Hatecraft are a Melodic Death Metal from Russia. They're fairly unknown, but they're really good. They've only realeased the one album so far, and it's pretty agressive sounding.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=N265VE12
VNV Nation is a trance group from London and although they have been around since 1995, I only heard about them after hearing the song Testament on the local radio station Groove 101.7. Enjoying the song, I made the decision to check their myspace and see what else they've made. I liked what I heard, so I obtained this, their most recent album. The album is quite a soft piece, but it has powerful lyrics, dealing mainly with the problems of ignorance in today's society. Over 50 minutes of awesome is on this album.
Even if you don't think you have, you'll have heard/seen Tom Waits in some way, shape or form. He is the embodiment of a prolific artist, pursuing virtually every art form. This output comes in the form of a dirty, dirty blues record. Creeping, rhythmic marimbas help tunes like Clap Hands shuffle along with stuttering, accented stabs of guitar from Mark Ribot. Keith Richards is even on one of the tracks. (Yes, that Keith Richards). This is a big album with plenty to get into, mostly thanks to its organic style of recording which, during the 80s, was pretty uncommon. Grab a copy and listen:
Symphony X are a Progressive/Power Metal band. They're really well known, and all for good reason.
The Divine Wings of Tragedy was the first Symphony X album I listened to, and was one of the first albums I ever liked. It has a good mix of songs, with a epic 20 minute song near the end of the album.
The Divine Wings of Tragedy:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7J4CT3R8
Sam Sparro caught my attention the other day listening to Australian radio station Triple J. Born in Sydney, Australia before moving to LA at the age of 10, his vocal work is the result of gospel influences from his childhood. This is his debut album, a mix of electro pop with an 80's influence. Both the vocal work and the lyrics shine on this album, a plus for those techno fans who get tired of hearing the same words over and over in every song. It's a refreshing change for me, not being a fan of any kind of pop music at the best of times, so it's worth checking out to appreciate the diversity of techno these days.
