Reuben

I was initially a bit dubious about this lot. They originally hailed from near where I grew up, and it simply didn't seem possible that anything good could come from Aldershot.

So I was a bit of a late starter, which is my loss really. Whilst their contemporaries (Hundred Reasons et al) got whisked up by major labels and put out big records to critical acclaim, Reuben carried on slogging away at the toilet circuit, putting out singles on indie labels, and writing bloody good songs.

By the time they'd brought out their third (and for now final) full length, I was discovering that I'd missed out on a good few years of fantastic music. No needless complication, no showboating musicianship, no trendy haircuts... just great songs, written and played with real passion, by three guys that love music.

Website: http://www.wordsfromreuben.com/splash/uni/

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/wordsfromreuben

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuben_(band)

Helms Alee

The "noise" tag seems a slightly unfair one to apply to this lot. Whilst the guttural hollering and big scuzzy riffs of frontman Ben Verellen's former outfit Harkonen are clearly in evidence, it really only tells half the story.

Because amidst the chaos there's something else altogether. Shimmering guitars, equal parts delicate and sinister, add an unexpected dimension to proceedings; as too do the occasional female vocals and meandering, almost psychedelic song structures. But instead of taking it in turns, as is so often the norm, all these different elements intertwine and meld together, and awesome noise happen.

Maybe that's the tag they deserve. Awesome noise.

Website: nope.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/helmsaleemusic

Wikipedia: nope.

Curl Up And Die

These guys are/were from Las Vegas, and the fear and loathing kind of shows through.

The first thing that strikes you about their music (and by strike, I do mean like with a blunt heavy object) is the sheer unrelenting savagery of it. And in the early days, this was arguably the only real move they had; they were just another math/metalcore band, with a sound somewhere between Botch and Converge.

Wind forward a few years, and at first it seems like little has changed; the face-peeling brutality is still very much in evidence.

But there's an added dimension to the music. Slow bits, the occasional melody. And reading the lyrics (because there's no way you can understand the vocals) reveals the misanthropy, despair, depression and isolation at the heart of everything they do. And you realise that its been there all along, hidden behind a façade of guttural screams, chainsaw riffs, and funny song titles that make you think it's all just a bit of fun.

Or maybe it is all a bit of fun, and they really are just a hardcore band from Nevada. Here's a rough-as-fuck video of one of their last performances.

Come on. We're waving the white flag.

Come on. We're calling in sick.

I don't want to be a part of anything.

That ever feels like this.

Website: http://www.revelationrecords.com/bands/show/87

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/curlupanddie

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curl_Up_and_Die