Metz - Soft Whiteout/Lump Sums

1. Soft Whiteout

2. Lump Sums

Metz have released their debut 2 song EP. These two songs show off a sample of what the band is about and the sound they are going for. They seem to have a chaotic, all over the place, noise sound and style. When listening to this, we get a vibe of The Chariot, Pissed Jeans and Young Widows, so if you are into those bands, you could like this one. They have done an alright job here.

When looking at the recording quality of these two songs, they seem to be recorded pretty solidly, with a bit of a background fuzz to them. Not sure if this is for effect with the style they play or a quality issue, but it doesn't seem to affect the listenability of the two songs. The instrumentation here is nothing too crazy, in a musical ability sense, but the band does go all out and just plays a mess of whatever. They can certainly play, and they play in a very hectic style. 

Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals on this album, they have a grungy, echo effect with them, and they sound very distorted and hard to quite get. He isn't the clearest on here so you could have trouble with the lyrics. The vocalist can sing but other than that, its pretty noisy. With the lyrics, they are interesting. First, with Soft Whiteout, we have no idea what they are talking about. These lyrics give us a very Frank Zappa vibe, and we can't tell what they are trying to say. Lump Sums we think the meaning of the song or what we get from it is, trying to hold onto and do things, only for them to come crashing down when you didn't have a chance to succeed in the beginning. Either way, the lyrics for both songs are pretty interesting.

If you are looking for a single to this album, there isn't one, so just listen to the whole thing as it's only two songs, and you w ill get an idea of what this band is all about.

Metz have made a 2 song EP that shows off what they are about and gives you an introduction to them. We aren't really sure what to think about them because this isn't really our thing, but listen to it and give it a chance, you may like it. We look forward to seeing whats next.

Genre: Indie/Punk/Grunge

Release Date: January 13th, 2009

Location: Ottawa, Ontario

Website: http://www.metzztem.com/

Label: We Are Busy Bodies

Killitorous - Pretend To Make Babies

1. Fecal Fellatio

2. C.A.T.P.A.B.M.W.E.T.L.M.F.P.A.C.

Killitorous have released their debut album titled "Pretend To Make Babies." This album shows the band in a Technical Deathcore way with its sound. These two songs garner and idea and bases for the band. They have a similar sound to that of Beyond Creation, Beneath The Massacre and even Neuraxis, so if you like those bands, you could really like this album. They have done a decent job on this two song album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded to an okay sound. The band has a bit of a lower quality sound here that needs to be louder and clearer. It does however help a bit with the dark metal sound of the band. The instrumentation here is pretty solid. These guys can play fast and rip it with their guitar work. This is an album that with at least this part, will get you to raise your ear to the music. great job. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals on both songs are pretty decent. Granted that they are high shrieked, or low growled vocals, they really fit the music, and they do they fairly well. With this style of vocals, the lyrics are hard to pick up, but we don't feel this hinders what you get from theses two songs. We feel they can really do the growl vocals and it works. With the lyrics, on Fecal Fellatio, they sing about a sick person making a craigslist ad for sexual desires. This fits the gloomy overall of the band, but you surely aren't listening for the content, only for the most brutal thing someone could say. The other song is about a killer who is feasting upon their flesh and killing just to kill. These are again brutal lyrics, and something people just want to hear the craziest thing and be shocked. They have however done a good job on this, so it works well. If you are looking for a single to this album, there isn't one, so just listen to both songs and you'll get an idea for the band. Killitorous have released their debut two song album, and it gives people an idea of the band. Hopefully we can hear some more soon, as this is basically just a teaser until something more concreate it released. We think there is promise here and can't wait to hear what else the band comes up with. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think about it.

Genre: Grindcore/Deathcore/Metal

Release Date: July 2010

Location: Ottawa, Ontario

Label: None

Pine - Pillow Talk

1. Dolya

2. Viable

3. (Un) Rest 

4. Jilt

5. Blue Jacket

Pine have released their second EP titled "Pillow Talk". This is their label debut on No Sleep Records. Pine has a very Lo-Fi indie alternative sound to them. They stretch the words and have more of the 90's throwback vibe that seems to be going around a little bit. This band has a similar sound to that of a Basement or a Modern Baseball, so if you are into either of those bands, you could like this album. They have done a pretty decent job here. When looking at the recording quality of this album, it has been done pretty well. It has just enough production to have a solid sound, but still have that grungy, dirty, unpolished sound that the band goes for, With the instrumentation, there isn't really much here except that the band can play. Nothing on this album will really impress you, but nothing is taken away either. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals are drawn out and weary. She can certainly sing, and she has a solid voice. You can also hear everything she is saying, so the message of the songs comes out. With the lyrics, the band goes for songs about self doubt, relationships from both angles, and more. These seem to be more and more common topics in younger bands music. The lyrics and the sound seem to go quite hand in hand, being doomy sounding music, with a bit downer lyrics. All in all, not a bad job. If you are looking for a single to this album, give "jilt" your attention, as the guitarists go pretty crazy at the end with the sounds and pedals. This song is also the highlight of the album, so it will give you the best idea of the album. Pine have made a second album that really fits with their sound established on the previous offering, and gives them more of a catalog to pull from. We don't know if this is really reinventing anything, or bringing something new, but it sounds promising. We can't wait to see whats next. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Indie/Rock/Punk

Release Date: 2017

Location: Ottawa, Ontario

Label: No Sleep Records

Sparrows - Dragging Hell

1. References To The Dead

2. Our Father, The Failure

3. Hit The Switch And Silence The Storm

4. It's Always Sunny In Bramalea

Sparrows have released their third album titled "Dragging Hell." This album is one that follows along with the bands 90's alternative and heavy sound. They have caught the attention of New Damage Records who decided to release this EP. These guys still have that Thursday or Taking Back Sunday feel to them here, so if you like either of those bands, you should like this album. They have done a pretty good job here. The recording quality on this album is done fairly well. We do however wish the vocals were a little more crisp. On the instrumentation side, the band has decided to go with a drawn out atmospheric, layered feel which does show the bands diversity. These guys can certainly play, but I don't think it's quite enough to catch people solely on that. Now onto the vocals and lyrics. The vocals on this album are nothing to really write home about, but he can certainly sing. Their vocalist is also pretty clear, so you can get just what they are singing about, which is important. With the lyrics, the band has decided to go for songs that are a little harder to get exactly what they are singing about. This may have to do with recording with Kenny from Moneen, who are known to have a similar lyrical style. From what we can get, we feel dark, gloomy, down lyrics. These are definitely not happy, uplifting songs. They seem to all be about loss, losing a relationship, failure and just not having life go how you want it. We know a lot of people can relate to this, but as long as you are a thinker or listen harder than the typical listener, you will get the songs. If you are looking for a single to this album, give the song "Refrences To The Dead" your attention as it is the opening track, and the one that gives the best representation of the album as a whole. Sparrows have made a dark, gloomy record that will certainly fit right in, if you are having one of those days. They have done a pretty solid job here, and we can;t wait to see what the follow up and a full album will sound like. Not bad overall. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre:Punk/Hardcore/Rock

Release Date: August 25th, 2015

Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Website: http://www.sparrows613.com

Label: New Damage Records

Horcrux - The Dark Mark

1. Resilient

2. Wormtail

3. The Dark Mark

4. Home

5. The Outsider

6. Live Through Me

Horcrux have released their debut album titled "The Dark Mark." What is first off pretty apparent, and anyone that followed the craze, that someone in the band is a Harry Potter fan. Being the band name and album title are references to Harry Potter, it's logical to assume. After giving the album a listen, you can hear that this is dark, heavy music, which seems to be the theme for this band. Another thing that gets this album and band a bit of notice is their singer was the screamer/guitarist in the last incarnation of A Skylit Drive, so if you were a fan of those guys, you may want to give this album a chance just based on that. They have a fast paced aggressive, and polished sound that gives a head turn right from the start. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded to a pretty decent effort, especially for a debut. Being that the members of this band have been around, making solidly recorded albums before, it is no surprise that we get this quality right off the bat. The instrumentation is pretty solid. Nothing here will make you go crazy, but the band does have a great, solid, straightforward playing and that is just what they need. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals on this album are not bad, they are mostly screamed but you can still make out most of the lyrics. He can certainly scream and he does it well. We just wish the vocals were just a little louder and on par with the music. With the lyrics, the band goes for songs about rising up, being confident, fighting against oppression, and just not letting the darkness consume you. These are actually really positive and uplifting lyrics. Although they are a little hard to get as the lyrics aren't quite direct, it's that which makes us really like the lyrical content, making it dark but uplifting if you really listen. If you are looking for a single to this album, the band has made almost every song a single here. We suggest giving the song "The Outsider" your attention as that is our favourite song and first song we heard. Horcrux have made a nice solid debut here. We like the more professional recording on a first album and we like how the lyrics aren't so direct. Hopefully the band can get together more and tour, Ottawa and Montreal are the bands towns, it would be nice to see them venture out, even just within their own province. Pretty solid all in an and we can't wait to see what is next. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Metalcore/Post-Hardcore/Progressive

Release Date: February 16th, 2018

Location: Ottawa, Ontario

Label: None

Nighttime In Kansas - Solstice

1. Talking Awaste

2. Solstice 1: Still Sun

3. Solstice 2: Reprise

4. Carry You On

5. New Wave

Nighttime In Kansas have released their debut album titled "Solstic." This album shows the new young band in quite the ambient indie style. These guys are definitely the type of music you can put on if you just want something chill, or nice soft background music. They have a similar sound to that of an Azure Ray or Message To Bears, so if you are into artists like that, you may really enjoy this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album needs a little bit of work. At times the music overpowers the soft vocals, but also has moments where we wish the keyboards were more upfront in the mix. As this band ins quite a younger band, the instrumentation is quite generic and just showing that the band can play. Nothing fancy with these guys. Now onto the vocals and lyrics. the vocalist can certainly sing, but we would love to hear him louder so that we can really grasp the lyrics. This is one of the problems with such a soft soothing voice. With the lyrics, the band goes for songs about love, pain, relationships. These are the basis of the songs on the album. They are a little hard to figure out if the person in each song is trying to get away or have them come, but it makes you think on the 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 idea of the album. Nighttime In Kansas have released their debut album as one that doesn't hid anything or try to be anything it isn't. This is a very indie ambient album and you can tell this is the sound the band wants. We think these guys did a pretty good job for a debut and we can't wait to see what else they come up with. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Indie/Rock/Ambient

Release Date: November 18th, 2016
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Label: None

New Swears​/​Swollen Eyes Split

(New Swears)

(Swollen Eyes)

1. Hey Mister

2. Blackout Pact

3. Dog's Age

4. Burning Man

5. Rather Be Dead

6. Paradise

7. Can't Make Her Love Me

New Swears and Swollen Eyes have decided to put out a split album. This is pretty much just a New Swears album, as Swollen Eyes only have one song on here, (Track 7). This album has a very basic and rough punk and garage rock sound. This album just basically allows both of the bands to play shows. They both have a similar sound, and we feel it's similar to Ramones or a Beach Boys style, so if you like those bands, you could like this album. They have made an album here. When looking at the recording quality of this album you can tell why it's called garage rock, and that this is basically a demo. There is a lot of work to do here, but it is a start. The instrumentation is nothing to really mention, both bands can play though. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals from New Swears are not bad, you can tell they can sing and that there is potential here. We think with a better recording, it could highlight their vocals better, and really show them off. Swollen Eyes song has dual vocals performed on the song, while there is also screaming. This along with the roughness of the album is hard to tell, but from what we can tell, they can sing. Screaming is another thing. With the lyrics, New Swears goes for songs about partying, always moving forward, people changing, relationships, road trips and more. While Swollen Eyes song just seems to be so rough, and with the screaming in the song, we can't really get a feel for what they are saying. If you are looking for a single to this split alum, there isn't one, so just pick a song and give it a listen to get the feel of the album. New Swears have put out a debut recording that shows off what the band is trying to do and gives them a base to work with. Hopefully the band keeps working and can get a better all around representation of their music. Same thing with Swollen Eyes, this isn't their first release, but with more, we could get a better feel from them, although we think they are partly trying to sound like that. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of the album.

Genre: Garage Rock/Punk/Indie

Release Date: August 7th, 2012
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Label: None

The Superlative - Numero Deux

1. Forget To Remember

2. Life Is Good

3. Fallout

4. Keep It Here

5. JAMaca

6. Glory

7. Dad Rock

8. HomeWrecker

The Superlative have released their second album titled "Numero Deux." This album follows along the sames lines as their debut album but more edgy. These guys wanted to turn up the volume on this one. We think this album has a similar sound to that of Lit or a Not By Choice, so if you like those artists, you could really like this album. They have done a good job on this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded to a pretty good standard. We would of just raised the vocals up a bit. The instrumentation here is nothing to crazy, just a solid playing regular band. However there are touches of promise. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals on this album are done very nicely. Their singer can sing and he has a nice clear voice that will appeal to a wide range of people so thats perfect. We think he gives the album the perfect vocal sound. With the lyrics, the band goes for songs about relationships, having people get what they deserve in the end, having a good life, being more open minded and more. We feel that there are people out there that could relate to these lyrics and get into them. Not bad overall. If you are looking for a single to this album, give the song "Keep It Here" your attention as it is the best song on the album and gives you the best representation of the album as a whole. The Superlative have made their second album Go along just as well as their debut. They now have more songs to choose from when playing live to fill a setlist better and give people a better taste of the band. We think these guys have little bit of a detour in song style on some songs that we hope doesn't detract fans. All in all the band has done a pretty good job on this album. Hope to see whats next. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Alternative/Funk/Rock

Release Date: March 13th, 2014

Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Label: None

Sparrows - Cold Ground

1. Coffin Fever

2. Belly Full Of Hell

3. Apostasy

4. Sever Your Roots

5. Sights & Sounds

6. Sleepwalker

7. White Flag

8. Static Prevails

Sparrows have released their second album titled "Cold Ground." This album follows along the same lines in terms of style and sound that the band came out with on their previous album. The band has a heavy radio rock feel to them which is really awesome. We get the feeling of a band like Thursday or something like Thrice when listening to this album, so if you are into either of these bands, you could like this album. They have done a solid job on this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, this album has been recorded to a pretty decent level, but could use a little bit more production. The instrumentation on this album is nothing to really get excited over, but the band can play and it does sound good. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals on this album are not bad, nothing really to write home about, just your typical hard rock singing. He certainly can sing though and he is pretty clear, so you can hear all the words. With the lyrics, the band sings with messages of getting down, being sad, severing all the ties from the negativity and being more positive. They also sing about giving up on things that are not worth the time. Theses are things we think a bunch of people can get behind and relate to. Pretty good job overall. 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 idea of the album. Sparrows have made an album here that continues their sound and gives the band more material to play live. They have gone a solid job making longer songs and having them really rock. We honestly really like this album. Now we just need to see them play more so more people can find out about them. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think about it.

Genre: Punk/Hardcore/Rock

Release Date: July 30th, 2013

Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Website: http://www.sparrows613.com

Label: None

Clothes Make The Man - Distance

1. Air Loom

2. Telescopes

3. Dreamless Nights

4. Alpha Centauri

5. It's Getting Easier

6. Mean What I Say

7. Cruisin'

8. Wide Eyes Shout

9. Down Like That

10. Epic Goodbyes

11. Privy

12. Cables And Wires

Clothes Make The Man have released their second album titled "Distance." This album follows along the same style and sound the band created with their first album. They have a very rocky sound to them that has also that bit of indie which this a little bit of a different sound here. They have a similar sound to that of a Smashing Pumpkins or The Glorious Sons, so if you like those artists, you could like this album. These guys have done a pretty good job on this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has decent, listenable quality to it. The instrumentation on the album is nothing to get super excited about, but the band can play a nice standard album, which hints of something more. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals on this album are really quite good. The vocalist has a nice and clear voice, while being soothing enough to appeal to a wide variety of music listeners. He has a really solid voice and it blends perfectly with the music. With the lyrics, the band has chosen to go for messages of saying goodbye to people, relationships, pain, being firm and not going back on what you say, and just having the hard times of post relationships getting easier with time. We feel a lot of people can relate to these messages, or are currently feeling some of them right now so they will be easy to get into. 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. Clothes Make The Man have made their second album feel quite similar as the previous, with following the same pattern as before. They have made a great album that anyone can listen to, and with time hopefully and more shows will get really noticed. Pretty decent job overall. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it. They have since called it quits (R.I.P.)

Genre: Indie/Rock

Release Date: 2010

Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Website: http://www.clothesmaketheman.org

Label: None

Vesuvius - My Place Of Solace And Rest

1. Amalurra

2. This House Is Not A Home

3. Nurture

4. Bitter

5. Hibernate

6. Gentle

7. Sema

8. Dear Death,

Vesuvius have released their debut album titled "My Place Of Solace And Rest." This album is one that shows a band just starting on the right path of becoming a decent band in the scene. They have a similar sound to that of bands like To Speak Of Wolves or even a Sirens & Sailors, so if you like either of those bands of just generic post hardcore, you should like this band. They have done a pretty good job on this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded to a fairly decent level here. The instrumentation is okay here being that the band doesn't have a bassist and uses a lot of keys. These guys can play, but it will take a little longer and more practice before they really hit it well. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals on this album could be a little better, their vocalist likes to sing in a high range that he just doesn't quite have it spot on. When you start to go that high, it's a make it or break it range. Looking at the screamer, he does quite well here and we would love to just see more of the screaming as it would really tie up the album better here. They can both sing but a bit more practice could do the band well. With the lyrics, the band goes for messages of being yourself, finding yourself and wanting to die. A lot of people have all of these feelings, especially when they are younger and trying to find their way. We think that people will relate to these songs and feel the same. If you are looking for a single to this album, give the song "Hibernate" your attention as it is the best song on the album and gives you a feel for what the album is like. Vesuvius have made an album here that shows their youth and how they are trying to grow as a band. We think they have pieces here that could really make this band great in the future but are not at that stage yet. We hope to see this band do more soon. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it. They have since called it quits (R.I.P.)

Genre: Post-Hardcore/Metalcore/Rock

Release Date: May 6th, 2016

Location: Ottawa, Ontario

Label: Tragic Hero Records