Unsigned and Unholy: Morality Crisis, Agnes Vein, Before the Eyewall

Three fantastic unsigned bands for your perusal today. Won’t you give ’em a shot?

I like Morality Crisis because their brand of grind-inflected hardcore is clearly but subtlely influenced by progressive rock, as if somewhere along the way one of the band members found a Mastodon record nestled neatly in front of Minor Threat in the vinyl bin, was intrigued by the trippy cover, gave it a shot and never looked back. The proggy influence manifests itself in a skronky, off-kilter way, not dissimilar to a band like Coalesce. Here’s forthcoming EP Boats in full:

Agnes Vein play a kind of slow, crusty version of black metal. If Agnes Vein slowed down they’d sound like doom — and the chord voicings and harmonic choices are such that if they sped things up they’d definitely sound like black metal — but the music on Soulship occupies a middle-ground that’s neither. And it happens to be really, really good.

Before the Eyewall play a doom-inflected kind of post-metal with tinges af atmospheric epicness. Enjoy: