Fear Without Reason
Based out of Wolverhampton in the UK, Fear Without Reason brings experience and influence from a number of bands and genres into their own mix of punk and heavy rock and roll.
Songs: "Home"
Voodoo Pharmacology
Voodoo Pharmacology is a Baltimore-based experimental musical collaboration of six multi-instrumentalists and songwriters. Going on their third album, Voodoo blends folk, electronic, metal, jazz, rock, classical and ambient for a surreal rock mix.
Songs: "Minnesota"
Lightwires
It's not loud enough, he thought. 2 would be better than 1, 3 better than 2. And, ah, 4 is the magic number. 'Now what?' he asked. 'What do you hear driving on a back road at night? When the sky seems endless, but there's still a nagging feeling of claustrophia.' Shall we find out...
Songs: "Magician"
2nd Thought
This group of Wisconsin kids balances between a classic blues-rock sound and the occasional heartfelt ballad. Between their talents and songwriting, it's hard to imagine all the members of the band are younger than anyone at the studio.
Songs: "Just Hang On" "Soul Sparks"
Down Factor
From the hell bound heart of the East Bay Metal Scene comes Down Factor, the heaviest band in the Bay Area. Based in Oakland, California, Down Factor is a metal band that has evolved to a new culture of music full of aggression and intensity. As physically demanding as it is intense.
Songs: "Blinded"
Man Parts
The inventors of "tofu thrash", Man Parts is not to be taken lightly- or seriously. Both members are avid Rock Band players, and know what makes for a solid playing experience. Whether they know what makes for a good joke, though, is open for debate.
Songs: "Motorcide" "Molten Death" "Motorcide (2x Bass Pedal)"
The Blue News
Over the last five years, Blue News' mix of alternative and blues brought them national television attention and wide soundtrack distribution. Not bad for a trio largely going it alone without a wild, controversial show- just the strength of their songwriting and musical skills.
Songs: "You've Got Someone" "So Easy" "Just a Game" "Hitman Blues"
Highlord
Forming in 1996 in Torino, Highlord went on to release half a dozen albums worldwide, collecting a large fanbase along the way. They put together not only virtuosic power metal with sweeping guitar solos and orchestral keyboards, but even record the occasional anime theme for good measure.
Songs: "Simple Man" "The Scream"
Shokkher
They're raunchy, loud, and heavy. Shokkher joined the metal world 30 years too late, encompassing the classic NWOBHM and hair metal sounds that the 80's were notorious for.
Songs: "Burn Her Out"
Electric Moon
Electric Moon's members are an eclectic bunch- geeks, soldiers, and more- and they play eclectic metal. Not content on just blasting distorted guitars and slamming drums, Electric Moon throws in traditional piano tones for a uniquely gothic classical tone.
Songs: "Thunderclap"
The Raspberry Ants
The Raspberry Ants occupy the fuzzy zone between the overdriven alternative rock of Sonic Youth and the indie pop of an Elephant 6 band. Even when they clean up, they still let out a noisy, loud sound.
Songs: "Janie"
Morgawr
From the mythical Cornish sea serpent, Morgawr produces unique Pagan metal, touching on massive epics, battle themes, and uniquely British atmospheres accented by orchestral sweeps.
Songs: "Herlathing" "Lindisfarne" "Dawn (Blood Saga I)/Through the Maelström" "Heathen Battlecry" "Raise the Shieldwall" "Bifrost (Incarnation of Fire)" "Bloodlust (Blood Saga II)" "Frost (Blood Saga III)"
Yesternight's Decision
Yesternight's Decision plays rock songs. Simple as that. Their focus is on the show, giving their audiences whatever they want- from hard-rocking originals to clever and silly takes on popular songs from all sorts of genres.
Songs: "Dying Wish of a Living Man" "A Sickness You Like"
Bright Midnight
Named after a Doors track and pulling from several post-punk and alternative bands, Bright Midnight throw a funk and jazz influence into the post-punk of Interpol and The Smiths, winding up with a sound that doesn't need or want to be classified.
Songs: "Hotel Saigon" "White Shoes" "La Minuit"
Those Among Us
Those Among Us is John Brandon's modern new wave project, giving a different edge to the just-off-punk sounds that grew up in the early 80's. Traces of Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, and The Cure trickle through the group's debut EP.
Songs: "I Thought I Knew You" "Disco Ball" "The Final Hour"
BSM
BSM is a collaborative rock effort: with John Brandon, a songwriter from the United Kingdom; Brad Strickland, a musician/producer from the United States; and Steven Mesropian, a singer/songwriter from the United States, the trio produces straight-up rock with an 80's guitar sound.
Songs: "Falling Apart"
Daas Bosh
Built out of a Swedish church, Daas Bosh started in 2009 and quickly started creating atmospheric metal that gives more time to acoustic guitars and piano than blast beats and chunky chords.
Songs: "Eternal Divine Angel Death" "Eternal Divine Angel Death (RB3 version)"
The Virginmarys
The reviews say it all- dozens of them evoking Velvet Revolver, Led Zeppelin, and Biffy Clyro. The Virginmarys have been on the fast track through the Manchester scene thanks to their heavy, clever riffs and massive sound.
Songs: "Bang Bang Bang"
Coelacanths
Good luck explaining or understanding this Canadian one-man band. For being named after a thought-extinct fish, Coelacanths has a futuristic, robotic sound, with music only an algorithm can truly understand.
Songs: "Apocalypse for Breakfast" "Coelacanths"
Stagehands
Part grit, part glamour, Stagehands is not just a band, but also a theatrical production which combines the sound and storytelling of Broadway with the power and excitement of rock. Their debut album doubles as a rock opera and a stage musical, jumping across styles and sounds to tell its story.
Songs: "Welcome to Our Town" "Now or Never"
Rockapella
Rockapella has changed the entire perspective of a cappella music, changing it from a barbershop niche to a new brand of pop rock. They hit national attention in the early 90s, and maintain a massive fanbase in America and Japan along with work on several ad campaigns and original albums.
Songs: "Bang"
Abraham Nixon
Hailing from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Abraham Nixon knows their way around the rock spectrum, with songs evoking the heavy alternative of Foo Fighters, the classic sounds of Cheap Trick, and occasionally the radio pop of Goo Goo Dolls.
Songs: "Secondary Gain"
dB soundworks
Danny Baranowsky, the man behind dB soundworks, cut his teeth at Overclocked Remix, arranging video game music in clever ways. Fitting, then, that he's responsible for the soundtrack of parkour hit Canabalt and intense platformer Super Meat Boy. Never one to do the same thing twice, he's remixed his Super Meat Boy tracks specifically for Rock Band.
Songs: "The Battle of Lil' Slugger (Remix)" "Betus Blues (Retro Remix)" "Can o' Salt (Remix)"
Mafia Track Suit
Rising from the hills of the Star City, Mafia Track Suit blends Billy Chase's fuzzy choruses with effervescent sing-alongs to create an album reminiscent of rock groups such as the Foo Fighters, Deep Purple and Hum.
Songs: "Samiam" "Funeral on Parade" "My Future Life" "Fairweather Stranger" "Forest for the Trees" "28 Days"
Magnus 'SoulEye' Palsson
Magnus 'SoulEye' Palsson is a Swedish chiptune artist with a perfect sense of classic video game soundtracks. His ear for the style earned him slots on several independent game soundtracks, including Terry Cavanagh's retro-styled hit VVVVVV.
Songs: "Positive Force" "Pressure Cooker" "Potential for Anything" "Paced Energy"
Kylie D. Hart
Kylie D. Hart's songwriting stems from traditional country roots- but is chock full of eclectic infusions, creating a unique sound that appeals to a wide range of listeners. Kylie's powerful and gutsy vocal style blends attitude with heartfelt, in-your-face lyrics. A portion of the proceeds of her tracks will go to directly support the mission of The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in its ongoing search for a cure.
Songs: "Leave Me Be"
SHIROCK
SHIROCK, a five-piece pop/rock band from Nashville, TN, capitalizes on the transformative power of rock and roll. They take an anthemic approach to songwriting, coming out with songs that bristle with restless urgency and passionate optimism.
Songs: "New Solution" "Still Young"
The Story Changes
Dayton's premiere pop-punk duo, The Story Changes stay away from the cliches of the genre by dabbling in emo, powerpop, and dozens other genres just outside the pop-punk world.
Songs: "New Ground" "Constellation"
Lyrics for Monday
Lyrics for Monday is an unsigned band of young musicians located in Sasebo, Japan. Half Japanese, half American, the quartet is all playful pop-punk energy.
Songs: "Runaway"
Monte Casino
Monte Casino doesn't pay attention to pop/rock trends or genres. Monte Casino is an original rock band that takes ideas from modern rock, classic rock, pop, punk, grunge and metal and makes something unique, something melodic, something fun but still meaningful.
Songs: "All I Need"
The Blackout Argument
The Blackout Argument pride themselves over their effort to self-produce 'Detention', an approach that played an important key role in (re-)coining the band. They wrote and recorded more than 20 songs, reworked them and let them mature in a constant cycle and finally tracked them at Suiseidl Studios (Munich, Germany) with highest care and consideration. 'Detention' is challenging and manifold yet extremely catchy and engaging. It creates a very sanguine mix of heavy rock and forward-thinking hardcore. It became nothing less than the album the band always wanted to create.
Songs: "Satisfying Angst"
His Statue Falls
Mix Techno, Screamo and Pop, and spice it up with a pinch of Mosh and Breakdown, et voilá: you get a novel sound called Techcore. The debut "Collisions" combines all strengths of HIS STATUE FALLS: Mighty guitars, crystal clear hooklines, hammering beats supported by driving techno-elements, and enriched with a proper portion of Mosh and Breakdown. A delicious dish which is worth to be tasted by all music fans.
Songs: "Give It Up! Give It Up!" "Jasmin W. Knows How to Mosh"
Askari Nari
Askari Nari's Jacob Chaney is a curious musician. Not only because he puts together bizarre electronica, but because he also self-taught an orchestra's worth of real instruments. But as Askari Nari, it's all a relentless barrage of challenging beep and clicks.
Songs: "Reviving a Dead Language"
Lino Gonzalez
Lino Gonzalez may not come from the same language as Paul Gilbert, Steve Vai, Buckethead, and other virtuoso guitarists, but that doesn't matter. He lets his instruments do the talking, and they speak of rock in a way anyone can understand.
Songs: "Traffic Jam"
Niño Burbuja
When four Spanish musicians with a penchant for bright synths and deep bass get together, the only result is Niño Burbuja- light-hearted, energetic indie pop with plenty of fun to go around.
Songs: "La Inclinación de la Balanza" "Mil Rosas"
Giraffes? Giraffes!
Ken Topham and Joe Andreoli grew up in Massachusetts. The moved to New Hampshire and finally met. They had plenty of crazy and not terribly crazy ideas. Giraffes? Giraffes! is one of their crazy ideas.
Songs: "I am S/H(im)e[r] as You am S/H(im)e[r] as You are Me and We am I and I are All Our Together"
Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band
Gordon Goodwin is a big band leader- both in the classic jazz sense and in leading his Big Phat Band, a Grammy-award nominated troupe of talented musicians. Gordon himself has made an even bigger name for himself, winning Grammy and Emmy awards for his soundtrack work.
Songs: "That's How We Roll" "Howdiz Songo?" "Race to the Bridge"
The Bloody Five
Combining the grunge of Soundgarden with the counting skills of Ben Folds, this Toronto four-piece goes back to the alternative and metal roots of the genre to reinvent it in their own way.
Songs: "Never Again"
We Butter the Bread With Butter
Musically, We Butter the Bread With Butter present themselves and their Deathcore more diversified than on their previous full-length. "Der Tag an dem die Welt unterging" was again produced opulently and on their own authority and contains a lot of powerful breakdowns, nasty growls and pig squeals. Beside thunderous guitar parts and powerful drums, the tracks have consistent electronic parts and strings.
Songs: "Superföhn Bananendate" "13 Wünsche"
We Set The Sun
While their breakdowns are so brutal that not just the sun hides behind the horizon, their poppy choruses shine so bright that listening to their songs almost requires you to put on shades. The songs of We Set The Sun are full of bold ideas that even after several spins feel as if they've just crossed the band's mind.
Songs: "Cody"
Brad Gerke
Brad Gerke is a singer/songwriter from Acworth, Georgia influenced by the works of Switchfoot and Sondre Lerche. After starting the local indie band Brightest Hour, Brad is now off on his own writing his first album.
Songs: "Of Dirt You Were Made..."
Silent House
Lorenz and Anton are Silent House, a Swedish duo making homebrew piano rock with some surprising hints of jazz complexity. Their recording style may be basic, but their performances aren't.
Songs: "In Between" "Nightfall"
Dampfmaschine
The phrase "German punk" tends to evoke darker, more depressive images. Those don't fit Dampfmaschine at all; these five musicians enjoy their style and it shows in the frantic energy they put forth.
Songs: "Haben Haben Haben"
Leche de Tigre
Throw eight talented Hawaiian musicians at diverse international influences and you get one unique group. Leche de Tigre balances Latin rhythms, gypsy folk, French ballads, rock, funk, and many others for a simmering concoction.
Songs: "Desconocido"
Danny and the Lost Souls
Hailing from Leeds, Danny and the Lost Souls channel the soul/funk spirit of James Brown and much of Motown. Of course, the United Kingdom has a bit of a different soul than Detroit, resulting in a new take rather than a repetition.
Songs: "Soul Candy" "Keep on Running from My Love"
Lockdown
Using a video game to produce music can be a noble endeavor. But for some electronic artists like Lockdown, it just isn't enough. So this Virginia composer took what GHTunes could create and rebuilt it from the ground up to produce proper techno tracks.
Songs: "Haunting the Dead" "Haunting the Dead (2x Bass Pedal)"
Jeremy Manjorin
Jeremy has the influences and sounds of a mature rocker- mostly because he is. A writer by trade and by nature, Jeremy puts together all the sounds that make up his diverse rock albums on his own.
Songs: "Skinny Seventeen"
Swound!
If Weezer were British and stuck to their original style... they wouldn't be Weezer. Weezer is from California and has had several stylistic shifts. However, that description works well enough for Swound!- a literal British band of brothers doing no-frills, hook-riddled power pop.
Songs: "In My Head"