The Indie Rock Dojo

 Lion Trail, out of Israel, is a heavy rock/post-grunge/hard rock band that with amazing chops on every instrument and they aren't afraid of showing off the shredding skills!  Does shredding mean incredible skills on other instruments than just guitar?  In this case, I say YES!  Not only that, but they all are rhythmically tight with one another and depend on each other completely.  I can't get enough of this band because this is what they always do. OK, so I said directly that the guitars are incredible.  Now, I need to mention that the bass sounds great and powers through.  It leads with the chord progressions, but also improvises its own path very tastefully.  The drums are steady and change rhythms effortlessly.  The drummer pushes an incredible amount of energy into the song and is in full force as captain of the ship.  As a related note...I LOVE the metal speed drums when they come in!  The vocals keep a great melody, but most...

 Lenny and the D, out of Texas USA, are a melodic rock band with a strong 80's rock presence.  "Vice Grip" has a very catchy melody.  There is some very good musicianship in this song, as well.  The rhythm guitars are solid, and the bass is very active and adding lots of flavor to the rhythm section.  The vocals have a a clean delivery with a lot of melody doubling.  I also enjoyed the keyboard additions that carry decoration around the top-end of the frequency spectrum, adding nice color as a lead  above the guitars. I really enjoyed the dualing guitar solo in the bridge.  They played together very creatively and were rhythmically perfect.  I loved hearing each guitar in opposing headphone sides! One great hook in this song is the vocals in the chorus.  I hear a shout "You" (DEVO-inspired???), then I hear the melodic vocal response "...got a vice grip on my heart." I recommend this song to anyone who loves a good-feeling 80's inspired r...

 Anarchy & Son is a father/son project out of Los Angeles and Michigan in the United States.  Dejected is a solid rockin' mix between metal and punk, with definite heavy riffage often with fast soloing on top.  Often times, the song kicks into double-time speed.  The guitars bring the metal aspect to the song with rhythmic and fast-moving chord progressions, with the vocals adding the melody and angst found in punk. I LOVE  the diversity between different areas of this song.  The beginning of the song starts with a drum intro, and the bass comes in alone with the drums to get us going.  The guitars then blast in full-fledged!  In the middle of the song, an instrumental kicks in that brings the song to a new level!  It starts similarly to the beginning of the song with drums and bass building it up, then the lead guitar starts to melodically lead us to a driving piece of the song that makes me feel like I'm in the middle of a battle with a...

 "2 Winks and a Shot" by Book of Golems is an impressive mesh of high-level guitar skills and slamming drums with heavy riffs in varying rhythms carrying on smoothly throughout! It has a strong classic rock feel with the guitars carrying the lead as well as the rhythm chord progressions simultaneously.  When the vocals come in, I hear a strong inspiration from the great Ozzy Osbourne! I really like the transition between verse, pre-chorus and into the chorus!  Different rhythms carry them, like the verse is getting funky, the pre-chorus moves to a groove led with the ride's dome, and the chorus moves into a fast-paced punk-like drive! There is a challenging aspect to this song that was nailed...which is the tightness between all band members.  There are areas of the song where the drums will do a masterful improvisation...then the guitars and drums with hit the groove together and move into yet another tasty improv.  I'd love to see this connection live and LOUD...

 "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 ...

 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 ...

 "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 t...

 "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 sound...

  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 anywher...

 "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 di...

 "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...

 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 ...

 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...