Sound&Shape - Now Comes the Mystery (2011)

I grew up with a dad that loved "easy-listening," or whatever that weird, niche-y, soft, '80s-sounding kind of music is that only looks to let you appreciate the quieter moments of life with a little background noise. The first thing I thought of when hearing the first song on this EP for the first time was "awesome easy-listening." While I wouldn't quite use that as a description for Now Comes the Mystery as a whole, its general vibe definitely warrants it, even if only a little. These guys suck you in, and regardless of your listening habits, never quite relinquish their hold on the peace of mind they helped to make.

I'll stop digging myself into a hole and simply state that this EP is a small taste of what I know Sound&Shape have in store for us. The potential here is something worth putting your dying mother on hold for. Absolutely love them.

Support these guys @$5 USD

The Agonist - Lullabies for the Dormant Mind (2009)

Lullabies for a Dormant Mind may be the most manic metalcore/melodic death metal-crossover I've ever heard, thanks in eminent part to the performance of its absolutely insane vocalist, Alissa White-Gluz. I typed that right -- The Agonist has a female vocalist, and while that usually means one should prepare themselves for overwhelmingly sub-par harsh vocals, I can't repeat myself enough times when I tell you that isn't the case here. There will be never be an ounce of doubt in any hardened (ha) metalhead's ears that the vocalist present here isn't female, but I promise that only means she's doing the other gender some actual, well-needed justice.

@V0