Park Jefferson - Acoustic EP Vol 2

Park Jefferson is a 4 piece emo band from Indiana, Michigan. Formed by Nick Stutsman who used to be in both Pen Pals and Merchant Ships. This ep takes songs from their ep Weekdays and does them all acoustic. It's awesome.

Storm The Bastille - Behold

Storm The Bastille are a three piece screamo band from Bethlehem Pennsylvania. Really heavy ass and pissed off it comes roaring out at you at full tilt. The combination of shouted  and very low screamed vocals make for an awesome combination. There's more than a hint of metal in this which is one of the reason's I like it so much, maybe it's just me but I don't know a ton of bands that sound like this.

Wind Wind Win

Wind Wind Win is a one man band from Greece. A singer songwriter that plays acoustic guitar and screams his lungs out. All the stuff I've heard from him is quite awesome. There's not much more to be said other than this band is highly recommended.

Tröpical ice land - B

Tröpical ice land are a screamo band from Torelló Spain. The singer has a really great high pitched desperate shout, the music is powerful and slamming but there is still melody laced into it. I don't really have much to say because most of it is rather standard awesome screamo, the bits that do try and expand the pallet a bit like the middle song Monserrat and the closer Triceraptor don't do much for me.

Marathon - Eight Hours

Marathon are a punk rock band from Minks. That's pretty much all I know about them as all I can find is a bandcamp that doesn't link to anything else. The tags on the bandcamp would suggest that they play a punky 90s version of emo but I don't hear that at all. The base of the music, as far as I can hear, is melodic hardcore though there are definitely some emo aspects to it. This EP is quite good even though melodic hardcore isn't really my thing

Xerxes

Xerxes are a 5 piece screamo band from Louisville, Kentucky. Formed in 2009 they play a brand of screamo they describe as being influence as You and I, Saetia, Trash Talk and Ampere, I would throw Touché Amoré in there as well. They are on of my favourite bands. I do have a slight problem when listening to them because I'm never sure if I should weep uncontrollably or smash everything around me in a hardcore rage

Their first EP Twins was released May 2010. It's 7 songs in just over 10 minutes which constantly pummels you with emotional hardcore, barely giving you room to relax and breath before smashing you in the face once again. There may be one or two weak songs on the EP but even the ones I'm not so fond of are still great. This is my favourite album of theirs besides the new LP, probably simply because there are more songs that I instantly latched onto


 Their second EP was a two track album called Homeward Carries No Direction and it's every bit as great as the first one. Freefall starts off more melodic but then the rest of the band comes in and it slams every bit as hard as it should but retains an larger, almost epic feel thanks to the melody coming from one of the guitars. The second track Runaways wastes no time getting down to the business of ripping through another emotionally heavy track that pulls no punches




 Their next album was another EP this time a split with a band called Midnight Souls. To be honest I'm so into Xerxes I don't even listen to the Midnight Souls side as I just want to keep listening to Xerxes. These two songs are much the same awesomeness as they have produced before, no real new ground broken but they're certainly not spinning their wheels as these songs are also great. These songs might have a few more softer melodic bits in between the emotionally devastating hardcore bits but it doesn't stick out, just feels like a natural progression


This year they signed to No Sleep Records and released their debut LP Our Home Is A Deathbed. They will be on tour for the rest of 2012 promoting the album. I got to see them when they came to Toronto with Pianos Become The Teeth and they were absolutely amazing. The LP is a major step forward because of what you can do with the time of an LP. First of all the album is front to back incredible, there isn't a bad song and there isn't a dull moment. The sequencing is also great as the first side seems to just build and build and build into the second side which just explodes at you without letting up. If they're coming anywhere near you you have to go see them as they put on a great show.

mad child spits fire

Marietta - Demo

Marietta are a four piece emo band from Philadelphia. But this ain't no whiny, soft emo, this is raggedy punk rock emo that threatens to fall apart at the seems at any moment. Reminds of Algernon Cadwallader but not as forceful and with more twinkle. The production ain't great which only serves to accent the emotion in these songs. Can't wait to hear more as these three songs are really good

Corrosion Of Conformity - S/T

Corrosion Of Conformity are currently a three piece from Raleigh, North Carolina. They started in 1982 playing a rather straight ahead form of American Hardcore Punk that was awesome. Somewhere along the line they transitioned into a more straight ahead southern heavy metal style. This is their first album in 7 years since In The Arms Of God. It has much more of a blues feel to it than I remember them having as well as the heavy metal I've come to expect and even some stuff hinting back to their old hardcore days. There are some weak spots but overall it's a really solid album that combines some supposedly disparate influences into a brew that only Corrosion Of Conformity could create.


 

Two Line Filler - Educated Corperated

awesome 90s emo punk (dare I say emocore?)

Calvaiire - Rigorisme

Calvaiire are a band from Lavalle France. They play dark chaotic hardcore. Features members of As We Draw, Birds In Row, Hourvari, Pigeon & Puzzle. Nuff said.

Coalspur - At Aulis

Coalspur are a three piece screamo band from Edmontom Alberta. There must be something in the water, Edmonton keeps producing these awesome bands like Book Of Caverns, Todos Caeran & Mahria. The singer in this band reminds me of a more hoarse version of the dude from The Saddest Landscape though the music is a more tappy, almost noodly kind of screamo. My only complaint is that four tracks is not enough.


 

Cathedraal - Voix Blanches

Cathedraal are a screamo band from Paris France which is all I needed to be interested. Really really good in some places and a little boring in others but generally quite good. Reminds of Sed Non Satiata at times. Apparently features the singer of Madame De Montespan. Free download here

Aussitôt mort - Nagykanizsa

Aussitot Mort are a four piece from Caen, France formed in early 2005. There is a good dose of post rock in the screamo which makes the songs longer. Also means that I almost never like an entire song but there are always lots of parts that I like. This album has three new songs as well as their side of their split with Heaven In Her Arms from last year. Darker than I remember them

Who Programmed This?!? S01 E22 live 10 am est

Who Programmed This?!? will be live this morning at 10 am EST playing The Reptilian, Jowls, Annabel, empire! empire! (i was a lonely estate), Joie De Vivre, innards., Mahria, Todos Caerán, Two Line Filler & Drop Forge.
Listen here for free
http://www.trentradio.ca/stream.htm

Animal Faces - Analytical Dreaming

Animal Faces are a three piece from Toronto. They played second at the Xerxes/PBTT show. I usually don't like this much math in my screamo but this ep is great. I picked up a copy of the ep at the show. Check the stream below and purchase the ep on cd or vinyl here or free download here 

Exalt - Breach False Minds

Exalt are a hardcore band from Kitchener Waterloo. They opened the Xerxes/PBTT show with their brand of hardcore, the singer was like a caged animal. Good hardcore that stays out the tropes and stereotypes that ruins so much of modern hardcore for me

Xerxes - Twins

Saw these dudes and Pianos Become The Teeth along with Animal Faces and Exalt last night. Review coming soon