UNSIGNED AND UNHOLY: ERRATA, RESERVE DE MARCH, THE OBSERVER

Little known fact: June 1st is an international holiday called “Listen to an Unsigned Band Day.” So do your good deed for the day and listen to Errata, Reserve de March, or the Observer… or do a triple mitzvah and listen to all three.

• Errata: Reminds me of the stuff Mike Patton recorded with The Dillinger Escape Plan. Take that to mean exactly what it sounds like.

• Reserve de Marche: Axl once used the word “dramatic” to encapsulate the cinematic feel of Russian Circles’ music, and that word totally nails it. So let’s just say Reserve de Marche are extremely dramatic too. Russian Circless meets And So I Watch You From Afar.

• The Observer: Longtime readers of MetalSucks know that I own land in Grayson, KY, just a few miles from The Observer’s home of Louisa, KY. Based on the all the time I’ve spent down there, I’d expect any “heavy” band from the region to sound like either Breaking Benjamin or a second-rate Black Label Society. The Observer, then, are a breath of fresh air: they’re still pretty rough around the edges and the transitions in their songs need some tightening up but they earn points for thinking outside the box in a region that does anything but (musically speaking). These guys are as much Botch as they are Every Time I Die. With a little work on their songwriting and some consistent touring, I could see these guys catching on.