The Indie Rock Dojo

 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 

 The Indie Rock Dojo has gone through some minor changes.  In all honesty, the changes are being made so that this initiative can be more manageable.  (I'm an indie musician, too!)  Giving more detailed and thoughtful reviews took a lot of time. Now, short reviews (2-3 sentences) are going to be posted and will include the SongWhip link to the artist's page...which gets the listener to your artist page with whatever platform he/she prefers. The song will be added to the playlist if it gets a review. Once again, the songs I am passionate about will get a short review and addition to the playlist. I will email you back using the email address you provided while submitting if your submission/song was accepted! My hope is that listeners will check out the music on the playlist, which will be rotating, as stated in my first "Introduction" post.  The latest addition will always be on top, and will eventually fall off the bottom. The purpose of the blog is to get possible li

 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

All Taken is a hard rock band out of Los Angeles, CA USA.  "The Den" is their latest release after a bit of a hiatus, and it comes with high intensity, a shuffling rhythm and soaring guitars. When I initially played "The Den" for the first time, I was immediately very impressed by their high quality studio sound.  The drums are booming and clear, the guitars are crunching and fill the whole stereo landscape, the bass is active, punchy and can be easily recognized even while the guitars blast, and the vocals give me a strong impression of Dexter Holland from The Offspring.  What an incredible rock sound. I LOVE how the song has such a strong intro.  It gives the song a strong identity.  After the drums and bass join the already soaring guitars, they all meld into a rhythm, then all of the soaring comes on with full intensity.  The guitar and bass are so busy and are tight through out all of the fast riffs. One thing that caught my ear as a very cool addition was the

"No One Home" by Titanosaur releases on November 11th!  I am honored to be able to listen early and give you my reaction the best I can!  Titanosaur never fails to deliver a sound all his own with gigantic pounding drums, blasting distorted guitars, smooth bass lines and that signature grunge-tastic vocal that honestly makes me think of his band name just by hearing it.  Titanosaur is his own brand of metal. "No One Home" is a song where the complicated meters of the drums pounding away are really impressive.  The song actually starts with guitars rising in volume, then bass guitar rhythmically getting us moving.  When the drums kick in, I can feel the vibes of a stadium full of metal heads raising their horns, heads down, bobbing their long hair up and down or side to side...and fully in-the-zone.  The vocals come in and I start to picture the setting of a giant dinosaur with a guitar and microphone directing this crowd to action with fires all around the Jurassic

 The Endorphins are a rock band out of Boston, Massachusetts USA.  They label their own music as psych/Punk rock, but I would personally label grunge as the main genre, although I can understand their point of view!  This is mainly because the guitars are heavier than stereotypical punk, and the angst of the instruments and vocals have a different feel than punk.  The vocalist also gives off Kurt Cobain vibes...especially when he hits the chorus on top of the blasting distorted guitars. "Myopic Dystopia" starts with atmospheric sounds on the keys, which are soon joined by two string chords on guitar...then joined by bass to accentuate the roots.  It really gives me vibes of extreme mystery...possibly looking for aliens among us in the night!  Such a cool way to get a song going!  After the vocals join, the drums come in.  All of the progression of the intro and verses keep leading up to what I'd consider my favorite part...the HOOK...when that extremely memorable chorus h

 One thing I love about Honey Bone Rush, out of Naples, Florida USA, is their relentless and fierce riffing on top of booming drums.  They definitely do that in "A Victorian Nightmare", plus a lot more! Now this is METAL! This song starts thrashing away immediately with a fast-paced riffing guitars with helicopter kicks pounding away.  The bass is booming away as well, smoothly and rhythmically on point. The vocals came in with a layered death growl with lyrics that blister the soul.  Sometimes in this genre screams can be piercing or make you want to wipe your face while just listening, but this vocalist has amazing control and delivers with incredible performance. "Don't turn your back on the evil within | In your darkest dreams is where it begins".  This is where nightmares come from, that's for freaking sure.  It is obvious that the lyrics, by incredible poet Justin Nugent, who is from England, were written with extremely careful consideration word for w

 "Galactic Love" is a pop rock song by New Nobility out of Sydney, Australia. This has a nice groove set by the drums right around 120 beats per minute or so, with ghost snare hits in between 2 & 4, giving it an upbeat tempo that the rest of the band heavily relies upon, just as they should!  The guitar is strumming with this rhythm in creative ways, keeping things interesting with slight variations from the rhythm constantly throughout.  The bass is extremely active, playing low and up an octave often, interchanging between octaves without missing a beat. The lead guitar nails very melodic solos with a sound that soars through the mix.  Those solos are what really hit the title "Galactic" for me the hardest.  I do feel a great deal of 80's in this song, which was a great time period for songs with a cosmic theme.  I do believe there is also an embedded 70's rock influence which I mainly feel in the bass line and the song's flow, plus during the guit

 "Mistakes" by Bill Draper (featuring Jason Ortlieb) is a brand new beautiful fully-acoustic ballad that is introspective with powerful and personal lyrics.  Bill is out of Watertown, New York USA. The acoustic guitar is played masterfully and so naturally that it seems like it is singing just as much as the vocal. I LOVE the harmonics that are especially noticeable in the intro.  Doing that with electric distorted guitars is one thing, but doing that with an acoustic guitar can be a challenge.  Then I notice riffs that fill in between the repeating fingerpicking parts...natural improvisation.  Stuff like this kept me very interested throughout, not only hearing the expected chord progression all of the time. "Mistakes I've been the king | Mistakes self-pity and wallowing | Mistakes burn the brain | All the baggage is following...following..."  These chorus lyrics feel like a gut punch.  So very relatable, yet presented in such a self-realizing way that can'

 "Creeping Malaise" by PINFINGER, out of London, England, are have one heck of a solid METAL sound!  This song released today, and it was really cool to get the opportunity to review the song before the release and present it the day of! First thing I noticed is the giant drums with double-kick are rhythmically in sync with the booming bass and metal power chord riffing guitars every step of the way, even on the speedy helicopter kicking...and triplet hit transitions. The drums are gigantic with a slapping kick, big thudding snare and unrivaled energy.  The bass has a nice low tone that rumbles alongside that kick.  Guitars are on point and really give me Pantera vibes!  Thrash metal it is!  Guitars that crush rhythm like this are hard to come by.  That being said, the vocals have that graveling metal-styled vocal that fits this genre so perfectly...hitting all notes, nailing rhythms, singing when appropriate with harmony and layers.  Vocalists like this are also hard to come