286
http://www.286music.com/
Again, these guys have put out a stellar album. I love getting emails from this band. Even though it takes me forever to respond, I still like getting them. These guys have the heavy rock feel to them and their new album is no exception. They remind me of Buckcherry's newer album. The same kind of heavy 'get your entire body moving' rock. Also remind me of the first Brides of Destruction CD (only the first though, because the second one sucked). They have a bluesy rock sound to their music as well. Music is well produced, everything sounds amazing and I'm only listening to the MP3's. I'm sure the actual CD sounds 10x better, if that is possible. I bet their live show is great, I wished I lived closer to CA to see them!

A COURSE OF ACTION
http://www.acourseofaction.com/
 This sounds like something I would hear on the Octane station on Sirius satellite radio. It's where the heavier rock bands are played. They would fit in nicely over there. As I just mentioned, this is a rock band, and they sound pretty kick ass. The singer reminds me of the singer from Sevendust. He has that nice soft singing voice and it sounds like just about the same ranges too. I didn't hear too much of the same heavy vocals though, that Sevendust has. The music is pure heavy rock. Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, Red, Sevendust, etc....those kinds of bands. I think my favorite song that I listened to was Now You See. It was a little on heavier rock side, the vocals were kick ass and just all around a great tune. I'm officially a fan.

AMORPHIC FORM
http://www.myspace.com/amorphicform
The first five seconds of the first song I heard, Circuit of Molecules, I knew this was going to be like nothing I have been reviewing all day. Amazing sounding. Drums are fucking awesome. I thought I had to be listening to a drum machine, but I checked, and doubled checked, a person is listed on their site as the drummer. Unless they named their drum machine, but I doubt it. Anyway, I would say as fast as Nick Barker, Charlie Benante, and any other fast drummer times 149. Vocals have a couple different styles/ranges, lots of yelling, lots of death metal vocals. Hardcore, death metal and punk mixed into one. It will just be a matter of time before Relapse or some other label picks them up.

ATROPHY
http://www.atrophyny.com/
The first song I heard, No Reasons, the singer gives off a Yeahhhhh, reminds me of James Hetfield. He does have that same tone, but only sometimes. When the singer wants the heavier, rougher vocals to come out, then when he uses that style. Otherwise, he has a nice vocal style, kind of reminds me of Nickleback (dude, I am so sorry). So a cross between Heffield and Nickleback singer, that's not bad. Music is heavy rock. In this song too, the drummer displays his double bass skills and it was pretty fast. I think their sound could be just a little better, but after rereading the website, the tracks on line are not mastered, and the mastered ones will be coming soon. They sound like a Breaking Benjamin or a Three Days Grace, with a touch of thrash metal. I have never heard those guys use a double bass, so Atrophy has an extra leg (literally) on them.

BEHOLDER
http://users.skynet.be/dafreak/
Here we have a one man band from Belgium. I’m not 100% into this, mostly because I can’t get into the vocals. Music is real good; fast, progressive dark metal. I think the vocals are just too low, too soft for this. I could get into this a little better if there were some death metal or even power metal vocals in there. The music is heavy, so instead of these soft vocals, they could rip it up with the heavy vocals. The song Mirage does have some scattered death metal vocals, but I would like to hear them through out with the clean vocals scattered. I actually liked better the 4 instrumentals that are on the website. He can really rip it up on the musical tracks and that’s cool. Regardless, these are new songs, released in 2007 and you can find them on his website.

BIZZARRED
http://www.bizzarred.com
I originally spoke to these guys in the beginning of the year, I was having problems downloading their songs. I tried to go back and glad I did. The song I heard, a newer one from 2006, is kick ass! Vocals remind me of James Hetfield from Metallica. At the heavier parts, I could see a Max Cavalera style. For MP3's, the quality is really good. You can tell immediately. Bad sounding tracks or MP3's really make your music sound like shit, even if it really is good. These guys don't have that problem though. Love the drum sounds, especially the cymbals, everything sounds crystal clear.

I hope these guys have more coming out soon. Great thrash-heavy metal band from Germany.

CATCH 22
http://www.truemetal.org/catch22
  Coming from my neighboring state of Ohio, these guys have been around for years, and their music proves that. First by their style of music and second by the way their music sounds together. Their style of music is very influenced by old school thrash. When these guys got together, in 1992, Anthrax, Metallica, Megadeth, already put out their stellar albums. They weren't putting out the garbage like they are now. So these guys were influenced and just forming when all of that good music was out. Also, they sounds very well practiced, extremely tight and just like this is a second nature to them. I'm sure they have had member changes, but they seem well put together. Sometimes the vocals take a turn into the direction of King Diamond, just in parts, not through the entire song though. He can't get as high as King, but he comes close. Old school thrash metal for the old school metal head.

CILICE
http://www.cilicemusic.com/
Right off the bat, these guys reminded me instantly of Meshuggah. Psychotic Mindwarp, the first song I decided to hear, has the crazy off time beats, the hard hitting guitar riff's, the metal vocals. They also remind me slightly of Slipknot too, in the vocal department. Second song I heard, Chernobyl, has some death vocals through out parts of it and it also has some softer vocals, in the vein of Sevendust. But I like the heavier, metal vocals the best. I would even through in a touch of Lamb of God mixed in with the vocals. I think my favorite though of all of the songs is God of Lies. It has some killer riffs and off time beats less than a minute into it. Then with the screaming on top of it, sounds incredible. These guys are coming from the Netherlands.

VIOLENT DISORDER
http://www.myspace.com/violentdisorder
Right when I heard the first couple riffs of their song Dead End, I knew this would be good. These guys are a hardcore metal thrash band coming from Australia. Musically, I feel they have the Swedish sound going on. Like maybe a Soilwork meets All That Remains (even though they are from the US, and not Sweden). It's really good music, fast and I also want to throw Meshuggah into the mix as well. Some of the parts, just remind me of their sound as well. Vocals are more of a rough thrash hardcore sound. Parts remind me of Lamb of God, parts remind me of Biohazard, with the two sets of vocal styles. Lots of screaming, growls and crazyness.

WHIP
http://www.whip.no
This is actually really good, and lately, I haven't been able to get into music this heavy. It all just sounds the same anymore. But not these guys. They have a great combination of the grind, black, death and old school thrash all mixed into one. The tracks I'm hearing are from their new CD, Primitive Slaughter, which was just released in 2007. Three of the tracks are available for download on their website. Music is real fast, the drummer flies with his double bass and blast beats. Lots of cymbal crashes and use of the ride cymbal. The riffs are fast and grinding. There was a slight breakdown part around 2 minutes into their song Doom By Fire. That was pretty cool, although it lasted maybe a few seconds, not long. I have no one to compare the vocals to, he has combinations of all types of heavy vocals. Not bad.

BIG COCK
http://www.bigcockrocks.com/
These guys have a great catch to them, their name. I was doing some website editing last weekend and remember seeing this name, laughing to myself, and just went on with my business. As soon as I went onto the myspace page, I remembered the name from the previous weekend. Also to help them out, their music isn't half bad at all. I like this kind of stuff. They have a southern rock, bluesy type of 80's meet's modern day music. Actually, they really remind me of the new Buckcherry CD and that's one of my favorites from last year. Something you can really get moving to at the bar. They actually remind me of a modern day Southgang, although I'm sure it's just me and my friend Jen who remember them from the 80's. They had a good rock sound, with a southern twist to them, like these guys. I dig this a lot.

BLACK DESPONDENCY
http://www.myspace.com/blackdespondency666
Hailing from the United Kingdom, this thrash death metal band just put out their new demo last year. Lots of screaming deep vocals. Also some soft sounding singing vocals. Reminds me of Shadows Fall, in which they have Brian with the metal vocals and Matt with the softer, lighter vocals. Same type of thing here. The lighter vocals though are a little low in the mix. Musically, they are every heavy genre you can think of, thrash, death, black and I would even say doom and gothic is thrown in there as well. They will be going into the studio in early 2007 for a new CD.

CAUSTIC LYE
http://www.thelye.com/
Right off the bat, I get a Killswitch Engage/Shadows Fall feel to them. They have the heavy vocals that Brian and Howard perfected, but they also have the lighter vocal range to them as well. Music is real good, very heavy, almost like a hardcore/ punk/ metal feel to them. I also hear the latest Taproot and 36 Crazyfist in their style as well. For an MP3 the sound is pretty decent as well. Very good production to them. Real tight sounding as well. Everything is put together very nicely. Probably one of the first MP3's where I actually could hear the bass perfectly. It's as loud as the guitars, so I can hear it just strumming away.

CRAVE FOR LIGHT
http://www.craveforlight.cjb.net/
These guys are coming all the way from Greece and they sound damn good. They have an electronica sound to them, and they remind me of the 80's. The 80's pop/rock bands, like something I would have heard in the Wedding Singer soundtrack. A Mister Mister or Duran Duran sound, but with metal music and double bass. I believe the drums are programmed, they sound way to good not be. Their MP3's sound extremely good, sounds like the whole piece was well produced. They are a 3 piece band and released their second demo in the summer of 2006.

DEADLY APPLES
http://www.deadlyapples.com/
Instantly when I heard these songs, Marilyn Manson popped into my head. It's unique, and very different, which reminds me of Manson. A cross between his Portrait of an American Family, because that was when he was heavy and before all of the weird stuff, and maybe Holy Wood, because he got softer, and weirder, but for the most part kept his sound. These guys also have a very dark gothic sound to them. Lots of effects, keyboards and programming was done on this. These guys are coming from Canada and they have released their second CD just last year.

EMMURE
http://emmure.com/
These guys have a new album coming out on Victory Records in early 2007. They thank Zuess on their website for their new album, and that has to be the same Zuess everyone up north uses for albums, including Shadows Fall, God Forbid, Killswitch Engage, and the list goes on and on. These guys have a hardcore metal type sound to them. Some death metal vocals thrown into the mix here and there, but mostly hardcore screaming vocals. Actually remind me slightly of Between the Buried and Me, vocally speaking. Musically they remind me of Remembering Never. Great breakdown parts, which I'm sure get the pits moving like mad. It will be just a matter of time before we see them on Headbangers Ball, or in one of the dozen commercials for Victory during the Ball.

INNER SURGE
http://www.innersurge.com/
Hailing from Calgary, Canada, this rock band has a decent sound to them. They remind me of a heavier version of Taproot. The singer has the soft almost singing type of vocals, then just explodes in their choruses. Reminds me Billy from Biohazard/Suicide City. Musically they are pretty heavy, a mix of Pantera and Machine Head. For MP3's, they have a pretty good sound to them, not muddy, drums are clear and the vocals are not overpowered by the music. These guys just released an album at the end of 2006 and have been doing really well on the charts in the podsafe network, along with good reviews of the new album.

LENHADOR
http://www.lenhadorfuckoff.cjb.net/
Not one of the better sounding MP3's I have heard. Unfortunately it does not sound like it was mixed very well. The drums are way too loud, and the vocals are not loud enough. Personally, I would rather hear the drums, because I don't pay much attention to the guitars and bass, but this is a little louder than I would like. Bass drum is pretty consistent through out the recordings. He definitely has some fast feet. Also, some extremely loud cymbals. This has a pretty raw sound to it, very dark. Vocals are black metal, reminds me of Dani Filth, during the Principle Of Evil Made Flesh era, before they got to be commercial. Also has the low, deep throat vocals thrown in there. Very Incantation/Chasm sounding to me.

MADLIFE
http://www.madlifemusic.com/
These guys remind me right off the bad of Spineshank. They have that dark heavy sound to them. These guys throw a little bit of industrial into the mix as well. It's not an overpowering sound of heavy industrial, like bands Ministry or Nine Inch Nails. It's tolerable to me and I usually don't like this kind of music. They have a heavy rock sound to them. I was going to say this is something I could hear on the rock stations, except when I went to their page, it looks like they are already on the rock stations. Their myspace has had over 70,000 listens since 2004, which isn't bad at all.

THE NIGHTMARE
http://www.inthenightmare.net/
Progressive technical speed thrash metal meets black death metal vocals. What a combination. Unfortunately the vocals are mixed very low, and they get a little drowned out from the music. Music is real good, very power metalish, very technical sounding too. They are just wailing away on their guitar riffs. Drums have the double bass moving non stop. The vocals are extremely low sounding, very low growls, yells, and screams. These guys self financed this album themselves, and they are coming all the way from Morocco.

OBSCENE GESTURE
http://www.obscenegesture.net/
Speak English or Die by SOD. I was just thinking that I wanted to listen to that CD again, it's been a while. But as Obscene Gesture kicked on, I had to make sure I was listening to the right band. This is some old school speed thrash metal. Billy Milano vocal range and style. Just a lot of yelling and screaming. Going a million miles an hour. All of it is hyper fast, like they are on speed or something. Their song Do You Believe Don'... reminds me of Milk. Very fast short guitar solo's in their music too. These guys are coming from Los Angeles, CA and I'm listening to songs from their 2006 demo.

ODIUM INCARNATE
http://www.odiumincarnate.cjb.net/
Man, this dude has some super low vocal. I'm talking like Fleshgrind low sound. Then, they have the Dave Kleibler/Lividity high death metal vocals alternating. I don't know if I ever heard vocals with that low growl sound before. Everything is hyper fast speeds. The blast beats, double bass, the guitar riffs, just everything. These guys are playing a boat load of shows out in their native of the United Kingdom and recently shared the stage with Skinless and Visceral Bleeding. Only have been together since 2005, and has had some member changes, but from what it sounds like, they know how to play together.

PESTIFER
http://www.pestifer.be/
Vocally, I can see a cross between Chris Barnes and Dani Filth. They have the low deep throat death metal vocals, but they also throw in there the Dani Filth high vocal style. Music is definitely filled with lots of blast beats, double bass and high intensity guitar riffs that are just all over the place. The bass drum keeps on going, like the energizer bunny! They have a midwest US feel to them, that Fleshgrind, Corpse Vomit, Lividity have perfected. These guys have been around for almost ten years, hailing from Belgium. They just put out their new demo in 2006.

PLEXUS
http://www.plexusband.com.br
These guys just put out a new twelve song CD at the end of 2006. All of the songs are available for download on their website. Very professional sounding. Sounds like it was done at some high quality place. These guys have been putting out albums since the early 2000's, so they know what needs to be done to get the job done right. Every time I hear their new stuff, it always sounds better than the album before. These guys are getting better and better as the years go on. Great thrash progressive sounding band. They also have a classic rock sound to them as well.

RAISE THE SHIELD
http://www.myspace.com/raisetheshield
I think right now this is a one man band - It looks like he is looking for all new members, including drummer, guitarist and bassist. These guys have a DRI thrash meets modern day rock. Real fast thrash metal, old school Anthrax or DRI is who they remind me of. Vocals aren't exactly heavy, more like a punk rock sound to them. The rock sound reminds me of Breaking Benjamin, just with some heavy double bass thrown in. They just released an album at the end of 2006

VENGEANCE
http://www.myspace.com/vengeancerocks
It's funny, just last night I was watching a metal documentary on the 80's British metal explosion, with Judas Priest one of the bands featured. The vocals on this guy remind me of a cross between King Diamond and Rob Halford. He has the high pitch vocals, and he gets pretty high up there.The normal vocals remind me of Halford's vocal style. I am almost expecting them to break into "You Got Another Thing Coming" in their song. These guys are a thrash metal band, that has a touch of old school to them. Reminds me of a slightly less heavier version of Metallica/Anthrax. They definitely have that old school metal edge to them.

VERISMO
http://www.verismetal.com
I feel like I'm listening to old school Metallica. A cross between maybe Master of Puppets and the black album. Not the hyper speed metal sound, but also not the sappy shit they put out in their later years either. Just somewhere in the middle. I also hear a tad of old school punk thrown in there too. Vocals remind me of James Hetfield. Very raw, very metal, very thrash sounding. Music is good, they have the old school thrash sound to them. Old school Megadeth, Metallica, Anthrax, etc. Verismo is a thrash metal band coming from Brooklyn. This is their first CD put out and it's professionally done as well.

BLOOD FROM ABOVE
http://www.bloodfromabove.com/
Here comes a Christian thrash metal band from California. Their myspace page has some tracks from their 2005 CD. Vocals remind me of old school thrash metal. Actually, they remind me of Dave Mustaine. They have some pretty fast parts, drummer has a good sound for his cymbals. Although, the vocals are mixed a little low during their heavy parts. I noticed it the most in their chorus. The band is good though, just reminds me of listening to old thrash from the 80's. These guys just released a new CD a month or two ago, so they should be up shortly on their myspace page.

DEVOID
http://www.devoidrock.com/
These guys are from one of my favorite places in the states, Worcester, MA. Not because it's nice or anything, but because of the friends I have up there. Anyway, these guys just lost their drummer at the end of August, so drummers in that area should get in touch. These guys remind me of the Deftones. Their songs have the softer sound to them, like the Deftones, but then they have these other parts, that they just explode with energy and hard sound. On their myspace page, they have songs from their 2005 demo and one songs from their 2004 demo.

FADE IN FADE OUT
http://www.myspace.com/fadeinfadeout
Here comes a progressive rock band from Houston, TX. Mostly I have heard death metal from TX, never really heard anything but, so it's nice to see other bands out there. These guys have a AFI sound to them, kind of (not that I listen to AFI, but the 2 or 3 songs I remember hearing). The singer reminds me of the guy from AFI. Just his singing style, not the actual vocals. They have a heavy sound to them. Their guitar work is pretty decent, they have some cool riffs in their songs. They have the rocking verses and then the chorus gets a little heavier in their songs.

PERSONA NON GRATA
http://www.myspace.com/personanongrata5
Hailing from New Jersey, Persona Non Grata just put out a couple songs earlier this year. These guys don't have a website yet, but their myspace page has 3 pretty decent songs on them. They remind me of Nonpoint with the funky grooves of 311. Maybe a slight POD sound too, but very, very small amount. They have a great hard hitting hardcore/rock sound to them. They also have these lighter verses, which remind me of Nonpoint. But, then they break into the chorus and it's back to the hard hitting hardcore sound. Sounds pretty cool. Have a heavy sound to them, even during their soft verses.

SIGNAL 7
http://www.myspace.com/seventhsignal
I don't think I'm 100% into this band. The songs I heard on their myspace page has a really raw sound to it. Sounds like it was produced in someone's basement. These guys just released the tracks this past year. Vocals remind me of something I would hear from James Hetfield, very thrashy sounding. Musically is the same, sounds like some heavy thrash metal from the 80's, with a touch new thrash metalthrown in. I would even go as far to say it has a punk sound to it as well. Some parts remind me of Black Label Society. I think if they got some better production, it would bring out the sound of the band.

BABIES IN LIMBO
http://www.babiesinlimbo.net/
Here we have a rock experimental band from Rhode Island. I normally don't listen to this kind of rock music, so it's hard for me to compare them to someone else. They remind me of a band that I would hear on the Fox TV show the OC. The modern type of rock band they seem to feature every week. They also have a different side to them, more of an experimental, progressive sound. Keyboards, and lots of samples. They have longer musical arrangements than I'm use to hearing as well. These guys just remind me of a bunch of talented musicians, getting together and jamming.

BELLIGERENT
http://www.belligerentmetal.com/
Hailing from just a couple hours away from me, these guys have a great sound. Both of the songs I listened to have the strong hard core/thrash metal influence. Vocals sound hardcore, music has a heavy thrash sound to it as well. Vocals remind me of the Madballs and Agnostic Fronts of the music scene. The screaming, heavy vocals that only hard core bands have. For me, it sounds they are a little more thrashy then hard core sounding, but regardless, they are a heavy band. A couple breakdown parts, and vocals over vocals, like the way Biohazard does it. Not bad at all.

DAWN OF DEFIANCE
http://www.dawnofdefiance.com
In the fall of 2005, these guys released a new album. They have 7 songs on their site from that album, and the clips are about a minute and a half each. These guys have seemed to change their sound slightly, when I listened to them before, I remember them being very thrash sounding. They still have the heavy, thrash music sound, but vocals are more towards the death metal sound now. You can still hear the thrash metal influence in them, but they have taken a heavier turn, vocals and musically. I could still see these guys opening for Metallica, back in the day, when Metallica was good, of course.

DIABOLIC INTENT
http://diabolicintent.com
These guys are really good, and of course that being said they are from Florida. Lots of good death metal comes from Florida and these guys should be included in that. Very Malevolent Creation sounding for me. That's the first band that came to mind when I started listening to them. The song they have available is In God We Trust, which is going to be coming from their upcoming release. Drummer is real good, has some fast controlled feet. Blast beats are average speed in this song, but the feet make up for it. Vocals are low, but not low enough to the point you can't understand him. Great sound too for an MP3.

EATEN ALIVE
http://www.eatenalive.net
Brutal Grindcore death metal music coming from Baltimore, MD. The band has the vocal patterns you would hear in Lividity, the deep growls and then the high pitch screams that sound like something you would hear from a black metal band. They have the heavy fast blast beats like most death metal bands. These guys though, have the NY style break downs. The break downs, where if you have a decent size crowd, the floor will erupt into a gigantic pit. They are my favorite parts of the songs. For being a grindcore band, I was expecting their songs to be 30 seconds long, but they are a good length, about 2-3 minutes for each.

FIFTEEN REASONS
http://www.angelfire.com/musicals/process/
These guys are hailing from Beligium. Have some strong rock/metal influences, like 40 Below Summer, Stone Sour, Deftones, and Incubus. They really remind me of 40 Below, with the musical arrangements. The 3 songs I heard have the We The People sound from 40 Below. They have the softer rock sound to them, with the chorus going into the heavy, breakdown metal sound.They also remind of the Slipknot side band Stone Sour. They have the somewhat softer parts, and they do remind me of Stone Sour. At times, his vocals remind me of Phil from Pantera and during the software parts, it sounds like the singer from Incubus and other times, it sounds like the singer from the Deftones.

FOXIDO
foxidof@yahoo.com
This band sent me over 2 mp3's, The Conception Within and Lies. Both of them don't have the greatest sound due to poor recording software, but they acknowledge that. Vocals are pretty thrashy/death metal sound. Almost reminds me of Phil from Pantera and a mix of a Dani Filth and Chris Barnes at other times. The songs are a little on the long side, The Conception Within is about the evil and good in a person. They have some good riffs, good solo's. They remind me of Dream Theatre.

FRENIZIA
http://frenizia.com/; http://www.frenizia.com/download.html
Damn, these guys are just all over the board. From Electronica, to metal, to death metal, to industrial to more that I probably don't know the category of! Every song sounds completely different and not like the other. They are classifying themselves as digital metal, which I very much agree with. One song sounds like death metal with the digital sounds except for the vocals. Some vocals sounds like James Hetfield, after the black album. Guitars sound like Swedish metal sound or power metal. They all seem to have a touch of 90's dance music mixed in, like from Ah-Ha, Depeche Mode, etc. Very different, very all over the place.

FROZEN WITHIN FLAMES
http://www.myspace.com/frozenwithinflames
Here we have a black death metal band. This band has been around for a few years now and has had a few member changes, but that has helped them evolve into who they are today. Very thrashy-death-doomy metal sound to them. Vocals are high pitch but not like Dani Filth style, just a little lower, a little more death metal than that. Also have the low Chris Barnes death metal vocals as well. Music style stays the same and the vocals change it up.

JOSHUA ELLIS-D
http://www.myspace.com/joshuaellisd
Josh, who is a guitarist, has one song on his myspace, but more are coming soon. If you dig his song, you might want to also check out his band Shade of Hate. This song Homicidal, is a musical track only, no vocals, except the small sample in the beginning and the end. Drums and bass are included in the mix, drums sound like they are from a drum machine. Not too long, not boring either. Guitar style sounds like it’s influenced from old school Metallica (when they were good of course). Very speed metal, very thrashy.

MADE IN NOWHERE
http://www.angelfire.com/planet/nowhere/; http://www.myspace.com/minowhere
The MP3 on the angelfire site isn't the best quality, but that song is also live. Sounds very muffled and it's very hard to hear the singer. The other songs they have up on myspace aren't as bad, but the singer is still pretty low sounding. Anyway, we have a heavy rock band hailing from Alabama. They have some modern rock guitar riffs, something like from Mudvayne, Taproot, or something you would hear on the local radio rock station. Vocals are a lot of screaming, like from a screamo type band.

PSEUDOSTRATIFFIED EPITHELIUM
http://www.pseudo-e.netfirms.com/
I reviewed these guys last year and they had a good sound to them then, and they still have a good sound now. Patruclus Cadaver is the song they have on line from their upcoming CD. They still have the same heavy sound that they did last year. It sounds like they got a little better production this time around as well. Still with the Chris Barnes vocal styles. Still tones of harmonies and tons of outstanding heavy riffs. As just as fast as ever, maybe a little faster.

RAZER
http://www.razerband.com/
This 5 piece band is filled with unique members, 1 of them came from the band Wardog, who was previously signed to Metal Blade. Another member played with the ex guitar player for Megadeth. These guys have an awesome rock sound. Very radio sounding, I could hear this on the local rock station (What’s left of it). Vocals remind me of STP, Shinedown, and Incubus. Musically they have the total rock sound, like Velvet Revolver. Great musicians, great mix together, great just about in every aspect.

SLAVATOR
http://www.slavator.cjb.net/
These guys have released 3 albums last year- One in January, which was their first, another in September, which sold out, and the one I'm listening to, which was done in December. These guys have an insanely fast sound. Everything is flying, from the guitars, to the drums, to the vocals. These guys have the old school thrash/punk/speed metal sound to them. For a MP3, the sound quality isn't bad either. Punk fast vocals with speed thrash music. They do slow it down for a couple riffs here and there, but for the most part, it sounds like this band is on speed!

SEIZURE CRYPT
http://www.seizurecrypt.com/
People who remember the “tape trading” days might remember the band Charnel Horse, who I really liked a lot. Well Tom from there has a new band and this is it. Also has members from SOS and Terminal Confusions. Right now they have a song up on my space. Two singers and the vocal styles are almost the same, but you can tell the difference between them. Old school punk sound to them. Lots of yelling, lots of screaming and lots of fast punk rock music to go a long. I would even throw a Misfits sound slightly in the mix as well.

SHADE OF HATE
http://www.shadeofhate.com
I got to hear one song from these guys, called Eyes Shut To Dim. Not a bad little metal song. Starts off real slow, with the real heavy rock feel. Then, the bands turns super speed metal core fast. Vocal style changes and goes from a Manson feel, to a Lamb of God meets Cannibal Corpse feel. Drummer is real fast, just speeding along with the double bass. Guitars are fast and excellent riffs. A guitar solo is thrown into the mix as well. Would like to hear more music from these guys.

SKINTICKET
http://www.myspace.com/skinticket69
Here we go with some decent metal music! Skinticket is a metal, hardcore band from the United Kingdom. Two songs posted, from their CD released last year. MP3’s actually have a good sound to them. Musically they have the Chimaira, Stampin’ Ground (great band), Meshussagah sound. A couple break down parts here and there for the pits. Also some great thrash guitar sounds too, old Metallica, old Anthrax. Vocals are pretty deep and low, I would say a cross of death metal and metal core. Great sound from this band!

WRNLRD
http://www.myspace.com/wrnlrd
Here we have a one man band from Arlington, VA. This is from Wrnlrd new album, which is due out in May 2006. This is some scary stuff to listen to, I could hear this in a horror b-side film. Vocals sound black metalish, very high at times. Guitars, bass and drums sound like they are all mashed together, really hard for me to hear them clearly. At times with the drums and the guitars and bass, it almost sounds like a CD that is skipping. I just think it’s the way the drums sound, because they are electronic. This guy has another CD, a tape and a Tshirt also available on his site.

FLAMES OF THE SOUL
http://www.geocities.com/flamesofthesoul_album/
I have tried to review these songs a few times, but every time I go the band width has exceeded it's limit. But I finally got to take a listen to. These guys have 3 songs available on line. Vocally, it's a cross between the death metal vocals and the Swedish metal sound. Reminds me of the old school Arch Enemy before Angela got in the band, but a little heavier than that. Musically, they have an OK sound, their music is heavy, same type of sounds, death metal and a mixture of the Swedish sound. Arch Enemy, Soilwork, etc. They also have the heavy bass like in CKY. They actually reminded me a lot of them musically.

HUNZILLA
http://www.myspace.com/hunzilla; http://www.hunzilla.com/
From the first riff, I was thinking this was going to be a band with the Swedish Arch Enemy/ Soilwork sound. Musically they have a touch of that in their sound, but after it gets going, it's more than just that sounds. It's that plus this heavy thrash sound to them. Vocals switch it up. One song, they have the current day metal sound, other times, they have the dirty, hard thrash sound to them with some death metal growls and moans. The songs posted are all live, so the sound is a little muddy, but what can you expect from that kind of environment. It's not like they have the Anthrax quality sound guys, so of course it's not going to sound perfect.

SCARS
http://www.scars.com.br/
This sounds awesome! I don't know why it has taken me this long to listen to it! Everything on this recording sounds outstanding. Music, sound, vocals, just everything. Musically, we have an extremely heavy thrash speed metal band. I can't believe how awesome the drums actually sound. The snare sounds like a shot gun going off every time it's hit. The double bass is so fast in parts, it's unbelievable someone could go that fast. Vocally, he has a heavy voice, like Max Cavalera, but a slightly higher tone. Almost a cross between Max and Joey Belladonna from Anthrax. Highly recommended.

OVLO
http://www.ovlomusic.net/
These guys are from my home state of PA. They have a good heavy rock sound to them. Reminds me of the Shinedown/ Element 80, but a slightly heavier version. Some nice breakdowns, which I love. I don’t really see them having pits, but I bet they can get some movement during those parts. Singer has a decent screaming voice. Actually reminds me of the singer for Breaking Benjamin, which is a band I’m a big fan of. Nice sound, worth checking out.

POCKET BUDDHA
http://www.pocketbuddhamusic.com/
This band is playing music with the surf punk rock sound. Rough vocals, sound like something I would hear in a thrash metal band. Remind me of the singer for Agent Orange, they have some similarities with the sound of their vocal style. Musically, it’s the fun upbeat sound. I could hear their music in the background of a Frankie Avalon movie. Some fun beach movie. They have a good sound together.

BLOODOLINE
http://bloodoline.com/
Here are some clips from an album just released in the fall of last year (2005). Hailing from Spain, these guys have a mix of punk and black metal. Strange combination, I know, but it kind of works for them. We have the melodic, fast, in some spots, depression, black metal music. Fast double bass and blast beats, to the vein of Nick Baker. Riffs are insanely fast, and I can hear a touch of keyboards as well. I would say a cross musically between The Principle of Evil Made Flesh and Dusk....And Her Embrace. Now, when you hear the vocals, they sound like something I would have heard from a punk band out of CBGB's, something like the Sex Pistols. Not a bad mix.

DECAY DEVOTION
http://www.myspace.com/decayeddevotion
Here we have a grind-black-death metal band. Vocals are extremely low sounding, reminds me of Rich from Fleshgrind's vocals. The high pitch black metal screams are mixed in there. They are pretty fast, the drummer has the blast beats and double bass flying. Guitar riffs grinding and sound real good. Sound wise is a little disappointing, it sounds very muddy, but this is how the band wanted it to sound, according to their myspace page. Sounds are real short, not very long, like the typical death metal bands. Death metal fans should check out.

DESPISE
http://www.despise.gr
Despise is a thrash metal band from Greece. They have a real good mp3 sound, which is rare to find. The clips on their site are from their 2002 CD. Vocally, he reminds me of a mix of Joey (ex) and John (current) from Anthrax. If they got together and preformed a song together, that's what it would sound like. Also, for some reason, I'm hearing a touch of Layne Stanley, from Alice in Chains in the vocals. Not a big presence, but I'm hearing it slightly. Musically they are defintely a heavy thrash band. The ride cymbal is going a mile a minute and the drummer is real fast. Good riffs, not a bad sound at all.

ENRAGED
http://www.purevolume.com/enragedtx
Here we have a metalcore thrash band hailing from Texas. Just one song to listen to here, it's called Retribution Mine. Vocally, they remind me of Pantera. This singer could play in a tribute band for Pantera, and you would think it was Phil himself on stage, that's how close he sounds to Phl. Music is thrash, but it does have a touch of metal core, just not as fast as say Lamb of God. Pantera seems to be a heavy influence in their music as well. Have some real good thrash riffs. Even the sound of the mp3 sounds good. Not bad at all.

OCEANS OF INNARDS
http://www.myspace.com/oceanofinnards
Death metal hailing from Massachusetts. Very low vocals, sounding very Chris Barnes like. They have some pretty heavy riffs and their drummer is insane! The double bass sounds like a machine and his fills are real tight sounding. Have a couple real good break downs, which I'm sure has the pits going insane when they play live. Production is a little low sounding, I'm having a hard time hearing everything clearly, but you can still tell the band sounds good.

RAWATTACK
http://www.audiostreet.net/artist.aspx?artistid=36458
Old school thrash/speed metal here, coming all the way from Brazil. These guys sounds like they took a bunch of speed before they started playing, they are so fast. Reminds me of the DRI sound, vocally and musically. Musically they are fast, riffs are grinding and the drummer is just flying around the kit. Vocals are rough sounding, which is what the thrash sound from the 80's was like. These guys fit right in with that genre of music. Not bad, but the production is a little low, could be brought up just a tad.

TURKESTAN ROAD
http://www.turkestanroad.com/
These guys have a very unique sound to them. Musically they remind me of a funk, jazz, jam, rock, alternative band, wrapped into one. Their drummer has been schooled for sure, he has the jazz influence to his playing. This just sounds like a bunch of friends getting together and just jamming and making music. I can't figure out a person to compare the vocalist to. If you mixed Mike Patton and the singer for Clutch, doing kind of a spoken word, alternative vocal style, I think you would have this singer.

ASTRAEA
http://www.myspace.com/astraeamusic
These guys sound really good. Have the Taproot heavy rock sound to them. Rock vocals, and the singer has a good voice, which is rare in bands anymore. Music is heavy rock with a touch of metal. Guitar riffs are pretty decent though, heavy sounding with some cool riff’s. This Southern CA band has an awesome sound to them, tight as a band, nothing is sloppy sounding. Production of the mp3’s sound real good too, which is another thing you don’t hear often. This is a band I could listen to daily. They should get signed soon.

CALIGVLA
http://www.myspace.com/caligvla
Death metal music from FL. Lots of good death bands come from Florida, including this one. Grinding blast beats and the drummer is moving so fast with his feet, you would think it was Nick Baker back there on the set. Deep low death metal vocals with some high pitch screams. They have the mix that Matt Bishop and Dave Kleiber uses in Lividity. They only had one song on line right now, but more are coming.

CHAINSNAP
http://www.chainsnap.com/
Very Prong musically, very Lemmy vocally. I think that sums up this band. I don’t listen to a lot of Prong, but from the first song I listened to, Spiral, I can feel their influence. The vocal style has the hard deep vocal style you hear from Lemmy and Motorhead. Also reminds me of the singer from Coal Chamber/Devil Driver. These guys have the very heavy metal 80’s sound down. You can hear a thrash influence mixed in their music as well. Very different sound to them.

CIRKUS FROM HELL
http://cirkusfromhell.com/
Judas Priest and King Diamond meet and you come up with the singer of this NY based band. He has the high screams but he also has the rough sounding metal vocals, like any rocking 80’s thrash band. Reminds me of Joey Belladonna or Mike Muir. Music is the heavy, reminds me of the Infectious Grooves sound. Some heavy grinding riffs and the drums are heavy as well. Not bad.

CRYOGEN
http://www.cryogenband.com/audio.html
This sounds like something that would come out of the Swedish metal explosion sound. Very In Flames/Shadows Fall sounding with death vocals. Singer actually reminds me of Angela from Arch Enemy. Not sure exactly why, but as soon as the vocals kicked in, that was the first name that popped into my head. The death metal vocals, have a pretty heavy sound to them. Guitar solo’s in full gear here and they sound real good, entire sound has a good production sound to it, which is rare with mp3’s it seems.

FOREVER TAKEN
http://www.myspace.com/forevertakenca
The screaming metal sound that almost every band on headbangers ball has anymore. This guy has the same sound as the Everytime I Die, Eighteen Visions, A Life Once Lost bands for screams. Then they also have the Avenged Sevenfold vocals for singing. The drummer has extremely fast feet, he is flying on the double bass and has some good grind beats, and some good break downs as well. Music is heavy for sure, sounds real good, with that modern metal/metal core sound. Real good and I’m not a fan usually of that metal sound.

GRAIN
http://www.grainmusic.net/
Wow, these guys have a killer sound to them. Their music sounds great. They have the heavy hardcore style vocals, then during the verses kick in with the death metal. Also, they have the metal core screams and they sound great too. The mp3’s sound amazing, everything is crystal clear, I think every band should have their sound, production wise. Music is super heavy, I can imagine their shows are a constant mosh pit. They even have a couple samples in there too.

HATCHETWORK
http://www.hatchetwork.com/
These guys sound really good. They remind me of a cross between Lamb of God and Pantera. They are a mix of metal core and death metal. Vocally, he has the rough screaming vocals that I would hear from Pantera’s Phil. Musically they have a couple really good break downs and it’s super heavy. Their live shows must be insane. Great band from TX to take a listen to.

KRONOUS
http://www.kronow.com/; http://www.myspace.com/kronow
Mix Everytime I Die, Eighteen Visions and Cannibal Corpse together and you have the singer of Kronous. Heavy metal core Lamb of God music, with some awesome break down parts, which I sure cause some pretty insane pits. Vocals are a mix of all of the Headbanger Ball metal bands out right now. Some times it’s the metal core vocals, sometimes it’s the hardcore/punk sound and then they throw in some have death metal vocals on top of it all.

MALIGNANT INCEPTION
http://malignantinception.com/
I’m listening to their new song, just posted, The Solider. This is going to be on their new release coming out soon. Anyway, here we have a black/ death metal band hailing from Utah. Vocally, he reminds me of Dani Filth back in the days when Cradle was good. He has the higher vocal style. Musically, they have the very dark, scary black metal sound to them. I can hear keyboards, but they aren’t overpowering, like in some bands I have heard. The keyboards actually give it more of the dark, atmospheric sound. This song is pretty long too, almost 10 minutes long,

PHAT JERUSALEM
http://www.phatjerusalem.com
Definitely a unique sound here. Something I would hear at CBGB’s during the punk area of the 70’s-80’s with a mix of the 00’s era as well. Punk added to a Slipknot/ System of a Down singing style. With those vocals, then add the double bass and grinding snare beats, with the music of Slayer. Just musically, not hearing any vocals, I would think I’m listening to a Slayer tribute band, but when the vocals come in, they add a unique sound to the band.

SACRED HATE
http://www.myspace.com/sacredhate
Vocally, this singer can pass off for the lead singer in Lamb of God. He could fill in for him and no one would be able to tell the difference. In this band though, the singer also uses death metal vocals, so that’s a little different than just straight metal core. Drum kit has a decent sound, I think the snare and the one crash cymbal is miked just slightly high, but it stays in line with the crushing guitar riffs, so it doesn’t sound out of sync. Guitars sound real good, some heavy music to this band. Not bad at all.

SAMARA
http://www.myspace.com/rimetal
Black metal from Worchester, MA, my second home. These guys have a heavy sound to them, not the typical black metal sound though. They do have the blast beats and the double bass. They do have the grinding guitar riffs. What they don’t have, which I’m happy about, is the keyboards. They seem to be in every black metal band lately, but these guys don’t have them. I don’t think they even need them, they have a good sound without them. Vocally, the singer does have the screams and the higher vocals ranges with the death metal vocals mixed in as well. Good sounding band.

(SIC)MONIC
http://www.sicmonic.com/
Here we have a fairy new band from Arizona. Their singer has two voices, reminds of me the Sevendust/Taproot sound. The vocals are all sweet and innocent sounding at first, then the heavy music kicks in and the singer does a 180 and starts in with the heavy metal core vocal style. Music sounds really good, it’s very heavy and they have some great riffs and break down parts. Interesting.

SOULKEEP
http://www.myspace.com/soulkeep
Here is some thrash/death metal music with some equally heavy vocal. He ranges from death metal, to thrash, to a touch of black metal, and then add in some King Diamond screams and singing and you have your singer description. Music has some guitar solo’s which sound pretty sweet, some killer riffs and some head banging mosh music. Double bass is moving pretty fast and sounds real good too. Not bad.

SYNTHETIC THEORY
http://www.myspace.com/synthetictheory
This is a guy who did all of the music himself off the of the computer and recently just added another member to his band, a singer. He has been using frootyloops to make the music. Anyway, I feel like I’m listening to the theme for Super Mario Brothers on speed. Real fast with the double bass drums and the synthezer has some unique sounds coming from it.

EXEKRATOR
http://www.exekrator.com/
This starts off super fast and heavy, I didn't know what to expect, but then the vocals come in and I don't think they mixed well. We have black metal music, minus the keyboards, and then power metal vocals. The singer switches and goes into black metal vocals during the song, which sounds awesome. He has the black metal and King Diamond combination going on. But the power metal vocals just don't go with the music. Can't say I'm a big fan of this.

FNA
http://www.myspace.com/fna999
Hailing from Texas, we have an old school thrash metal band. Right now it looks like they only have 2 members and are in search of a drummer. Some of the songs they have, the singer reminds me of Joey Belladonna. Other parts, the singer reminds me of Kurt Brecht (DRI). Musically, they have the old school thrash sound to them. Whoever or whatever did the drums on their sound clips sounds pretty good, but I can't tell for sure if it's a drum machine, I'm leaning toward it's not though. Have some good guitar riffs with some kicking solo's.

MOLESTATION
Here comes grinding death metal from Salinas, CA. They say Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera are influences and I can totally hear that. I think in one of the grunts I heard Genie in a Bottle lyric's. Just kidding, I'm a comedian now you know. Anyway, total grindcore death metal. They are extremely fast, I believe I can compare the drummer to the likes of Krisiun and anyone else who blasts at inhuman speeds. The riffs are moving just as fast as the drums and the singer has the low death metal vocals you hear in most death metal bands. The songs are from their first CD, which came out this year (2005).

TO THE BONE
http://www.tothebone.tv/
These guys are right over the bridge from me....somewhere. Here is a metal band, with a touch of speed metal to them. They remind of me Skid Row and Faster Pussycat mixed together on speed. Singer does have touches of Bach and Downe. Musically, they are a hard sounding metal band, playing 20X faster than the norm. They have a good sound, some rocking beats and riffs. Not bad at all.

ALL IS BLACK
http://www.myspace.com/allisblack
This is a rock/metal band, more on the heavy rock side. It's not bad, the sound clips are a little muddy so it's hard to hear the vocals and music blend together. Vocally she reminds me of a softer version of the Jack Off Jill singer from the Clear Hearts, Grey Flowers album. Also reminds me of the singer from Lullacry, who has a great voice. Musically, it's heavy, it's rock sounding with an edge. I bet it would sound 10x better if they had some clearer clips.

STUCK IN KAOS
http://www.stuckinkaos.com/
Here is metal core band coming from West Virginia. They have a great sound to them. Vocally, I'm thinking old school Vision of Disorder and some of the new sounds coming from Bloodsimple. The singer has that raw, 'I'm gonna throw my voice out in every song' sound. They have a couple good break down points too. I can imagine their pits are pretty nuts. Musically, they also remind me of old school VOD. They have a release that came out in 2002 and a new release coming out soon. Tracks for both albums are on their web site, and I suggest checking them out.

BEFORE SILENCE
http://www.beforesilence.com/
When I went to their web site, it was done real professional, so I knew this guys weren't messing around. I listened to track from their first demo, released in January 2004, called The Screaming Wolves. This is a progressive power metal band. The music is technical and has a good progressive sound to it. They have soothing keyboards mixed in there that give it a very atmospheric sound. Vocally, he isn't singing as high as the singer for Iced Earth, or Blind Guardian, but he is up there.

BURIED ABOVE
http://www.buriedabove.iwarp.com/; http://www.myspace.com/buriedabove
Here is a metal band coming from Dallas, TX. These guys have a strong simlarity to Pantera. Vocally, I would have thought Phil was singing, except he is probably too busy now pumping water out of his basement. Musically they are very heavy. They have some breakdowns, some heavy moshing parts, I can see the pit in my head now. They have some decent hard hitting riffs. Not bad.

DARK REIGN
http://www.myspace.com/darkreign
This isn't bad at all. This band has a really good sound, musically and also production wise. For an MP3, it sounds damn good, which is rare anymore. These guys are a metal band coming from California and are young. The oldest member is 21 and two of them are 16!. It reminds me slightly of the sound I heard coming from Soilwork, Arch Enemy, the bands with the Swedish metal sound. That slight sound, mixing with another slight sound of old school thrash metal. Those two sounds combined and add the strong metal sound, you have Dark Reign. I have to give some kudos to their drummer, he has a great sound.

NEQUICIA
http://www.nequicia.tk/
I went sent two tracks from this band who is coming to us all the way from Argentina. I have the tracks Partiendo Cabezas (or Breaking Heads) and Demonios (or Demons). These guys all played in metal bands before, their singer was a doom/ thrash singer, other members were in death metal bands. So no surprise when they get together, they are a big clusterfuck of all types of metal music. They have the black/death metal vocals. Very low sounding, very brutal, but he also can high pitch scream and sing, like the sounds that would come from a King Diamond record. Very extreme metal.

SCORN OF EARTH
http://www.myspace.com/scornofearth
Hailing from Pittsburgh, PA we have a fairly new band playing some great fast metal. I want to say they have a metal core sound to them. Vocally they do, reminds of me of the Lamb of God singer's vocal style. They have some great mosh parts in their songs. They have some vocal break downs as well, like how Shadows Fall does it, with Matt's nice soothing vocals. They have a mix musically of Shadows Fall meeting Lamb of God. Very heavy and the drummer has a great set of feet, he is flying with his double bass.

FIVE YEAR STARE
http://www.fiveyearstare.com/
Awesome sounding band and rightfully so. Five Year Stare is has members who use to play in Scar Culture, Coded and Steroemud. Music is extremely heavy, not as heavy as Scar Culture was, but I don't think they are even in the same genre so it's unfair to compare them. From what I remember Scar Culture was more speed/death metal and this has a thrashy heavy metal sound. Musically, has the Pantera-thrashy-metal sound to them. Their song My God reminds of me Walk actually. Vocally, I think it is a mix between Metallica/Pantera/Damageplan vein. Again, the heavy thrashy sound vocally as well. Worth checking out.

BLACKHOLE
http://blackholemetal.com/
These guys are from South Korea. They have clips from their album Hero on line, which is where I heard the album at. Their bio says "raw edge of metal, inspiring lyrics and a hint of traditional oriental sounds-a unique" which I agree with. Very progressive sounding band, reminds me of Dream Theater. Technical guitar solo's. I'm surprised a label has not picked them up yet. They have been around since the late 80's too.

CONFESSIONAL BOOTH DEVIRGINATION
Myspace; http://www.confessionalboothdevirgination.tk/
Here is a two man/woman band from Mexico. They call themselves a "Glamorous Gore Grind Band. Vocally, it sounds like something I would hear if a pig farm was next to my house and they were slaughtering the pigs. High pitch squealing vocals and there is a mix of low Matt Bishop/ Lividity vocals. Sounds are real short, about 2 minutes a piece (give or take). Double bass just keeps flying thru the whole songs.

STRINGED VENGEANCE
http://www.myspace.com/travissmith
Right here is a one man band. Travis has done everything on all of the tracks. They aren't the best quality, they were recorded with a 4 track recorder, but they sound good enough to get his music out there for all to hear. The tracks on Myspace are tracks he took from different CD's he has been on. Musically, it's heavy, a very heavy thrash metal sound to them all. Vocally, he is kinda a mix metal black and death metal, more leaning towards the death metal. Very low sounding. A couple guitar solo's here and there, which guitar fans would find enjoyable.

DRAGONIA
http://www.dragonia.org/
Here is a band from Italy and they are described as an Epic Metal Band. I have to agree with that description. Now, normally I'm not a fan of power metal. I can't stand it. However, these guys have the same sound of Demons and Wizards, who is a band I love. Whether it's the guitar sound, drums or not overdoing it on the high vocals, this is a great power metal band. Great guitar solo's, which is something I normally don't like to listen to, but again, they didn't bother me and I enjoyed hearing it.

SOFTEDGE
http://www.softedge.tk/
http://www.myspace.com/softedgeband
I reviewed some of this band's MP3's a while ago, and I have to say, it sounds a lot better than what I heard before. There are two tracks available, Underrated and Break of Redemption. Vocally, they have gotten a lot heavier than what I remember they sounding like before. Now instead of a Lamb of God sound, they sound more like a more clear and understandable version of Chris Barnes. Not to mention, the double bass is flying and you can hear it perfectly, which I love. Very heavy, worth checking out.

MIKE KNOLL
Knollme@aol.com
Mike use to play in the band 420 back a few years ago. He was in another New York band before 420, I just can't remember what it was. He sent me two mp3's to listen to, Guardian Angel and You Can't Bring Me Down. Very Ministry/ Nine Inch Nails sounding. Has the whole industrial sound to them both. Singing wise, some parts remind me of Marilyn Manson. I'm almost 99.8% sure there is a drum machine being used too.

AT HOPES END
http://www.myspace.com/athopesend
http://www.athopesend.com/
The first song I listened to, At Hopes End, started off with a slow melodic start. Almost like something I would hear in the beginning of a Cradle of Filth album. But once the music and singing starts in, this is nothing close to black metal (thank god). Good pure metal from Clearfield, PA. I can't pin point who the singer would remind me of, he has a heavy voice, the screaming like you would hear in a hardcore album. Musically they are super fast and tight. The drummer flies with his double bass. All 3 songs on Myspace sound good, and metal-hardcore fans should check them out.

MICK MADNESS
http://www.mickmadness.com/
Mick Madness is a one man band out of Detroit (Rock City!!), and rock is what this guy can do. Mick has been playing guitar since he was very young and with Vai and Malmsteen influences of his, you can imagine the guitar solo's in his tracks. The vocals are nothing special, they are heavy vocals, but they mesh well with the music. Musically, the tracks I heard were heavy and hard hitting. They sound like a mix between Godsmack and Disturbed. I would have liked to her some more beats with the drums, but that's probably because I'm a drummer and I listen for that sort of thing. Rock and guitar fans from all around will enjoy this.

SUPERVILLAIN
http://www.musicrealms.com/SUPERVILLAIN/
This is definitely something I would hear on my Sirius hair metal station if they would have made it big in the 80's, with all of the other hair bands. This isn't hair metal, but it does have that trashy, sleazy guitar sound you would hear in a lot of those bands. Always have a good guitar solo in the songs I have heard. Vocals are raspy, almost want to say they remind me of Taime Downe (Faster Pussycat)/ Tom Keifer (Cinderella) and Bon Scott (Ac/Dc), a mix of somewhere in between those 3 singers. The drums have the high sound to them and lots of the splashy cymbal's (which are my favorite). A must listen to for fans of the 80's sound.

BLASTMASTERS
http://www.blastmasters1.com/
Death metal and some speed thrown in there. Musically, this band sounds like Krisiun. It's fast, the double bass is flying, the blast beats are a mile a minute for every piece of the songs. That drummer's upper body must be built like a house. Guitar solo's are extremely fast moving and technical sounding. Vocals remind of me Dave Vincent from Morbid Angel. They are deep, brutal and evil sounding, they have a touch of black metal, Dani Filth style. For death metal, the songs I heard were not very long either. Less than 4 minutes, which is good, because in my opinion when the song gets to be very long, it's repetitive and boring. Brutal death metal fans will enjoy.

DYING FIRE
http://www.dyingfire.tk
This is a power metal band from Finland. They are a fairy new band, just getting together last year, in 2004. The singer can hit the Rob Halford high notes, but the rest of the singing isn't anything out of the ordinary. I'm not a big power metal listener, so I don't know who I could compare these guys to. Musically, they sound real good, it's very heavy and fast. Power metal fans should take a listen.

CARBOMB
http://www.carbomb.us/
Their site is pretty cool- There is a little music player up at the top, and you click on it and it will play the songs and just keep looping. It locked up my computer switching to the next song, but it was worth it. Anyway, these guys remind me of heavier System of a Down. The singer mostly reminds me of them. The music is heavy as shit. They describe themselves as a death metal band from NY, sounding like Dillinger and Meshuggah. They kick ass. Musically they are all over the place, they have the NY death mosh beats, and the singer is screaming like crazy. Once the drummer breaks into the double bass, it's pure intensity. Check them out, one of the better bands I have heard all year.

CODED
http://www.coded.tv
This is a female fronted metal band. Sounds really good. There is a riff that reminds of a song off the radio (no clue what it is now), but then they go into this riff that reminds me of Helmet!!! It's that heavy stop- go sound, like in Unsung. She has a decent voice too, it's heavy, but she can sing as well. She reminds me of a heavier Amy Lee from Evanescence. The band has a heavy sound to them.

VINAGRON
http://www.vinagron.cjb.net
http://music.download.com/vinagron/3600-8657_32-100414324.html?tag=listing_song_artist
Here is a death noise band from Mexico. I couldn't get to their site to listen to the song file, I found it on music.download and I have listed that link. Their site for the past few weekends was coming up unavailable. The band says their full demo is there. I only got to hear one song from these guys, "No hay de harina". Real short song, less than 2 minutes long. Guitars and drums sounded excellent, real heavy. Vocally, I thought it was cookie monster from Sesame Street trying to sing death metal. Gave me flash backs of my childhood. The song I heard was real good, I suggest checking it out.

TRANSIENT
http://www.edwardfaust.com/projects.html
This band use to be called Winter. They are described as dark melodic progressive metal. Very technical sounding. For the two songs I listened to, What Lies Within and The Circle, they sound like real heavy ballads. I don't listen to progressive that much, so maybe that is what they are suppose to sound like. The singer has a good voice, he can hit the high notes. Reminds me of Rob Halford, but not as pitchy. Their influences are bands such as Opeth and Evergrey. This is definitely really good.

DAWN OF DEFIANCE
http://www14.brinkster.com/dawnofdefiance/sounds.htm; http://www14.brinkster.com/dawnofdefiance/
The beginning of the song I'm listening, The Eyes of a Killer, started off old school thrashy. Then, the song kicked in with vocals and it switched to sound like something off of the Master of Puppets CD. Very fast speed metal. Vocals are pretty deep, a mix between some thrash and death metal. Very evil sounding. A lot better than the original songs I heard from them before. The music has progressed.

GHOULUNATICS
http://www.ghoulunatics.com
This band came from two other Canadian bands, Leprocy (who I have heard before) and Crypt Keeper. I had a hell of a time trying to get a song to listen to from these guys. Two of the links did not work and this worked on the 2nd try, but took about 20 minutes just to open the file. The song I snagged was Sabaothany. Good thing I like this song or heads were going to roll! Their music really has an old school punk sound to them. Real fast, real punky. Very heavy sounding. Vocals are evil sounding, like something I would hear from Dani Filth. Not high annoying vocals, but just higher than death metal. Good sounding band.

JAW
http://www.xjawx.com/
The song I am listening to first is Kin and I like it a lot. Starts off with this awesome sounding double bass, which is always a plus with me. Singer reminds me of Max from Sepultura. Very heavy sound to them. Also, in the middle of the song, the singer breaks into this Tool sounding vocal style which also sounds pretty cool. They have two singers as well, and they blend pretty well together. Has some cool breakdown part at the end. I'm very much digging this. Second song, the Calm, he has a different vocal style, more sounding like the Tool vocals. Still a good tune.

ON A DEAD MACHINE
http://www.onadeadmachine.com/
Musically, this sounds like a Smashing Pumpkin song for the song I'm listening to, A Million Helicopters and One Dollar. I like this band though- very rock sounding. Singer reminds me of the guy from Oleander. That kind of style. He does have a metal breakdown, and it sounds like a different singer. Goes from soft rock sound, to a All that Remains/Shadows Fall screaming type vocal sound. The next song I downloaded, The Morning After, is a little heavier and the metalcore vocals are more thru out the song. They still keep to their rock sound though. Very good band.

PSEUDOSTRATIFFIED EPITHELIUM
http://www.zonaunderground.net/default.asp?seccion=mp3&id=222
Here is some brutal death metal from Costa Rica. Very fast, very heavy and the drummer has some sick double bass going on. Very deep vocals, Chris Barnes type. Touch of black metal sounding as well. The sound is a little low, but that is expected with MP3's. Very tight band, I have heard a lot of bands who are just all over the place and very sloppy, but these guys have their shit together.

PREDATORY
http://www.geocities.com/predatory_sg1/Downloads
The song I'm listening to are from a demo released by the band in 2002. They were hoping to record their new album in 2004, but when I checked their web site, that has been changed to the beginning of 2005. This is some old school thrash metal with death metal vocals- sound is a little muddy due to mp3 quality, but that is expected. Decent guitar solo's, have a good sound to them. Also from the same demo for download, they have an instrumental song. Not very long, a short little song with just one guitar. Not very heavy, nice melody though.

SEVEN CIRCLES
http://fryde.com/lantzrock/mp3.htm
I was having a hard time getting the full mp3's, so I was only able to listen to little snippets of their songs. This is a little weird. Def not something I would normally listen to. Very experimental. Sounds a little gothic too. The singer reminds me of Mike Patton, in the clips that I heard. He is trying out different styles through out his songs and that's similar to Patton. Not overly heavy, at parts it is though.

SOFTEDGE
For some reason, I had a hell of a time listening to this- My real player sucks and the Iuma mp3 file did not work. So I was able to listen to the song for about 30 songs at a time and then it would rebuffer and kick back in for another 30 seconds. Real pain in the ass, but like I said, it's probably my computer. Anyway, here we have a MetalCore/HardCore band from the UK. They have a really decent song, parts musically remind me of Sworn Enemy and the vocals remind me of a heavier Lamb of God. Some decent screams and growls, they had a couple really good breakdowns- either it was that or my player, but either or, it still sounded good.

S.R.L.
http://www.s-r-l.it/music.htm
This is another metal band from Italy, but I would call them light thrash, more like a heavy metal, but with a touch of fast thrash metal. I have to say, the singer reminds me of a heavier version of the guy from Lacuna Coil. Almost the same type of vocal style. He has a heavier sounding voice though, not really singing. The bass player, Jerico, also plays for the band Subliminal Crusher, but they are two different styles of music. This band I believe it not as heavy, but they still have a good sound.

SUBLIMINAL CRUSHER
http://www.subcrush.it/eng/Downloads/downloads.htm/
I listened to 2 Mp3's on their site, Life Drought and Affection. Both are really good. In the first song, the singer really reminds me of Lamb of God singer, with a slightly deeper voice. Musically, they have the Swedish sound, of guitars and melody's, having a sound like Shadows Fall. In the second song (Affection), the vocals are a little deeper and heavier than how they were described before. The musically is a little heavier as well and I would describe them more with a thrash band with a touch of metal core. The vocals are just about one step above a death metal band, still wouldn't classify them with that genre, but any lower, I would. Great sound to them.

THIS WREN'S BROKEN WINGS
http://www.angelfire.com/creep/somethingnew/dbtr.mp3
The file was taking a long time to open, I tried about 3 times to get it to open and finally, after a little while, it started. This is def unlike anything I have heard before in my life. This is one guy doing this by himself. Beginning sounds like just high black metal vocals and guitars. Then in the middle through the end of the song, he switches it up between the black metal vocals and regular singing, which is more rock oriented. It actually reminds me of Adam Sandler's singing in the Wedding Singer during the parts he isn't doing black metal vocals. Very different and experimental stuff here.

AKPHAEZYA
http://www.akphaezya.com/
For some reason, I was having problems listening to this mp3- The first time I tried, I couldn't download them, and the second time, I was only able to get one song. I got to listen to Secret of Time from them. They have a female singer and she sounds like a cross between Aneke from the Gathering and one singer from Jack off Jill, the Clear Hearts album. The music had a slight folky sound to it at parts, which sounded really cool, but for the most part, they had a metal sound. They were a very talented band, very technical in just the one song I heard.

DECRYPT
www.geocities.com/decrypt2grind
Well, the singer can sure hold a fucking note, or a scream, that's for sure. These guys are really good. They have a bunch of different sounds, but it's all summed up as death metal. Their harmonies are just all over, which makes it good, note the same shit over and over. They have a lot of pure metal riffs and the drummer is fast and tight. The singer mixes his has screaming vocals, (reminds me of Dave Kilber from Lividity), with his semi-low death metal voice. I can't think of the fucking person his vocals remind me of though, I'm seeing him in my head, I'm just not remembering a name. I only got to hear one song, because when I went back for the next, the site used up all of it's data transfer space. Regardless, the song I got to hear kicked ass.

DELIAN LEAGUE
http://www.delianleague.com/media.html
I love this kind of metal. Anyone who is into the 80's metal sound will like this a lot. The music is more modern and heavier than just some hair metal band. Reminds me of the Swedish metal sound, In Flames, Shadows Fall type of music sounding. Very technical with the guitars. The singer has a great voice. I think his voice is a mix between something from the 80's and a power metal band of today, just not with all of the high pitch singing. Very good band, I'm impressed and I like this a lot.

GORDRED
Here is a thrash band from BC, Canada. They have a chick singer and honestly, she sounds like she should be singing in a black metal band, rather than the thrash band. She just has the black metal sound to her vocals and her voice sounds super evil. She reminds me of Angela from Arch Enemy, except her vocals are a lot higher than Angela. The music sounds almost like speed thrash metal band. For the two tracks I heard, the sound was a little muffled, but this is an mp3, so you can't really expect the best sound anyway. Not bad.

GRIDLOKT
http://www.gridlokt.net/
These guys are just all over the place. They have a mix of every heavy band out there. Singer reminds me of the Sevendust singer. Really good voice. There are parts where they have a slight Slipknot sound to the vocals as well. Also, he reminded me of Max from Sepultura, when they were good and he sounded bad ass. The music is pretty heavy, a mix of Pantera and Slipknot. The drummer is really good and fast, also reminds me of the drummer of Slipknot. Pretty decent sounding band.

LOKNUT
http://www.loknut.com/media.htm
These guys have an old school thrash sound to them. Singer reminds me slightly of DRI. He has that deep thrashy sounding voice. They have some groovy parts to their songs as well. which really sound good. I listened to the 5 on the web site and I think my favorite is the Bloodfest. I could see these guys opening for Metallica back in the day, when they were actually good. Not a bad sound.

SHAITAN MAZAR
http://www.shaitanmazar.com
This is coming from us from one of the members in Lecherous Noctune, who I absolutely love, and two former members of Nile, Chief and John. This is very different than Nile or LN. This is a very toned down band compared to the others. There are parts of this that really remind me of a slightly heavier Godsmack/Alice in Chains. Then there are parts that they are reminding me of Mastodon. The guitars have a very heavy sound to them, so even though they are sounding like Alice in Chains, it's still heavy. Pretty decent.

SHATTER PROOF
http://www.shatter-proof.org/
Am I listening to Bret Michael's new band? Oh, these guys are from Boston, not LA. The singer has the total Bret sound down. Sounds like Look What the Cat Dragged in, just without all of the hair metal sounding guitars. They have a hard rock/ slightly metal sound to the music. The drummer is extremely good, and I read on their web site his dad was the original drummer for Aerosmith, which explains a lot. He's doing rim shots and small little fills you usually don't hear much of anymore. They also mentioned on their site they have a bluesy sound, which I can totally pick up on. Different sounding, but they are good.

ZERO BY NONE
Awesome sounding metal band. Singer reminds me of the singer from Blind Guardian or Iced Earth, but not because of the power metal sound, just because how good the guy sings. Really great sounding voice. Almost reminds me of something I would have listened to in the 80's, but the music is much more today sounding. The guitars are really good, different melodies and the drummers double bass is so clear you can hear every time he hits the bass drum. It seems that the older clips they have on the site are a bit heavier than the newer stuff they are doing for the new album coming out soon. Regardless, they sound really good and I suggest checking them out if you are into metal.

ANGUISH- Promo CD 2003
This is some brutal death metal from Malaysia. I can totally feel the Morbid Angel in the music and I also can detect an influence of Carcass. The music is real good, some catchy riffs and they have a very technical sound to them as well. The vocals are extremely low growls with some high pitches here and there.

BODY PART TROPHY CASE
http://www.bodyparttrophycase.com/
These guys are from my area. They are a speed metal thrash band. The singer could be compared to Phil from Pantera. He sounds just like him, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. The music is heavy, they are pretty tight too. Definitely check them out.

BUCKETHITCH
http://www.buckethitch.com/
A rock and roll trio from Canada. The singer is pretty much screaming into the mic, that’s for sure. Something you would hear from an old school punk band, that’s his style. The music isn’t bad, I would say it’s heavier than the description they give themselves.

DAWN OF DEFIANCE
http://www14.brinkster.com/dawnofdefiance/sounds.htm
http://www14.brinkster.com/dawnofdefiance/
These guys are a mix pretty much of everything. It’s very dark music, that’s for sure. Then the vocals come in and they are deep vocals, with some growls. The second song I heard, Summoning Death, it started off very slow and melodic and then kicked in with some heavy thrash. There are some cool melody changes in the song. I’m not really into the dark, doomy metal, but they are worth checking out if you are.

DEMONIZER
http://members.lycos.nl/demonizer/demonizersongs.html
http://members.lycos.nl/demonizer/
These MP3’s are from a live show they had in 1995. It sounds like some death metal with those black metal screams here and there. The drummer is super good, he has real fast double bass. They have some slow breakdown parts in the songs too, but then it goes right back into the grind. I’d be curious to see what they sound like now, 7 years later.

DETACHED
These guys aren't bad. The singer has the James Hetfield voice to a 't'. The music isn't Metallica sounding though, they aren't as fast. Just an old school metal band. They have some good guitar solo'ing too and the riff's are pretty catchy as well.

ESCAPE
http://www.escapemetal.com/
This is a rock/metal band from Brazil. For some reason, the singer reminds me of Joey Belladonna (the old anthrax singer), Ronnie Dio and at some parts Dave Mustang (the Megadeth guy). They have some rocking music and they don’t sound bad. It's a mix of old school thrash and some modern metal music. They are pretty heavy too.

GEOMANCER
http://www.geocities.com/geomancermetal/sounds.html
http://www.geomancer.cjb.net/
Here is some instrumental metal music. This reminds me of a cross between the Sweden sound (In Flames, that stuff), and Power Metal. I’m just waiting for the singer with the high pitch vocals to come chiming in, but obviously that doesn’t happen. They play fast and they seem very technical too. Not bad.

GYNECROLOGIST
http://gynecrology.free.fr/downloads.htm
http://www.gynecrology.fr.st/
This is another instrumental band. Or at least the album I’m listening to it. Their music is death/grind. Fucking brutal and heavy. The drummer is really good. Myself, I can’t get into songs without lyrics, but the music is really good. The riffs seems to be technical too. That’s always a plus. And the songs are super long and boring. Not bad.

HELGOR- Demo 2003
http://www.helgor.com/
Super low Morbid Angel vocals. That's who they remind me of. The drummer has his double bass flying. Some cool guitar riffs too. There is one song which is total grind core. He has these screams that it just sounds like someone is squeezing his balls. Brutal death with a mix of grind core.

HUMAN AFTERTASTE
http://www.humanaftertaste.com/
These guys have one hell of a web site. Even if you aren't into their music, you should check out their site. Pretty funny shit and very different from the sites out there, at least I think. These guys remind me of Manson, or at least his vocals do. It's just some heavy music, not death metal or hard core or anything. Musically, they remind me of Minstry or NIN. If you are into Industrial music, you'll be into this. I could see them opening for Manson or NIN one day.

KILLHARMONIC
http://www.killharmonic.8k.com/
I love the description they give themselves: Indonesian Symphonichaos Gorechestra Brutal Death. That’s great. Not sure what it means, but I like it. The guitars sound pretty technical and the drummer is flying with his blast beats. The singer has a super low voice too.

MASTITIS
http://home.hccnet.nl/r.ruitenbeek/promo_cd/promo_cd.htm
From the sound of the music at first, I thought this was going to be some power metal. Then the vocals kick in and they are death metal. Chris Barnes type. They get super fast too. They have the high pitched screams here and there. They are pretty heavy. Check them out.

MIKE KNOLL
Reminds me of a mix of Megadeth and Metallica. More Megadeth, but Metallica for the sound of the riffs. He has a Dave Mustang voice to a tee, but he also can sound like Hetfield. It sounds like he has some industrial stuff going on too. Old school thrash metal.

MULCH
http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/mulch/
Death metal that sounds pretty decent. Singer reminds me of Chris Barnes. They are fast with pretty cool guitar riffs. Double bass flying. A must hear for any death metal fan.

NECRODEMON
http://www.necrodemon.com/mp3.html
http://www.necrodemon.com/
Brutal death metal. There are parts where is sounds like he is using an echo or some kind of effect on his voice, but I could be wrong. Not bad, they are fast, the production for an mp3 isn’t horrible.

QWESTION
http://www.qwestion.net/; jensmetalpage@qwestion.net
These guys have a couple different kinds of MP3’s on the site. They have Progressive metal classifications, Industrial Metal, and Acid Jazz. For some reason Industrial was the only one I could get to work on MP3.com. They do have small clips on their site of the songs. They just have a different, unique sound to them, which is rare to find these days.

SCROTAL HAEMMORAGE
Well, you gotta give them some credited. They recorded their mp3’s thru a karaoke machine and then taped onto sound recorder and put onto a cd. And they are right, it’s not very good quality. But you can make it out. The singer has some of the lowest growls I have ever heard. The music is alright, not horrible, but not the best I have ever heard either. I’d like to hear them with some good production, as I’m sure that would make a world of difference.

VILGEFORTZ
http://www.vilgefortz.glt.pl/
For an MP3, the sound is pretty decent. I'm listening to Desolated and it starts off real heavy and fast. Then they slow it down for a notch and then speed up again. The drummer is flying on his double bass. The vocals have the deep death metal sound to them, and they also have a touch of black metal as well. Not the high pitch screaming though. Musically, they are really put together. They have really good riffs and their sound is just pretty decent. Check them out.

WINTER
Here is some progressive metal coming out of NJ. The singer has a good voice, he could even pull off doing a power metal band if he wanted. Nevermore, Pain of Salvation, Ark are just some of their influences. I’m not a big fan of progressive music, but for those who are, they should check them out.

ANIM8TED DEAD
http://animated-dead.20m.com/index.html
I don't have their demo, but I was contacted by them and I listened to their mp3's and they are damn good. They have the old school Cannibal Corpse sound. I dig them a lot.

GLOBAL APATHY
I wanted to review all the songs on the site for the mp3's, but they took forever to download. So I only have the one. You can hear it for yourself if you are interested. These guys sound really good. I can't think of someone to compare them too. They have a real good sound, real crisp from what I heard. I wouldn't call these guys death metal, but they are real heavy. I suggest you download the mp3's and give it a listen to yourself.