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Inspire Influence

Planet Destroyer
Independent (2012)

Planet Destroyer, the debut EP from Toronto-based post-rock band Inspire Influence, is unhinged in execution, rising and falling like an endless wave of hopeless determination. Creating an atmosphere of desolation from the initial static of introductory track “Repairing,” the 5-song EP reads like a cohesive tale of intergalactic exploration through repetition, slow build-ups, and eventual climatic bursts of distorted frustration. … Read more

Devin Townsend Project

Epicloud
HevyDevy (2012)

You may never suspect it, but listening to the catalogue of Canadian musician Devin Townsend will cause you to run the gamut of extreme metal, new age, arena rock, ambient, and somehow even more. His last four albums, released under the Devin Townsend Project moniker, were supposed to be an exploration of the vastness of his artistic abilities, and they … Read more

Nathan Ellis

Self Titled
No Sleep (2012)

Mr. Ellis has already accomplished a great deal in his musical “career” (I say it this way because somehow I doubt Nathan Ellis is rolling deep in the dough from his various musical endeavors) that has carved a unique and impressive path amongst his myriad of projects which have included being one of the bassists in the ground breaking hardcore … Read more

Lunaire

With the Same Smiles as Those Days
Independent (2012)

Australia’s Lunaire first released a well-received demo in 2010 which was followed up by a lauded split with the American cross-coast project Airs. Now Lunaire offer their first EP, With the Same Smile as Those Days, which continues the quartet’s dreamy post-rock from earlier releases and steps forward as a band to watch out for. The four track EP combines … Read more

Plastic Cross

Grayscale Rainbows
Don Giovanni (2012)

Hub City Hardcore may not be on par with Greek mythology in terms of their incestuous relations, but with the debut of Plastic Cross, the New Brunswick, NJ brings yet another band of familiar faces playing a wholly new sound. The band is comprised of familiar Hub City Hardcore faces, with ex-members of The Scarlet Letter, Doc Hopper, Down in … Read more

The Keystone Kids

Things Get Shaky
Deep Elm (2012)

Half of The Keystone Kids is half of Slingshot Dakota, while the other half is Ryan O'Donnell of Yo Man Go, and that was enough to hook and reel me in. While both share Carly Comando's soothing vocals and keys, each one is on the opposite side of the indie spectrum. The Keystone Kids verges more on the electro-pop side … Read more

Senmuth

Hagwalah
Independent (2012)

Russian rocker Senmuth is known for his very overt fetish for all things Near Eastern. All you have to do is look at his website, and you'll see it's filled to the brim with pictures of him in Egypt, as well as the vast quantities of music and artwork that interest has inspired. But then, amongst all of that, there … Read more

Big Black Delta

IFUCKINGLOVEYOU
Master Of Bates (2012)

Jonathan Bates, aka Big Black Delta, made me entirely rethink what pop music could be last year with the release of his incredible debut, BBDLP1. He took the standard pop music formula and twisted it so far on its head that I'm pretty sure it exited from its own ass, and I mean that as a true compliment. It was … Read more

Rehashed

Code Black
Power It Up (2011)

Rehashed out of Saskatoon are working at carrying the crossover torch into the next decade. While there are a few bands doing this a smaller few truly make it work in the recorded format. Rehashed have everything it takes to be up on top it's only up to the Power It Up Records debut to prove to the world that … Read more

Two Gallants

The Bloom And The Blight
ATO (2012)

2012 sees Two Gallants coming back from a 5-year hiatus with their new release The Bloom and the Blight. How have the ensuing years treated the San Francisco blues-folk duo? Well, the press sheet calls it a record of catharsis, so one can only assume there were some personal events that transpired since 2007’s self-titled release. The major item that … Read more

Homewrecker

Worms & Dirt
A389 (2012)

Ohio's Homewrecker have only been a band for a relatively short time, but in that time they have bridged the gap between clevo-style hardcore, powerviolence, and straight-up grind. Within their brief recorded history the band has managed to do this pretty well. Their A389 debut proves to be a different challenge as, now, many more are familiar with their general … Read more

Nü Sensae

Sundowning
Suicide Squeeze (2012)

Whether it is rap music, hardcore or pop punk, it seems the ‘90s are forcing their way back into our unsuspecting eardrums thanks to a handful of well-versed history-appreciating up ‘n’ comers. And with that sentiment arrives Sundowning, the second album by Vancouver, BC’s Nü Sensae, a band leading the small charge of current alt-core revivalists. Now a three piece—with … Read more

Katatonia

Dead End Kings
Peaceville (2012)

Sweden’s Katatonia have been a constant presence in the realm of blackened doom/death metal since the bands inception way back in the very early 90s, and whilst a modicum of that era is still present in the group’s sound of today, Katatonia are now a fully fledged depressive rock entity. Whilst this depressive tendency ebbs and flows throughout much of … Read more

The Gaslight Anthem

Handwritten
Mercury (2012)

Depending on your perspective, The Gaslight Anthem are either a Bruce Springsteen cover band or one of the more exciting mainstream bands still producing music. On their fourth album, the New Jersey punks have found themselves in a curious position: whilst they have continued to grow in popularity, the critical acclaim that moved them into the public’s general awareness, has … Read more

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