The Best Band in Maryland is Bereave
Back in August of 2014 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 wealthiest by median household income state in the union. The best band in Maryland is Bereave.
Imagine if you will that your significant other just passed away due to a fatal crash. Some obnoxious frat boy, drunk off his chubbies from Long Island Iced Teas, ran a red light and plowed directly into the side of you sweetheart’s Jetta. Imagine the mire of hate and fury you would find yourself in as you stand next to that open grave while they lower her casket into the ground. With clenched fists and curses streaming between your gritted teeth, you vow revenge. But this can’t be a simple eye for an eye, oh no! You vow to make him suffer. You vow to make him hurt. Just as you were bereaved of the love of your life, his family, his lineage, everyone in his bloodline must be bereaved of all that they hold dear.
That burning inferno of malice and rage, that vortex of ire, is the nuclear heart at the core of Maryland’s Bereave! This is chaotic, dissonant, and visceral powerviolence propelled into the stratosphere. D-beats and off-kilter chords collide in a maelstrom of hate, accented by the unleashed venom of the hardcore vocal diatribes. “You’ll never be loved, only forgotten!” this band vows with genuine, palpable menace. If you like music that hits you like a vengeful freight train, you’re guaranteed to like Bereave. Gnaw will leave you crippled and broken, and deep down, you know you deserve it.
Check them out on Facebook and stream Gnaw over at Bandcamp.
Don’t believe me that Bereave are ten pounds of hate in a five pound bag? Hear what some of the other judges have to say:
Stockhausen: “I like to think that the members of Bereave recorded their album Gnaw while punching wimps and drinking vinegar, and also sweating a lot. While that doesn’t sound like a compliment, it definitely is. These guys are nasty in all the right ways, and their brutish take on sludgy hardcore absolutely hits the spot.”
Joe Thrashnkill: “I hope A389 waits until this contest is over to sign Bereave.”
Edward: “In the Toilet Ov Hell’s Best Unsigned Band in the U.S. contest, Maryland band Bereave have bereaved their competition of a first round victory. Bereave remind me a bit of a younger Full of Hell (which would make them toddlers in real life). Like Full of Hell, Bereave play sludgy hardcore and alternate between lightning fast chaotic passages and a tar-like, feedback-laden slower pace. An album highlight for me is on Gnaw‘s “Eric Foreman” (no shortage of That 70s Show love for these atheists). “Eric Foreman” opens at a mid-paced stomp; the riffs are anchored by the right amount of drum fills until the track gains intensity. Check it out for yourselves! Gnaw is available on Bandcamp at ‘name your price’, and at around sixteen minutes long it’s easy to take in one sitting. Congrats to Bereave. Good luck in the second round of this competition, boys.”
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Mikhail (Hyattsville, MD): Gnarly blend of melodeath and power metal with killer riffs.
At the Graves (Baltimore, MD): Doom and a half.
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
Kansas – Bummer
Kentucky – Ad Infinitum
Louisiana – Withering Light
Maine – Sylvia
(Photo VIA)
