Crown Lands - Mantra

1. Being Right

2. Mantra

3. Sweet Avalon

4. One Good Reason

5. Scott Fitzgerald

Crown Lands have released their debut album titled "Mantra". This album shows off the band in a very old school rock way. These guys sound like they just came out of the 70's with their sound and style. We would say this band has a similar sound to that of Led Zeppelin, Rush and even Black Sabbath at times, so if you like those artists, you could really like this band. They have done a pretty good job here.

When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded with the 70's in mind. In that, saying that the songs don't have everything crisply recorded, or to an over produced quality. This helps with the sound they are trying to get to. The instrumentation here, is really good considering the band is just a duo. These guys can certainly play, and when you find out it's just two members, it totally changes things. On top, the guitarist can really play, and you hear some decent drumming as well.

Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals on this album are done quite well. Their singer can sing, and his talent is showcased all over thew songs on this album. You can hear the holding of notes and being in tune while he belts out parts of the songs. Very well done vocals. With the lyrics, the band goes for songs that are a little out there with having to struggle with yourself, relationships calling you out, hippy and being with earth, and more. These songs are a little more in the style of a band from the time period this band is trying to feel as. They have done a good job in getting these songs to appeal to a classic rock fan.

If you are looking for a single to this album, give the title song "Mantra" your attention, as it is the best song on the album, and it really encapsulates what the band is trying to do with the music.

Crown Lands have released their debut album and this one really shows you what the band wants to sound like and where they want to take their music. Now unfortunately there is nothing new here, since they are throwing it back to an older time, but they do a great job at it. We think there is a market here, and yes, people who don't embrace older music, will not be into this. This still sounds good, and will generate interest for sure. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think about it.

Genre: Rock/Classic Rock/ Rock & Roll

Release Date: 2016

Location: Oshawa, Ontario

Website: http://www.crownlandsmusic.com/

Label: None

Cauterize - Disguises

 

1. Love In The Attic

2. Closer

3. Don't Stop Now

4. Minor Key Symphony

5. Dare You To Scream

6. The Devil In Lace

7. Porcelain

8. Wake To The Sun

9. Slivers

10. Tremble

11. Miracles or Medicine

12. Paper Wings

Cauterize have released their album titled "Disguises". This album seems to be a re recorded version of Paper Wings. About a quarter of these songs are on the previous album, and they don't seem to have much difference to them except for the recording quality being better. This means the band has followed their sound and style through to this album, so no real surprises. The band has a very alternative radio rock sound to them, so if you listen to the radio, it's a good chance you can get into this band. They have done an alright job here. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded quite well, and gives the songs a nice clear sound. The instrumentation here, isn't too wild. They play pretty standard but good, right in the middle. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals are pretty similar to the previous albums, so no strain or ware on the vocals. He is very clear and able to be heard, so you will understand every word he sings. The vocalist can certainly sing well, so thats a big yes. With the lyrics, the band sings about relationships and having people with sad situations that the singer wishes he could be there for. They also sing about the opposite side of relationships too. This is pretty typical for bands to sing about, which sometimes can be a turn off. Overall, pretty standard in everything with this album. If you are looking for a single to this album, give the song "Closer" your attention, as that is the one standout song here, and gives you an idea for the rest of the album. Cauterize have made an album that follows their theme, and sounds decent. If you are looking for anything to wow about, it's not really an album to do that, but it is a solid plain everyday rock album. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it. They have since called it quits (R.I.P.)

Genre: Rock/Punk/Alternative

Release Date: June 12th, 2007

Location: Oshawa, Ontario

Website: http://www.cauterize.com/

Label: High4Records

Viva Mars - More And More/Better And Better

1. Fooled, But Not Foolish

2. More And More, Better And Better

3. Always By My Side

4. Here And Now, Boys

5. Calvin's Blues

6. Something Without

7. I Could Be Your Friend

8. One, One-Thousand

9. No One Wants To Let You Down

10. Sunday Dress

11. Born Again

Viva Mars have released their second album titled "More And More/Better And Better." This album follows along the same lines as their debut in both style and sound. These guys have a very indie sound, and go quite deep into the genre with their sound. We feel that similar artists to this album would be Great Lake Swimmers or a surf rock type of band, so if you are into artists like that, then you could like this album. They have done a pretty good job here. When looking at the recording quality of the album, the album has been recorded pretty well actually. The instrumentation is nothing that is going to blow you away, but not complicated enough to be easy to listen to at anytime. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals are this album are pretty decent, and he can certainly sing. However we feel that the vocals are too far in the background and seem like they had to be yelled to get to the microphone. This effect to try and give it a more raw and indie feel is something we aren't really found of, it may not be quite of a big deal to you though. With the lyrics, the band goes for songs about change, being alone, relationships, feeling down and how you deal with it. This seems to be what many younger people right now are feeling, so this could really hit home with a lot of the indie crowd of right now. We think they have done a pretty good job here. If you are looking for a single to this album, there isn't one, so just pick a song and give it a listen to get the feel of the album. Viva Mars have made their second album pretty similar to their previous one, with just more of a catalog to pull from. These guys have done a pretty good job here, we would just like to see it a little more polished up, and have the lyrics more upfront. Hopefully this band can get out more and bring their music to more people. Can't wait to see what else the band comes up with. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Indie/Rock

Release Date: November 23rd, 2011

Location: Oshawa, Ontario
Website: http://www.vivamars.com/

Label: None

Black Cat Attack - Vamparty

1. A Toast...

2. Vamparty

3. Don't Go Into The Woods Alone

4. End Of The World

5. Last One Left

6. Death Punk Prowl

7. Whitewood

Black Cat Attack have released their second album titled "Vamparty." This album follows along with the same style and sound the band created on their debut album. They have that punky rockabilly feel to them, which is a bit different. The band has a similar sound to that of The Madadors or even a Horrorpops, so if you like those bands, you could really like this album. They have done a pretty decent job on this album. Then looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded to a decent quality, but you can hear that the vocals seem to be a little far away and could be louder. The instrumentation on this album is something that shows that the band can play good old, solid punk rock. Now there are moments on the album where the band shows they can really play, which is good to see from a band that doesn't need to do it to fit into their genre. good effort. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals are done pretty well, but as talked about previously, they are a bit too far away. We would like to see them a bit more up front and in your face, which is what the band is trying to do in the first place. the vocalist can certainly sing, and we can't wait to see what she does next. With the lyrics, the band goes for songs that are dark and theatrical. Having songs about blood, vampires, death and the like, really cements that horror feel the band is going for. They have really hit their market on the head with these lyrics. If you are looking for a single to this album, there isn't one, so just pick a song and give it a listen to get the feel of this album. Black Cat Attack have made an album that really follows what the band was doing on their previous one. They have brought the horror up and we feel that is is a good record to show the stage of the band at this time. What would be nice is to see the band get out and play as much as they can. Overall we like this record. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Punk/Rock/Rockabilly

Release Date: December 21st, 2012
Location: Oshawa, Ontario
Label: None

Throne To The Wolves - Unholiest Of Kings

1. Fear The Faceless

2. Hellraiser

3. Bite The Bullet

4. Every Lit Match (Another Bridge Burned)

5. Calm Before The Storm

Throne To The Wolves have released their debut album titled "Unholiest Of Kings." This shows the band off in a pretty metalcore way. They have the screams but also a bit of a more southern, dirty feel to them, than the traditional metalcore. They have a similar sound to that of a Memphis May Fire of a Miss May I, so if you are into either of those bands, you could like this album. They have done a pretty good job on it. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded to a pretty decent quality here. The instrumentation here is on the average side, nothing to exciting or anything that will wow you, but they can also definitely play. Not too bad in this category. Now onto the vocals and the lyrics, the vocals on this album are done solidly, they have nice screamed vocals and he can do them quite well. You don't really hear screamed vocals done this well from the start. Their more regular vocals are done well also. With the lyrics, the band goes for songs that are about having a voice, doing things you shouldn't be, with a voice inside you, having nothing go your way but still having to act like things are okay, moving from what gets you down and more. These subjects are a little more heavy and don't necessarily resonate with everyone, but they are good to hear and having someone getting things like this off their chest. Who knows, maybe they are relatable at this specific time in your life. Not bad overall. If you are looking for a single to this album, give the song "Hellraiser" your attention as it is the best song on the album and will give you a great feel of the album. Throne To The Wolves have made a heavy album that also sound really good for a debut.Hopefully they continue on with the strong sound and can play more shows to bring their music to more people. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Post-Hardcore/Metalcore/Metal

Release Date: August 4th, 2014

Location: Oshawa, Ontario

Website: http://www.thronetothewolves.band/

Label: None

Letdown - The Bottom

1. Deficiency

2. I'm Not Complex, I'm Just From One

3. Placement

4. Bottom

Letdown have released their second album titled "The Bottom." This album follows along with the same style and sound the band came up with on their debut. They have that sort of grungy, dirty style Pop Punk that hits more of the Punk side of things. They have a similar sound to that of Four Year Strong or a Major League, so if you like those bands, you could like this album. They have done an alright job on this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded quite well actually. The instrumentation unfortunately is nothing to really talk about, they can play their instruments solidly which is nice to see. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals on this album are fast and a bit grungy which makes the vocals a little less pleasing to the ears of some of the more casual music listeners. He can certainly sing though, and for the most part you can make out all the lyrics, which is a plus in this style of punk. not bad overall. With the lyrics, the band sings about exchanges that happen in a relationship, apologizing for growing up and changing in a way someone doesn't like, asking to be forgiven for mistakes, and being at the bottom of life. These are pretty much just relationship songs in one way or another which we feel a lot of people can get behind. If you are looking for a single to this album give the song "Bottom" your attention as it is the best song on the album and gives you a good feel for what the rest of the album is like. Letdown have made a very raw and grungy pop punk album here. They have a sound that really rings true to their hometown and it shows with the following they have there. Now just get out into more of Ontario ti get more people into them. Not bad overall. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Punk/Pop - Punk/Rock

Release Date: January 19th, 2016

Location: Oshawa, Ontario

Label: None

Unit Thirty Three - Unit Thirty Three

1. The Transmission

2. Our Ships Going Down

3. Call Me Captain

4. Sing

5. The Pilot

6. Ready, Set, Go

7. A Song For Summer

8. Jump

9. This Is Outer Space

10. Kids Of The Century

Unit Thirty Three have released their second album which they have chosen to self title. This album expands on their 2 song demo which was previously released. These guys have that very pop heavy pop punk sound to them on this album. They have a similar sound to that of The Summer Set or even a Cute Is What We Aim For, so if you like those bands, you could possibly like this album. They have done an alright job on this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album as been recorded to a okay standard here. It's not too bad but it definitely hasn't held up very well. The instrumentation on this album is obviously pretty basic. Although the band can play, it's nothing that will blow you away. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals on this album are clear and you can hear every word, which is the good part. The negative here is that the vocal style the vocalist has decided to go with are way too high and in turn make them almost cringe worthy unfortunately. With the lyrics, again, as a new, young band, there isn't very much complexity in the lyrics. They are very much what a teenager would sing about. These songs are about girls, a few ships and space references, as well as singing about summer. These a a decent start for a young band, but we do hope they get more intellectual in the lyrics as they progress. If you are looking for a single to this album, there isn't one, so just pick a song and give it a listen to get the feel of this album. Unit Thirty Three have made their debut full length album a very pop heavy album that is very adolescent, but a step the band needed to take as to progress. We do see the potential in the band here and it's nice to be able to see a base formed with this album. We think it's a good job for what it is, and we hope to see this band get bigger with time. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it. They have since called it quits (R.I.P.) 

Genre: Pop Punk/Punk/Powerpop

Release Date: 2012

Location: Oshawa, Ontario
Website: http://www.unitthirtythree.com

Label: None

Hollowick - Beautiful People

1. Just Another Day

2. Timebomb

3. Breaking Out

4. Beautiful People

5. Not There Yet

6. One Day

7. Taking Me Over

8. King Of The World

9. There Goes Another One

10. Gimmie Gimmie

11. Rock Ending

Hollowick have released their debut album titled "Beautiful People." This album has the same sound and feel that the band established when they were Rides Again, so it is a pretty familiar sound here. They have that regular radio rock sound that fills the airwaves, so it can hit a wide audience this music. Similarly they sound like artists such as Three Days Grace or Theory Of A Deadman, so if you like those artists, you could like this album. They have done a pretty solid job on this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded to a pretty decent standard here. The instrumentation is not bad either, the band can certainly play, just nothing that is going to wow you in that department. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals are done pretty well here, he has quite the style for alternative music and you can hear him quite clearly. His voice goes well with the music and he hits the right notes. Good vocals for this album. With the lyrics, they seem to go on that alternative style, messages of being brought down by fake people  and not fitting in. They also talk about relationships, and feeling better one day. These are typical messages for this type of music. If you are looking for a single to this album, give the song "Timebomb" your attention as it is the best song on the album and really give you that feel of the album. Hollowick's debut album is one that seems to have everything here, it just doesn't seem to be able to hold it's own against all the other bands out there that sound the same. It's a decent album but nothing really wows on this album. Hopefully the band gets out there more. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Alternative/Rock

Release Date: June 7th, 2011

Location: Oshawa, Ontario
Website: http://www.hollowickmusic.com/

Label: Aquarius Records

Dawn Vally - Just Pleaser

1. Intro

2. All Pussies Get Eaten

3. The Man Song

4. Corrupt

5. Shotgun Shells Gone South

6. The Pleaser

7. Code Name Redeemer

8. Chunkafunkalis

9. Outro

Dawn Vally have released their debut full length album titled "Just Pleaser." This album is one that really hits hard and heavy. They have a bit of a bar band sound at times, then go deep into the growled vocals. They have a similar sound to that of Behemoth as well as a Decapitated, so if you like those bands, you could very well like these guys. They have not done too bad of a job here on this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, everything seems to have been recorded to a fairly well standard which we like. The instrumentation is nothing really crazy, but it does have a solid playing style and ability to it. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals here are pretty much growled, which is not bad, just hard to understand the lyrics. That said, the vocalist does a pretty good job on those growls, he can certainly do them. With the lyrics, the band has gone the route of being badass and writing "metal" songs. They have that very tough, mean feel to them where they say anything brutal to get the listeners attention. These guys have done a good job on making the album this way and they changed the perception a bit of the band with a few listens. If you are looking for a single to this album, there isn't one, so just pick a song and give it a listen to get the feel of the album. Dawn Vally have made an album that you don't expect to be as heavy and brutal at first listen, but blow you back once you do. Not a bad job on the album. Now all that is left is to play more shows. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Metal/Groove Metal/Hard Rock
Release Date: November 1st, 2013

Location: Oshawa, Ontario

Label: None

Where Giants Once Stood - Live Above

1. Living In Security
2. Illuminate
3. The Damaged
4. Myths, Lies And Crimes

Where Giants Once Stood have released their sophomore album titled "Live Above." This album really feels like a in your face, progressive metal album. It has the same sort of style that a band like August Burns Red or a Suicide Silence would have, so if you like those guys, you could really like this album.They have done a great job on t his album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded pretty decently. The instrumentation on this album is pretty good as well, the band can certainly play. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals on this album are very similar to that of For Today with just a hint of being forced. Very good metal vocals that you can pretty much tell what he is saying. With the lyrics, the band has decided to go the route of talking about the damaged, the beaten, the bruised and trying to get away from that to live in a happy place. The guys have done a great job on the lyrics and these do have a good message. If you are looking for a single to this album, give the song "Living In Security" your attention as it is a great song on the album and really shows how the feel of this album is. When Giants Once Stood have made a metal album that really shows off their skills. This  is one to certainly listen to if you are an ABR fan. We can't wait to see what the next album sounds like. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Metalcore/Metal/Progressive Metal

Release Date: September 30th, 2014

Location: Oshawa, Ontario

Label: None

Matlock Expressway - Why Is This Time Any Different

1. New Digs (Intro)

2. Small Victories

3. The Night Gwen Stacy Died

4. Same Old Weekend

5. The Waiting Room

Matlock Expressway have released their debut album titled "Why Is This Time Any Different." This album is a fast paced pop punk album that really fits in well with what the bands nowadays are doing. It has a bit of an easycore feel to it and that is nice to hear from a band on the first listen. Their album has a similar sound of New Found Glory and A Day To Remember, so if you like both of those bands, you could really like this album. They have done a nice job on this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, Anton Delost has done a nice job on recording this album well. If you know him and his recording, you can tell it has a bit of his style to it. The instrumentation is nothing spectacular, just good solid pop punk. Now onto the vocals and the lyrics, the vocals sound really nice here and they have a NFG feel to them. His voice is pretty clear, just a little more volume and they would be perfect. With the lyrics, the band has gone for messages of winning the little things and building up to the bigger and trying to change things, life and relationships. These lyrics all come across very sincere while also fitting the pop punk mold. If you are looking for a single to this album, listen to "Same Old Weekend" as it is our favourite song on the album and the one the band picked as the single. We also feel you will get a good idea of the album from listening to this one. Matlock Expressway have made a debut "welcome to" album that really shows off what the band wants to do and the direction they are going in. We found that we really enjoyed listening to this album and we suggest you do to. Overall, decent album. Now lets just see more shows. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Pop Punk/Punk/Rock
Release Date: August 4th, 2016

Location: Oshawa, Ontario

Label: None