11 Bands You May Not Have Heard
(But Worth Checking Out)
July 30, 2007
Music fans are always on the lookout for tunes they have not heard, in the hope of discovering some gem they have yet to stumble across. Often they may be new bands just surfacing, or sometimes they are older bands (mostly underrated from their era).
As the western world continues to dive further into the realm of digital media, bands are discovering new ranges of exposure once thought impossible. New and unsigned bands spread their music on social networking sites. Classic and underrated bands get rediscovered via file sharing networks and music web sites. Indeed, the internet has provided music with the most revolutionary concept ever, and one that is continually under attack by the RIAA: putting music choices and control totally in the hands of the people.
So, while everyone has their own unique tastes and desires in the music world, there are often bands and artists (from the present and from the past) that are often overlooked, underrated, or forgotten. The internet gives the user the opportunity to find and discover (or rediscover) these acts.
When I recently began thinking about this article, it became very clear very quickly that it was going to be difficult to be objective on this topic. So consider this more of an op-ed piece on music... Here are eleven bands that come to mind for me that I believe are often overlooked. Check them out and give 'em a listen:
Karnivool
I first saw Karnivool live at a S.L.A.M. gig before I moved from Perth, Australia to the United States. I was initially impressed, but when I visited home and had the chance to see them live again, it blew me away how far they had progressed and evolved. The band has firmly developed a musical identity for themselves, as well as a dedicated following in Australia. Their debut album, Themata, showcases their wide variety of musical influences, as well as their technical dexterity in developing some amazing tunes. As these guys progress, they are definitely a band to look out for in 2008 and beyond for some international exposure.
Karnivool: Themata
Kyuss
Queens of the Stone Age have become quite popular over the last few years; but the band's beginnings can be traced back to another outfit that had their beginnings in California in the late 1980's, with QOTSA members Josh Homme and Alfredo Hernandez rounding out the line-up with John Garcia (later to form Slo Burn) and Brant Bjork. Initially labeled as a Stoner Rock band, Kyuss turned into a band that was constantly evolving, yet staying close to their rock / metal roots. Perhaps their best known release was 1992's Blues for the Red Sun; but it was this album, and indeed the band itself, that were later forgotten and left in the shadows of the success of Queens of the Stone Age.
Kyuss: Green Machine
Annihilator
As mentioned in the recent article Stomping True, there were numerous thrash metal bands that are both underrated and delegated to the background, hidden by the success of bands like Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth. Annihilator was one of these bands. Hailing from Canada, the band was well known for their debut release in 1989 called Alice in Hell. The album was highly praised by critics, but just like Testament and Overkill, the efforts of Annihilator were generally concealed from the mainstream due to the bigger metal acts out there. To their credit, the soldiered onward, and continue recording and touring to this day.
Annihilator: Alison Hell
Celldweller / Circle of Dust
Celldweller and Circle of Dust are two bands/projects formed and directed by Klayton aka Scott Albert. Both projects are often pointed to enthusiasts as the continual evolution of Klayton's works (hence their inclusion in one entry here). While Celldweller has enjoyed some recent exposure with their inclusion of music on the Spiderman 3 soundtrack, for the most part, his music has never quite broken into the popular mainstream. The Celldweller works however have enjoyed some moderate success on sites such as MySpace.
Celldweller: Switchback
VAST
In 1998, Jon Crosby released his debut album under the name of VAST, which stood for Visual Audio Sensory Theater (also the album title). Crosby played most of the instruments on the album, which was a stunning convergence of industrial, electronica, sampling, metal, and rock; and the album enjoyed some relative success internationally. The record label, however, seemed less than impressed with the more acoustic and orchestral follow-up, Music For People... a reaction which lead to lack of promotion and Crosby eventually being dropped from the label. Determined to continue, Crosby kept VAST alive by turning to his fans online and began recording music and selling it directly to VAST fans via PayPal... an ambitious move considering it was before the rise of iTunes and other online music stores. It was a gamble that paid off: Crosby started his own label, consolidated the VAST line-up, & continues making amazing music to this day.
VAST: Touched
Mother Love Bone
Before Pearl Jam, and before Nirvana broke down the gates that lead to the onslaught of the grunge scene during the early 1990's, it was Mother Love Bone that laid the groundwork for the coming scene in the late 1980's. The group is probably more remembered for the 1990 single Stardog Champion, which came from their album Apple, released two days after the fatal overdose of lead singer Andrew Wood. Members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament would move forward to form Pearl Jam. The flood of grunge unfortunately overshadowed the early efforts of Mother Love Bone and are often overlooked as one of the bands that could be defined as helping to form the infrastructural foundation of what would be coming for the 1990's music scene.
Mother Love Bone: Stardog Champion
Mudhoney
Another foundational band of the grunge scene, Mudhoney never really rose to the peaks of international success but instead also laid the groundwork for the alternative music scene of the late 1980's and early 1990's. The band is largely credited with being one of Kurt Cobain's biggest influences; and they did enjoy some moderate success with their song, Touch Me I'm Sick. To their credit, the band continues to this day and is possibly one of the few Seattle bands from that era that still move forward.
Mudhoney: Suck You Dry
Apocalyptica
Metal played on cello? How could this be possible? Hailing from Finland, Apocalyptica began as a four-piece group of classically trained cellists, eager to express their love of heavy metal through their instruments. To the disbelief of metal heads, the band released an album in 1996 called Apocalyptica Plays Metallica by Four Cellos - a feat that was praised by both fans and critics. The group evolved into releasing albums of metal covers by a wide variety of bands, but have since also began working on their own original material that clearly has a strong metal influence to it. Apocalyptica were joined by a drummer (initially Slayer's Dave Lombardo, and then later Mikko Siren) and continue developing their unique interpretation of metal.
Apocalyptica featuring Matthias Sayer: Hope Volume II
John Butler Trio
Originating from Fremantle, Australia, the John Butler Trio has enjoyed significant success within their home country, and is slowly gaining some notice abroad. Lead by John Butler, the trio originated as more of a jam band, which evolved more into an alternative roots group with a clear and distinct style and a diverse array of musical influences. The John Butler Trio won an award from the Australia Recording Industry Association for Best Independent Release in 2001 for their album Three. John Butler is also well known for his astonishing improvisation and soloing on guitar.
John Butler: Ocean
War of Ages
One of the newer hardcore metal acts to surface over the last couple of years are slowly gathering more notice and more fans. Originating from Pennsylvania, War of Ages (formerly known as Point Zero) has become an unyielding metal act, known for their aggressive presence of solidarity on-stage. With audience rallying songs like Brothers in Arms and Battle On, War of Ages will soon become a hardcore act to look out for; especially considering they have recently signed to Facedown Records; a move that will hopefully give them some more exposure.
War of Ages: Stand Your Ground
Allegiance
It has often been said by Aussie metal heads that if time had progressed positively for the Perth metal band Allegiance in the 1990's, they could have ended up becoming one of the biggest metal bands in the world. Formed and consolidated in the west of Australia, Allegiance made a name for themselves as one of the hardest-working and most aggressive thrash bands in Australia. The band was eventually spotted by Judas Priest's Rob Halford, who signed them to his iD imprint label. Their debut album D.e.s.t.i.t.u.t.i.o.n. enjoyed great success in Australia, and gathered some interest overseas. Their second album, Skinman, enjoyed more exposure overseas, but the band sadly imploded after founding member Dave Harrison was fired. The band often reunite every few years for one-off shows, but bassist Dave Harrison continues working with his latest metal outfit, Black Steel, who are enjoying some reasonable success within the Perth metal scene, as well as the underground metal scene worldwide.
Music fans are always on the lookout for tunes they have not heard, in the hope of discovering some gem they have yet to stumble across. Often they may be new bands just surfacing, or sometimes they are older bands (mostly underrated from their era).
Karnivool
Kyuss
Annihilator
Celldweller / Circle of Dust
VAST
Mother Love Bone
Mudhoney
Apocalyptica
John Butler Trio
War of Ages
Allegiance
