Unsigned and Unholy: Justinhate, Westnyle, John Moose

Justinhate bill themselves as hailing from the city of Copenhatred, Denmark, so surely they must sound pretty gnarly, right? Thankfully, yes: I’d loosely describe them as some kind of blackened hardcore, but that simplified reduction doesn’t quite get at the nuance, power, tightness or, yes, hatred, the band’s music has. New album Marrow is out now via Bandcamp, and you can stream it below.

Groove metal band Westnyle take influence from the best of ’em: Pantera, Lamb of God, Decapitated, etc., somehow without sounding too much like any of those. “Ghost Wars” from their latest album Witch’s Mark hits hard and heavy, and from the looks of the track’s video the band brings it live, too.

Retro, stoner, possibly occult-tinged band John Moose join a crowded pool of similar acts, but there’s something about their songs that really strikes me, and their instrumentation — they go heavy on piano as a tool for carrying the melody, and flute makes an appearance — certainly sets them apart from the pack. Their new three-track EP O is out now, and the band has their own app — which they plug by saying “the woods will come to you” — that you can get here.