Men As Trees

Men As Trees were a four-piece screamo/post-rock band from Auburn Hills, Michigan that were around from 2003 to 2009. When hearing that genre blend, certain greats immediately come to mind such as Envy, City of Caterpillar, and Funeral Diner. Though lesser known, Men As Trees mastered that sound, crafting gorgeous, extensive ambient moments of genuine serenity before exploding in a chaotic onslaught that brought these songs to new emotional levels. With a good portion of their released songs stretching past the 10-minute mark, Men As Trees are one of few bands capable of maintaining a sense of entrancement through a song's multiple movements. Their output is relatively small, but definitely worth a listen. The band reconvened a few years after their dissolution to form Locktender. They are another incredible band that has put out a steady amount of material in the past few years, and are also worth your attention. Enjoy.

Demo (2005)

1. Trespass And The Wood Of The Suicides I

2. Trillium

3. Trespass And The Wood Of The Suicides II

4. Et Tu Brute (St. Yves Down The Hatch)

5. Treebark, Cricket And Stone: Attornies At Law

6. An Epic Novel by Space & Co.

7. 400 Wisemen Bearing Rifts In Time

Warred On By Cranes (2006)

1. Treebark, Cricket and Stone: Attornies at Law

2. An Epic Novel by Space and Co.

3. 400 Wisemen Bearing Rifts in Time

From The Crow's Nest, Looking Out (2007)

1. Come Outside And Warm Yourself By The Wolf's Sun

2. Driving North On Withered Winds

Six Waves In (2007)

1. Sometimes, We All Fight the Tide

2. Would They Were Now, I Was Then

3. Scenes From a Voyage

4. Autumn

Weltschmerz (2008)

1. Germinal

2. Good Luck To You

3. Late Words Of A Reasoning Man

4. If There Was Any Wisdom Left They Would Send It Back Up The Mountain

5. Dead On The Bank

6. Swa Cwæð Eardstapa

Single State Of Man/Men As Trees (2009)

1. Single State Of Man - Health & History

2. Men As Trees - Wreckage

Le Pré Où Je Suis Mort/Dolcim/Men As Trees/Dying In Motion (2010)

1. Le Pré Où Je Suis Mort - L'Avenir Nous Appartiendra

2. Dolcim - Claire, Advertising, 31

3. Men As Trees - Discovery

4. Dying In Motion - In Meiner Welt

5. Dying In Motion - Fürchtet Unsere Sanftmut

6. Dying In Motion - Komet

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Locktender

Plunger

Plunger were a four-piece emo/hardcore band from Crofton, Maryland that were active from 1993 to 1996. Starting out, they took influence from the hardcore sound of bands like Swiz that had originated in DC a few years prior to their own formation. This is mostly evident on their debut demo release, which is a straight-up melodic hardcore album, with only a few hints of what their sound was evolve into. Their debut 7" is feedback-laden, discordant outing, with some of the most devastating vocals of the band's career. It's the perfect culmination of their early sound, with "Aspire To Be" being a good hint of where they were going next.

Following the EP, they released a few splits and a bonafide classic LP. They take the origins of their energetic, chaotic sound and push it into something darker and heavier. They began experimenting with a sound similar to what fellow Maryland band Moss Icon had done just before them. They incorporated harrowing bass lines, clean arpeggiated guitars, and trembling, mostly spoken vocals, with poetic lyricism. They would alternate between this quiet, meandering sound and build into massive crescendos of melancholic distorted chords and desperate screams, bringing the hardcore influence back to the forefront. Their self-titled full-length in particular is highly recommended, as its 7 tracks make for an incredibly emotional listen, which each song offering something new. "H.S." in particular is fantastic, and is definitely one of the most underrated songs in the grand scheme of 90's emo.

They put out a handful of releases in their initial time together, and an all-encompassing discography boxset a few years ago. The discography was released by Vermin Scum (who also put out albums by Maryland legends Moss Icon and The Hated). The first disc contains all their previously released material (EP, LP, and split tracks), the second disc contains the demo, as well as compilation and unreleased tracks. The third disc contains live songs and a few self-recorded demo tracks. Thankfully this band's incredible output was finally made available in one high-quality release, as the music they made is far too powerful to be lost to time. Enjoy.

Demo (1993)

1. No More Entails

2. Excess

3. Sound For Sore Eyes

4. Track

5. Perspective

6. Frame

7. Ideals

8. Vice

9. Lacking

Plunger (1994)

1. Aspire To Be

2. Selfish Space

3. Indeterminate

4. Network

5. Patriot

The Golden Rule Of Silence (1995)

1. Plunger - At The Ground

2. Plunger - Reticence

3. William Martyr Seventeen - Four Years Long

Blank/Plunger (1995)

1. Plunger - Your Word

2. Plunger - Pull It Down

3. Blank - Program

4. Blank - Turning Point

Plunger (1997)

1. Swallowtale

2. H.S.

3. Handed

4. Swallowed By Plains

5. Walking To Dawn

6. Inlé

7. Second Of June

The Station Is Not Received (2017)

Disc 1

1. Aspire To Be

2. Selfish Space

3. Indeterminate

4. Network

5. Patriot

6. At The Ground

7. Retience

8. Pull It Down

9. Your Word

10. Swallowtale

11. H.S.

12. Handed

13. Enfolded By Plains

14. Walking To Dawn

15. Inté

16. Second Of June

Disc 2

1. No More Entails

2. Excess

3. Sound For Sore Eyes

4. Track

5. Perspective

6. Frame

7. Ideals

8. Vice

9. Lacking

10. Common Maintenance

11. Frame

12. Simplicity Of This

13. Processional

Disc 3

1. Simplicity of This (W.M.U.C., 4/28/94) [Live]

2. Network (W.M.U.C., 4/28/94) [Live]

3. Indeterminate (W.M.U.C., 4/28/94) [Live]

4. Aspire to Be (W.M.U.C., 4/28/94) [Live]

5. Frame (W.M.U.C., 4/28/94) [Live]

6. At the Ground (W.M.U.C., 4/28/94) [Live]

7. Untitled (Home Recording 1994)

8. Pull It Down (Home Recording 1995)

9. Routine / Pattern (The Rat, Towson, Maryland 1/28/94) [Live]

10. Patriot (The Rat, Towson, Maryland 1/28/94) [Live]

11. At the Ground (Baldwin Hall, Millersville, Maryland 5/5/95) [Live]

12. Swallowtale (Baldwin Hall, Millersville, Maryland 5/5/95) [Live]

13. Handed (Baldwin Hall, Millersville, Maryland 5/5/95) [Live]

14. Processional (Baldwin Hall, Millersville, Maryland 5/5/95) [Live]

15. Aspire to Be (Baldwin Hall, Millersville, Maryland 5/5/95) [Live]

16. Pull It Down (Baldwin Hall, Millersville, Maryland 5/5/95) [Live]

17. Your Word (Baldwin Hall, Millersville, Maryland 5/5/95) [Live]

18. Enfolded by Plains (Baldwin Hall, Millersville, Maryland 5/5/95) [Live]

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Far Apart

Far Apart were a four-piece emo/indie band from Luleå, Sweden that began in 1995 and broke up in 1999. They released one EP, a split and a demo (which I unfortunately am missing). Sonically, they will appeal to fans of bands like Texas Is The Reason and The Promise Ring, with a bright guitars, an energetic rhythm section, and infectiously melodic vocals. There's not much else to say really, like their discography I'll keep this short and sweet. Enjoy.

Hazel (1997)

1. Hazel

2. Dartmouth

3. Overdriver

The John Doe Band/Far Apart (1998)

1. The John Doe Band - A-Song

2. The John Doe Band - At The Kerb

3. Far Apart - Competitive Excuse

Weak Ties

Weak Ties are a four-piece hardcore band from Bielefeld, Germany that began in 2016. Following a few releases of solid powerviolence, they put out their 2nd LP earlier this year, Find A Way, This is what really caught my attention, as its a very unique-sounding record. The fast-paced powerviolence influence is still present, but with a heavy dose of old school hardcore punk, like something straight out of the early 80's. It's the gap between Infest and The Adolescents, essentially. The production and guitar tone is absolutely incredible on this. It's crisp, raw, organic, and really just needs to be heard to be appreciated. The band brings a new, unique kind of energy to their sound, and makes for one hell of a fun listen. Highly recommended stuff, and Find A Way is definitely one of the coolest hardcore albums you're going to hear this year. Enjoy.

Weak Ties EP (2016)

1. Rain Fade

2. Concerned Citizen

3. Constrained

4. I Won't

5. Your Fuss

6. Running On Knives

7. Hands Down Favorite

8. Catatonic

9. Nothing Will Ever Be Enough

10. Out Of Patience

11. Mutism

Weak Ties LP (2017)

1. Hārda Ut

2. Deadlock

3. The Sough

4. Illusion of Control

5. Breaking The Burdens

6. Prologue

7. Sorry, Not Today

8. Misguided

9. Diffusion Of The Antithesis

10. Left Alone

11. Nightmarish Era

12. Sinking

The Gentle Art Of Chokin'/Weak Ties (2018)

1. The Gentle Art Of Chokin' - IV

2. The Gentle Art Of Chokin' - V

3. The Gentle Art Of Chokin' - III

4. The Gentle Art Of Chokin' - I

5. Weak Ties - Nothing More

6. Weak Ties - Deaf

Weak Ties/Noll Koll (2019)

1. Weak Ties - Exploding Head Syndrome

2. Weak Ties - Dead End

3. Weak Ties - Black Waves

4. Noll Koll - Ni som brann

5. Noll Koll - Getränken

6. Noll Koll - Pengar

7. Noll Koll - Påväg ingenstans

8. Noll Koll - Värt det

9. Noll Koll - Skitliv

Find A Way (2021)

1. Find A Way

2. Veil

3. Rage Is Not A Quiet Thing

4. E.

5. Blurred

6. Sorry Not Today Pt. II

7. I

8. With Every Step

9. The Company I Need

10. Loomed

11. Thinking To Stay Awake

12. Contrived

13. Toothless

14. II

15. Moving To Stay Awake

16. Never Catch A Break

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Svalbard

Svalbard are a four-piece post-hardcore/post-metal band from Bristol, England that began in 2011. Right from the get-go, I'll admit that I have slept on this band for far, far too long. They are a name I've seen pop up for ages, and for no good reason always put off checking them out. That has most definitely changed recently, and it's been a disservice to myself that I did not listen to this band sooner, as they check all the boxes of what I'm looking for in a sound-bending hardcore/metal band. I actually started with When I Die, Will I Get Better? as I recall seeing a ton of praise for that record last year, and absolutely fell in love with it. From there I went back to their first few EP's, and while they are vastly different from where the band would end up, are still incredibly solid efforts with a sound that is absolutely up my alley. Now in hindsight the many years of recommendations for this band make sense, as they encompass all things I love about extreme music. The honest, brutal aggression, the catharsis, the technical capabilities, the chemistry of a band to meld a vast array of sounds into a singular, tight unit, Svalbard does it all and does it well. From their hardcore/post-rock origins to their current (I guess you could call it "post-metal") sound, this band has not missed a beat in developing new, creative ways to play amongst each other while producing anthems and epics for us to experience.

I've said it before, but I hate making direct comparisons of one band to another (though I do it a lot), so don't take it necessarily as x sounds like y, rather; fans of y may also like x, if you know what I mean. Having said that, fans of Deafheaven, Oathbreaker, and Converge need to pay attention here, as this could easily be one of the most talented and definite hardcore acts to emerge out of recent years. I apologize profusely for putting this off for so long, and enjoy.

Svalbard (2012)

1. So Much For Meritocracy

2. The Damage Done

3. Anything Goes, Nothing Stays

Gone Tomorrow (2013)

1. Melting Hands

2. Never Look Back

3. Pick Up The Pieces

4. Leave It

Flightless Birds (2013)

1. Flightless Birds

2. For What It's Worth

Cover Buzz (2013)

1. Let It Die - War In The Head (7 Seconds cover)

2. Pariso - Straight Hypocrisy Images (Witch Cult/Weekend Nachos cover)

3. Svalbard - This Is The End (Victims cover)

4. Mine - Everybody Hates Me (Tear It Up cover)

Pariso/Svalbard (2014)

1. Pariso + Svalbard - Floating Anchors

2. Pariso - Howl of The Forest

3. Pariso - Underground Notes

4. Pariso - Helios, The Demise

5. Pariso - Delirium

6. Svalbard - Ripped Apart

7. Svalbard - Grayscale

8. Svalbard - Allure

9. Svalbard + Pariso - Faceless

One Day All This Will End (2015)

1. Perspective

2. Disparity

3. The Vanishing Point

4. Expect Equal Respect

5. Unrequited

6. The Damage Done

7. Unnatural Light

8. Lily

Discography 2012-2014 (2016)

1. Ripped Apart

2. Grayscale

3. Allure

4. Floating Anchors

5. Faceless

6. This Is The End

7. Flightless Birds

8. For What It's Worth

9. Melting Hands

10. Never Look Back

11. Pick Up The Pieces

12. Leave It

13. So Much For Meritocracy

14. The Damage Done

15. Anything Goes Nothing Stays

The Tidal Sleep/Svalbard (2017)

1. The Tidal Sleep - Are You OK?

2. Svalbard - Open The Cages

It's Hard To Have Hope (2018)

1. Unpaid Intern

2. Revenge Porn

3. Feminazi

4. Pro-Life

5. For The Sake Of The Breed

6. How Do We Stop It

7. Try Not To Die Until You're Dead

8. Iorek

When I Die, Will I Get Better? (2020)

1. Open Wound

2. Click Bait

3. Throw Your Heart Away

4. Listen To Someone

5. Silent Restraint

6. What Was She Wearing?

7. The Currency Of Beauty

8. Pearlescent

The Weight Of The Mask (2023)

1. Faking It

2. Eternal Spirits

3. Defiance

4. November

5. Lights Out

6. How To Swim Down

7. Be My Tomb

8. Pillar In The Sand

9. To Wilt Beneath The Weight

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Ivich

Ivich were a four-piece emo/hardcore band from Saint-Maurice, Val-de-Marne, France that were around from approximately 1992 to 1997. Their earlier material brought the fast-paced visceral energy of hardcore to its brink, with cathartic vocals and chaotic instrumentals. As they grew, their sound got darker, balancing quiet melodies with climatic, emotional outpourings more akin to the greatest screamo bands of their era. This is definitely evidenced on what could be their best release, La Vie Devant Soi, which came out on the legendary early screamo label Ebullition. Enjoy.

Sculpteur De Cris (1992)

1. Lumière

2. Marie et moi

3. Solitude

4. Sales pensées

5. Masque

6. Les oeillets

7. J'veux pas

8. Dégoulinade

9. Danse macabre

10. Volcan

11. Revolver

12. J'aurai tant aimé

13. A quoi bon

Chacun Sa Vérité (1993)

1. Ivich

2. Damien

3. Icar

4. Un Ailleurs

La Mort Heureuse (1994)

1. Les Belles Images

2. L'autre

3. Malheur

4. Los Olvidados

5. Bonheurs Totalitaires

6. Il Etait Une Fois

7. Cicatrices

8. Une Soif De Mal

9. Du Sang Sur Les Mains

Ivich/Jasemine (1995)

1. Ivich - H.I.V.

2. Jasemine - Restriction

3. Jasemine - Choix

La Vie Devant Soi (1996)

1. Les Monstres

2. Ici Et Maintenant

3. Du Rire Aux Larmes

4. Les Voix Du Silence

5. C'est L'epoque Qui Veut Ca

6. Pourquoi Faut Il Que Les Homme

Ivich/E-150 (1997)

1. Ivich - Si J'etias Libre

2. Ivich - Volcan

3. E-150 - Todo Perdido

4. E-150 - Pro-Eleccion

5. E-150 - Locura De Guerra (Maximo Volumen)

6. E-150 - Vendran Lluvias Suaves

By Surprise

By Surprise are a four-piece emo/indie band from Haddon Heights, New Jersey that began in 2006. They are one of many bands I always figured I had posted early on, but have since discovered to be missing completely. They were one of the best of the early "revival" bands, which culminated in a fantastic LP put out in 2011 on Topshelf. Though their first album and their early work got tons of love, I'll admit I kind of lost track of them after that. Turns out they put out another album two years ago, along with a handful of other releases which I'm looking forward to finally checking out. But to start, I cannot recommend Mountain Smashers enough, that is quintessential listening for fans of emo of that era. Also, if anyone happens to have more of their earliest material please send it to me. I know I'm missing some stuff but cannot track any of it down, would be great to share it as well. Thank you, and enjoy!

478 (2007)

1. Ode To Pollard

2. I Liked You Better

3. Terra Cotta Army

4. Circuit Breaker (Blow Minds)

By Surprise/Hightide Hotel (2009)

1. Hightide Hotel - Shuttle

2. Hightide Hotel - Elementary Biology

3. Hightide Hotel - Apartment Buildings

4. By Surprise - Invisible Ink

5. By Surprise - CB Radio

6. By Surprise - I Miss You etc.

Mountain Smashers (2011)

1. Books By Thoreau

2. Realometer

3. Mostly Harmless

4. Last Chance To See

5. Photoshoot

6. Fountain Splashers

7. $600 Exorcism

8. So Long And Thanks For All The Shark Jaws

9. Daggermouth Is Playing At My House

10. Hanging Out With Wendy In Sulkiland

11. Direct Loans

Criteria (2012)

1. Criteria

2. Wear That Crown

3. Way To Be Tall

Merry Retrospectivus (2014)

1. Battle of Snowmeng Mountain Pt. 2

2. Always Ruining Everything

3. Who's To Say This Year Will Be Any Different?

4. Shovel

5. Worst Christmas Ever

6. Snow Angel

7. No Mistletoe

Broadcaster/By Surprise (2015)

1. Broadcaster - Bottle Rockets

2. Broadcaster - Hornet's Nest

3. By Surprise - Photosludge

4. By Surprise -Point Set Match

 5. By Surprise - Postmodern Laziness 

6. By Surprise - Photonova

Aspiga/By Surprise (2016)

1. Aspiga - Fading Into Summer

2. Aspiga - Eucalyptus Nights

3. By Surprise - Teton Range

4. By Surprise - Amateur Status

Cosmic Latte (2019)

1. Ribald

2. Be Composed

3. Honeydew List

4. Pretend

5. Low Hanging Wire

6. Basement

7. Be Minor

8. Summer Is Now

9. Marry Me

10. Anarchyville

11. I Can See The Sun

12. Be Alright

13. Your Time Will Come

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