The Indie Rock Dojo

 "Quarter to Nigh" by Agency Panic (from Ireland) is a strong progressive hard rock song bordering on metal yet with extreme heaviness.  The songwriting is absolutely exceptional...and so is the studio production! The song starts with a spooky whirring drone that gets drowned out by creative tom/kick/snare rhythm, that is soon joined by the bass and guitars giving an intense feeling of panic and anxiety.  Very creative unconventional rhythms are being pounded out with tight precision amongst all musicians.  The very "Maynard James Keenan"-esque vocals add to the intensity, which includes melody, long-held fading notes and screams from deep within, plus tight harmonies.  I LOVE the sliding bass parts within the basslines.  Can't even call them basslines...the bass is more accurately riffing just as much as the guitars if not more by solidifying its cohesion with those professionally slammed drums. This is a song that I know I'll never get bored listening to o

 Tomorrow Dies by Wizard Tattoo (from Indianapolis, Indiana USA) is intense blackened metal that is six minutes of huge growling vocals, fast riffage, speeding drums with plenty of snap and double-kick racing to the finish line with heavy rolling bass to fill out the bottom end. When I first started playing this song, my mind went directly to the setting of a video game set in the medieval time period.  I imagine the main boss enemy coming out much larger than life with full armor, sharp spikes sticking from the armor with glowing red eyes while holding a gigantic axe and growling out threats to its good-guy opponent who awaits the battle that will soon take place.  Once the battle starts, unexplainable magic starts being thrown at the good-guy with giant explosions occurring at every turn.  A hoard of the undead comes to join the fight and cheer on the boss for sure victory. I really enjoyed how tight the instruments are with one another.  The drums make a lot of rhythmic hit accents

 "Moonlight" by St. Doval is a fantastically crafted song with beautiful studio production, amazing vocals, very talented guitar work, precise and active bass playing and solid drums from a technically precise and talented drummer.  The professionalism is outstanding. As I begin this song, I hear that beautiful acoustic guitar playing, soon joined by an exceptionally impressive vocal that gives me Chris Cornell vibe.  Soon, the full band joins.  I'm very impressed with the clarity of the distorted guitar sound. I'm also very impressed with the rhythm changes throughout this song!  It starts with a definite 6/8 time signature, then later switches to 4/4 while breaking the final vamp's measure into a shorter one.  The band is fully tight with the time signatures, which the drummer laid perfect groundwork for.  I love how the bass player is smooth as silk and plays off of the drums, plus adds tasty fills to keep things active! The songwriting is some of the best I

 "Trigger" by Montgomery Night (a band based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada) is an alternative rock song full of personality.  It can be characterized by: Steady and solid drums Active bass lines Consistent guitars with great guitar soloing Powerful alto vocal with great tone/control A catchy melodic hook! The song starts with a steady beat with a catchy rhythm added with the clean guitar chord progressions.  The vocals come in with a great alto presence that cut through the mix nicely. I really appreciate how the full band sticks with a solid rhythm, even when the bass line plays alone on top of the drums between the guitar chords.  The vocals work very nicely in accentuating the rhythm, too! How about that vocal hook in the chorus?!?! "You'll never see me crumbling, Oh no.  There's only one way from the bottom; it's up." That chorus is very catchy and has the added distortion in the guitars to add the intensity.  Not only is it catchy, but the v

 "Brand New" by Hidden Giants is a peaceful acoustic rock song.  It starts with 2 guitars picking away to a tight rhythm together, while the vocals come in with the melody over them.  The drums and bass come in with a steady rhythm section to give some drive.  I really like the kick/bass tightness with the vocals when entering the song. As I listen, my mind was taken to a location with a beautiful river flowing from the waterfalls pouring into it around me.  Prairie grass moving in the gentle wind with a bright sun near the horizon.  Possibly having a picnic with people important to me.  A great place for reflection. The band as a whole do a great job creating the scene, creating ups and downs flawlessly.  Instruments come in, instruments go out.  Drums did a beautiful job of bringing the intensity to the song, but not too much...leading the way with ease with the dependable bass guitar teammate.  There were keys that filled in the soundscape where appropriate, picking the in

  Odious Filth by Donner & the Devil is a very creative instrumental mix of jazz/blues and rock.  It starts with a smooth jazz groove with nice bluesy chords on that piano.  As the song progresses, it has an incredible build.  It moves into a flowing groove with the guitar starting to build in a sense of urgency.  Once the kick starts hitting four on the floor, the rock feel starts to enter with the bass guitar starting to push the song into more intensity.  The guitars continue to soar on top of everything else with a sense of eerie anxiety. It is such an incredible instrumental, mixing the genres in a way that I've never heard before like this. There are so many things I like here.  First, the production of all of the instruments is very good.  Every instrument is easy to pick out and fills all of the audio space that's available.  Second, the performance of every instruments is really good.  There's nothing simple going on anywhere on this track.  The bass is rolling

 "Spells" by Tina Hyde is a Pop Rock song that starts with a great sounding piano with melodic powerful vocals on top of the mix.  After the intro, distorted guitars are introduced leading to the verse, where the guitars provide a soundscape on both sides of the headphones.  The guitar also is improvising with rhythm, palm-muting and squeals.  Another part of the soundscape is the string section, adding intensity in the perfect areas of the song, getting even louder where it counts. I am impressed with the drums.  They sound great and are up in the mix, but they never do more than the song requires when it comes to types of fills and the chosen rhythms.  That is a good thing.  They are very steady and are easy for the band to follow no matter where the song is going. I found it very creative in the fact that piano can play throughout the song with distorted guitars in the mix.  The guitars did provide that extra kick in intensity, but the piano did keep leading and keeping th

 "Brick by Brick" by Marcus Magnusson is a jamming tune heavy with classic rock tendencies, phenomenal songwriting and top notch guitar performance.  The overall mix is very great, including the performance of every instrument throughout.  Guitar solos are on point and frequent, and the band is tight all the way around, including the hits that the drums accentuate and everyone else follows with precision! There are a couple parts of this song that especially stand out to me.  First, I love how the chorus has two different feels that flow very nicely together.  It expertly switches between hard ringing power chords and aggressive vocals to a more flowing relaxed beat led with the ride cymbal's dome and palm-muted rhythmic chords on the guitar. Second, I love the bridge that calms everything down, builds up, then crushes into a full band guitar-solo jam session!  This is just my favorite piece that proves that there is never a dull moment throughout the whole song.  There a

 I love this collaborative combination of the heavy hitting punk rock of This Side of Anarchy and the darker fierce metal of Farmacyde!  "Die You Sucker".  It hits hard with double-kicking drums, blasting guitars and powerful vocals.  I love the rhythmic focus instrumentally, including the tight guitar and double kick.  What a jammin' full band instrumental bridge! This song is like your new favorite 2-minute punch in the face. Check it out on your favorite streamer using the link below! https://songwhip.com/this-side-of-anarchy/die-you-sucker

 I am blown away by this band!  They are masters of mixing styles with very different feels.  They will keep you calm with amazing bass lines on grooving beats and smash their way into metal riffs with screaming vocals, then heavy rap-rock!  Impossible to lose interest.  Band is very tight, even with the unpredictable song landscape. Find Jack Mystery on your favorite streamer! https://songwhip.com/jackmystery

"Collide with the Sun" really packs a nice rhythmic punch with incredible guitar-work throughout.  This guitarist can speak with that guitar, playing riffs while also adding improv solos along the way.  Lion Trail fails to disappoint for listeners who crave oozing talent, and also tasty and smooth beat changes.  Loved that! Check out Lion Trail on your favorite streamer by following this SongWhip link! https://songwhip.com/liontrail

 Wizard Tattoo provides some heavy buzzing, crunchy distorted riffage on top of a smooth rhythmic section.  The growling vocals add a dark vibe, giving the overall sound a feel of walking through a medieval dungeon.  I absolutely love the soaring guitar soloing that trails us off to the end of the song. Listen to Wizard Tattoo on your favorite streamer following this SongWhip link! https://songwhip.com/wizardtattoo 

 Sunshine Riot is a rock band out of Boston, Massachusetts USA. Their song "So It Comes" starts jamming right away in this tune.  The vocals are quite unique, with a raspy quality that feels like it has come from the grunge era of rock!  I really enjoy the very "live" feel, where it feels like they're performing in front of a crowd.  The drums are steady and have such a natural sound.  The guitars have a light/medium gain on the distortion, giving lots of precision.  The bass is playing very rhythmically with a lot of movement up and down the scales! This band is very tight and definitely worth a listen. Check out their music on your favorite streamer following this link! https://songwhip.com/sunshineriot/so-it-comes

 "The World is on Fire" is a 2-song single by Titanosaur that releases on June 23rd, 2023!  I am honored to be able to listen early and give you my reaction the best I can!  I normally don't review more than one song in a post, but in my opinion, Titanosaur is one of those deserving artists in the independent music scene that needs to be heard by as many ears as possible, so writing this flows easily. "The World is on Fire" starts calm with a lone guitar with effects, then BUSTS OUT in heavy full band metal power!  What a gigantic mix!  I can instantly hear the predators chasing their prey, eyeing it's victims with intensity.  I can feel the prehistoric landscape wildfires everywhere!  The guitars are doing everything in this tune!  Areas of heavy palm-muting.  Sections of no-chord riffing.  Instrumentals of gigantic rhythm guitars with a lead melody over the top.  I love the first verse where the drums and bass lead half way, then the guitars come in with a

 Girl With a Hawk is from Boston, Massechusetts USA.  "Same Stars" is a calm, reflective rock song with smooth, passionate melodic vocals that get soaked in another vocalist's harmonies during the chorus and occasionally in other areas as well.  She has an outstanding dynamic to her voice that fits nicely in the calm parts as well as the parts of the song where the strategic building of intensity hits its climax. The drums sound authentically live as if we were listening at a show...keeping the beat smoothly...not overdoing it...only doing what the song needs.  It takes a good ear to know what to play to fit the song's feel than to play unneeded fills, and this drummer's GOT IT! The guitars do a great job of melodically leading, even when underneath the vocals.  These guitars do an excellent job of building the song's atmosphere. The sound quality is on point for every instrument, with such a great mix. I'd have to say I'm more than impressed with this

The Rupert Selection are a band from Massachusetts, USA, and they are a heavy post-grunge rock band with a very tight chemistry among the members. "Astronauts" starts with a nice build that blasts off with heavy guitars and bass doing the coolest thing...making a descending slide from one chord to the next...plus the solidarity of the guitar, bass and drums gives it the coolest sound. The band sounds as if they've been playing with one another for years.  The drummer is steady and very active.  The bass has a smooth and thick tone, constantly moving as well...and especially during the calmer areas...the song's personality never leaves.  The guitars keep the tone mostly in the mids and avoid the highs, making it easier to turn up this song without fear of going deaf!  The vocalist has a smooth, tone full of air that cuts through the mix nicely.  He reminds me of the lead singer from The Exies.  His voice fits very nicely in this area of rock and doesn't miss a note

 "Stuck in the Middle of Something" is the latest track the band from Israel called Lion Trail. Right after I hit play, the track gets a groove and guitar sound that hit the classic rock feel for me.  Very much guitar led with a single vocal charismatically blowing right through with strong melody.  I definitely feel vocal influence from Marilyn Manson in many ways, but I only say that in the sense that we pull those vocally dynamic tendencies into classic rock jam session.  I especially hear that influence when the song breaks down into calmer sections that use electronic drum sounds. I'm a huge fan of the guitar soloing sending the song to new heights.  The vocals and guitars even team up in many parts.  I felt like I was at a really energetic rock show where the guitarist was blowing the roof off the place.  Amazing.  Very natural with incredible chops. I do have to mention the sound of the bass.  It's very well mixed with a smooth tone and rumbles around with the

 We Demand Parachutes is a band located in Boston, MA and New York City, NY in USA.  "Hungover You" is what is often considered Pop-Punk Rock as a genre very similar to the late 1990's and early 2000's time period.  The production is very well done, and even includes keyboard sounds and production tricks to the expected guitar/vocal driven rock. As this song gets started, the vocals quickly pickup into the verse and get things going.  The vocalist is on-point to the style, with a clear nasal-sounding presentation above crisp-sounding distorted guitars and a bass that sits a little more focused in the mids area of the mix.  The chorus comes in with layered harmonies on top of melodic vocals. I was a little surprised but really dig how the guitar has a hint of fuzz...or maybe a tin can effect...in its sound.  The clarity of the guitars goes down a little bit with this added gain to the distortion.  This really adds a lot of punch to the song's overall sound.  I also

ALERT!!!***November 25th, 2022 Release Date!*** This is the second song from Agency Panic (from Ireland) that I've reviewed, and honestly I cannot get enough of from this band.  "Anesia" is a much different different track from anything they've made previously, but it keeps the dark, progressive rock feel all at the same time.  I'm honored to be able to prepare a song review before its release date to aid in it's release! The song starts with what sounds like possibly carnival music slowing down to a complete stop.  Then in the emptiness comes lower-end synths pounding the rhythm with soundscapes over the top.  Voices enter fighting through the static of an old radio station that's just barely in reach bring up political conspiracy insinuations.  Sounds of pounding drums come in with smooth, dark vocals and detuned guitars.  The rhythm guitars are metal...reminding me of chain saws cutting through machinery, and the lead guitars are finding melody in the d

 Jacobs Fall is a hard rock band from Germany, who has a phenomenal heart-heavy, sad, reflective and driving song in "Escape the Gravity" that is beautifully performed and produced. The song starts with a beautiful piano that is met with pickup notes leading into a full guitar-heavy rock song with continued piano.  I sense a very gothic feel.  I love the singer's amazing, smooth baritone voice, always nicely in tune, and bringing this incredible near-tears emotion to the forefront.  The drums are slow and spot on rhythmically.  The bass rolls smoothly through and below the crystal clear rhythmic guitars.  The piano continues to melodically float through the song, and is met by orchestral strings. Now that I've described their nicely produced studio sound, I have to bring to attention the outstanding songwriting.  Every instrument is not used throughout the whole song, but only when they are needed.  For instance, the verses allow the vocals to shine while the guitars