Unsigned and Unholy: Ov Shadows, War Gods of the Deep, The Conjuration

Frosty black metal and skronky death unite in a perfect intersection of seemingly disparate styles on Ov Shadows‘ self-released Monologues EP. If second wavers like Absu and Immortal tickle your pickle, but modern day gut-churners like Gorguts and Ulcerate also tone your bone, this is the perfect band for you.

War Gods of the Deep have struck upon a healthy combination of metal and hard rock that doesn’t feel like it’s simply metal that’s been stripped down for the radio masses; just catchy, well-written songs through and through with an appropriate amount of balls. Think the groove and rhythm of Black Album-era Metallica mixed with the upbeat vibe of Volbeat and you’re pretty close. Check out their EP Monsters, Magic & Mayhem here and stream one of its tracks below.

The Conjuration‘s debut album The Silent Opera is mighty impressive for what it is, a one-man progressive death metal project helmed by Corey Jason. The recording feels slightly unpolished for a sub-genre in which everything is ordinarily hyper spiffed up, but it’s clear enough, and the production is actually somewhat endearing; it’s about as honest a representation of Jason’s brain as you’re likely to get. If Decapitated and Between the Buried and Me melded into one groovy, proggy death metal hybrid — with Jonathan Davis on vocals — it’d probably sound like this.