For this showcase, we have some tried and true artists, as well as some bands with serious potential. All of them are worth your time. Give some of them a shot.

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Chris is an eccentric artist hailing from Perth, Australia.  He makes what he calls “desert rock”, and it’s definitely effective.  The music has the ring of wasteland and thirsty lands about it.  Much of this comes from his haunting vocal performance, which is more akin to talk-singing, similar to Bob Dylan or Nick Cave.  His vocals are gritty and set against riffy explosions, introspective lyrics, and marching beats.  Lindsay Rose of Primrose Path is all over this EP, but especially on the final track where she offers her vocals.

This is a really interesting EP.  It has its strengths and weakness, no doubt.  The first couple tracks have a driving madness to them with a musical space that almost feels industrial at times.  “It Is What It Is” feels alternative and parched lyrically.  “The Faceless Man” is a good tune that slowly grows in layers, with the last few minutes feeling full and powerful.  The final piece “Misery Is My Clock” is certainly the highlight with his grit colliding with Lindsay’s compelling melodic voice; in fact, I’d say that song could end up being a favorite for the year.  I think it highlights the way forward for Chris: his style is captivating and deep, but weaving haunting melodies into his sound will take him to the next level.

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Argovia is a band from Colombia that grabbed my attention.  It appears that the primary members are Ani Guillén and Carlos Arminio, and they bring various guests to create a full and impressively mature sound.  They meld rock, metal, and alternative into a melodic sound that has oomph and emotion.  For my money, their strongest moments are the spacey, dreamy portions you will find in some tracks, especially with Ani’s vocals harmonizing and emoting.  It can be spellbinding.

“Oceanborn” and “Crawling is the Shape of Love” are definitely my two favorites.  The former opens the EP with a satisfying, galloping riff that combines with some ambient elements to create a mysterious and alluring song.  The latter feels desperate and gritty and human, though some segments are quite atmospheric and even gentle.  It’s a song with multiple sides, and it sounds great.

I’ll be honest and say that I don’t much like the title track, “Who We Are”, mostly for its repetitive nature.  The other three tracks are solid or better, especially the placid ballad “Barefoot” that is growing on me.  Overall, I think Argovia is a band with potential, and I’ll be watching to see what they create next.

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Adamant Sky is another band with potential, and they are like Argovia in some respects.  The band is Anna on vocals, Julian and Stocki on guitars, Markus on bass, and Tom on drums.   They have a hard rock sound with alternative rawness packaged in with it, plus some proggier portions.  They are clearly a talented group, especially the rhythm section as it pounds away, and Anna with her courageous vocals.

Here’s the thing about this band.  I think they have some good compositional skills, and their sound even has a full, satisfying feeling to it.  You can hear that mainly in the roaring riffs and often great hooks.  It’s the payoff moments that are lacking, especially the finger work and soloing on the guitars.  Many songs feel excellent until the climax is supposed to hit, and then it’s let down.  Again, I think the band can really bring it, but there is room for growth here, and I have no doubt that they will achieve this in the future.

I think the second half of the EP is the stronger half.  My favorites are “Leaving Home” with its great chorus and excellent drumming, and “Ladybird” with its terrific riffs and heaviness, though it does fall prey to the weak soloing I mentioned.  Still, this is a rock solid EP that could lead to some great music down the road.

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Sylvaine is a rising force in the atmospheric metal scene.  She’s known for her complex potions of doomgaze, ambient black metal, post-rock, and even prog metal.  This EP, though, is not those things at all.  It is a work of folk music that utilizes Sylvaine’s vocals primarily, though you will hear some instrumentation, especially haunting organs and keys.  Still, it is an engaging work that fans will like, I am sure.

For me, the opener “Dagsens Auga Sloknar Ut” is the strongest track, and that’s mainly because of the layering of vocals and harmonies.  It is such a beautiful piece.  I also like the reserved, forlorn sound of “Eg Veit I Himmelrik Ei Borg”, a song with far off keys playing a center role.  “Livets Dans” features church organ ambience, and there is something so arresting and hypnotic about it.  The whole EP is gorgeous, and though it might not win her new fans, I think her current audience will appreciate this taste.

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Vorticity is a quirky project that somehow works in catchy rhythms to make their music very listenable.  The project revolves around Gary Brown and a crowd of musicians who helped out along the way.  The music reminds me of 90s and 00s alternative prog rock.  The songs are fairly short, but Gary certainly has an ear for hooks, as the choruses are all intuitive and catchy.  I’m interested to hear more of what he has to offer, seeing as how this EP only has three tracks.

“Hear Them Out” has a strange and stuttering rhythm to it, but when it evens out in the chorus, it’s easy to understand his vision.  “Beneath the Stars” is my favorite with its pleasant melody and excellent chorus.  I sing that one all the time.  “Balsawood Cross” is growing on me.  It is the longest track and features a female vocalist to duet with Gary, and the chorus is all the better for it.  I think overall that Vorticity has three good songs here, and I have a feeling they’ll only get more adventurous from here.

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Johan Niemann is the bass player for Evergrey, as I’m sure most of you know.  Last year, he released the vibrant and experimental album Karnivore, and it became an earworm for me.  He’s back with another solo EP, and this one is decidedly different.  Anhedonia isn’t the same type of music at all, but it is very good.

Karnivore was colorful and groovy, but Anhedonia is darker and ambient.  Yes, this is an ambient work, which means it revolves more around abstraction, texture, and feeling than rhythm or melody.  I know some might be surprised that Johan would make such a work, seeing as how he’s from a legendary metal band, but his side projects have always felt influenced by this genre.

And so, this EP requires you to strap on some headphones and drift away into some truly ambient tracks, like the ominous “The Gateway” or the leering “No Light”.  “Descent” is the oddball here, starting as ambient but bringing in some doomy riffs and hovering keys to create a truly beautiful piece.  The last three tracks are mysterious and calm, though with dark intent and curious elements to make them feel dreamy and full of flitting shadows.  “Falling”, “Abyss”, and “Ad Infinitum” feel like a single piece in that way.

For metal fans, maybe this won’t be your thing.  For ambient and electronic fans, you may find this dark and delightful.  I like seeing this side of Johan.

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