Let's all agree that the music industry is fucked: there's an abundance of music being released every day. Most of it is shit, thus it's getting harder and harder for good bands to get the attention they deserve. Here's our humble attempt to shed some light on those that are flying under the radar. One rule: the artist must have under 1000 monthly listeners on Spotify at the time of writing.
#1 Soulsplitter
With 231 monthly listeners on Spotify, it's a no-brainer that this band is on this list. Their debut Salutogenisis is not the easiest digestible album out there, but the band traded that accessibility for a big eclectic sound that works very well once it clicks. You'll find influences to 70's prog (King Crimson, ELP, Gentle Giant), jazz and death metal here. Their debut is truly a feast for the ears. We recommend giving this more than one listen to base your opinion on.
FFO: Haken, Gentle Giant, Opeth, King Crimson
#2 Head With Wings
This band is something else. How they have only 319 monthly listeners on Spotify is beyond reason. They're releasing a new EP soon and the latest single of that EP 'Of Uncertainty' made us a fan upon first time hearing it...and seeing it, because the music video is just as beautiful as the track itself. It's hard to describe how they sound, but think the slower songs of A Perfect Circle (Orestes, Gravity, ...) mixed with the intensity of bands like Karnivool and Rishloo. Their latest (and also debut) full-length album 'From Worry to Shame' is nothing short of a masterpiece in our eyes: emotional and straight from the heart.
FFO: Karnivool, A Perfect Circle, The Pineapple Thief, Rishloo
#3 Evan Carson
This is a solo project by the percussionist for Iamthemorning’s chamber band. Evan released one debut album so far: "Ocipinski". Listen to this album once and you'll have to admit that this is something special. With just over 400 monthly listeners on Spotify we feel like it doesn't get the recognition it deserves. Reviews around the web are unanimous: this is of legendarily high quality. If you're looking for more reasons to listen to this album: Jim Grey of Caligula's Horse has an outstanding vocal performance halfway the album on the track "Otriad". Some keywords to give you an understanding of what it sounds like: tribal, rhythmic, piano, intense, folk, eclectic, beautiful. We urge you to go out and listen to it, though. No words can really capture the experience of actually listening to this music.
FFO: Lankum, Lunatic Soul, Caligula's Horse
#4 Opus Of A Machine
We've featured this band in our "Australian Progressive Metal" Spotify playlist before. With 635 monthly listeners on Spotify they qualify for this series too. Let's get one thing out of the way first: musically, these guys are not the biggest risk takers. This isn't your crazy out there prog band. This band sounds more like proggy alt-metal. Nothing we dislike, of course. On the contrary, on their album "Stray Fire" they prove they're excellent songwriters. Check out their song "Beacon", which is amazing.
FFO: A Perfect Circle, Leprous, Caligula's Horse, Karnivool
#5 Cinereous
With 40 monthly listeners on Spotify and a newly released debut (?), this band came out of nowhere. If any of the band members is reading this, could you please reach out? We would love to have a little chat with you. What we have here is an amazing prog debut. But there's so much mystery around this outfit. All we basically know is they're from Cardiff. Their Bandcamp states: "Follow the story of Grey, Ash, and The Jester through a series of Progressive Metal / Rock concept albums." A Series? More is coming? Sign us up!
FFO: Haken, Dream Theater, Coheed and Cambria
#1 Soulsplitter
With 231 monthly listeners on Spotify, it's a no-brainer that this band is on this list. Their debut Salutogenisis is not the easiest digestible album out there, but the band traded that accessibility for a big eclectic sound that works very well once it clicks. You'll find influences to 70's prog (King Crimson, ELP, Gentle Giant), jazz and death metal here. Their debut is truly a feast for the ears. We recommend giving this more than one listen to base your opinion on.
FFO: Haken, Gentle Giant, Opeth, King Crimson
#2 Head With Wings
This band is something else. How they have only 319 monthly listeners on Spotify is beyond reason. They're releasing a new EP soon and the latest single of that EP 'Of Uncertainty' made us a fan upon first time hearing it...and seeing it, because the music video is just as beautiful as the track itself. It's hard to describe how they sound, but think the slower songs of A Perfect Circle (Orestes, Gravity, ...) mixed with the intensity of bands like Karnivool and Rishloo. Their latest (and also debut) full-length album 'From Worry to Shame' is nothing short of a masterpiece in our eyes: emotional and straight from the heart.
FFO: Karnivool, A Perfect Circle, The Pineapple Thief, Rishloo
#3 Evan Carson
This is a solo project by the percussionist for Iamthemorning’s chamber band. Evan released one debut album so far: "Ocipinski". Listen to this album once and you'll have to admit that this is something special. With just over 400 monthly listeners on Spotify we feel like it doesn't get the recognition it deserves. Reviews around the web are unanimous: this is of legendarily high quality. If you're looking for more reasons to listen to this album: Jim Grey of Caligula's Horse has an outstanding vocal performance halfway the album on the track "Otriad". Some keywords to give you an understanding of what it sounds like: tribal, rhythmic, piano, intense, folk, eclectic, beautiful. We urge you to go out and listen to it, though. No words can really capture the experience of actually listening to this music.
FFO: Lankum, Lunatic Soul, Caligula's Horse
#4 Opus Of A Machine
We've featured this band in our "Australian Progressive Metal" Spotify playlist before. With 635 monthly listeners on Spotify they qualify for this series too. Let's get one thing out of the way first: musically, these guys are not the biggest risk takers. This isn't your crazy out there prog band. This band sounds more like proggy alt-metal. Nothing we dislike, of course. On the contrary, on their album "Stray Fire" they prove they're excellent songwriters. Check out their song "Beacon", which is amazing.
FFO: A Perfect Circle, Leprous, Caligula's Horse, Karnivool
#5 Cinereous
With 40 monthly listeners on Spotify and a newly released debut (?), this band came out of nowhere. If any of the band members is reading this, could you please reach out? We would love to have a little chat with you. What we have here is an amazing prog debut. But there's so much mystery around this outfit. All we basically know is they're from Cardiff. Their Bandcamp states: "Follow the story of Grey, Ash, and The Jester through a series of Progressive Metal / Rock concept albums." A Series? More is coming? Sign us up!
FFO: Haken, Dream Theater, Coheed and Cambria