Capital Scars
Capital Scars is a new Norwegian act with lineup ties to Lash Out, which is more than enough to pique my interest! However, don't go expecting any form of majestically dark metalcore. Instead, this unit explores a melodic hardcore/punk style that totally brings Dag Nasty to mind. With just one three-minute track to go on so far, I'm not sure what more needs to be said at the moment... I do hope that more's on the way soon!
Grab "Can't Break the Broken" from Bandcamp; or find it on Apple Music, Spotify, etc.
Ecotage
The latest EP from Ecotage kicks out some absolutely destructive vegan metalcore from Finland, loaded with chugging rhythms and H8000-type metal riffs performed tightly and with great production. (You can even hear the bass!) There's also a bitter, sneering edge to the vocals that adds to the overall sense of impassioned rage. Man, this shit rips. The guitar tone and riffs alone are just gold. Powerful songwriting and arrangements, too, though. Great layering, some panning to highlight the dual-guitar interaction, etc. This band knows what's up.
Redemption is available on all three formats through a collaborative effort between Genet Records (12"/CD), Bound by Modern Age (12"/CD/cassette), Bitter Melody Records (12"), and Life Sentence Records (CD/cassette). Grab your digital from Bandcamp. If you insist on streaming, load up Apple Music, Spotify, or some other junk.
Extracts
The debut full-length from Louisiana/Texas unit Extracts hit the streets back in February and would fit in quite nicely on the Dischord roster were the band from the proper locale. This material very much strikes me as having that early-to-mid-'90s D.C. type of feel—melodic yet angular, a dash of skronk but nothing particularly heavy, textural atmospherics that retain the appropriate amount of stripped down ruggedness, etc. Post-hardcore from more of an indie perspective, perhaps? As usual, none of that really matters, though. Good energy, quality songs, strong production, there you have it!
Extracts is out now on lathe-cut LP (only 20 made), cassette, or digital through Bandcamp; or direct from Styrofoam Records (cassette). Stream using Apple Music or Spotify or something.
Nílim
Released digitally late last year, this four-song EP from solo project Nílim (out of Limerick, Ireland) should very much appeal to fans of Hymns era Godflesh with its stripped down, pummeling brand of rugged churn. Seriously, if you enjoy spaciously dense, nastily gnarled heaviness alongside powerfully hammering percussion and subtly drone-like shouts with occasional forays into somberly melodic undercurrents, you should be losing your mind over this shit. Nice visual aesthetic, too. Very cool. This material certainly deserves more attention.
Uncoiling found its way onto cassette last month via SuperFi Records, which includes three bonus tracks—one of which was previously unreleased—so make the grab through Bandcamp or direct. It's not on streaming, presumably because streaming is trash. Good day.
Thievery
Here's some absolutely excellent dark metallic crust punk from a cross-state lineup out of Florida, Michigan, and Oregon. Most tracks land between one and two minutes, so the pacing tends to remain intense, but despite obvious likenesses to classics of this niche such as His Hero is Gone, there's a fair amount of variety to the riffing that extends toward both an added sense of eerie dissonance as well as contorted grooves. Not to mention the viciously scathing vocals. This is one hell of a debut from yet another project that certainly deserves to land in front of a broader spectrum of ears than it has thus far. Awesome.
Spiritual Theft looks to be digital-only on Bandcamp, which is the best source for digital anyway.
Think Machine
It's hard to believe that it's been well over two years since the last output from Delaware group Think Machine, who recently returned with two new tracks on a split with Pennsylvania's Fragile Like Life After. If you've ignored my kind words for Think Machine in the past, their approach continues to defy simplistic categorization by fusing an array of different influences into a style that's grown a little bit heavier and more technical with time. You'll certainly find elements of mathy emo/screamo tendencies accentuated by an acceptable rawness of production values; and though plenty melodic, the musical aggression leans metalcore, but... not really. And that's where their songwriting and musicianship transcend. It's hard to explain, but they're an interesting outfit that probably still hasn't realized their full potential yet, so I'll continue to be excited to hear more whenever the time comes!
I believe Divinations is digital-only, so your best bet for hearing the contributions from both bands is through Bandcamp. Stream using Apple Music, YouTube, and so on.
