It Came from BandCamp Volume 2

When doing the 365 albums in 365 days challenge I have heard a lot of odd things on the old BandCamp. So I started to think... hey some of these are pretty good! And some of these are so bad they are entertaining! But not a lot of these get much exposure, so I am continuing these monthly lists and giving a few of my favorite finds, from the dredges of BandCamp, a bit of a micro-review!

This month is a bit of a mixed bag with some really good, some not as good, and then… there's danger moose. It should have a new classification based solely around this style, which is for all intents and purposes not very good or bad, but somehow still a good time. If they sound up your ally I will link all the BandCamps at the end. So without much more word, let’s delve into the great, the good, the okay, and the MOOSE!

"Disintegrating Earth | Revitalizing Birth" by Forever War

Forever War is a proggy metalcore band from Pensacola, FL, with some electronics to their sound and they really toe the line of early Periphery and Reflections era djent. It all fits well together. Though the vocalist screams can be a bit stock, his cleans are on point as hell! It really reminds me of Nothing More or Myles Kennedy, which fits very well with the clean, pretty nature that the music has. On first listen, I wasn’t super sold on it, but that could be based on these guys sounded like what the metalcore band I recently parted ways with wanted to sound like. Round two though I set all things aside and really gave it a listen with an open mind, and man, these guys are pretty great! The instrumentals are pretty standard to the aforementioned genres—which is hard to pull off and some of the lead parts on the song "Intrinsium" give my fingers blisters, and I am not even holding a guitar! The band's strongest point is its chorus parts. They are all earworms and overall, they're just pleasant to listen to. I would say these guys have a real "it" factor! Re-listening to these for this write up, this one became my favorite of the four, and for fans of metalcore, djent, or even just someone who wants to hear a heavy Nothing More band then this is a must-listen!

Quick Rating: A

I think I have gushed enough go get this album!

Check em out here!

"On Top of the Worlds" by Stories of Stories

Store of stories is another one of those "holy crap, Russia’s metal scene is really popping right now" examples. With its trance-ish brand of electronic metalcore, these dudes stood out to me as to how good metalcore can be! The album mix is very even, even with everything going on I could still hear all of it, which sometimes in groups like these that can be a bit hard to keep from not being a muddy mess. The song “Carrie” stands out as a certifiable banger of a track and a huge standout from this album. I'm not sure how radio works overseas, but a band like this in the United States would get some major play on satellite and pure metal radio stations for sure! The language barrier is there, but in no way is it a downside because the vocals are on point in phrasing and tone no matter what the language is.

Quick Rating: A-

A great first step for a young band, I look forward to seeing where they go from here! The only thing keeping it from an A is simply put: This is a really short album that leaves me wanting more, but you cannot go wrong with this album at its buck-50 price tag!

Check em out here!

"Glacial Tomb" by Glacial Tomb

Glacial Tomb is a blackened death metal band from Denver, CO, and when I say blackened, if you think I mean, "oh I can hear it a bit," no these guys are heavy on the blackened side, but deathly black metal doesn’t have the ring to it does it? These guys are a solid group. Their sound is tight and dense with some nasty trim-picking and really gnarly vocals throughout the record. The inner nerd in me loves when a band sounds like their band name, and these guys very much do, also tying into the album art and leaving little to be desired out of the whole package! These dudes thought long and hard about what they were doing when they were creating it and it really shows! The only issue I have with this album is while it is very good and solid, none of the songs really stood out of the pack for me. This is not necessarily good or bad, it's just what happens at times.

Quick Rating: C

It's a good album for the genre, they explore a bit, and I would like to keep these guys on the radar, but this one left me wanting more... in a different way.

Check em out here!

"2001: A Moose Odyssey" by Danger: Moose!

Then, well, then there's the moose! I saw this album cover and knew I had to click it. As a lover of things so bad they are good, I was beyond happy with this one. It was made to be funny (I think), so while not the Tommy Wiseau’s The Room level of holy poop, this is trying to be something it is not. Unlike some of that Jered Threatin cringe that the metal sites loved to post about, it is a fun grindy hardcore band about moose stuff. So if you like those two things, you might enjoy this EP, or heck, if you want to have an under six-minute dose of WTF, then this works, too.

Quick Rating: 5 out of 5 Moose

This is the best album about moose stuff on the planet. 10 out of 10 would moose again!

Check em out here!