Unsigned Bands

InTensity – Times Review

By Angry Metal Guy on July 15, 2010 in 2.0, 2010, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Unsigned Bands, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, 0 comments

You may have noticed that AMG doesn’t actually really do a lot of unsigned band reviews. Partially this is ’cause we don’t get a lot of unsigned demos, and partially it’s ’cause when we do they tend to be poorly delivered with little promo info and so forth. So I was pleased to get this promo from the Greek progressive modern rock band InTensity who delivered it to me via BandCamp, this is a highly recommended way of doing this, unsigned bands. Times is a four track EP that was self-produced by the vocalist/guitarist Ilias Iovis and is available digitally throughout the world today with future, physical versions to be announced.

Serenity Dies – Hacksawcracy Review

By Steel Druhm on July 13, 2010 in 2.5, 2010, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Unsigned Bands, Thrash Metal, 0 comments

A metal band from the Maldives Islands? That may be a first. Serenity Dies is a four piece metal act with one album already under their belts (2006’s Murder), and now they bring us Hacksawcracy, a six track EP. Not bad for a band tucked away in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

Iron Thrones – The Wretched Sun Review

By Angry Metal Guy on June 28, 2010 in 2010, 4.0, American Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Death, Record o' the Month, Reviews, Unsigned Bands, 3 comments

Those of you who have been reading Angry Metal Guy since the beginning will remember that I lauded heavy praise on a Minneapolis, Minnesota based band called Iron Thrones last year after I downloaded their record (for free) and had myself a little Angry Metal Hernia. The band was incredible. Like some kind of unholy cross between Opeth and Jesus… or whatever. I promptly declared the record amazing, gave it five stars and then took a cold shower. In any case, Visions of Light, the debut, still ranks as the best unsigned act I’ve ever heard and I have had very, very high hopes for the follow up record, The Wretched Sun, which will be self-released on the 27th of July after the very talented band went and won the No Label Needed contest and got sent to a pro studio.

Empuse – The Beginning of the End (1995)

By Angry Metal Guy on May 24, 2010 in Blog Posts, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Progressive Death, Swedish Metal, Unsigned Bands, 3 comments

What was happening in your life in 1995? Maybe you weren’t into metal yet, or maybe you weren’t aware that there was something growing in the heart of Sweden that would soon be one of the most successful and influential scenes in the history of heavy metal. Between 1994 and 1996 a myriad of amazing records were released from Scandinavia, Sweden in particular, but also the budding black metal scene in Norway was going on and even Finland was producing Amorphis records. Katatonia released For Funerals to Come that year, as well as it being the year of the mighty Slaughter of the Soul in 1995 as well. Go through your iTunes or on RYM or wherever and check out what was going on.

More Shroud of Despondency Amazingness

By Angry Metal Guy on May 24, 2010 in Black Metal, Blog Posts, Unsigned Bands, Black Metal, 3 comments

As far as I’m concerned, one of Wisconsin and Michigan’s best kept secrets is the solo project of one Rory Heikkila: Shroud of Despondency. I posted earlier about his amazing tracks from the record Objective: Isolation which is soon to be released (hopefully). And now, he’s apparently gotten together with the drummer and vocalist from Owlscry to create 5 new tracks of fucking amazing black metal. This stuff is sans bass and vocals and “slightly unmixed” and still it is fucking better than most of the stuff I’m getting in as promos. It is fucking phenomenal, to say the least. One observer put it like this: “Dude, your music is so good it makes me cry.” Not because it’s so emotionally evocative (though, it’s that too) but because it’s just so fucking good and as a musician you can’t help but be a little jealous.

Eternal Silence – The Arsonist Review

By Angry Metal Guy on March 16, 2010 in 2010, 4.0, American Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Unsigned Bands, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 0 comments

Eternal Silence is a death metal band that hails from New London, Wisconsin and has been around as long as this Angry Metal Guy has been into death metal. They started out in the late 90s, released a record in 98, an EP again in 2002 and then went silent, though they’ve been playing shows around Wisconsin and Illinois consistently. Like so many bands, they’ve suffered from issues surrounding labels, studios and band members, but somehow the core of this group has managed to stick together and stick it out. Sometimes stubbornness is really the best friend of a musician. Eternal Silence has shown that years of patience and hard work can pay off.

Oskoreien – Illusions Review

By Angry Metal Guy on February 24, 2010 in 2009, 4.0, American Metal, Black Metal, Reviews, Things You Might Have Missed 2009, Unsigned Bands, 2 comments

Oskoreien is another one of those DIY projects that I was directed to which delighted me to check out. There was a time when you, as a metal guy, probably got friended by Oskoreien on MySpace, when the creator was in full-on promo mode. The tracks that I remembered hearing were very much in the Ensiferum / Wintersun kind of vein. Lots of sweep picking and sort of melodic death influences. So when I got my hands on the Illusions EP I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Petrychor – Dryad Review

By Angry Metal Guy on February 16, 2010 in 2010, 4.0, American Metal, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Reviews, Unsigned Bands, Black Metal, 3 comments

I frequently complain about black metal these days. Partially this is because I think that a lot of post-black metal is fucking boring and partially ’cause the not-post-black metal is also fucking boring. In general, black metal is in a place where nothing really that interesting is going on. Sure, there are bands out there that are putting out good material, but for the most part the signed stuff is so-so and the classic bands are disappointing with new material and the state of the scene, in my opinion, is pretty sad. So I was pleasantly surprised to get turned onto this piece of art by the Californian do-it-yourselfer just called “T”. The project is called Petrychor and displays all of the things that I would hope to hear out of this budding scene sort of embodied in a single 3 song EP entitled Dryad.

Interview with Mary Zimmer from Luna Mortis

By Angry Metal Guy on January 22, 2010 in 2009, 2010, American Metal, Century Media, Interviews, Power Metal, Progressive Death, Progressive Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2009, Unsigned Bands, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, 1 comment

One of the most promising bands that I’ve ever encountered in my time in the underground has been Luna Mortis. Within the scene that they were surrounded by, it was basically taken for granted that if someone from the scene was going to take off it would be them (at the time called The Ottoman Empire). To no one’s surprise they got bigger, got better management, got a better band together and continued developing. To no one’s surprise they started getting good press and good reviews and making contacts. To, I think, a lot of people’s surprise they ended up getting signed by Century Media. Not that they didn’t deserve it, but just to think that a group of local kids were getting picked up by the label that had shepherded so many of us into the extreme metal scene was pretty astounding.

The Greatest Band EVER (to come from Wausau, Wisconsin that starts with a D…)

By Angry Metal Guy on January 8, 2010 in American Metal, Blog Posts, Death Metal, Unsigned Bands, WIMetal.org, 1 comment

My buddy Chris just uploaded a video from the now defunct Heathen Crusade’s first ever show. It was where his former band Dumah opened up for Moonsorrow and Primordial and it was probably one of the best shows of his, or any member of that band’s, life. Anyway, little did I know they had taped […]