Maïsman

Ordkløver is a music-and-poetry project begun in 1999 by Düreforsög vocalist Boris Schiøler alongside bandmates Nis Bysted and Andreas Hauer-Jensen. Its sole release, Byen Buldrer ("The City Rumbles", 2005, Escho), pairs Schiøler's phonetic poetry with rock guitar and drums and an eight-voice choir, described by reviewers as sounding like "intoxicated monks and/or sea pirates."

Winny Puhh are an Estonian punk/metal band formed in 1993 in Põlva, known for a berserk visual spectacle: wolfman masks, spandex wrestling gear, and a custom rigged drum kit that spins two drummers through the air simultaneously. Their 2013 Eesti Laul performance went viral and led to an invitation to perform at Rick Owens' Paris menswear show.

Qui are a Los Angeles noise-rock group formed in 2000 by Paul Christensen (drums/vocals) and Matt Cronk (guitar/vocals) as a guitar-and-drums duo mixing punk, noise and experimental rock with tight vocal harmonies. In 2006, after a run of guest appearances, David Yow of The Jesus Lizard and Scratch Acid joined as full-time vocalist, fronting the 2007 album Love's Miracle. That record was released on Mike Patton's Ipecac Recordings.

Kettle Cadaver were a deathrock/industrial metal band from Temecula, California, active from 1995 until 2017, led by vocalist Edwin Borsheim. The band became notorious for extreme, self-harming stage shows -- Borsheim was known for stapling his lips shut, cutting himself, and nailing wood to his body -- drawing comparisons to GG Allin; this history is documented in the 2016 film Dead Hands Dig Deep. Their catalog, including Halloween (1996) and Horronomicon (1995) on Horror Rock Records, has been tagged across databases as deathrock, horror punk, and avant-garde metal. Borsheim died by suicide in June 2017, coinciding with the band's end.

Stolen Babies are an American experimental/avant-garde rock band formed in California in 2001, built around Dominique Lenore Persi's accordion and theatrical vocals in a 'dark cabaret' meets prog-metal frame. Twin brothers Rani and Gil Sharone anchor the rhythm section; influences include Oingo Boingo, Mr. Bungle and Fishbone. They released There Be Squabbles Ahead (2006) via No Comment/The End Records.

Coppelius are a Berlin chamber-metal ensemble formed in 1997 who replace guitars and bass with cello, double bass, two clarinets and harpsichord, performing in top hats and tailcoats as a troupe of named Victorian/steampunk personas. Taking their name from the sinister toymaker of E.T.A. Hoffmann's 'Der Sandmann,' the band builds full theatrical stagings around dark-romantic themes across seven studio albums released since 2007 on F.A.M.E. Recordings.

Dakrya are a theatrical/avant-garde metal band from Athens, Greece, founded in late 2004 by classically trained keyboardist Sophia Charalampous. Crime Scene (2010) was recorded in Sweden with producers known for work with Diablo Swing Orchestra and Dark Tranquillity.

Made Out of Babies were a Brooklyn noise-rock/sludge quartet active 2004-2012, fronted by the extraordinary Julie Christmas, whose lurching between whisper and shriek gave the band its volatile character. They released Trophy (2005) and The Ruiner (2008), with the Steve Albini-recorded Coward (2006) widely rated their high point; early records came out on Neurosis's Neurot Recordings. The lineup drew from the wider New York heavy underground, with guitarist Brendan Tobin (Red Sparowes), bassist Eric Cooper, and Christmas also fronting Battle of Mice.

7000 Dying Rats are a long-running Chicago 'comedy grind' collective, active in various lineups since 1992, built around joke song titles and a deliberately rotating cast of 30-plus contributors rather than a fixed band. Their records (Fanning the Flames of Fire, The Sound of No Hands Clapping, Season in Hell) mix grindcore/noise aggression with tasteless, cult-favorite humor. The most notable alumnus is drummer/vocalist Weasel Walter, who passed through the Rats between stints leading The Flying Luttenbachers and later drumming for Behold... The Arctopus.

Train Come To Town . . . Make Town Dirtyplay in the dock

BandcampSpotify

compare profiles →

Formed in Austin in 1987 and relocated to Chicago in 1989, The Jesus Lizard perfected a blueprint of noise-rock menace: David Wm. Sims and Mac McNeilly's lurching, hydraulic rhythm section, Duane Denison's wiry precision guitar, and David Yow howling from deep in the mix like, in one critic's words, 'a kidnap victim trying to howl through the duct tape over his mouth.' Their Steve Albini-recorded Touch and Go albums Goat (1991) and Liar (1992) stand among the most significant noise rock records of the era, and a split single with Nirvana briefly brushed them against the mainstream. After disbanding in 1999 and reuniting for tours from 2009 onward, they released Rack in 2024, their first album in 26 years.

Pussplay in the dock

BandcampSpotifyTidal

compare profiles →