The New England local metal scene is the most accessible scene on the east coast. $15 dollar tickets and venues across New England makes it easy to go see some amazing bands for cheap. Here’s some reviews on new releases in the scene and some amazing bands you can see near you.

Split – Solace in Bloom//Teen Dating Violence

‘Split,’ a collaborative recording by Solace in Bloom and Teen Dating Violence is a 6 track EP that showcases some of the strongest content from both bands to date. 

The record opens with three songs from New Jersey-based Teen Dating Violence that masterfully showcase teenage angst and the Midwest emo sound popularized in the ’90s by bands like ‘American Football. There are  unique vocal textures reminiscent of Titleflight and other early screamo bands. The songs feature unusually clean guitar sounds, a  departure from most modern midwest emo/screamo records. The twinkly guitar riffs and bright chords used are much of what you’d expect from a midwest emo record. Teen Dating Violence avoids the common pitfall of their guitar parts sounding like a showcase of their guitar skills, leaning  more into the songwriting. . The riffs are tasteful, never overplayed. The vocals on this record, while mostly screamed, contrast nicely with the instrumentals to create an interesting, powerful, and angsty dynamic that ties the album together both compositionally and texturally.

The last three songs belong to the Connecticut-based two-piece screamo band Solace in Bloom. While Solace in Bloom is no stranger to masterful dynamics and astounding composition, it seems on this record they have truly outdone themselves. Featuring  seamless transitions between clean and dirty guitars, screamed and clean vocals, and fluctuating drum dynamics, the sections never feel out of place even when intended to be jarring. The vocals on this record, and in any Solace in Bloom record, are some of the best, most emotional in the genre for a long time and tie in perfectly with the composition and texture of this record. Solace in Bloom doesn’t spare a moment in this record to leave you bored., every section in every song is more enticing than the last and the record never fails to pull listeners in and keep them listening.

Hands In The Air! – Told Not To Worry

Told Not To Worry comes out swinging on this record, waiting all of three seconds on intro track “Tonight, We Die In Battle” before pelting you with their eclectic sound,self described as “sasscore.” With track names like ‘I Killed Barbie’ ‘Jane Is A Werewolf’ and ‘Punk Girl At The Rock Show’ it’s hard to not expect, and harder to not love, the bombardment of screaming, brutal riffs, and fun samples that they offer. Reminiscent of a love child between System of a Down and early See You Space Cowboy. The record, while short, is an immaculate showcase of one of the most unique projects that has come onto the scene to date. It’s always refreshing to see a band that doesn’t take themselves too seriously and still be able to crush it when they do take themselves seriously. and Told Not To Worry hit the perfect balance on this record.

Shanties – Sailboat

This debut EP from Sailboat is a short but sweet energy packed four track that will absolutely leave you wanting more by the end. The crushing instrumentals, shrieking vocals and intricate guitar melodies are everything you could want and need from a modern day screamo/skramz band. From  the melodic intensity and breakdown in ‘Pressure Per Inch’ to the the garage punk fueled gang vocals in ‘Clam’ and the unrelenting chaos in ‘Wake’ this record doesn’t leave a moment open for you to become bored. This album is absolutely crushing and the only negative comment I can make on this record is that it doesn’t have more songs and only runs for a short seven minutes