Written by: The Administrator
If you're the type to lurk around the metal underground, you've likely heard of Ampwall, a new music platform/marketplace/community founded by Chris Grigg of Woe. Ampwall is a public benefit company explicitly designed by artists for artists, and their clear commitment to empowering independent bands is both rare and admirable in a world of music platforms that prioritize profit time and time again. Since joining when the beta launched a few weeks back, I've seen a variety of artist suggestions taken seriously and changes administered in real time. The community they've built over on Discord is friendly and robust, full of people who are clearly in this for the love of the music. The financial upsides are also immediately apparent: they operate on a very low-cost subscription model if you plan to upload music, and sellers make more per transaction. There's even an option for buyers to cover the transactions fees, a feature that feels so common sense I'm shocked it isn't industry standard. The pages are true showcases with an emphasis on aesthetic, and contain a very handy Press section where artists can link to reviews. The features are numerous and honestly make every other platform feel...remarkably antiquated. You can tell that this was built by musicians who understand what DIY tools are actually useful. Long story short: Ampwall is an alternative that deserves full attention, especially in an era of enshittification where even platforms like Bandcamp are bought and sold by corporations with zero regard for the artists who bring the value. You can read more about Ampwall over on their mission page, and you can sign up for beta access (as a fan or an artist!)here. And! In an attempt to shine a little light, we slumbering scribes are hereby instituting a new column wherein we trawl Ampwall for cool music and, y'know, write about it. Below are 6 bands I highly recommend checking out. Let's get this started, shall we?
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Curated and Written by: Patrick of Disconnected Souls
In a (continuing) attempt to give some cool bands a platform to talk about cool music, we're having a band take over the blog each Wednesday to share a curated playlist, along with some words about each song and why they picked it. Last week's playlist came courtesy of Sofia Frasz from Exiled Hope, but now is time for the change of guard. Patrick from Disconnected Souls is taking over. An eclectic and cinematic ensemble, Disconnected Souls emerged in 2018 out of a desire to incorporate and blend the three great pillars of music: electronic, classical, and metal. The quintet based out of Chester, England, striving to create a distinctive sound that draws upon the depths of metal, while playing with tones and textures. Each member brings a diverse range of musical interests to the table and the resulting sound encompasses a wide variety of instrumental and vocal styles. Their debut conceptional album, Fragments of Consciousness, was released Jan. 19th of this year. Once you've checked out the writeup below, check out Disconnected Souls over on their official website. Without further ado, I'll let Patrick take over!
For this playlist, I (Patrick) have collated a sampling of some of the most influential tracks/albums on my writing process with Disconnected Souls and other projects. These tracks and their associate artists are but a part of the DNA that makes a Disconnected Souls song.
Written by: Brooklyn Artemis
Releasing your first album after over ten years as a band and four years after your last EP isn’t exactly orthodox. But then, you couldn’t call Rough Justice an orthodox band either. Releasing their first demo in early 2012, there were only sporadic releases across the 2010's as members’ attention remained divided. Vocalist James Tippetthas described the band as more of a ‘passion project’ and ‘outlet’ in an interview given to Knotfest. This only became more of an issue when drummer Josh Baines’ other band began gaining more traction and success in the British, then global scene. That band is Malevolence. But after signing to Malevolence’s label, MLVLTD, the Sheffield stalwarts have reached a major milestone. Rough Justice, one of the bands credited with the creation of the current wave of British hardcore, has finally dropped their first full length, and Faith in Vain is everything I hoped for and more. After seeing them a couple of years ago, and eagerly awaiting new material since, these eight tracks have thoroughly scratched that itch. The album feels like a victory lap--an acknowledgment of the band’s raw roots in demos and EPs still only available on Bandcamp, combined with a more polished sound which takes cues from the scene that has sprung up around them. It is bruising, intense, thoughtful at times, and a very strong start to 2024 from the British hardcore scene. In other words, it fucking rips. 
Written by: The Administrator
Ah, nu-metal. Occasionally umlauted, frequently maligned. My own affair with nu-metal was lustful but exceedingly brief. The tail end of the genre's heyday represented the first time I got to introduce music to my dad rather than the other way around. While my fascination with the seemingly unmatchable aggression of Slipknot or outspoken edge and jubilant oddity of System of a Down didn't exactly translate, we did spend several months exploring and enjoying Korn's discography together. That phase passed pretty quickly in favor of my era of angsty grunge revivalism, and nu-metal ceased to have any impact in my life or listening patterns beyond the occasional nostalgia trip. For myself, and, I can only imagine, many others, it was high time for something new that could capture the same swagger and violence and unbridled magic. And thus, the prolific Garry Brents' announcement of a forthcoming nu-metal project felt like a harbinger: a nu wave of nu-metal was inevitable. Quickly, some background. If you're unfamiliar, please note that Garry has made quite the name for himself over the past few years by benefit of a collection of monikers including Gonemage, Sallow Moth, Homeskin, and Cara Neir. Besides a common creative driving force, these projects share a certain unwillingness to abide by genre convention. Instead, his work seemed to attack expectations, using familiar sounds and motifs but subjecting them to a distinct subversion. Also of note is frequency, as Garry releases new music at a pace that is frankly intimidating. Multiple projects, multiple releases, one remarkably consistent ethos. This is all to say that I fully trust Garry to deliver good shit. This debut album from Memorrhage blew away all my expectations. Sorry to spoil, but this is one of my favorite albums of the year, full stop. Let's jumpdafuck into it, shall we? |
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