Via the Verge has produced a solid effort with their debut self-titled EP. Discerning listeners and musicians, don’t touch the knob: This six-song effort sounds immaculate and is expertly mixed. With this first release, the future is bright for this Norman, OK-based quintet, tastefully implementing time signatures and key changes while avoiding anything that feels gimmicky or forced. Unlike other bands in their post-hardcore, progressive rock genre, they don’t wear you out with a barrage of speed drumming and staccato guitar riffs. Instead, they leave the listener with enough space to breath and absorb what they just heard, a nod to their ability to write a true song. Each track is its own animal, presented in such an organic way, unforced with respect for the musicianship that drives it. Newly acquired vocalist Joseph Kelm drops deep, guttural vocals as an accent, inserted only on an as-needed basis. Manning a tiny raft in a sea of prog-rock and metal bands, the question for Via the Verge is whether they will survive long enough to rise above the tide, and they are definitely worth following to find out.
Features
Heaven's Metal
When rock emerged from blues and 'heavy metal' began to surface, faith-based metal acts also rose to start their own journeys. Initially shunned by both believers and non-believers, they were fighting for their spot at the table, ultimately building a legacy that would go on to change the genre forever. HM presents an oral history of the beginning of Christian metal music, featuring Guardian, Tourniquet, Holy Soldier, Whitecross, and, of course, Stryper.
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Atreyu's Baptism
At their core, Atreyu is a hard rock band with metal riffs and pop choruses. Now, after more than 20 years, the band has stepped boldly into their next chapter with a change in lineup and an album that proves the lifeblood of Atreyu is stronger than ever.
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Five Death Metal Bands You Need to Know Now
Death metal is no longer strictly a one-kind-of-sound genre but a cloud under which many elements have formed. We have assembled five must-hear death metal acts you should be listening to now, each distinctly set apart from another in form, yet still brethren in the death metal community.
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Alphaville’s Metal Renaissance
With influences that span Miles Davis and Stravinsky to Geddy Lee and Les Claypool, jazz metal force Imperial Triumphant is the epitome of genre-bending. HM contributing writer Andrew Voigt spoke with the band about their unique style, the massive bass presence in their music, and the rise and fall of civilization.
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