Let's get ready to rumble... With the low end of Metal Mondays!

Kicking things off, we have the Norwegian metalcore band Halcyon Days. Based in Oslo, the band recently released a self titled EP to follow up their first full length release, .ELEVATE. Though they are promoting the first two tracks on the EP, "Utopia" and "Echoes", my favorite is the closing track, "Clear". The song, though it has a fairly poppy riff, is quite heavy as well. I thoroughly enjoy every bit of it, and think the band have successfully created their own original blend of metalcore while not differentiating themselves to the point that it sounds like they are trying to be different. You can listen to the EP now on their Soundcloud page.

The other band for this week's installment of Metal Mondays is Pray For Sound, a five piece instrumental post-rock band that was originally a solo project. The song "I Have Seen Hell and It's White" comes from their newest record, released on September 23rd, Everything is Beautiful. The mix features tight, punchy drums with dreamy and distorted guitars, which paint an absolutely massive soundscape for the listener. The album is interesting as "I Have Seen Hell and It's White" is one of the few heavy tracks. The band shows that a mix of genres on one record can be done, and blended from song to song quite well if you ask me. In fact, most of the record isn't even metal at all. Still, this one song alone stands out as a great metal track.

Until the next Metal Monday, folks!