Single Minded: Impending Doom - "Deceiver"

It was a few years ago that I first experienced the music of Impending Doom. I would not say it was great, but it was good. It is heavy, punishing, screaming style metal. It is interesting to note that they are Christian deathcore. Yes, you read that right. There are just some combinations I never thought I would come across.

Single Minded: As I Lay Dying "Cauterize"

As I Lay Dying is one of those bands I never thought I would like. Many years ago I wrote them off as just another screamo act. Things began to change when I saw them on one of the Sounds of the Underground tours. I had missed the first few opening acts and found these guys just about to take the stage. All I can say is wow! They were pretty impressive and I have been a fan ever since.

Single Minded: Children of Bodom - "Shovel Knockout"

Children of Bodom is one of those bands I have always meant to pay more attention to. They have been around long enough and had enough success that the idea of listening to them should be a no brainer. For one reason or another I just haven't. They are now prepping a 15th anniversary CD/DVD release, perhaps it is time I pay more attention.

Single Minded: Job for a Cowboy - "Imperium Wolves"

Job for a Cowboy is a band I did not really care for much when I first heard them. It also didn't help when they headlined the Radio Rebellion tour some years back over the likes of Behemoth and Gojira (both of which I consider to be much better). Anyway, they have slowly won me over, if only a little. Their style has been evolving and their latest album, Demonocracy, is easily their best effort to date.

Single Minded: Miss May I - "Hey Mister"

Miss May I is a name I keep seeing pop up lately. Maybe it is just because I am noticing their press releases, I don't know. Anyway, "Hey Mister" is the first track I have listened to by them and I cannot say it encourages me to really look into them. It just feels redundant and common. They don't have that spark that indicates something special. It just doesn't do much for me.

Single Minded: Despite Exile - "Perfection Neutralized"

I cannot say I have ever heard of Despite Exile. What I can say is that only having heard one song, I want to hear more. The band hails from Italy and released their debut album in 2011. This track comes from their forthcoming 3-track EP. If the rest is along these lines, they are definitely a band I want to get to know a litle better.

Single Minded: Trioscapes - "Blast Off" (Live)

Between the Buried and Me is a band that I have not really listened to all that much. I know I should, and I want to, it just hasn't happened yet. What does that have to do with Trioscapes? Well, it is the brain child of BTBAM's bass player, Dan Briggs. He got together with Walter Fancourt (saxophone) and Matt Lynch (drums) for what was supposed to be something of a one off project, but has seemingly turned into something more. Now, I have stumbled across them, more specifically I saw this live studio performance of the song "Blast Off" from the forthcoming album Separate Realities.

Single Minded: Cattle Decapitation - "Kingdom of Tyrants"

When you hear the words Cattle Decapitation in relation to music, you had best associate them with an indescribable slab of metallic brutality. Right? How else can you really think when faced with a band name like that? You surely aren't getting any lame radio-pop. In any case, the extreme death metal act is readying the release of their new album, Monolith of Inhumanity, and have unleashed the video for the track "Kingdom of Tyrants." If you like your metal to the extreme side, you will want to check this out.

Single Minded: Bury Tomorrow - "Royal Blood"

Before listening to "Royal Blood," I had never heard of Bury Tomorrow. This is actually the second single off the forthcoming second album from this UK metalcore act. I have to admit, as much as I love the metalcore style, it is getting a bit long in the tooth as innovation has long since given way to generic copycatting. This single really isn't all that bad, but but that is merely because it starts off so well that I like it at all.