NEW BAND FIX; JOHNNY TRUANT, MORS PRINCIPIUM EST, TRACEDAWN

In my ongoing crusade to stop beating the same Metallica/Disturbed/DEP/whatever canon to death, here are some new(ish) bands you might not know about that are currently making the rounds in my playlist:

Johnny Truant – Recently signed to Ferret Music, this UK technical metalcorish (not always a bad word!) outfit has slogged it out in the underground since 2001. The band are excellent musicians but certainly don’t beat you over the head with it — think a slightly techier version of All Shall Perish. Their new album No Tears for the Creatures drops September 30th in the US.

Mors Principium Est – Progressive melodic death metal from Finland that somehow manages to keep this waning genre fresh. Given I’m a big sucker for melodeath, but still… These cats are solid. [Thanks: Chris C.]

Tracedawn (pictured above) – More Finnish melodeath; more progressive and more melodic than Mors Principium Est, and definitely more epic, but still distinctly Scandinavian. They are the Children of Bodom to your In Flames, the Firewind to your Mercenary. Get it? [Thanks: Dean C.]

-VN