The Indie Rock Dojo

 Battle Bard is a band from Bournemouth, United Kingdom that brings a solid hard rock / metal style to the ears with solid musicianship and plenty of attitude! "The Empty King" starts off with ringing chords over the top of a solid beat, then come the fast-drum improvisations, including double-kick, that really get the song moving.  The vocals come in with a rhythmic emotional monotone, ending each vamp with fierce gravel.  There are also backing team vocals taking turns with the lead vocal.  The drums come through in the overall mix very well. Overall, the drums are the highlight in this song.  They are very busy and keep things very interesting throughout.  Their tightness with the rhythm section bring a level of professionalism to the team.  The drummer brings the excitement to the song with the incredible double-kicking that cannot get enough credit, especially mixing the double-kick during improvisation.   I recommend this to any rock en...

 Fime is a band out of Los Angeles, California USA who brings in solid rock and roll with a Foo Fighters feel to it. The first thing I noticed was the driving guitars that have a strong mid-range EQ power with lead guitars acting as the melody for the song, but not at the forefront.  The vocals are hollered with a fierce grungy feel so much like David Scott Lucas of Local H.  The bass starts the song rhythmically while playing along with the snare and definitely does a good job enforcing that rhythm along with those drums.  Very solid. I'd have to say the highlight of this song is the bridge where a new lead guitar melody erupts with a new chord progression.  This bridge is short-lived as it leads us directly to the end of the song.  I would have enjoyed that bridge to be expanded and built upon, if Fime would have chosen that route.  That's what I was ready for! I recommend this song to any rock enthusiasts who really enjoyed the grunge or post-grunge...

 Quarantine Angst is an instrumental rock band from Brooklyn, New York, USA! I have to admit, I generally prefer rock songs with vocals, but this song brought me happiness. First of all, the instruments all sound very clear and are mixed well.  It is very easy to hear the natural guitar guitar talent throughout.  Aside from the nicely toned rhythm guitar being perfectly tight with the solid drums and the awesome guitar distortion, the melody of this song is controlled by seemingly a never ending guitar solo.  I can feel the personality behind it, which comes to guitarists with YEARS of experience.  The vibrato added to held notes, the bending of strings, the smooth muted slides to new notes across the fret board, the choice of playing two or three-string chords to add a fierce harmony...it all sent me straight to my happy place. I also really enjoyed the songwriting.  The transitions flowed nicely and often gave the song a change-up with volume or with a di...

 Robots in Love is an alternative/electronic rock band from New Zealand that I enjoyed right out of the gate!  I had never heard their music before, but the amazing part of accepting submissions for a blog like this is that it brings incredible music to my attention, then I can shout it out! I love the incredibly tight rhythm with industrial-sounding electronic drums joined with the bass and guitars riffing.  This sound is heavy and powerful.  It makes me think of a scenario where humans are in a battle with the overpowering army of robots. The vocals are clean, full of harmony and melody.  They are led with solid female vocals and there is backing by male voices are well, covering a lot of ground!  Not only that, but the lyrics are well written and solid... "This is how we save us This is how we stay alive This is how we save us This is how we survive This is how we stay unbroken Activate Crush it away" This is a great anthem of inspiration. This is a fant...

 This Side of Anarchy is an incredible aggressive punk rock band out of Los Angeles, California, USA!  I enjoy his music and style so much that I received the honor of song collaborations with him (but it definitely wasn't on this banger).  That being said, let's break down this song. The Problem is You starts with some fast punk guitar riffing on top of some speed rock drums.  Dennis's raspy vocals directly hit the topic at hand with fierce precision.  There are so many people who forget to think inwardly about themselves before blaming everyone else.  He crushes the issue with this line... "Don't follow your instinct cause The problem is you Just stop feeling and think The problem is you" The rhythm section is very much connected all the way through the instruments, tight as can possibly be.  I love the guitar's sound as it is smooth, a nice amount of gain and a solid punch.  The bass is also smooth, but contains that higher-end clarity that mak...