READERS’ CHOICE MAILBAG DUMP

Readers’ Choice submissions have been coming in by the boatload lately but I swear I listen to every single one.. it’s a compulsion I can’t resist. Here are a few favorites from the last several weeks:

• Chimp Spanner: Another one-man instrumental metal project, this one helmed by Paul Ortiz from the UK (he whose keyboard drum solo we posted the other day). As per usual with these types of projects, there’s a lot of Meshuggah influence… but I’d say it veers more closely to an instrumental version of Devin Townsend, or something even more “prog rock” like Porcupine Tree.
• No Made Sense: More proggy metal goodness, but this band — also from the UK — are much heavier, more raw, and crustier than the above. Not instru-metal / djent / Sumeriancore by any means, but rather the punk rock version of what a prog metal band would be… if that makes sense. They actually remind me a lot of Biclops. [Thanks: Lewis Clark]
• Carach Angren: Classical, symphonic black metal that the band’s MySpace bio describes as “Romanticism in its coldest form combined with bombastic thrash metal. Carach Angren is like a broadly arranged, melodic and atmospheric black metal theatre.” I’m aware that Cosmo Lee and Axl don’t particularly like this band, but I dig ’em. [Thanks: AJ Zink]
• Opus Dai: Like The Mars Volta but way more metal-y… basically, if Opus Dai had made the 2nd Mars Volta record (and everything thereafter) I would’ve liked MV a lot more post-De-Loused. [Thanks: Edward Wilfred]
• Obsidian Throne: Does it count as Readers’ Choice if a band member sends it in? Whatever… Fort Worth’s Obsidian Throne are like half Nachtmystium / half Dethklok. Good stuff. [Cory Miller]