Norris - Ladies And Gentlemen, We Regret to Inform You That Our Worldwide Anthem Is An Explosion

1. Gaia

2. Human Kindling

3. Worth Living

4. Our Worldwide Anthem Is An Explosion

Norris have released their debut album with a super long title. This album shows the band in a chaotic and noisy way. The band seems to have things going off in every which direction, which is a bit of a sensory overload. They have a similar sound to that of a band like A Textbook Tragedy, Job For A Cowboy or even a Pig Destroyer, so if you are into bands like this, you could really like this album. They have done an alright job here. 

When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded to an an okay level. This may intentionally feel like this with all the chaotic time shifts and things, but the recording just kind of seems like a mess. Now yes it could be more clear and crisp, but this also helps with the feel the band is going for on the record. With the instrumentation, the band can certainly play, and they shift from fast to slow and back, but unless you can really focus, you'll not understand the talent here. We think this band can really play and they do a solid job at what they are doing here.

Now onto the vocals and lyrics, with the vocals, the singer has some very screeched vocals here, which could use some work, as they at times just sound like someone throwing up. They do however work for the music, but again, not as polished. The actual singing part on the songs could also use work. We do think there is potential here though. With the lyrics, they are a bit hard to hear and understand with the style of vocals. Honestly we can't really tell you what they are singing about, which sucks because that an element of the music lost, but we still listen for what it is.

If you are looking for a single to this album, there really isn't one, so just pick a song and give it a listen to get the idea of the album.

Norris have made a debut album that really shows off what the band wants to do, and gives you an idea of the direction this band wants to go. This is a starter into the band and what they are doing. They have done a pretty good job here with how chaotic it is, and how the musicianship is on this album. We feel they did an alright job here, and it will be interesting to see what they come up with next. We aren't really a fan of this type of metal but we can respect what's going on here. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it (R.I.P.)

Genre: Metal/Metalcore/Grindcore

Release Date: 2005

Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario

Label: None

Poor Young Things - The Heart. The Head. The End.

1. Dress It Up

2. Sign Of The Times

3. Transformer

4. Warpaint

5. Strength In Numbers

6. Revolver

7. Running

8. Black Lightning

9. The State

10. Given The Situation

11. Ghost Notes

Poor Young Things have released their second album titled "The Heart. The Head. The End." This album is a continuation of the style and sound the band gravitated to, on their first record. The band has quite an indie rock sound but can also get into the rock side as well. They have a balance of being ab Not bad overall.le to do both. This album has a similar sound to that of Hollerado or The Glorious Sons, so if you like either of those artists, you could really like this album. They have done a solid job here. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded to a pretty decent standard here. The instrumentation is nothing over the top, but the band does put on a solid musical effort on the album. You can tell the band can play. Now onto the vocals and the lyrics, the vocals on this album are done very well. Their singer has a nice, crisp and clear voice with a lot of range for an indie band He can certainly sing, and his style will appeal to a wide variety of people, so hopefully the band can reach a wide market. With the lyrics, the band has gone for messages about life, how to fight back and make the best out of situations. They also sing about relationships and how not to give up on things when you've worked hard. We feel that these can be something a lot of people will have faced or are facing. By hearing someone else say they have these problems too, it could help them out. Not bad overall.If you are looking for a single to this album, give the song "Sign Of The Times" your attention, as it is the best song on the album and really gives you a feel for the rest of the album. Poor Young Things have made their second album sound quite a bit like their last album but have grown and made an album for everyone. With the new additions, the band now has more material to showcase and bring the band better shows, more fans. We feel the band has done a great job on this album. Hope to see them on the road. 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/Alternative

Release Date: May 21st, 2013

Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario
Website: http://www.pooryoungthings.com

Label: Bumstead Productions

Bring Forth The Ocean - Where Wolves Pray

1. Speaking In Tongues

2. Where Wolves Pray

3. Casting Shadows

4. With Tides Of...

5. Mirrors

Bring Forth The Ocean have released their debut album "Where Wolves Prey." This album is one that follows the typical hardcore model of the recent music. They have a singer and a screamer and just give off that post-hardcore vibe. They have a similar sound to that of Dream On, Dreamer, or a For All Those Sleeping type of band, so if you like those artists, 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 could use a little work as you can hear a bit of a rougher mix in the background. The instrumentation here is nothing to really prop an ear to, but the band can certainly play. Now onto the vocals and lyrics. Looking at the screamer and singer, the screamer if definitely the strong of the two. The singer needs some work on his tune and pitch, this gives it a more amateur feel to the record. With the screamer, he can can scream, but also need a little bit of work as at times it feels forced and changes his scream part way through sentences in the song. Not bad overall though. With the lyrics, the band seems to go for songs about friends coming and going, being transparent, the past, defining yourself and more. We thing that these are a little harder for the regular person to get into the lyrics, but the music is good. At times these will fit with people, but they feel more personal to the songwriter here. If you are looking for a single to this album, give the song "Casting Shadows" your attention, as the band made a lyric video for this song. We also feel it will give you the best feel for the album. Bring Forth The Ocean have made a debut album that gives you the typical post-hardcore sound, but also has room to grow for the band. This is just a starting piece for the band, and we think they can up the level going forward. Now all that is needed is to get out on those shows. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Metalcore/Post-Hardcore/Metal

Release Date: July 30th, 2014

Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario

Label: None

Rival Town - Deadlines & Milestones

1. Twenty Years

2. Lie To Me

3. Potential

4. Runner Up

Rival Town have released their debut album titled "Deadlines & Milestones." This album has a very Pop Punk feel to it. Although the band seems to mix both the new pop punk style with the older, more pop driven style. The band has a similar style to that of Hit The Lights or maybe even City Lights, so if you like those bands, you could really like this album. They have done an alright job on this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, it could certainly use some work. The album overall could be louder and the vocals could be as well. The instrumentation on this album is not bad, nothing special here, but the band can play. Now onto the vocals and the lyrics, the vocals on this album just sound weird. We are not a fan of the way the vocalist sings and his voice, it actually gets annoying and sounds off key at times. With the lyrics, the band targets subjects about being lied to, not being chosen by the girls and what life could be like in the future. These are subjects a lot of bands hit in their songs. A little more varied song subjects could help. If you are looking for a single to this album, give the song "Twenty Years" your attention as it best showcases this album as a whole. Rival Town have made a debut album that shows you the type of band these guys want to be. You can see the potential in the band and we hope they progress and really turn this into something. Good job for a debut. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think about it.

Genre: Pop Punk/Punk/Rock

Release Date: June 23rd, 2015

Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario

Label: None

The Honest Heart Collective - Liar's Club

1. Liar's Club
2. Haymaker
3. We're Only Human
4. Broken Hearts Pt. II
5. Beautiful Things
6. Peace For The Weary Soul
7. Ghosts & Graves
8. 149
9. Truthteller
10. Honest Hearts

The Honest Heart Collective have released their second album titled "Liar's Club." This album really shows the band in a very folky rock sort of way. They have continued on with the same sound and style from their previous album, but this one just seems like it is more put together and more mature then their debut album. These guys have a sound that is similar to a Mumford & Sons or a Passenger, so if you like those artists, you could like these guys. They have done a really good job on this album. When  looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded fairly decently and has a nice overall sound. The instrumentation on this album is mind blowing, but they play their songs solidly. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals on this album have that really nice folky sound to them that really gives this band that nice edge. He is clear and you can tell everything he says which is good as well. With the lyrics, they have done a good job on writing lyrics that are mature but also can be relatable to the average person. Although they do write about loss, leaving and relationships, you can still understand and feel from the lyrics. If you are looking for a single to this album, give the song "Haymaker" as it is the best song on the album and it will give you a feel of what the rest of the album is like. The Honest heart Collective have done a really good job on their full length album. This is a great jump up for the band and hopefully they keep pushing though, because this album is quite decent and they have the potential to bring this to the masses. Overall great job on this album. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Folk/Rock/Indie

Release Date: April 21st, 2015

Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario

Label: None

Poor Young Things - Let It Sleep

1.The Low Road
2. Blame It On The Good Times
3. Hearts And Minds
4. Reckless Young
5. Americanist
6. Let it Sleep

Poor Young Things debut album is one that shows you quite well that this is a band that wants to be doing this for a long time. The sound and the style of this album is very indie and it has what the the typical indie bands sound is. They have done a pretty good job on this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the recording on a whole has been done fairly solidly and the instrumentation is pretty good as well here. Now onto the vocals and the lyrics, the vocals sound spot on for this type of release and the lyrics are actually quite meaningful, so this is a good album to test your ears out on. If you are looking for a single for this album, give the song "Blame It On The Good Times" your attention as this is the best song on the album and it shows off what this album is all about the best. Poor Young Things have gone a solid job on their debut album. We hope they continue with this style and sound, then someone will hopefully find them and bring this to a bigger audience. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Indie/Rock/Alternative

Release Date: January 25th, 2012

Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario
Website: http://www.pooryoungthings.com

Label: None