The Pit #4 – Underground Metal

When I first started collating round-up reviews together, my The Pit series was one of the very first reviews I did! We’re now round to the fourth version of this review series, containing a slew of amazing bands and artists from the underground metal scene. As such, I’m sure you’ll find something to love if you’re a fan of the genre!

Review by Jane Howkins

Photo by Cultt of She

Cultt of She – Life on Hard Mode

First up is Cultt of She with their banging new tune, Life on Hard Mode. Life on Hard Mode has a slightly symphonic metal sound at first, due to the captivating vocal stylings that run through the tune. However, the instrumentation is much more typical of metal as a whole, featuring some epic riffs and an upbeat rhythm section that will get you headbanging in no time. The breakdown towards the end sees the band going in an even heavier direction, melding heaviness and melody perfectly on this track.

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Annakye – Colours

Australian band Annakye mix elements of alt-rock, punk and hard rock into their sound, as well as a touch of metal. Colours starts off slowly with some lovely clean guitarwork, building the tune up slowly. It takes a while to get going, but when it does, the riffs truly shine, matching the fast beat and bass well. There’s a particular sense of urgency about the vocals, singing with immense passion and emotion here, working their way into your soul. It’s great to hear a band trying something a little different!

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APTØSRS – Elders

Next up is APTØSRS, an artist we’ve featured a couple of times recently. Graveyard Syndrome is taken from the album Elders, and it’s one of the heaviest songs on the record. It’s an instrumental tune, but the music is so magical that it really doesn’t need any vocals to distract you from the cool sounds on offer here. The bass and beat sound absolutely huge here, echoing in a heavy style in the background. The main guitar melodies have a really unique sound too, combining melody with a slightly discordant vibe, but it all works exceedingly well!

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Gary Dranow – Human 1.0

We’ve featured Gary Dranow a few times in recent years – now he’s back with an anthemic new tune, Human 1.0. One of the things I really loved about this track was the way that Gary mixes melody and heaviness, making something that touches all bases. The verses are fairly mellow, allowing his vocals to shine through with a great deal of emotion. The choruses explode, introducing some killer riffs and screamed vocals, mixing things up nicely. It’s pretty impressive from a technical standpoint too, making this a must listen song from me!

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Realma – Down the Railway Spine (Heavy Debris Live)

Serbian-Chinese multi-genre musician Realma brings a touch of the dramatic to these pages on new track, Down the Railway Spine (Heavy Debris Live). It’s a song that is as theatrical and anthemic as it is heavy, combining a sense of melody and some killer riffs expertly. The vocals are pretty interesting too – Realma has a stunning voice and belts her vocals out in true splendour here, but there are also some recorded spoken vocals thrown in for good measure too. It’s the sort of song you’ll need to listen to a few times over to fully appreciate everything!

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Order Of Owls – Freedom (ination)

It’s great to welcome Order Of Owls back to these pages, especially with a song as gripping as Freedom (ination). The Australian band have created something that simply oozes attitude here, especially when the heavy, chugging riffs kick in. The track starts out fairly slowly, building the tension up and getting straight underneath your skin, making for a cool atmosphere. When the music kicks in properly, the riffs sound absolutely brutal with the rhythm section, underpinned in fine style by the passionate vocals.

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Civil War Ghost – Just Tell Lies

Bristol band Civil War Ghost are quite a unique proposition, as at first glance, Just Tell Lies sounds like more of a punk/post-punk song. It opens with a catchy repeated refrain played against the steady beat, before the killer guitar riffs kick in. The guitars are extremely distorted here, fitting the raw production style of the track well. However, despite the heaviness, the song also has a catchy edge, making you want to sing along to the repeated refrain in an instant. Why not try something different below?!

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Parham Gharavaisi – Divided (I Have Become)

New York act Parham Gharavaisi starts his new track out in quite a mellow manner, before the immense riffs and screamed vocals kick in. Divided (I Have Become) shows an artist with a real penchant for songwriting, mixing a few different metal genres together here. The dynamic change between the choruses and the verses keeps you constantly guessing, allowing a brief respite from the chugging riffs. There’s also a pretty cool guitar solo about halfway through the track, sounding simple yet ever so effective!

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PORTER – Sally

German band PORTER mix alt-rock, hard rock and metal together in fine fashion on their latest release, Sally. It’s a track that commands your attention throughout, opening in a cool way with some powerful guitar motifs. It’s one of the more melodic tracks on this list, blending different elements together in an effortless way. The vocals are really strong too, drifting through the track in a soulful manner, following the guitar licks perfectly. The tempo changes later on as the main guitar solo kicks in, showing a band capable of a number of different metal styles.

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Ceci Noir – You Know We Know

You Know We Know is one of the funkiest tracks on this list, seeing Swedish act Ceci Noir use their talents to full advantage. The track has an undeniable groove, simply oozing a cool sense of attitude throughout. The vocals are pretty darn impressive too – for the most part they follow the notes of the guitars, but they’ve got a fantastic range – it’s also great to hear more female vocalists in the metal scene. This might just be my favourite song on this list, so make sure you give it a go below!

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Frequency Overload – Abcess In My Exit

New York crossover thrash band Frequency Overload have a really unique sound in today’s modern metal scene. Whilst Abcess In My Exit may be a home recorded demo, it has a remarkably decent sound quality that shows off the talents that the band have. It’s full of crashing drums, huge riffs and a cool sounding vocal range, reminding me greatly of the early thrash that came out of the Bay Area. There’s a real sense of passion present within the vocals too, which turn from an emotive singing through to an impassioned shout, changing things up nicely.

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