In terms of heavy split releases, this shared venture between Philadelphia’s Mothman & The Thunderbirds and Ontario’s World Eaters will take some beating. Each band shares a very different kind of riff-based anger, but at the same time, their uncompromising sounds share a vision that, together, makes them a great fit. With just two songs apiece, it’s enough to make the listener aware of two underground bands that stand a chance of either thrilling or scaring the unwary. Either way, they’ve gained a reaction, so it’s all good.
Tag Archives: metal
NAISIAN – Scalar Waves
It took underground metal act Naisian five years to follow up their ‘Monocle’ release, but 2018’s ‘Rejoinder’ EP was an amazing disc. In three songs, the band explored a whole world of doom, sludge and angry sounds, often doing more in short four minute bursts than some bands manage over the course of a whole side of vinyl.
MOTHER OF GRAVES – In Somber Dreams EP
Hailing from Indiana, Mother of Graves take massive musical cues from My Dying Bride and early Paradise Lost and apply those sounds to the broader musical canvases of the likes of Swallow The Sun. From the off, the material on this debut EP (originally released in 2021) really values huge, dark melodies, but in order for those metallic backdrops to not sound too commercial – relatively speaking – a really abrasive melodic death metal growl has also been applied. This, at least at first, sounds like an act of slight self-sabotage since the bulk of the music would definitely be better suited to a Type O Negative influenced croon. There’s nothing about that voice – even at its most extreme – that will be too off-putting to the hardened doom fan, of course, but it might stop the material appealing to a broader spectrum of metal fans.
Watch the new video from Vertex
French band Vertex have often been reliable when it comes to a heavy riff, but their current single ‘Leviathan’ really raises the bar in terms of a brilliantly intense sound.
SKINHER – Heartstruck
As the name suggests, Skinher is a project helmed by bassist Kyle Skinher, also of prog metal band Hail Spirit Noir. In the main, this band couldn’t be further removed from his “day job”, since it abandons most proggy aspects and the heavier end of the metal spectrum in favour of some massive haired, retro hard rock thrills. Kyle claims the influences come from the likes of Yngwie Malmsteen and everyone’s favourite Ghost, but the truth is that the best parts of ‘Heartstruck’ are even more retro – and sometimes more melodic than both. This is a record that really taps into the melodic rock and metal sounds of yesteryear, to the point where you’d expect to find it propping up the release schedule on a label like Frontiers Records.