Orange County hard-rock quartet Against The Sun have done it again. Fresh on the heels of their recent single, “Chelsea Said”, the band have dropped “Back To Ruin”.
The track blends influences from hard rock and metalcore, as well as something a little different – woahs that seem cut right out of an AFI song.
Ultimately, it makes for an energetic and refreshing new take on hard rock. Take a listen now, and be sure to follow the band so you don’t miss their next track!
Mitch Jones, Judge & Jury, and Escape the Fate, all come together to bring us “Darkness,” a heartfelt pop punk track with a bit of grit.
Upon the passing of Mitch Jones’ close friend, Byron Bernstein, Mitch turned to music, resulting in his second release “Darkness.” On the track, Mitch teams up with multi platinum producer Howard Benson (Daughtry, My Chemical Romance, Hoobastank,) and Neil Sanderson of Three Days Grace, together known as Judge & Jury. The song also features Craig Mabbitts from Escape the Fate on vocals. You can really feel the passion put into this one with it’s conflicting push and pull between loving someone an simultaneously and pushing them away. The song brings us through a high intensity progression with plenty of feel-good choruses and great contrasting aggression in vocals. If you like a story with feeling, a chorus you could sing to, and a driving progression, give this one a look!
Give this track a listen here, and be sure to follow Mitch Jones, Judge & Jury, and Escape the Fate!
Pop punk band from Cleveland, Ohio, Low Like You, turn the conversation to you with their new slamming track “Without You.”
What drew me to this track is the addition of heavier influences shown with chugging guitars and yells in the latter half of the song. The vocals, melodies, and energy of the track is all pop punk, but these little touches of metal give it an effective contrast. As typical pop punk tracks go, the drums are pounding and driving forward in a fast-paced fashion with lots of fills. Vocals in this song are up front with a lifting chorus-like effect, but also blend enough to let the rest of the instruments shine. If you like pop punk style music and appreciate a shoutout to the heavier side, give this one a listen!
Scope out the new music video for “Without You” by Low Like You here, and be sure to follow them for future updates!
US metalcore band, Trying Times, are at it again, bringing us another dynamic metal banger to try out, “Nothing I Am.”
The track has a classic metal intro equipped with a weighty punch into grindy guitars, bass, and strong riffing. As with the last Trying Times track we posted on, “Tidal Wave,” this one continues to impress with dynamic structure, melody, and aggression. The clean vocals hit space in the mix that cater to wide powerful lines that transfer well into the airy yells that we all love. Growl vocals throughout the song also don’t disappoint. With effective spacing and intensity, they offer the contrast needed to pull the story together. I don’t know what Trying Times have going on with their bass tone in this, but it absolutely destroys with that killer bass clang and depth.
Pick up those headphones or crank those speakers because “Nothing I Am,” by Trying Times is worth feeling! Give them a follow as well for future updates!
Minneapolis metalcore band Common Choir, teams up with Sam Nelson of Five AM to bring us a heavy Ed Sheeran cover “Shivers!”
If you like the original Ed Sheeran song “Shivers,” but you just need a little more grinding guitar, spitting growls, and a full soaring chorus, you’re going to like this one! The growls in this track are extra powerful, full of energy, and have excellent clarity and grit. Sam Nelson makes an impressive showing as well, with his adaptation of the “Shivers” hook melody. The melodic elements really contrast the aggression of the rest of the track. Common Choir is always slaying it on the fast paced, grindy tracks, and this one delivers! I recommend listening with the original in an A/B fashion to grasp the full added heft that Common Choir put into this.
Give “Shivers” a spin and follow the guys in Common Choir to see what’s up next!
Metalcore band from Massachusetts, Wind Walkers, give us some pop elements with the crunch that we all love in “Dead Talk!”
The track kicks it off with some great excitement building, synth sounds, and a super smooth clean vocal. The song amps up as the progression continues, bringing in those heavy guitars and drums. The melody line is quite catchy and brings a massive sounding sustained chorus line. This track is less on the aggressive growl side, but if you like followable clean vocals, punchy production, and some electronic elements, you’ll like this!
Give “Dead Talk” a listen and follow the guys in Wind Walkers for future updates!
US metalcore band Trying Times give us some smooth melodies and hefty beatdowns in their new track “Tidal Wave!”
This is another one of those tracks that appeals to fans of melodic sounds, bursting aggression, and wide guitars. The journey branches from soft catchy clean vocals to spitting growls throughout. Really, who doesn’t love a spacey breakdown transition back into that power chorus line? The control of feeling and dynamic changes is well done by the guys in Trying Times on this one!
Give “Tidal Wave” a spin and be sure to follow Trying Times for future progressions!
We’ve shared Connecticut-based heartland punks American Thrills a few times in the past, and the band keeps dropping great songs.
This time around, we’ve got “Blue Collar” which is off of a 4-way split EP that’s out today – you can get the split from your label of choice (each label has a unique disc).
“Blue Collar” highlights the classic punk style I’ve come to love, reminding me of bands like Dropkick Murphys – sans bagpipes – The Menzingers, etc. so if you’re a fan of those bands, be sure to give American Thrills a listen!
Find American Thrills on: their website | Instagram | Facebook
Melodic metal band Amberstein, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, just dropped a new track “The Comeback!”
It has all the elements of metal you love, combined in a unique way! I especially love the use of that crunchy bass tone in conjunction with the classic deep guitar distortion. The stops in the rhythm guitars really give the riffs some clarity and definition throughout. With this punchy, growling modern metal production, and a wide heroic vocal reminiscing of early metal, the track really delivers. Be sure to listen to the end to snag a listen to the face frying guitar solo section!
Give “The Comeback” a scope, and follow Amberstein for future updates!
Seriously, you can follow socal natives Against The Sun by clicking the links under the video embed… No searching needed, so just do it!
When you think of Orange County and Socal as a whole, you probably think of pop punk, skate punk, etc… But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a scene for heavier music. Metalcore band Against The Sun recently released their newest track, “Search To Find”, which is filled with massive riffs, breakdowns, and all the aggression you’d expect from metalcore – combined with a poppy socal influence.
If your musical interests toe the line between metalcore and slightly poppier sounds, you’ll love Against The Sun – listen now!
Find Against The Sun on: Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube