1. Shogun – Fortuitous Concourse Of Atoms – Iconoclast (2001) (00:00)
Shogun were a short-lived band from Boulder, CO that combined the darker elements of bands like Zao and Bird Of Ill-Omen with complex arrangements and noisy chaos more akin to Coalesce. Iconoclast, released on Goodfellow Records, stands as their only full-length album and it is definitely a worthy one. On top of their chaotic style of metalcore, the band even sneaks in some slick leads reminiscent of North Carolina bands like Prayer For Cleansing and Undying. I’ve seen them described as math-rock and deathcore, and those are both so clearly wrong.
2. Dragbody – Lord Of The Flies – Flip The Kill Switch (1999) (03:07)
Florida’s Dragbody also only released one full-length album in their short existence, but they went big, recording it with Steve Albini. It’s noisy, dissonant and intricate in all the ways that made that late nineties period so fun. Off-kilter riffs, odd time changes and piercing vocals push the album but it’s the clever insertion of other sounds that make it special. The jazz-groove focused mellow mid-section of this song brings to mind something like Break Of Dawn or Drowningman but done in their own style.
3. The Judas Factor – My Favorite Stranger – Ballads In Blue China (1999) (06:59)
The Judas Factor was a New York band that featured Rob Fish of 108 and Resurrection notoriety on vocals. Their debut 7-inch featured Justin Brannan and Pat Flynn of Indecision and stayed towards the more hardcore sound of that band but on their only full-length (there might be a theme here?), Ballads In Blue China, the band explored a wider array of styles. There is a certain Deadguy groove that is palpable but The Judas Factor also bring in some more melodic emo type influences. “My Favorite Stranger” runs the gamut closing out on a straightforward youth-crew sounding riff.
4. BlueSkiesBurning – Summerfield, Michigan – Last Leg Of My First Race (2000) (09:36)
You guessed it, BlueSkiesBurning only put out one record in their short existence. Last Leg Of My First Race was released by One Day Savior who, if you’ve read my blog before, you know, had a really killer and unfortunately unsung lineup. This record was just recently reissued with their demo added to it, but I haven’t seen that version to see if it is as cool as the original. The original CD had a die-cut cover, great calligraphy style writing and a weird design on that waxy see-through paper that was mildly popular at that time (see also: Coalesce – Functioning On Impatience). I loved when bands put the extra work into the design.
5. Taken – The Duke – Between Two Unseens (2004) (13:50)
Taken were a California based melodic hardcore band that infused elements of metalcore and emo into their take on the style. Between Two Unseens even features some spacey, delay-heavy guitar leads taking the songs into a more atmospheric feel. Vocalist Ray Harkins delivers a seriously intense and passionate performance here. Heavy, emotional and fantastic.
6. Keelhaul – Cruel Shoes – Subject To Change Without Notice (2003) (17:29)
Keelhaul are just one of the many great bands I heard during a certain period where I purchased every album Hydra Head Records put out regardless of if I knew it or not. And just like with bands like Knut, Cattlepress and Cavity, this did not disappoint. Keelhaul play some sort of sludgy noise-math-rock. Whatever you want to call it, the band blasts through songs that are structured as complexly as they are played. Think: if Unsane played nineties metalcore.
7. Anodyne – Philosophy Of Failure – Lifetime Of Gray Skies (2004) (20:37)
Speaking of great record labels, Level Plane released Anodyne’s Lifetime Of Gray Skies. Since they are following Keelhaul here, that’s probably a good reference point. Anodyne played dissonant, spastic hardcore with noise-rock tendencies. There’s definitely some Deadguy and Today Is The Day going on in here. This would be the groups final album before they disbanded and guitarist/vocalist Mike Hill went on to form Tombs.
8. Biartz – Incandescent – Biartz (1998) (23:25)
Connecticut’s Biartz were a technically complex and diverse band. Their self-titled record strays more towards the metalcore end of things, but their final album, Intimations, moved in a more sludge-centric direction. What I like so much about Biartz style is that while they continue to play a riff, they will slightly modify it everytime it circles around, making it a really interesting listen. I wasn’t in CT when this band was around, but a friend gave me his copy of their CDs before he moved and I thank him for that.
9. Measured In Grey – Remnants Only – Measured In Grey (2000) (26:11)
I know nothing about this band. There is hardly any info out there on them, just a Facebook page that confirms they did, in fact, exist. I bought the CD on a whim at a thrift store because it had the look of a late nineties/early aughts hardcore record and the name was a reference to a Coalesce song. It’s nothing mind-blowing, but it is some good turn of the century metalcore. Slightly chaotic, slightly straight-forward.
10. Breach – Seconds Away – Godbox (2001) (28:33)
Sweden’s Breach are a bit of an underrated band. The band played a style of noisy, discordant hardcore that leaned a bit towards the post-metal side at times. Perhaps not unlike fellow Swede’s Cult Of Luna, Breach had a very artistic approach to their sound that may have been a bit too heady for the American audiences to completely grasp. Whatever the reason is, they are just simply not as well known as they should be.
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