The bay area (and beyond) music scene is killin it again in 2017. The benefit of following smaller bay area artists is that you can likely see them cheap or even for free. You just have to be willing to go out to a rando mcdive on a Tuesday at 10pm. You haven't seen a show unless you've seen one in a basement or at a bowling alley.

Aethere - Adrift

Aethere are a tech/proggy death metal band. They've got some serious chops, but their take on tech death isn't particularly revolutionary. I was lucky enough to catch the back half of their set for day 2 of the Bay Area Death Fest. They can certainly put on a good show, and they might just be an album or two away from greatness. 

Cormorant - Diaspora

Petaluma's Cormorant is a progressive black metal band, and Diaspora is their most epic album yet. There's only four tracks here, and the album closer clocks in at 26 minutes!

I caught them opening up for Ne Obliviscaris and Allegaeon. For some reason, the venue had them start playing at the same time they opened the doors. I listened to half of their set outside as they were letting us in. They deserve better than that.  

Exhumed - Death Revenge

Infamous San Jose death metal legends return with their first concept album. Not exactly a small or unknown band, but they are still fairly underground. Exhumed are straight up Carcass inspired death gore grind. They are infamous for their live shows which involve a dude with a chainsaw (Dr. Philthy), spraying blood and guts into the crowd, and Bud Burke who can vomit on command.

Death Revenge is a concept album about the Burke and Hare murders of 1828. The corpses were sold to a doctor for dissection and anatomy lectures. The album starts out with a 2.5 minute orchestral overture that I can do without, but the actual death metal on here is solid.

Extremity - Extremely Fucking Dead

Oakland's Extremity is made up of active or ex members of several other bay area bands (pretty common in these parts). In fact i'm pretty sure I've seen drummer Aesop Dekker perform in three bands within the span of a year...dude works.

If it wasn't obvious from the get go, this is a straight forward death metal album. It's chunky, has some grooves, and packs a punch in just 26 minutes. Short but sweet, jam this one and turn it up! 

Howls of Ebb / Khthoniik Cerviiks - With Gangrene Edges /  Voiidwarp

Sadly, San Francisco's Howls of Ebb has split up (RIP). I just bought both of their albums as well as their EP, and now they're gone.

What a swansong though! Howls of Ebb only take up 3 out of the 8 tracks, with the back half taken up by a band I've never heard of (but they're awesome and fill out the back half of the EP perfectly). While I'm sad that Howls of Ebb disappeared too soon, they went out with a bang.

King Woman - Created in the Image of Suffering

Created in the Image of Suffering is the debut album of doom dream pop SF band King Woman. A follow up to the 2015 EP, Doubt.

Kristina Esfandiari is the lead vocalist of the band, and her sadface vocal delivery is the star of the show here, making for a very moody emo listen. Brooding, slow, and depressing, listen to this on a rainy/foggy/dreary day.

The Living - S/T

San Francisco's The Living was a tough band to find initially. Every time I typed in The Living into Spotify I would get a bunch of different bands. Having a self titled album makes it even harder to find. 

Once I finally found their album, I found that they are a space/psych rock band. They incorporate some jam and prog elements as well. It's a tad rough around the edges, and a little loose, but that's a part of the appeal. The music breathes and has a fluidity to it. This band has great potential and I'm excited to see where they go next..

The Mark Arroyo Trio - Two Sides to a Promise

Full disclosure, Mark Arroyo is my homeboy, and we've grown up playing music together for several years in several bands. I've heard him play many a note, many a lick, for years on end. I've listened to some recordings with yours truly on the drums, most recently with The Last Dose. I listen to that album every so often, and I feel guilty because it feels so vain to listen to myself play.

But now, I get a crack at listening to a Mark Arroyo joint without any direct involvement. Two Sides to a Promise is absolutely fantastic. It's the perfect fusion of jazz, funk and rock. The music has a very loose and live feel to it. While a lot of it may be improvised, there are themes and melodies that tie everything together. Personally, this is something I would put on while relaxing with a drink in hand. The trio play a ton of shows around the bay. Catch them if you can, you'll be in for a treat.  

Name - ...You Are Mostly Nowhere

The winners of the most non-SEO band name Name, are a favorite choice as a local opener for The Dillinger Escape Plan (RIP). This is how I discovered them, opening up DEP, The Faceless and Royal Thunder at the DNA Loung. I bumped into the drummer after their set making a pee where I complemented him, he said thanks, and then I said "NO! Thank You." Awkward silence for a few seconds as I slowly backed out of the bathroom.

They sounded a lot different back then, a lot rougher around the edges. You are Mostly Nowhere is their first release in 7 years, and their sound has really matured. They currently sound like Whores + DEP + Mastodon. It's more coherent and works a lot better as a complete album.

Necrot - Blood Offerings

Oakland's Necrot is an old school death metal trio. Blood Offerings is their first proper album (the Labyrinth was a collection of their demos). The album rips from start to finish, with some old school, punk tinged, death metal. 

I had the pleasure of seeing them open up for Pig Destroyer. With just 3 dudes on stage, it didn't seem like anything was missing, and they sounded just as full as many 4-5 piece bands.

Once and Future Band - S/T

Another band out of Oakland doing it old school, but this time it's more along the lines of psychedelic prog rock. Their self titled debut is a page right out of the book of Genesis (pun intended), Yes, and The Beatles (post drugs).

This kind of old man prog rock has really gone out of fashion these days. There are only a few still doing it and doing it well, with Once and Future Band being among the few.

Oxbow - Thin Black Duke

San Francisco's Oxbow has been around since 1989, but this is the first I've heard of them. I can't really speak for the rest of their discography, but Thin Black Duke has Mike Patton flavored avant garde feel to it.

The vocals are really...something else. The high pitched vocal style of Eugene Robinson is probably the most difficult thing to get used to (that's really saying something considering my taste). What sold me was the orchestra on the opening track, which has such a "A Day in the Life" vibe to it. If you like weirdo music, this one's for you.

Squalus - The Great Fish

Folks, if you've been searching for a Jaws themed sludge/doom/stoner/etc band, LOOK NO MORE. I've also come to find out that San Francisco's Squalus is 4/5 of the band, Giant Squid. I think they like fish things and stuff.

BBL, gonna get a bigger boat.

Honorable Mentions:

• Accidentally Murdered - Bloodville
• Mountaineer - Sirens & Slumber
• Sentient Ignition - Enthroned in Gray
• Ragana - YOU TAKE NOTHING
• Funeral Chant - s/t
• Cartilage - Dialect of the Dead
• Sleepy Sun - Private Tales
• Disastroid - Screen
• The Loyalists - Ride the Trashheap of Sound
• Outlier - Through a Set of Rose Shaded Eyes
• Danya Stephens - Gratitude
• Vice Reine - EP-1
• Artificial Language - The Observer
• The Worship of Silence - Amplified by the Sun
• Repaid in Blood - Terra Mourning