Unsigned and Unholy: Foetal Juice, Radiant Knife, Maniacal Violator

Do you really need to ask what Foetal Juice sound like? You already know. Just press play. Their music is gnarly and tight, and with song titles like “Dutch Oven,” “Gin’ll Fix It” and “Nun So Vile,” they’re fun, too.

Another band whose name perfectly foreshadows their sound, Maniacal Violator like it fast, thrashy, blackened and with a whisp of post-hardcore. Like a grindier version of Mutilation Rites.

Radiant Knife are what everyone thought Mastodon and Intronaut would evolve into circa 2007. The direction those bands ended up going in is fabulous, but for those who find themselves wishing for a wayback warp (with a time machine glitch that strips out most vocals), Radiant Knife hit the spot with their proggy sludge dirges.