Kataan

Kataan is a new project from Nicholas Thornberry (Vattnet Viskar) and Brett Boland (Astronoid).  The band fuses death metal and black metal into a sonic assault that's simultaneously brutal and soaring, a sound i can find to be really cathartic at times.  Check out "Abyss" below and get the self-titled EP here from Prosthetic Records.

Astronoid - I Dream in Lines

Boston band Astronoid's 2016 album "Air" was one of my favorite records that year, and now we've got the sophomore, self-titled follow up headed our way on February 1st from Blood Music.  I'm somewhat of a sucker for the band's blend of black metal, shoegaze, post rock, prog, and emo, the shredding riffs and blast beats giving extra oomph to the soaring, angelic vocals.  Watch the video for new single "I Dream in Lines" below and pre-order here.

Astronoid

Wow.  Where to even start with Boston metal band Astronoid?  Their blistering blast beats and shredding, wailing guitar licks coming at you so energetically and frenetically as to knock your head off of your body.  It's like this massive, swelling, and triumphant take on the genre's current forays into post-metal exploration, a cool mix of post-rock atmosphere, shoegazey caresses, and the aforementioned blast beats to the face.  And then the vocals come in, and not the screaming, growling howls you might have been expecting, but rather a gorgeous and clean layer of voices singing in harmonious glory.  I can't help but feel that this is what Bill and Ted were striving for.  Listen to the excellently titled "Up and Atom" below and grab the "Air" album here, courtesy of Blood Music.