Caleb Shomo first turned the pain of his struggle with mental health and self-image into music in 2013. Beartooth (Hardcore Punk) began as a living document, a diary, a journal of repressed rage and depression. Alone in his basement studio, screaming and singing, playing all the instruments, and self-producing a batch of furious but melodic songs filled with reflection and confession, the Ohio native stared into the abyss, initially with no intention of returning to the heavy music world that burned him as a teen.

A decade later, the different pieces of his body of work connect in title, sound, and spirit. As the frontman hits 30, Beartooth’s fifth album, The Surface, completes this era in 2023. Even more importantly, it kicks off a new chapter filled with surprising optimism and just as honest. Depression is a sick, disgusting, aggressive disease below the surface. Caleb stands ready to bask in the light.

Like Nine Inch Nails, Beartooth remains a one-person band in the studio. On the heels of the introductory Sick EP (2013), Disgusting (2014) produced BEARTOOTH’s first Gold single, “In Between.” Aggressive (2016) and Disease (2018) expanded on the desperation and pain, each a step closer to a balance between the blood and tears of classic recordings and the shimmer of modernity.

Rolling Stone heralded Beartooth as one of 10 Artists You Need to Know. The rabid response to Caleb’s music demonstrated how many people related to his struggle for self-acceptance. Below (2021) topped the Rock and Alternative charts and several Best Rock/Metal Albums of the Year lists. As of 2023, the Beartooth catalog boasts more than 1 billion streams across all platforms.

Beartooth began as both bomb and balm, an outright refusal to suffer in silence, weaponizing radio-ready bombast, delivering raw emotion mixed with noise-rock chaos. Other bands play the “devastating riffs and catchy hooks” game, but this music is the difference between life and death, and now, a sort of life after death while still here. The band Forbes sees “inching towards a tipping point of becoming the latest arena headliner” is now one step closer.

Also featuring: Currents (Metal)

No stranger to turning a critical eye toward both the external commotion and internal battles that rage deep within the confines of one’s own mind, Connecticut post-metalcore innovators Currents don’t pretend that life is a bed of well-manicured roses. Rather, it has been by way of exploring the forbidden realms of a tortured psyche and ferociously searching for meaning amidst uncertain chaos that the band has won the hearts of metal fans across the globe; a feat evidenced by 80+ million catalog streams and packed tours supporting the likes of Ice Nine Kills, Thy Art is Murder, August Burns Red, As I Lay Dying, We Came As Romans, Fit For A King, and more.

Biding their time for the right moment to strike, Currents – much like the apocalyptic collapse foretold in their latest single – plow ahead like an unstoppable force, expressing their vision through anguished eyes, pounding riffs, and the powerful desire to lay the groundwork for the plotlines of a larger story still to come.

Also featuring: Boundaries (Metal)

5 piece hard band from Connecticut.

Also featuring: Nevertel (Rock)

With their latest releases, Nevertel has truly found their stride sonically. Pulling influences from bands like Linkin Park, Bring Me The Horizon, and Issues; the group draws in listeners with their riveting melodic choruses, hip-hop infused verses and bombastic EDM-style breakdowns. Forming in 2014, Nevertel emerged into the Tampa music scene, originally known as Living Fiction. The quartet, who solidified their lineup in 2017, consists of Jeremy Michael (vocalist), Raul Lopez (rapper/guitarist/producer), Alec Davis (guitarist), and Joshua Barter (drummer).

With two albums, two EPs, and a slew of singles out in the world, Nevertel has racked up over 65 million streams to date while fostering an online community of over 500K social media followers. A testament of their dedication to their craft and commitment to their fans, the band has performed at festivals like Welcome To Rockville, seen radio support from SiriusXM and earned DSP recognition with a placement on Spotify’s All New Metal playlist.