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