Australia has long been home to highly influential acts over the years, from INXS, to the rock heroes Silverchair, to the mighty Parkway Drive – these bands obviously need little introduction. But what about some of the faster-rising acts on the continent right now? We’re here to discuss 6 of the more promising ones – and why you should be listening to them right now. We strongly feel all of these bands are worth listening to no matter what kind of music fan you are, but specifically, this will focus on the more metallic bands making waves right now.
Diamond Construct
Diamond Construct’s most recent track, “Paradox”, treads much the same ground as fellow alt-metalcore brethren Void Of Vision and Ocean Grove, but with a sense of melody and progressive song structures that keep listeners off-guard. However, it’s also a spacey, bouncy song with plenty of moshworthy parts, and a strong opening 15 seconds that really draws the listener in – showing exactly what Diamond Construct will hopefully continue to show off in the future.
Polaris
Already achieving impressive accolades with their debut full-length The Mortal Coil, Polaris are doing massive things early on into their career. With a likely run to the USA happening soon, it won’t be long before Polaris’ brand of riff-heavy, bouncy melodic metalcore really makes waves worldwide. Tracks like “The Remedy”, with their explosive sing-a-long choruses, are simply made for the big stage. This is a confident new act who, while accessible to the average ear, maintain interesting songwriting and catchy choruses in equal measure.
Void Of Vision
Void Of Vision are one of the more hyped bands playing the nu-metalcore style today. 2017’s brief but effective Disturbia EP impressively showed the band evolving from their debut full-length quite a bit, with more involved and mature songwriting at play here. Listen to “Ghost In The Machine” for proof. The soaring chorus and vocal interplay is something that might feel tacked on from other bands – but certainly not here.
Thornhill
Thornhill are teeming with potential when they drop a full-length album, that much is for certain. Their newest EP Butterfly is full of intriguing, interesting moments, but it’s on the song “Sunflower” where the band delivers on their near-limitless potential. This band knows exactly went to go for the throat and throttle your senses, but also knows when to deliver a well-placed breakdown that almost comes out of nowhere. While the band labels themselves as alternative metalcore, their next salvo of material could go a lot of different ways – a denser brand of metalcore, or a more melodic alt-rock route.
Gravemind
On 2017’s sophomore EP The Deathgate, Gravemind proved that their first EP was not a mirage. The band’s extreme metal sound is honed to a razor-sharp shine, with plenty of riffs and blast beats to keep listeners on their feet. If you consider them a deathcore bands, Gravemind are certainly at the top of the heap of an often watered-down genre, but much like well-respected veterans Thy Art Is Murder and Aversions Crown, they have the potential to become something much more.
Drown This City
Following up their 2016 EP False Idols, recently premiered new track “Third Law” is easily the most impressive thing Drown This City has released to date. Bearing an uncanny resemblance to In This Moment circa A Star-Crossed Wasteland, vocalist Alex Reade’s diverse vocals provide a brilliant front to the band’s metallic post-hardcore sound. This is a scorching band that, if they keep producing sharp-edged yet melodic material like “Third Law”, there will be tremendous hype for them in the next couple years. Considering the video for “Third Law” is already seeing tremendous media accolades, perhaps Drown This City’s time is right now.
