(Johnson City, TN’s Ocoai)

True to my promise, I’m sticking to only the best of the best for these Unsigned and Unholy columns; no more competent-but-unspectacular mediocrity! Labels, if you’re reading this, these are the bands to look at BECAUSE I HAVE AMAZING TASTE IN METAL, naturally! Colussus, Ocoai and Angel Vivaldi are three unsigned acts that recently hit the MS inbox and knocked my socks off. Let’s check ‘em out.

• Colossus: If you’d've asked me to come up with a metal sub-genre mash that hadn’t yet been explored I would never have come up with “progressive sludge,” but that’s kinda what Sweden’s Colossus do. Come to think of it, Colossus remind me a little bit of Burst, which is a great thing. New album Spiritual Myiasis is streaming in full on the band’s press page; stream EP-opener “Parasite” below:

Parasite by Colossusstockholm

• Ocoai: The Showdown guitarist Josh Childers tells us that his buds in Unsigned and Unholyalumni Ocoai have a new album called The Electric Hand out May 17th, which you can now stream in full right here. Ocoai are like a heavier and trippier version of Neurosis; I can see these guys’ shows being epicly loud and intense. They remind me of NYC’s Hull a ‘lil bit.
• Angel Vivaldi: Solo-instrumentalist Angel Vivaldi describes his music as “Jeff Loomis meets Animals as Leaders at a gang-bang held at Trivium’s practice spot,” which pretty darn near nails it. I’d elaborate by saying the chops and melody of the first two with the songwriting finesse of the latter. Really good stuff! Stream “A Martian Winter” below:

A MARTIAN WINTER- NEW! by Angel Vivaldi

-VN