Tag Archives: Clawhammer PR

Mega Colossus is a five-piece Hard Rock band from Raleigh, North Carolina. Showdown is their fourth full-length LP. Displaying influences from the past, they bring a modern sound to an old-school style of music. You can hear the 70s and 80s in some of the song structures, but the overall sound is much more complex than that.

Hailing from Leeds, United Kingdom, Cognizance is a five-piece Death Metal outfit formed in 2012. After three early EPs, they have released three full-length albums with Phantazein being the third in five years. This latest offering is a concept album exploring the intricate interplay between art, obsession, and the profound influence of one’s environment. More than just straightforward Death Metal, there is also a highly Technical Metal aspect to their approach in both composition and execution of the music. Intricate leads mix with bombastic rhythms and harsh vocals to build a massive soundscape meant to capture the ear and the mind simultaneously.

Almost Dead is a San Francisco Bay area Thrash Metal band built very much in the tradition of the newest wave of bands originating from that area. Heavy riffage, distorted vocals, chaotic rhythms, and massive attitude have defined this new era. This is old-school attitude with modern tech and theory added to create a more lethal form of the timeless classic Thrash sound.

Sovereign is a Norwegian Evil Death/Thrash Metal four-piece band formed in 2018. Altered Realities is their debut full-length album, following the 2020 EP, Neurotic. Thriving on both speed and technicality, they push the limits of Extreme Metal, always seeking to expand their sound. Not content to just go fast for the sake of speed, they also infuse Melodic Groove Metal to allow the mind to drift on a wide array of tempos, shifting gears like a Grand Prix driver accelerating out of a turn into a straightaway. Sit down, strap in, hold on, and get ready to have your mind blown.

Lower 13 describes themselves as a Melodic Metal Power Trio. After listening to them, I will not be trying to argue anything different as I heartily agree with them, though I’d expand that description a bit to include some additional influences from Thrash, Death, and Power Metal. With a combination of clean and harsh vocals, powerful rhythms, and intricate lead work, Lower 13 blends multiple disciplines into a tasty feast of Heavy Metal that contains something for everyone on the Metal Spectrum.