By 2010, there were undeniable cracks in the foundation: fewer than 100 posts for the entire year!? In the beginning, I was writing about more releases than that almost every month! Sheesh. As a result, I'm selecting far less to look back on below, as there simply wasn't a deep enough pool to pull from. Still, plenty of gold to be heard—higher-profile and painfully underrated alike. Here's a semi-synopsis of Aversionline v3.0 circa 2010.
Some of What I Loved the Most...
Analena, Inconstantinopolis (Moonlee Records)
"Analena is responsible for what I feel may be the single best 'screamo' release of all time. I completely flipped out over this Croatian band when I first heard 'Carbon Based' back in 2004, and they've finally followed it up with the long-awaited Inconstantinopolis. As opposed to the often immediate, aggressive urgency and emotion of the last album, the band has stripped things down a touch this time around, opting for a hint more restraint and a lot more breathing room... Thick pulses of bass and straightforward percussion lay the foundation for winding melodies and explosive surges of angular riffing with loads of vocal layering—with an increased level of interplay between vocals here as well—be it singing, shouting, shrieking, screaming, speaking, etc... I sincerely hope I don't have to wait five more years to hear some new material from this outstanding (and sorely underrated) group!"
Well, 15 years later and to my dismay, Inconstantinopolis remains the final output from Analena. I'm still struggling to track down their non-album work, but if you can get your hands on either full-length, do it. This band should be required listening for anyone who appreciates this particular niche.
Various Artists, At Both Ends (Self-Released)
"The double-issue comes with a double-7" featuring two songs apiece and 25 minutes of music total from Bane, Grade, Unrestrained, and Between Earth and Sky. I know that Bane and Grade are both pretty popular bands in certain circles, but I honestly hadn't listened to either of 'em in years prior to this, so I was pleasantly surprised to really enjoy their contributions here. Unrestrained's material continues in their '90s-inspired vein of top-notch acerbity and harsh vocals blended with just the right amount of mid-paced chugging. I was probably most excited to check out Between Earth and Sky, a band that features former members of Trial, Strain, By a Thread, and Catharsis (all bands that I quite enjoy), and they don't disappoint..."
Worth it for the debut recordings from Between Earth and Sky alone, but the Grade tracks are actually some of their finest, too. Bane and Unrestrained don't disappoint either.
Charred Walls of the Damned, Charred Walls of the Damned (Metal Blade)
"[Almost] everything about this album kicks ass. I find Christy's drumming to occasionally show a little more restraint than usual, the guitar work is loaded with a diverse range of killer riffs and excellently fluid lead playing, Ripper sounds better than ever, and the songwriting's fuckin' great. With nine tracks in about 35 minutes, it's a short but sweet, energetic, and memorable metal album that really hits the spot for me in a way that I never would've expected. I simply had no idea this band had such an impressive lineup, nor that the results would indeed be so killer. I seriously can't recommend this disc enough, and have been listening to it fairly often in the last few weeks."
This album really does smoke. One of my overall favorites from 2010, believe it or not. If you've ignored 'em for one reason or another, at the very least give this particular disc a shot. Find their cover of Powermad's "Nice Dreams" from these sessions, too. Totally rules.
Cripple and Casino, Cripple and Casino (Radio is Down)
"I love situations like this where I'm taken by surprise and really dig a random album I had never heard of before—especially when it's from somewhere like Croatia, since you just don't get exposed to Croatian acts every day, you know? The band describes their sound as a combination of 'post-punk, noise rock, and post-hardcore' that continues 'the sonic legacy of Fugazi, The Jesus Lizard, Sonic Youth, Jawbox, etc.' Admittedly I don't listen to a ton of bands of this nature, but I'm always interested to hear more quality music from this general realm, and I certainly agree with their assessment of their sound (which has a definite '90s vibe, in my opinion)..."
I still need to eventually pick up physical copies of the Cripple and Casino stuff, and was surprised to re-learn just now that this one was actually released by a label in the U.S. Anyway, if you're in the market for some quirky and angular indie/alt rock that most of the world is completely unaware of, this curious group is certainly worth overdue investigation.
Deafheaven, 2010 Demo (Self-Released)
"...within a minute I had been thoroughly blown away and had already purchased their debut four-song demo. I can't remember the last time that happened, but they're just that good. I wouldn't refer to them as an 'experimental band,' though. I'd call 'em a black metal band. Perhaps that cheapens what they're doing a bit, since it's not just stripped down, raw, 'kvlt' black metal or whatever, but... hey, it is black metal. Blasting percussion; high-quality tremolo picking riffs; distant, sneering vocals... it's all here. And that's all great, but it is the little boundary-pushing bits and pieces that they offer that really pushes things over the edge—from the beautiful acoustic passages to the epic, surging melodies, and even some 'post-rock' textures, too."
Strangely, I lost track of Deafheaven in the years that followed, and honestly haven't heard much of anything they've done in the last decade. This demo was utterly fantastic, though, and somewhat of a "big deal" for me in that I always felt like my write-up actually helped the band get signed. (Deafheaven confirmed this to some degree in the USBM book.) I'm absolutely not trying to pat myself on the back in any way, but it really is very nice to know that sometimes raving about music on the internet might... actually... matter...?
Foreseen, Foreseen (Take it Back Records)
"Here's some more absolutely amazing metallic hardcore from Finland, via Helsinki's Foreseen. This material's in more of a late-'80s/early-'90s NYHC crossover style, so you can expect vicious breakdowns, scorching solos, and top-notch riffs that balance a mid-paced hardcore crunch with raging thrash metal. A lot of current hardcore bands seem to be drawing inspiration from these types of influences right now, but many of 'em tend to fall into the rut of sticking with the chugging, mid-paced power chords... That's not the case with Foreseen at all... You just can't argue with this brand of explosive, fast-paced rhythms and tight picking patterns. I'm totally loving this shit and can't wait to hear more from this band. Excellent."
Like Deafheaven, I also faded away from Foreseen within a year or two. No real cause, and I have checked out tracks from their albums here and there, but for whatever reason, the later material didn't draw me in the same way. Who knows, though, maybe one day I'll find the time to circle back and change my mind!
Integrity, The Blackest Curse (Deathwish Inc.)
"...the overall atmosphere of the material still takes a little more time to digest. Of course there are tons of chaotic, Melnick-influenced solos to be found here, as well as some crunchy grooves reminiscent of To Die For (especially during 'The Last Great Seance'). But the bulk of this work is forged in the slightly different forms of explosive aggression and experimentation heard on the Walpurgisnacht and Love is the Only Weapon EPs. For instance, the insane blasts and tremolo picking of 'Simulacra' damn near come across as blackened thrash metal; and then there's the eight-minute 'Before the World Was Young' (which also boasts the esteemed mystique of joining the trio of tracks towards the end of the album that have their lyrics omitted from the booklet), with its whispered vocals over winding, dissonant riffs and mid-paced palm-muting—bookended by Roses Never Fade/'Heaven Inside Your Hell'-esque acoustic passages..."
Forever one of my all-time favorite bands, and it's probably fair to say that everything they've done since the mid-2000s can tend to be a bit underrated, simply because the classics from 1991 - 1997 can be so damn tough to choose against. In my listening habits, The Blackest Curse can even become overshadowed by the Orr years, but there's no real justification for that. This album holds up just about as well, and very much set the stage for the few years that followed...
Red Vienna, Red Vienna (Self-Released)
"I guess maybe alternative rock with a little bit of shoegaze fuzz and hints of that dark/somber 'new wave' type of edge? I don't know. And I don't care, either, 'cause the songwriting is absolutely fucking awesome. Expect softer, more spacious passages centered around thick, pulsing basslines while washes of hard-panned guitars bounce chords and notes off of one another; harder-hitting and more rocked out power chords that boast unexpected dashes of heaviness; and loads of riffs that throw in killer melodies and vocal hooks. I'm such a sucker for catchy songs, and a number of these tracks touch on that rare quality where you're able to start singing along before the song's over on the first listen. I love that, and am really wanting to hear more from this band pronto. Very much recommended. I'm seriously flipping out over how catchy some of this stuff is."
Amazing, incredible, criminally underappreciated EP. Seriously one of the best things I've been sent for review in 25 years, it's that good. Everything Red Vienna has recorded is worth perusing, but their songwriting was on total fire here on their debut, undeniably catchy in the best possible way. It ain't cheap, but coincidentally this slab o' gold just recently became available on vinyl with rare bonus tracks on side B.
Righteous Fool, Righteous Fool (Southern Lord)
"A trio featuring Mike Dean and Reed Mullin from C.O.C. with Jason Browning. The material's not unlike some of C.O.C.'s post-Blind output in that it's basically heavy rock loaded with solid grooves that have plenty of those southern twists and turns. And since they're a trio you'll get to hear some great bass work going on behind the solos, which is always a nice touch. I really dig the overall energy of this stuff, and the songwriting's damn strong as well. I had been looking forward to hearing more from this band ever since I first came upon their MySpace page, and this 7" doesn't disappoint. I'm still hungry for more..."
Killer 7". Crucial for any fan of C.O.C. circa Deliverance. A posthumous full-length from the same general time period ended up seeing the light in 2022. R.I.P. Reed Mullin.
Solitude, Poisoned Population: The Complete Collection (Divebomb)
"How the existence of this label managed to elude me for some time is a mystery, but as soon as I learned of it I placed my first order, and this massive double-CD discography from Delaware thrash band Solitude was among my first picks. Poisoned Population compiles Solitude's entire discography in reverse chronological order for damn near two hours of music... I'd never even heard of 'em prior to this, and that's why I appreciate reissues of this nature so much—'cause this material totally kicks ass and I never would've had a clue about it were it not for someone that cares taking the time to put together such an incredibly thorough release. Expect meaty, largely mid-paced, at times technical thrash accented by some classic heavy metal tendencies. You'll get plenty of those awesome, chunky breakdowns more associated with the east coast style of thrash, some really cool little melodic riffs/solos, occasional clean passages, the works..."
I've not been allowing reissues to be a part of these rewinds, but I'm breaking that rule here because discovering Divebomb Records was quite significant for me. The label quickly became an absolute favorite of mine, and a few years later I ended up starting to do some "work" for 'em, too (and still do today). Shockingly, this Solitude set is still (barely) in print, so grab one of the final remaining copies if you're a fan of meaty thrash from the late-'80s/early-'90s.
Starkweather, This Sheltering Night (Deathwish Inc.)
"This material sees Starkweather putting forth consistently longer songs that are significantly more involved than much of the band's past work. The songs of This Sheltering Night often build from core riffs with layer upon layer upon layer of gnashing chords/textures; an even wider vocal range of screams, snarls, and croons; wildly blistering solos; and other assorted effects that often result in a swirling cacophony of sound that takes some time to wrap your head around... All the staples of the Starkweather sound are still present, it's just generally more twisted and fucked up now! Is that a good thing? I don't think the answer to that question matters. In many ways I think that Starkweather fans have to possess a certain reverence for what the band creates, and if that means being a listener requires some actual effort, well... that makes sense..."
Another all-time favorite band. Starkweather can do no wrong. Uneasy listening, inimitable excellence...
Title Fight, The Last Thing You Forget (Run for Cover Records)
"I'm an idiot for not jumping on this one right away, 'cause this shit rules... I absolutely love it, and am a total sucker for bands of this nature... I guess you'd call this stuff pop-punk fused with melodic hardcore and a little bit of an emo/indie kind of thing, I don't know. Whatever you want to call it, whoever it may or may not remind you of, the songwriting is super fuckin' catchy and totally flawless in that regard. They've got everything I love about this style: a chunky guitar tone with loads of zippy picking patterns, emphatic melodies with a little bit of winding post-hardcore dissonance here and there, strong singing accented by a little bit of shouting... all gold. Every minute of it. I don't listen to albums repeatedly all that often, but I've listened to this thing like five times already this week. 12 songs in less than a half-hour... I need more immediately! Love it."
Title Fight was about as close to perfect as you can get from 2007 - 2013. Had their approach on this EP frozen in time and each subsequent release yielded an AC/DC level of over-consistent sameness, I think I actually would've been just fuckin' fine with that. So good. I miss this era...
Young Adults, 2010 Demo (Self-Released)
"...as a starting point I'd say it's a fusion of slightly new wave-ish punk, indie rock, and 'shoegaze.' There are a good amount of rockin' power chords and pulsing basslines accented by simple little melodies and tremolo picking textures, while a lot of the 'shoegaze' types of influences come into play with the recording, which is super raw and fuzzed out—pushing the vocals into the background where they literally fight their way forth through a wall of reverberating chord progressions and dry percussion. It can sound a little over-the-top at times, but there's something about it that works, and the ruggedness of the production never hinders the obviously awesome songwriting at all. There's some really catchy material here, and I love the overall atmosphere..."
One of the best and most overlooked bands of the last 25 years, Young Adults really left a big impression on me (pun only slightly intended). Everything they released during their all-too-brief existence is absolutely awesome. They should've gotten way more attention and I wish they'd have stuck around longer. Arguably ahead of their time considering the manners in which these aptly raw, effects-laden forms of textural alt-rock have become trendy in recent years.
