Chasing Claymores: I really don't know how you'd go around chasing a Claymore in real life, but I can only imagine the main result would include being violently stabbed by a furious Jacobite warrior. However, the music of San Diego quartet Chasing Claymores doesn't really carry the grisly imagery of Primary 6 history lessons at all. But the power of the hooks and swinging sing-along moments on already cememnted hits Smile and Fake It and Well Played, Mauer are the kind that really allows you to cement your faith in pop punk and believe that people talking about New Found Glory spreading an influence isn't such a band thing after all. Check them out on their official Facebook page.
Bad Taste: As much as I do love my pop punk, there's nothing cooler than hearing a bunch of guys that really know how to make real punk music, with rawness, energy and the ability to make your songs sound more fiery and violent than anything else recorded in the history of the world. And who knows after a dose of music like that, you may be left with a Bad Taste. The Lancashire quartet are getting set to release their new album Generation Dead and you can prepare by watching their frenetic live performances on YouTube. You'll only really find live performances by them on that website but you can hear some of their first recordings as part of the soundtrack of band's self-made horror film The Angel of Death made from 2005-06. It's probably the greatest work of film since Troll 2. Check them out on their Youtube account.
Cardona: Do you accept djent as a legitimate musical genre? I don't, but this band is still awesome. Looking to set their own standards within the new youthful airs of progressive metal as set by Periphery, Atlanta sextet Cardona have already managed to tear into the realms of progressive metal with their creation of mind-warping soundscapes, crushing grooves and a hardcore sensibility, as demonstrated on their debut full length Seasons. At a time when the truly best names in the realms of modern metal are beginning to truly make their mark, Cardona could truly be ones to watch. Check them out on their BigCartel page.
High Hopes: As you first go onto the Youtube account of pop rock duo High Hopes, you're treated to a song titled Star Wars & Poetry. If I tell you it's a song in which lead singer Joel Cossette sings about being a guy that wears a Star Wars T-Shirt and is a bit of a nerd, you might think, "Oh they're clearly just a bunch of people looking to make some quirky comedy songs!" Actually, the amount of wholehearted passion and overtones of possibly personal tragedy that goes into the songs lyrics make you realise this is a band worth so much more than the reputation of a couple of Canadian goofballs. While letting some humour have an appearance in what they do, amongst the overwhelming genuineness of their songs, it's going to be impossible not to fall in love with these guys. Check them out on their Youtube account.
Rain Must Fall: Referring to themselves as "Pennsylvania's" Premier Alternative Rock Band, Rain Must Fall might sound a little bit egotistical, but might know exactly what they're talking about at the same time. Their songs have the perfect levels of steel-plated melodies and bursts of energy to produce perfect alt rock hits, while revealing the kind of classic rock influence that covers The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and even a sprinkling of Rush. With this awesome mixture, Rain Must Fall are a perfect example of the kind of band that would prompt everyone to say "These guys should be bigger" only in this this case they actually should be. Check them out on their official Facebook page.
Bleed the Trinity: Texas seems to be a place where a lot of American metalcore is taking it's cue from. With While She Sleeps and Bury Tomorrow becoming the two best names in the trade right now, the genre is looking to put considerable focus on the best and post aggressive groups on offer. St. Worth's Bleed the Trinity are one of these many bands that bring the metal, and bring it with stone rooted brutality. Their two main songs Presents at a Funeral and 7 Fucking Chuckles prove they carry an unrelenting force higher than many of their contemporaries with an ability to pounce into melodies with no need for poppy auto-tuning or melodramatic emo mindsets. Check them out on their ReverbNation account.
Advice From a Caterpillar: Okay, so they might be named after a song from the musical adaptation of Alice & Wonderland but they're not quite that bombastic. However, Manchester indie quintet prove themselves to have the same amount of musical grace and grandeur that you may find in wonderland. The immense craft that goes into their current hits Ballast in the Bloodstream and in fact the entirety of their debut EP Many-Worlds is made up with influences taken from the best names of britpop and a genuinely working folk influence and with the roughened vocals of Kyle Williams III delivering heart-filled lyrics this is another band for whom you can do nothing but love. Check them out at their BandCamp account.
Survive to Rise: When a band intends to be as brutal as possible, it's normally expected that your rhythmic style will consist very much of basic meat and potatoes breakdowns. Toronto quartet Survive to Rise have some different ideas and with much listening to the Dillinger Escape Plan and Protest the Hero having been done, their not afraid to show of their more technical abilities on their guitar. Sharpened up metallic patterns come thick and fast, literally flung in almost any direction. It's with this ability to match brains with brawn, as seen throughout their debut EP Dismantle the Construct, that you can tell this is a band that wants to and will find themselves separated from their contemporaries. Check them out on their PureVolume account.
Cherry Bloom: Mixing their infectiously catchy metal hooks with a clawing undertone of funk, class and swaggering rock and roll, Paris duet Cherry Bloom have been making a hell of a storm with their new album Open & Die. With influences from some of the biggest and best names in rock music and proving the extent of the talent that two people can operate with, the band reveal themselves to be another band along with the likes of Headcharger and Aqme to prove that France may be the place to look for upcoming rockers again. And I can't say that's a notion I saw coming. Check them out on their official website.
Life Between Sleep: Maybe the band name's referring to attempting to live in between listening to LP copies of Dopesmoker and Sleep's Holy Mountain. It wouldn't be an easy way to live. So many wasted hours. But considering that Long Island's alt rock quartet aren't making any kind of references to one of the heaviest bands ever, they have they ability to create music with far more energy and gripping melodies that also manages to wonder into more ambient and grungy territories. Their new EP The Dynamic of Brothers is a relentless thrill throughout, that never presents you with typical alt rock conventions. Ones to watch for sure, if you're not sitting around to 63 minute long stoner epics. Check them out at their BandCamp account.
So once again, I leave with the delight of discovering great new music. Music more substantial and more thoughtful than fucking Vampires Everywhere! (Sorry, I'm still pissed about all that.) With more coverage, there's nothing stopping any of these bands from growing huge and this time it would be deservedly so. I'm planning on posting on Twitter so it can be aimed at all the bands involved, so if you are from one of these bands and reading this, well, thanks for reading it, that's really cool, I hope what I've said about you is good and I hope you now go and check out some of the other bands on this page that you maybe hadn't heard before. You could check them out, become friends, maybe even collaborate with each other. It would be the coolest thing ever!
