What’s Going Down Under? (Part 1)
So you’re all up to date on the recent influx of great Australian metal that’s been featured on the bowl of late (Sewercide, Psycroptic, King Parrot, Sanzu, Claret Ash, Bloodlust, Collosvs, Disentomb etc.), time to check out some selected artists from those, uhh.. other genres (apparently they still exist). So what exactly is going on down under?
Hip-Hop
Trem
Hailing from Melbourne’s underground (yet highly influential) group Lyrical Commission, Trem has been on the solo tip for a few years now and shows exactly why he is still held in high regard among those old enough to remember the budding Aussie hip-hop scene at the turn of the century. With gritty, cerebral tight-flowing rhymes over authentic (and mostly) self-produced cuts, unlike many of the plastic market-geared hype MCs being promoted these days, Trem (<–another great track) has respect for the past and deserves your appraisal.
Seth Sentry
On the other end of the spectrum is Seth Sentry, another Melbourne MC who has been steadily gaining popularity around the scene. Seth pens fun, witty tongue-in-cheek lyrics with a certain degree of tact which many others lack. At first glance his tracks appear to tend towards catchy chorus-driven bangers but his verses and relatable story-telling manage to keep his style distinct from the pack. Seth dropped an album in June and while it may be less introspective than his previous work, there’s enough substance there to pull the whole thing through. This track is the first single from his latest album Strange New Past. Time to puff pentagrams and get brimstoned.
Punk + Grunge
Black Stone From The Sun
Perth (capital of Western Australia) is somewhat unique in the Aussie music spectrum; its isolation as a city combined with the thriving pub scene (no poker machines = live music) has continued to make it one of the hot spots for interesting artists. One example is the up-and-coming two-piece band Black Stone From The Sun. This young self-proclaimed garage/grunge band are about to release their second EP titled Death Threats And Cigarettes in Jul,y and while they may not be well known even in their own country, they know how to craft great guitar-driven angst-laden rock.
Clowns
Clowns are a young punk/hardcore band from Melbourne, Victoria who have snuck up on me out of seemingly nowhere. I’m not going to be able to give you a thorough back story on this act aside from informing you that the kids these days fucking love this band. I feel old just listening to them. They’ve already toured the USA (SxSW), China (MIDI-fest) and are embarking on a national tour of Australia before heading back over the Pacific for Riot Fest in Chicago. Their new album has been produced with the same mixing desk used by AC/DC back in the day and is a great blend of unrestrained aggression and catchy West-Coast punk, available on bandcamp.
Here’s a video for one of their earlier songs.
