The Best Band in Iowa is Blizzard at Sea
Back in August we asked you to help us find the best unsigned bands in America. After listening to hundreds of submissions, we finally narrowed down our pick for the face-shaped state, Iowa. The best band in Iowa is Blizzard at Sea!
From the landlocked city of Iowa City, Blizzard at Sea take you miles off shore to deliver their brand of chilling progressive post-metal sludge. Often in a similar vein as Isis, the trio creates loud and catchy grooves layered with punching vocals. Their progressive tendencies explore boundaries outside of the post-metal realm when mixing things up with acoustic guitars and occasional clean vocals. Their range adds to their ability to control the flow of their debut full length, Certain Structures. With great solo moments throughout the album, I find they excel at combining their instruments to create one unified and mean sound.
You MUST listen to “Planeswalker,” “Dreams of Distant Things,” and “The Golden Hour.”
Here’s what other judges had to say:
Masterlord SteelDragon: Like Isis before them, Blizzard at Sea marry the listless ebb of somber post-metal and the flow of sludge with impressive gumption. They’ve got the musicianship and the know-how to do this genre without boring the shit out of you and the intuition to nail the nuanced interaction between build and collapse. Certain Structures is like wandering through a dream. A kickass dream where you’re listening to really good post-metal. For fans of: Isis, Neurosis, early The Ocean, that kind of thing, drugs. Not for fans of: not thinking deeply, double negatives.
Guacamole Jim: Once you’ve heard Blizzard at Sea’s music, you’ll understand why they chose their name. The music truly sounds like a frigid ocean gale, complete with crushing waves, blinding snow, and the crispness that only comes in truly cold climes. There is something about using the ocean as inspiration for music that seems to bring out captivating moods, and Blizzard at Sea is no exception. Musically, they’re spot-on, mastering difficult time and mood changes with ease, while retaining a subtlety of texture that other bands would lose in their execution. A commanding and involved listen.
Honorable Mention:
Sept of Memnon – Massively aggressive black metal sections separated by infectiously groovy riffs. This one was a very close race, so you better give them some love too! – Facebook
The Toilet ov Hell is on an absurd quest to find the best unsigned band in each state of this glorious union. The purpose? To shine the spotlight on bands that deserve more exposure. Also, we’re going to determine once and for all the greatest state in the nation. Each state winner is decided by a collection of 25 judges. After we’ve announced the winner of each state, we’re gonna throw them all in a winner-take-all bracket and leave the votes up to you. Who will be the best unsigned band in the United States? Which state is superior? We can’t wait to find out.
Previous winners:
Alabama — Phylum
Alaska — Terraform
Arizona – Take Over And Destroy
Arkansas – Torii
California – Destroy Judas
Colorado – The Sleer
Connecticut – Autumn’s Eyes
Delaware – Sloss
Florida – Capracide
Georgia – Lost Hours
Hawaii – Darkest Path
Idaho – Rotten Hand
Illinois – Deus Ex
Indiana – Thorr-Axe
