UNSIGNED AND UNHOLY: THE BDDM, SHATTERED SKIES, Камни

Unsigned bands are like the the street carts and food trucks of the world; they often don’t get nearly as much attention as their fancier, sit-down brethren, but they’re often just as good, if not better! Much like food trucks, unsigned bands are starting to get a lot more attention as of late, so let’s look at three of my new favorites:

• The BDDM: I don’t really know enough about punk and hardcore to surmise where The BDDM’s influences lie, but I’ll take their self-proclaimed inspiration of “80’s trash cinema, 6-packs of Carlsberg Export and the constant brain-haunting cloud of a hangover” at face value while I jump into the pit and fuck shit up. Angry, visceral and loud, The BDDM’s “thrashcore” has got me hooked.

• Shattered Skies: Kind of like a slightly djentified Scar Symmetry with a vocalist more like Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson.

• камни: Psychedelic post-doom from Russia. Doesn’t really get heavy until track 2 of their new album A.T.O.M. — which is streaming in full on Bandcamp — but even the more mellow, shoe-gazy stuff is fantastic. Serious doom for serious people.

-VN