I'm extremely proud to announce that Young and Broke and Pissed will have its first official compilation. The Soundtrack to the Underground, Vol 1 featured 18 tracks from around the world's rock and metal underground, handpicked by yours truly. It will be available in association with Serene Chaos Records (see the sidebar for Bandcamp link or click here) for free download from 3 November 2017. To see what's included in this compilation, read below.
- We Like Cake - Vorhang auf
Germany | Alternative Metal
From: Spiel des Lebens (self released)
Opening their debut EP Spiel des Lebens in style, We Like Cake offer a healthy mix of alternative metal styles with tight grooves and catchy hooks. And, notably, German rapping. Worth listening to. - Until The End Of October - Empires
Sweden | Post-Hardcore
From: Empires EP (self released)
The guys in Until the End of October seem to have that genetic Swedish ability to pick out a strong melody and provide a killer hook to go with it. Every chorus on Empires carries that ability to get stuck in your head for the rest of the day and that’s a very strong trait to have when you're starting out. - Plague Called Humanity - Mrtvy Svět
Czechia | Cyber Punk
From: Disconnection (self released)
Raging cyberpunk from Czechia, this is the one song from their debut EP sung in their native tongue. Combining aggressive yet catchy electronics with crunching guitars, Plague Called Humanity are out to spread their nihilism in a fun way. - Dizruption - Dogjaw
UK | Nu Metal
From: Dogjaw [Standalone Single] (self released)
Dizruption have spent the past year finding their direction and working on their debut EP Prelude to the Slaughter, out now (see my review here). To whet the appetite of fans, they released debut single "Dogjaw", a simple, yet crushing nu metal song purpose built for moshing. Look forward to their debut EP. - Fox Lake - Chosen Blood
USA | Nu Metal/Hardcore
From: Chosen Blood [Single] (self released)
There's a lot of bands currently aiding the nu metal revival, and Fox Lake are one of those taking the old school sound and adding aggressive modern hardcore influences to create something new. Although they've only released two songs so far, they're one to watch. - NeverWhere - Нигде и никогда
Russia | Alternative Metal
From: Нигде и никогда EP (self released)
On their latest EP, it's the title track "Нигде и никогда" (translation: Nowhere and Never) which sticks out. The track offers a lot more of a poppy rhythm to it, and the band feels natural. The vocalist doesn't feel like she's pushing herself further than she's capable of and NeverWhere have a song that could be a live staple for years to come with this. - Defeat Statistics - All My Friends Are In Tour Vans
UK | Pop Punk/Emo
From: Stressed and Depressed EP (self released)
From the opener "All My Friends Are In Tour Vans", it’s clear that Frankie Marriott and co are here to show you their more personal and melodic core sound. Lyrically, it's not outside the regular topics you'd expect to hear in this sort of genre, but they manage to avoid becoming cliché and paint a good picture of the story Frankie is telling on each track, almost as if they took the lyrics out of their diary. - Ghost Hall - Tung Tau Tsuen Road
UK | Ambient
From: Nine Dragons (Serene Chaos Records)
Nathan Fitzpatrick's solo project Ghost Hall is a far cry from the pop punk of Rescue Dogs, and since its inception in 2015 has continued to grow and evolve. Taking influence from the legendary Kowloon Walled City of Hong Kong, Nine Dragons takes Ghost Hall on a cyberpunk influenced journey. - The Russian Sleep Experiment - The Adversary
USA | Metalcore
From: The Adversary [Standalone Single] (self-released)
The Russian Sleep Experiment are a band I've been familiar with since their first album in 2015. And I've followed their progress ever since, seeing their evolution as a progressive metalcore band. Last year they released a new standalone single, "The Adversary", further displaying their dark, yet maturing style. - No Sin Evades His Gaze - If Only to Fall
UK | Groove Metal/Progressive Metalcore
From: Endless Disconnect (Record Union)
Continuing their phenomenal rise, No Sin Evades His Gaze have again received critical acclaim for their sophomore album Endless Disconnect, reinventing a tired genre. "If Only To Fall" was the lead single from this album, and best summarises their evolution. - Drowned Ten - Become
UK | Doom Metal
From: Stand (Morning Star Heathens Music Group)
From the off, you can see that these guys love the old school sound of heavy metal. They deliver thick, Sabbath-esque riffs while frontman Chris Turpin's clean vocals sound very reminiscent of early Ozzy Osbourne. However, it's pretty clear that they're not content to just be another group of middle-aged men playing classic metal to small crowds of other older men. Instead, they've taken on the heavy grooves of 90s giants such as mid-era Pantera, complemented by Turpin's occasional doom-laden growling, in order to create something that appeals to multiple generations while still sounding somewhat new. - Minus Inferno - No Death for the Dying
UK | Heavy Metal
From: Blizzard of Souls (Morning Star Heathens Music Group)
Now on their second album, Minus Inferno are continuing the proud tradition of the classic NWOBHM sound. Constrasted with Drowned Ten's slow, doomy, Sabbath-esque trudge, these guys bring a much faster pace to their classic metal approach. - Witchour - El Pacto
Argentina | Melodic Death Metal
From: Night Hag & El Pacto EP (self released)
Witchour are putting catchy, hook laden Argentine melodeath on the map and with their second EP Night Hag & El Pacto, they continue to diversify from the sound laid out in their debut EP. "El Pacto" is their first song in their native tongue and it's just as strong as anything else they've released. - Digital Nova - Immortels
France | Nu Metal
From: Orphelins (NFFP Records)
Now onto their third release, Digital Nova have further refined and evolved their sound. Punishing lead single "Immortels" is full of eery, Korn-esque riffs and pummelling choruses, and the album indicates that the band have even more to offer in future. - Quinta Travessa - Júlia
Brazil | Nu Metal
From: Cicatriz (self released)
On their first full length, Quinta Travessa have set out to diversify their sound, moving from both ends into more aggressive metalcore territory as well as more melodic, personal tracks. Here on "Júlia" we see the latter side of the Brazilian nu metal outfit in full bloom. - Cold.Dark.Despair - The Only Emotion Is Hatred
UK | Depressive Suicidal Black Metal
From: The Only Emotion Is Hatred EP (AHPN Records)
With unwelcoming production, dark lyrics and unsettling aura, this is exactly what you should be expecting from DSBM. Hailing from the wastelands of northern England, the one-man project Cold.Dark.Despair is not out to win any fans, but that won't stop us. - Novena - Secondary Genesis
UK | Progressive Metal
From: Secondary Genesis (self released)
The most eccentric moments of Novena's first effort are surely be found in the title track. The way that the middle of the song shifts between blastbeats and breakdowns, calm prog, funk metal and even smooth jazz is something that you'd expect to hear Mike Patton yelping over in his Mr Bungle days, and it's absolutely fantastic. Novena seem intent make sure that you have no idea what’s going to come next. - Pupious - M.A.D (Mutually Assured Destruction) [Bonus]
UK | Groove Metal
From: M.A.D (Mutually Assured Destruction) EP (Serene Chaos Records)
Although the band are no more, and this EP was released in 2015, "M.A.D" seemed to predict the chaos that would surround the world in 2017. Taking influence from acts such as Lamb of God, DevilDriver and Machine Head, Pupious raged on their sole release and won't be forgotten.