UNSIGNED AND UNHOLY: THESE BANDS ARE DAMN GOOD, DAMMIT!

Many MS readers will probably be too young to appreciate this, but you know how if you subscribe to the Newspaper (or a bunch of magazines) and they just sit around unread or partially unread you begin to feel guilty after a while? That’s kinda how it is for me with you guys sending in your music, and subsequently me writing about said music. I feel like if I don’t do it I’m letting you all down, and somehow I keep getting sucked into the trap of feeling compelled to write about every band that’s pretty good at something (as opposed to great) and I keep pumping out Unsigned and Unholy columns with stuff I’ll probably never remember even one week later. So, from now on, no more! Great bands only! You deserve only the best!

On that note, here are three great unsigned bands to come into my inbox lately: Judgement, The Ciem Show, and Sensory Amusia. Listen after the cut:

• Judgement: “Sacrifice the Weak,” the first track on Judgement’s MySpace page, should be enough to sell you on the awesomeness of this band; skip the 1:45 intro, though, and just get right to the meat. The meat being hearty, meaty, brutal DM with hints of progressiveness. Think Abysmal Dawn with more Slayer riffs. This is the DM you want for the soundtrack as you tear down the highway and weave between one slow asshole in the fast lane and the grandma next to him driving her ’88 Honda Accord at 50mph. Sick, sick shit. Highly recommend!
• The Ciem Show: These New Jerseyers play a dark brand of progressive metal that I’d describe as a moodier, less wanky Dream Theater with Warrel Dane on vocals. Definitely some traces of Devin/SYL and Meshuggah influence as well, though not derivative in the slightest. Their entire album Lifelike Scenes is up for streaming at Bandcamp. These dudes are currently looking for a drummer so if you’re a talented skinsman or skinswoman in NJ looking for a band you best get in touch!
• Sensory Amusia: More death metal, perhaps a touch grindier than Judgement, and perhaps a touch more experimental. The bass and guitar tones are absolutely crushing and cover the whole sonic spectrum for maximum punch; that the bass is audible and distinct from the guitars at all in this genre is especially noteworthy! [Thanks: jtquake]

-VN