Ice Hockey

From: USA

Genre: Emoviolence, Screamo, Skramz

For Fans Of: Joshua Fit For Battle, Orchid, Neil Perry

 If I had to take a wild guess, I'd say that these guys spent a significant amount of time listening to the "Brothers from other mothers" Joshua Fit For Battle/Neil Perry split. Now, in no way is this a bad thing. Ice Hockey is everything an emoviolence band should be. Raw, passionate, in your face. These songs don't just make you sad, they pummel you into submission until you're forced into being sad. And the songs don't just get violent and sad either. Like their forefathers, Ice Hockey acknowledges that what sets emoviolence so far above the rest of hardcore subgenres is the fact that it knows how to mellow out a bit in the midst of all the chaos. The band doesn't just wildly flail through their songs, but also slows down and gives the melody some room to breather, allowing each song to take on a much more distinct and unique sound. A lot of bands playing in extreme music genres forget that each song actually needs to be recognizable on some level as its own song. Ice Hockey doesn't simply painstakingly push through blasts of emoviolence, but instead allows them to grow and flourish.

Tunes: https://icehockey.bandcamp.com/album/wavefunction-collapse

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

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

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)