretty much completely forget that there is supposed to be actual punk influence. The lyrics are also to be commended, as, unlike a lot of modern pop punk bands, they don't make me cringe to the point where I have to turn off the music. In fact, I'd say these lyrics are actually pretty damn good, which only helps to compliment the total banger of tunes these guys have.

For Fans Of: Title Fight, The Menzingers, Spraynard
Free Tunes: http://odditiesdc.bandcamp.com/album/nomads

5.) Pompo & The Community College Rejects

Ah, Pompo & The Community College Rejects. Pop punk band, or internet meme, forged in the deepest, darkest places of the internet? I like to think that they are a little bit of both, and all the better for it. If I had to choose my absolute favorite thing about this band, it's most likely their sense of humor. It's refreshing to see a pop punk band that can still tap into it's genres roots of stupid jokes and actually be funny, vs. just repeating the same stupid modern pop punk kid jokes over and over (xD who likes pizza?!?!!! xD!). As well as their stupid jokes that remind me of pop punk's beautiful past, they also bring a sound that is reminiscent of old pop punk bands, who remembered that "punk" was a pretty integral part to pop PUNK. My final thing on this band, is my extreme admiration for them for actually addressing current issues as well as actually being offensive. All in all, this band seriously just slays it all and reminds me of why pop punk was not only once bearable, but also good.

For Fans Of: The Bouncing Souls, The Dead Milkmen, Direct Hit!
Free Tunes: http://pompoandtccr.bandcamp.com/releases

Sloth Herder

From: Frederick, Maryland
Genre: Blackened, sludgy, crusty Grind
For Fans Of: Young and in the Way, Votnut, Bacchus, Primitive Man

Do you like your blends of metal/hardcore filthy, disgusting, and blackened? Then good news, because Sloth Herder is just the band for you! From track one to the closer, this band delivers an unrelenting barrage of crusty, blackened grindcore of the highest order. Not only do they blast beat and d beat their way through song after song, however. They also show that they are more than capable of whipping up nasty sludge parts so thick and heavy that it feels like you're listening to molasses. This band should most definitely be a main stay on any self respecting Crust/Metal fans radar, as, if their most recent ep is any indication, they are only improving from here and show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Free Tunes: http://slothherdermd.bandcamp.com/album/abandon-pop-sensibility

Blare

From: Presumably somewhere in the U.S.
Genre: Shoegaze, Post Rock
For Fans Of: Cloakroom, Ringo Deathstar, Slowdive

As soon as their ep starts, crunchy guitars roll in over big drums, and a long period of vocal silence while this banger of an intro track starts. Blare establishes themselves as a band that can handle the lack of vocals in their shoegaze sound (that reminds me of Ringo Deathstar due to those crunchy, crunchy guitar riffs) without losing the massive wall of sound aspect that helps to personify shoegaze. Then song 2 rolls around, largely retaining the pattern of the first but this time with some vocals thrown very low in the mix to add another element. The third track is where my comparison to Cloakroom begins, as the track offers a very atmospheric, blissed out emo/post hardcore like track. This more emo influenced style of shoegaze continues on "Mush", where the vocalist enters with some mumbled, low vocals buried under some very sadboi style guitars. The track still moves very well, playing with the ambiance created by the guitars well and allowing the vocals (which I personally enjoy a lot) to have a bit of a spotlight, no matter how mumble-y and buried they may be. The vocals being so low in the mix doesn't nescessarily hurt the band on any level though. From track one they make it clear that they are a band who's main focus are intense, lush, and large instrumentals. The vocals role is only secondary in the sound, and every song they are featured on is better because of it. The instrumentals this band puts forwards are far too good to be worried about if the lyrics can be heard and make someone say "wow deep" for a passing moment. All the emotional power that needs to be displayed is easily displayed through the instrumentals. Overall Blare is a band that thrives when left to create dense, reverb drench soundscapes that pack a powerful punch and leave the listener constantly wanting more.

Free Tunes: http://driptapes.bandcamp.com/album/meant-well

Sure.

From: Los Angeles, California
Genre: Surfy Dream Pop
For Fans Of: The Freights, Wavves, Wildhoney

When I first heard the first track off this ep aimlessly scrolling through the dream pop tag on bandcamp, I was instantly hooked. It's a well known fact that surf riffs are some of the greatest things to ever happen to pop music, and if they fit well in pop, then surely they must fit well in dream pop? That last part was a rhetorical question, because surf riffs don't just fit well in dream pop, they fit PERFECTLY in dream pop. The riffs are catchy and warm and sound absolutely fantastic under a layer of synth and reverb. Musically though, the band only gets better. The singer's voice wonderfully fits the music, adding another sonic layer to get lost in, and another element that helps this music just mellow you out infinitely. Underneath the vocals and guitars are drums that could not fit the release any better. The drums remain consistently bouncy, providing a stark contrast to the dreamy, melancholy attitude that the vocals and guitars create, and helping to remind the listener that the surf pop aspect of this band is part of what makes them so great.

Free Tunes: http://sureband.bandcamp.com/album/secret-ep

Dead Mellotron

From: Baltimore, Maryland
Genre: Shoegaze/Reverb soaked alt rock
For Fans Of: Dinosaur Jr., Cheetahs, No Joy

Dead Mellotron plays a brand of shoegaze dripping with influence from such bands as Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. This sets them apart for a few reasons. One, being that the tracks are not as traditionally "shoegaze" as one would think, nor do they really fall into the more "Nugaze" category of bands like Whirr and Nothing who take heavy influence from punk and hardcore bands. Instead, Dead Mellotron keeps the sort of enveloping atmosphere of shoegaze while adding in some jangely guitar riffs that are infinitely easier to grasp onto upon the first listen then some of their more shoegaze leaning counterparts. However, as stated above, the addition of these more attention grabbing guitar riffs does not subtract from the overall atmosphere presented. These riffs are still layered in reverb, creating a warm, enveloping sound that allows the listener to truly get lost and enjoy the sonic textures presented. Definitely worth checking out if you like shoegaze or some more reverb laden bands, such as Yuck.

Free Tunes: http://deadmellotron.bandcamp.com/album/glitter

Caskets Filled With Flowers

Caskets Filled With Flowers is a dream pop band from Lunenburg, Massachusetts. As far as my sweet spots for some good shoegaze/dream pop goes, Caskets Filled With Flowers hit quite a few right off the bit. It's fuzzy, there's a great female vocalist taking the lead, and the textures are lush, enveloping, and beautiful. The band radiates a warm, full sound that is sought after heavily on shoegaze/dream pop releases that is easy to get lost in and just drone out for a bit. A little bit of punk influence also gives the music an added kick that allows it to move a little more, making sure that while the listener is suitably comfortable in the wall of fuzz created, they can also bob their head along at a nice, happy pace.

For Fans Of: Night Schools, Wildhoney, Asobi Seksu

Free Tunes: http://casketsfilledwithflowers.bandcamp.com/

10 New, Up and Coming Hardcore bands that are better than Parker Cannon's (of The Story So Far) god awful "hardcore" band, Snarl.

For the people that know me, it is no secret that there are few things I despise more in this world than the warped tour-core/mall-core/tank top-core/tr00 pop punk bands that seem to be everywhere these days. These bands spawn like rats, and about 90% of the time they are just god awful. But what happens when these bands aren't just content with trying to act like tough guys singing about how every girl they have ever met has wronged them in some dramatic way? That is when they feel the need to prove their tr00 punk cred and prove that they are even "tuffer" than you originally thought. That is when they decide they are going to start a "hardcore" band.

This exactly is what happened to The Story So Far (who is awful) singer Parker Cannon, who decided that aggressively wearing snap-backs and crew necks just wasn't cutting it. No, that wasn't enough for Ol' Parker. He had to prove how "tuff" and "tr00" he was by taking it up to the next level, and making a god awful "hardcore" band (who is really just a glorified nu-metal band). Here are 10 new, up and coming hardcore bands that are about a million times better than the rap-metal crap fest that is Parker Cannon's hardcore band, Snarl.

1.) Venkman

Starting off this list is the fantastic powerviolence band, Venkman, from Oakland, California. These guys play powerviolence the way it was meant to be played, fast, aggressive, and with a snotty sense of humor (and odd obessesion with Bill Murray) that defined such early powerviolence bands as Spazz. These guys are definitely one to keep an eye on, as my bet is that they will gain much more attention with what appears to be a wave of new interest in the powerviolence style of hardcore in the extreme music community. 

For Fans Of: Spazz, Charles Bronson, Scapegoat

Free Tunes: http://venkmanburninhell.bandcamp.com/album/7

2.) Left Astray

Left Astray is a hardcore band from Los Angeles, California that incorporates many of the best types of extreme music and hardcore into their sound, including but not limited to, skramz, d beat crust, metallic hardcore, and a strong underlying black metal influence. Left Astray takes all of those elements and mixes them to form one totally crushing, destructive sound that mercilessly pummels the listener when it needs to, but borrows from the more melodic areas of skramz bands and black metal bands when it needs to. Just an absolutely insane band. 

For Fans Of: Young and in the way, Ram Lord, FLOWERSxOFxCARNAGE, His Hero Is Gone

Free Tunes: http://leftastrayhc.bandcamp.com/album/dont-look-for-me

3.) Kashyyyk

Kashyyyk is a grindcore/crusty hardcore band from Mesa, Arizona. This band is disgustingly, filthily heavy, and more power to them for it. Their favorite things appear to be d beats, blast beats, vocals that sound like they're coming from an angry grizzly bear, and breakdowns so heavy that professional body builders couldn't lift them. If you like your hardcore dark, crusty, and stupidly heavy, chances are that Kashyyyk are the band for you.

For Fans Of: His Hero Is Gone, Cursed, Call of The Void

Free Tunes: http://kashyyyk.bandcamp.com/

4.) Disinterest

Disinterest is a Powerviolence and harsh noise band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and hot damn are these guys insane. My first encounter with Disinterest was at a Single Mother's show at my local record store, where they went on between an emo band and one of the guys that used to be In Tigers Jaw rap (?) project Wikka Phase Spring Eternal. Needless to say, I wasn't really expecting this kind of band to go on at all at this show, but there they were. The vocalist started the set with one mic duct taped into his mouth and screaming, while he made noise with the other by running it along various amps and speakers. This was a band who was legitimately pissed off, and their music is so much better for it. While they only have a few awfully recorded demos up (which are still good if you can get past the quality), I highly recommend listening to the first track off their split with Skin Graft, and keep a close eye on this band. I'd also try to catch them live, as they're quite the experience.

For Fans Of: Man is the Bastard, The Endless Blockade, Witch Cult

Some Tunes: http://disinterest.bandcamp.com/album/b-side

5.) Wvrm

Wvrm is a deathgrind/hardcore band from Greenville, South Carolina. This band is yet another that is punch a hole in the wall angry. Wvrm rarely slows down or gives you room to breathe as they blast through track after track, only slowing down for sections drenched in shrieking guitars or heavy as bricks breakdowns/and or sludge songs. To deny the raw anger and pissed off attitude of Wvrm is to admit that you don't understand or completely love some of the most pissed off hardcore possible.

For Fans Of: Pig Destroyer, Nails, Votnut

Free Tunes: http://wvrmgrind.bandcamp.com/

6.) Sovereign

Sovereign is a metallic/crusty hardcore band from Lansdale, PA, and by and large, one of my favorite local bands. These guys deliver consistently heavy, fast angry hardcore perfect for moshing or head banging your brains out. Where Sovereign really shines through though is there their live musical precision and the intensity with which they perform. This band takes whatever the energy the crowd gives them and throws it back about twenty fold, constantly moving around and really just throwing down as they play, which is always awesome to see.

For Fans Of: Call of the Void, Trap Them, Cursed

Free Tunes: http://sovereignpa.bandcamp.com/album/the-world-takes

7.) Bleak

Bleak is a metallic hardcore/sludge metal band from Syracuse, NY. A lot of bands in hardcore claim to be heavy, but few are actually the extreme levels of heavy that make your jaw drop. I am happy to report that Bleak is one of those bands so heavy, that they would make your jaw not only drop, but most likely break from the sheer heaviness of their sound. If you exposed a small child to Bleak, I have no doubt that said child would most likely go through puberty before your very eyes, and then proceed to angrily mosh their way through a brick wall. Bleak puts every single down tempo, "beatdown" hardcore band to shame with how heavy their music is. I cannot stress enough how perfect and heavy Bleak is.

For Fans Of: Xibalba, Cult Leader, Gaza, Really heavy music

Tunes: http://ihatebleak.bandcamp.com/album/bleak

8.) Ten Ton Hamer

Ten Ton Hammer is a metallic hardcore band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This band seriously just slays. They're a much more mid tempo band, but unlike a lot of hardcore bands who try to pull off the metallic hardcore sound at a more medium tempo, this band is fantastic at it. The riffs never feel repetitive or boring, and constantly want to make you mosh. The breakdowns are also a forced to be reckoned with, never becoming stale or boring and falling back on simple chugs, but maintaining a nice, sludgy tempo that provides plenty of incentive to mosh. This band also shares members with Rock Bottom and a few other Philadelphia hardcore bands.

For Fans Of: Rock Bottom, Integrity (older material, before they got really experimental), Earth Crisis

Free Tunes: http://tentonhammerhc.bandcamp.com/releases

9.) Mishap

Mishap is a straight edge thrash crossover band from Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Along with Sovereign, these guys are by far some of my favorite locals. Their music is an excellent mix of old school thrash crossover mixed with some Youth Crew that allows the music to not only make you feel the urge to mosh and headbang, but also just really groove and allow for some excellent two step parts. I highly recommend checking out their Living Rage ep and keep an eye out for a new release that should be coming soon.

For Fans Of: Cro-Mags, Youth of Today, Disengage

Free Tunes: http://mishaphc.bandcamp.com/

10.) Lilith

Lilith is a metallic/crusty hardcore band from Phoenix, Arizona. Unlike most bands in the metallic/crusty hardcore sections of hardcore who seem to take a lot of influence from death metal and grind bands, Lilith definitely takes much more influence from sludge/doom metal bands, setting them apart and giving them a distinctive sound. Lilith's brand of hardcore, while extremely dark and angry, is accompanied by that classic doom/sludge groove. That doom/sludge influence is not to say they still don't take influence from other realms of metal though. It's easy to hear the grind and thrash influence on some of those buzz saw like guitar riffs, and the massive prescence of the drums only reinforces that idea. Overall, Lilith's music is just a crusty, dark conglomerate of angry hardcore that makes me want to punch a hole in a wall and mosh until my legs fall off.

For Fans Of: Cursed, Nails, Eyehategod, Seven Sisters of Sleep

Open Heart/City Shapes split

Open Heart is an ambient/post rock band from Toronto, Canada and City Shapes is an emo/spoken word/ambient band from New Jersey, USA. As a split, this record works so well because the two artists play off of each other in the alternate song order amazingly. Open Heart opens the split with a beautifully simple song that sets a very calm and relaxing mood creating an air ripe for personal reflection. On the next track, City Shapes provides just that, in the form of a song with very minimal musical contributions, allowing the softly sung/spoken word lyrics to shine through, which is good, as these lyrics are poetic, reflective, and just all around beautiful. Following that is another Open Heart song that is a little more active, relying more on the guitar to set the mood rather than the ambiance of the previous track. It reminds me a bit of the Deafheaven instrumental tracks off of Sunbather, which is in no way a bad thing, as those tracks are fantastic and any artist able to create those soundscapes should be proud. Once again this song sets the mood for the City Shapes song perfectly. This City Shapes songs starts as the previous one did, a repetitive, minimal music track under softly sung lyrics filled with personal reflection. This track, however, gains another layer with the addition of a bit of shouting echoing what the lyrics are saying, but not loud enough to distract from the beautiful textures and lyrics set in the foreground.

Free Tunes: http://cityshapes.bandcamp.com/album/open-heart-city-shapes

Akashita Corp. - Empathy Comp

The Akashita Corporation Empathy comp is a relatively short emoviolence/screamo compilation composed of 6 bands that are very, very good at emoviolence and screamo. I would definitely recommend checking this out if you're into the genre, as all the bands rule and it also really that long at all. Plus, it's free. It covers the levels of intensity of emoviolence/screamo well, with the first three bands (Wet Petals, People's Temple Project, and Secret Smoker) presenting a much more melodic, but still intense, style of emoviolence akin to bands such as Raein and Age Sixteen. Coma Regalia probably presents my favorite track on the comp, reminding me of Pg.99 and Orchid. The last two bands follow in this much more aggressive style of emoviolence, presenting two tracks that will make you want to mosh and cry.

For Fans Of: Raein, Age Sixteen, Orchid, Pg.99

Free Tunes: http://akashitacorporation.bandcamp.com/album/empathy-comp

Wreaths

Wreaths are a post Black metal/Blackgaze/Skramz/shoegaze band from San Antonio, Texas. While Post Black Metal is filled to the brim with bands who now simply want to rip off Deafheaven, Wreaths truly stands apart. They may only have one demo up, but it is more than enough. Take the first song, for example. It starts with a very twinkly-esque emo guitar part before launching into a furious assault of reverb-laden black metal section. The transition is seamless, and makes for a truly beautiful song while still maintaining the raw fury and drive of black metal. The band also displays that they are not simply talented solely at black metal though. Upon hitting track 3, the listener is submersed in a shoegaze song that sounds much more influenced by Ride or Slowdive then it does by Darkthrone or Emperor. The layers are beautiful, and the vocals soft to match. The drummer also deserves recognition as this is a drummer who certainly knows how to add a certain element of melody to his playing and really contribute to this song. However, the song doesn't remain mellow for too long, once again launching into a black metal part. The transition is smooth and clean, leading into a section where the drums and vocals are very black metal oriented while the guitar remains very shoegaze driven. The guitar joins the frantic black metal pace before the whole song transitions once again into a chaotic and beautiful shoegaze song once again. Overall this demo is fantastic, and I would highly recommend downloading it and listening to it as obsessively as I have been. In a scene where too many bands have cut and paste choppy transitions between the black metal and shoegaze sections of their music, Wreaths truly stands out.

For Fans Of: Alcest, Lantlos, Deafheaven, An Autumn for Crippled Children

Free Tunes: http://wreathstx.bandcamp.com/

Skinny Dip

Skinny Dip is a punk/emo band from Philadelphia, PA. The band heavily utilizes shouted vocals and a strong punk backbone under some solid emo type riffs and much more emo oriented lyrics. In a way, the band definitely reminds me of Spraynard, except less pop punk oriented and much more rough around the edges. Heavily utilized on this release is also a sort of call/response thing going on between the singers which helps to highlight some more key lines in the songs and make them stand out. As far as the music itself goes, it also takes a strong influence from grunge music and at some times is reminiscent of other bands who utilizes that sort of sound such as Superheaven. Personally I think the band could use a bit better of a mix, but that doesn't stop them from kicking out some jams. "Narrow Minded" is definitely a stand out/favorite track and I'd recommend starting there. 

For Fans Of: Spraynard, Superheaven

Free Tunes: http://skinnydippa.bandcamp.com/releases

Viva Belgrado

Viva Belgrado is a screamo/post hardcore band from Cordoba, Spain, and holy crap. Upon my first listen of this band and their new record, I pretty much emptied my pants in a pure burst of joy/flatulence and astonishment over how good this band was. The guitars provide some beautiful, shimmering textures over which the pounding drums and screeched (yet oddly controlled) vocals fit over fantastically. The band also displays a fantastic amount of control over the more instrumental sections, filling in the space between vocal bursts nicely and providing a perfect backdrop over which the vocalist can do some nice spoken word pieces, which I'm sure are very emotional, despite me not being able to understand them as they are in Spanish. This band and record seriously just blew my mind upon first listen, and I'm extremely excited to see what else they will have to put out. Lost State records is doing a run of 600 copies of their newest album Flores, Carne (which I would give a solid 9/10) on vinyl. Also printing this are: Walking is Still Honest Records (Andalusia), Koepfen Records, Shivery MMXII, Dingleberry Records, Mosh Potatoes, Same Grey Records, Upwind Productions, Sad Panda Records, Unlock Yourself Records, Bookhouse Records, and Ancient Injury Records. 

For Fans Of: Raein, The Saddest Landscape, Flowers Tape to Pens, I Would Set Myself on Fire for You

Free Tunes: http://vivabelgrado.bandcamp.com/album/flores-carne (They also provide a link to mediafire to download their album for free if free downloads are out on their bandcamp)

Makeshift Shelters

Makeshift Shelters are an indie/emo band from Washington, D.C., and wowee. This band blends elements of 90's emo bands such as Texas is the Reason with a healthy amount of pop punk/power pop influence. The resulting sound is something that you can still jam and get a little sad to, but also catch yourself singing along to constantly and could reasonably bounce around to. I really, really love this girl's vocals (like an extreme amount), as they heavily remind me of Chumped. She also just constantly shows an astonishing vocal range and vocal control in general. The nice little synth lines also just add a little extra bouncieness amongst their emo influence. The band definitely has some room to grow, and I am personally extremely excited to see how they will grow as a band and definitely believe they are a band everyone should be keeping an eye on. 

For Fans Of: You Blew it!, Chumped, The Front Bottoms

Tunes (Some free) (That first full length is fire): http://makeshiftshelters.bandcamp.com/

Zap Dragon and the Attack

Zap Dragon and the Attack is a garage punk/power pop band from Orlando, Florida, who hit all the right spots all the time. It's hard to explain exactly what their sound is but really the only important part is that it's constantly catchy and constantly good. Musically the band is heavily reminiscent of 90's power pop/garage punk bands like Weezer and The Presidents of the United States of America, if those bands singers were instead replace by a man shrieking self deprecating and political/socio-political lyrics. And really, those lyrics are what truly shine through with this band. The lyrics always carry a healthy dose of cynicism, which, for some reason is oddly appealing. Mix that with an extreme amount of self deprecation and a dark, dry sense of humor and you start to get the picture of what this band is truly about. If you like Weezer but also hate yourself, this band comes highly recommended.

For fans of: Weezer, Jay Reatard, The Presidents of the United States of America, The Thermals

Free tunes: http://zapdragon.bandcamp.com/