Sounds of the underground...

What follows are a bunch of band profiles I'm putting into Hails & Horns' new "Unsigned Bands" section. These bands RULE and are all great friends of mine, so you owe it to yourself, Denizen of the Interwebs, to check them all out!


The Atlas Moth

What’s What: New Orleans may be the spiritual home of dirty rockin’ sludge, but damned if the Windy City ain’t givin’ it a run for its money with doom-hungry scions The Atlas Moth. Equal parts crushing and heartbreakingly beautiful, their dynamic take on filthy Southern sludge comes with a psychedelic sheen. Since their inception in 2007, the ‘Moth have already toured the United States three times and released a 7” and an EP, as well as securing a spot on legendary doom merchants Trouble’s upcoming Canadian tour.
“We are offering nothing but honest music. There is no flash, there is just honesty. We don’t use triggers, we don’t fake our music. In the metal world everything is so processed and fake now. There is no soul left. Hopefully we are offering a little bit of realness and soul back into a genre where practically none exists, “explains guitarist/throat Steven Giannopoulos.

They are currently touring and recording their debut full-length for release in 2009. Worshippers of the almighty riff, look no further -The Atlas Moth are your new favorite band.

Location: Chicago, IL

Current Release: “Hope For Atlantis” 7” & “Pray For Tides” EP (myspace.com/theatlasmothband)

Rocks Like: Neurosis, Eyehategod, Deftones, Envy, Coalesce

Ossein

What’s What: Drawing from elements of black metal, post rock, Japanese-style electronics, industrial, visual art and experimental sound, New Jersey’s answer to Ulver came into being in 2006 as the solo venture of Nile Bowie. After the addition of Itay Keren & Mat Noojin to the lineup, Ossein made a name for themselves by following muse Trent Reznor’s example and offering all of their releases for free online. 2008 saw the eclectic black metal of first release “Declination” give way to the genre-bending soundscapes of “Osaka,” drawing attention for their pro-vegetarian, politically-liberal stance.
“The multi-disciplinary theme of my project may have the potential to turn people who may have enjoyed my black metal work into enjoying my cleaner acoustic material, and finding more new artists from there. The potential of opening other's minds is what fuels me to create so rapidly,” says Bowie.

Ossein are currently working on their next release, a double album entitled “Fuhrer.” You NEED to hear this band – mere words don’t do ‘em any justice.

Location: Jersey City, NJ

Current Release: “Osaka” full-length (myspace.com/ossein)

Rocks Like: Ulver, Boris, Burzum, Misanthropy Legion, Sigur Ros


Misanthropy Legion

What’s What: “I think hearing any of our new material (under ideal listening conditions) is like being trapped in an acid-rain storm with your legs knee deep in melted copies of old Immortal releases,” muses Joe “Wraith” Adversario, frontman for New Jersey black metal cult Misanthropy Legion. The Legion has been around since 2005, unleashing their own particular brand of extreme left-hand path black metal upon unsuspecting victims and building up a reputation as a devastating live band with a no-bullshit attitude. A string of releases, culminating with 2007’s “ALAL,” have seen the band expand both ideologically and musically to include elements of d-beat/80’s hardcore and refine their lyrical focus on the inner workings of our doomed species.

Misanthropy Legion = no corpse paint, no fashion, no goat’s heads, no pretension: just unmerciless, gutsfucking black metal. Jersey’s filthiest have just completed their second full-length, “Eidolon,” and plan to launch a live assault on the East Coast in the summer of ’09.

Location: Cranbury, NJ

Current Release: “Eidolon” full-length (myspace.com/misanthropylegion)

Rocks Like: Craft,, Iskra, Absu, Inquisition, Bahimiron