The Underground Sound is a space for promoting the underground music scene worldwide. In this monthly report, I will discuss music that has been released during the month that may not have been on your radar. The music is selected by exploring websites such as www.metal-archives.com and www.bandcamp.com. The “Top Picks” series will feature releases that I have enjoyed myself and that I recommend you check out.  In this edition, I will discuss releases dropped throughout September.

#1: Moonfarmer – Self Titled Demo

Moonfarmer describes their demo as “crawling out of the dusty cracks in the red dirt of Western Colorado”. This description is a perfect representation of this self-titled demo. After listening to this five-track demo, I can safely describe Moonfarmer as a doom metal/stoner metal combination. 

Vocalist Nyssa Nothing provides haunting, wailing vocals which fit nicely with heavily distorted guitar work and pounding, methodical drumming. The band features slow and heavy tracks such as “Knitbone”, while also featuring a more relentless, fast-paced style in tracks such as “Suffer a Witch to Live”. The recording quality on this demo is also done well, lending to an overall extremely positive experience. In the end, this band is off to an excellent start. 

Stream the demo here: https://moonfarmer666.bandcamp.com/album/moonfarmer

#2: A Thousand Wounds – Self Titled Album

A Thousand Wounds is going to satisfy the listening needs of anyone who loves well-engineered technical death metal full of melodic guitar solos, blistering blast beats, and aggressive growling vocals. Hailing from Florida, A Thousand Wounds is a two-piece made up of Kyle Westin on instrument duties and Daniel Synan handling the vocals. This self-titled album really piqued my interest in terms of the variety in writing. Tracks such as “Tundra” feature dissonant ambience and feeling of marching into oblivion, while tracks such as “The Seer and the Scribe” dive directly into the fury of what one would expect from a technical death metal band. 

The last thing I want to highlight is the production quality. According to the band, this album was produced by Nick Sampson. It sounds absolutely immaculate. If you enjoy artists such as The Faceless, you will love this album.

Stream the album here: https://athousandwounds.bandcamp.com/album/a-thousand-wounds

#3: Mournful Ruin – Desiccated Demo

The first thing that I have to say about Mournful Ruin’s Desiccated Demo is that it is absolutely disgusting. And I mean that in the best way possible. Like Moonfarmer, Mournful Ruin hails from Colorado and plays a style of doom metal. Though, Mournful Ruin relies heavily on a sludge-tinted death metal influence that satisfies my musical taste greatly. This demo plodges along in a way that drags you into the album cover itself – a dismal space. I especially love the heavily distorted bass guitar that seeps through the mixing. 

The recording quality is not perfect, but honestly, it adds to the flavor of this demo. A choice cut from this demo is “Castle of Eternal Shadows”. I have very high hopes for Mournful Ruin and I am hoping for another release soon! If you are a fan of such bands as Spectral Voice, Disma, or Blood Incantation, this demo will please you greatly.

Stream the demo here: https://mournfulruin.bandcamp.com/album/desiccated-demo 

#4: False Thoughts – You Speak To Me As Though I Wasn’t Living

It is time to set our eyes and ears on the worldwide music scene, as the previous selections were based in the United states. False Thoughts is a hardcore band hailing from Liverpool, United Kingdom. You Speak To Me As Though I Wasn’t Living is so full of energy, you can truly feel the condescending nature of the title oozing from each track. Though, while this album is full of heavy hitting, fast guitar and drum work, you get pleasantly surprised by melodic breaks. The tracks “Dread” and “Trap”are good examples of this. 

As I listen to this album, I can feel the inspiration of older hardcore music such as Harm’s Way and Integrity , but tracks such as “Panic”, “War”, and “Tall” are reminiscent of major artists like Slipknot. There are also several tracks coming in at less than two minutes, so you do not need much spare time to give the album a listen.Overall, False Thoughts and You Speak To Me As Though I Wasn’t Living was an enjoyable experience and I am glad they popped up in my radar.

Stream the album here: https://falsethoughts.bandcamp.com/album/you-speak-to-me-as-though-i-wasnt-living