YOU Choose the Best Unsigned Band in the U.S: Round 1 pt. 3
The first round concludes here: Mississippi vs. Maine! South Carolina vs. Vermont! North Dakota vs. Missouri! Arkansas vs. Wyoming! Louisiana vs. Arizona! South Dakota vs. Tennessee!
Some people say that art isn’t a competition. Those people are losers. EVERYTHING is a competition. Here at the Toilet ov Hell, we’ve gone and declared the best unsigned band in each state of the union. Now we’re pitting these warriors against each other for the right to claim the ultimate prize: The title of Best of the Best. Which band will champion their state to glory? That’s up for you to decide.
HOW IT WORKS:
Each state was seeded by population size. The 14 most-populous states received a first round bye. Voting closes August 30th. Today, 12 bands are battling it out for supremacy. Jared Moran (MS), Sylvia (ME), Solaire (SC), Vaporizer (VT), Gorgatron (ND), Existem (MO), Torii (AR), Reproacher (WY), Withering Light (LA), Take Over And Destroy (AZ), The Shittiest State in the Union (SD), and Forest of Tygers (TN). You can still vote for Part 1 and Part 2, respectively, here and here.
Jared Moran – Yzordderrex/Uzumaki (Mississippi) VS. Sylvia (Maine)
Jared Moran – “Uzumaki’s third album, Knowledge of a Language One Has Never Learned, is a massive,Ævangelist-esque wall of twisting, coalescing riffs that in turn grind away like Insect Warfare, churn at an Incantation-esque crawl or skronk like Gorguts. If you’re not into it you’re not my friend, for realzies.”
(Read the full writeup)
Sylvia – “A four-piece blackened-sludge outfit, Sylvia showed me the error of my ways- why hadn’t I indulged in the excellent Southern Maine metal community sooner?! Sylvia offer varying speeds and tempos, accelerating to enable thunderous drum beats replete with furious guitar riffs that crush souls… before abruptly taking a foot off the gas to pummel you into submission with lurching, sinister breakdowns.”
(Read the full writeup) (Facebook)
Solaire (South Carolina) VS. Vaporizer (Vermont)
Solaire- “Hailing from the small college town of Clemson, we’ve got three young men that really grok what heavy rock n’ roll is all about: sweet riffs that would go great with fast cars and/or drugs and/or intense isolation. At times, Solaire recall the bluesy decadence of Deliverance-era Corrosion of Conformity. Elsewhere, the band pumps out pretty melodies that wouldn’t sound out of place on an ancient Smashing Pumpkins record.”
(Read the full writeup) (Facebook)
Vaporizer – “Hailing from Burlington, VT, Vaporizer is a metal band comprised of several of my children. Don’t believe me? It says so on their DNA test Facebook page. When I say “metal”, I do it mostly out of my inability to categorize them any further. While the core element of Vaporizer’s sound bears a much welcome resemblance to the progressive sludge bands from Savannah, Georgia, there is enough seasoning here to turn their self-titled release into an unique platter.”
(Read the full writeup) (Facebook)
Gorgatron (North Dakota) VS. Existem (Missouri)
Gorgatron – “Gorgatron is hella-fucking-balls-to-the-wall-awesome. They aren’t breaking any boundaries, they aren’t pushing any envelopes, they aren’t changing any paradigms. What they are doing is producing quality death metal with a dash of grind to keep things interesting. Do you want blasts? Chromatic riffing? Br0074l vocals? Then get your ass in here and listen.”
(Read the full writeup) (Facebook)
Existem – “In my opinion the best so-called prog bands are ones that don’t go fully prog. Think Opeth in their heyday, Burst, Cult of Luna, Extol, and so forth. Existem are very much in the vein of these bands. They create prog metal that isn’t afraid to veer off the beaten path but exists within the confine of a song. The material here is not an overblown jam session like so many bands are guilty of recording.”
(Read the full writeup) (Facebook)
Torii (Arkansas) VS. Reproacher (Wyoming)
Torii – “Hailing from Rogers, Arkansas, Torii originally started out as an instrumental project by Bill Masino but has since added the vocals of Eric May to the mix, and boy does he deliver. May unleashes a swampy, throaty warble that sounds like Swamp Thing had decided to front Emperor. The music itself ain’t exactly a slouch, either. Imagine Neurosis filtered through some 90’s black metal and then sautéed in a little bit of death and you’re on the right track.”
(Read the full writeup) (Facebook)
Reproacher – “Combining the crusty hardcore of Cursed with Primitive Man‘s doominess, Reproacher are a fierce beast from an unexpected realm. Their music is corrosive enough to destroy sewage pipes that will leak and contaminate entire cities with their filth.”
(Read the full writeup) (Facebook)
Withering Light (Louisiana) VS. Take Over And Destroy (Arizona)
Withering Light – “I highly recommend throwing on some decent headphones or your speaker system for this release. Withering Light have a melodic sensibility that most bands simply cannot reach. The guitar lines sparkle and shine like the reflection of a lighthouse on an oil spill. Within these blasts and screams there is catharsis. Listen to “Lantern” and find yourself in the dark.”
(Read the full writeup) (Facebook)
Take Over And Destroy – “Most bands can’t do one thing well enough for me to give a damn about them. TOAD is able to shift between styles and genres seemlessly. One moment you can expect shaky melodies and ripping solos, followed by gargled glass shouts and sludge. This band is a rarity.”
(Read the full writeup) (Facebook)
Jelly Nutz Justoner (South Dakota) VS. Forest of Tygers (Tennessee)
Jelly Nutz Justoner – “Sweet mother of a shitting ass. God fucking dammit.”
(Read the full writeup)
Forest of Tygers – “For the voting committee, Forest of Tygers separated themselves from the pack with just how ferocious they are. They embrace a sparse, slightly lo-fi sound whose aesthetics border upon raw black metal, so you can’t help but hear every string pluck and drum thwap. There is nowhere to hide for either the performer or listener, so intimacy is inevitable. Forest of Tygers takes advantage of this intimacy to grapple with the listener, dragging us ever deeper into their world of shredding, blackened hardcore.”
(Read the full writeup)(Facebook)
