Chord Progression Podcast: The Gateway to New Rock and Metal Music

The sophomore album is always seen as a make or break album for any artist. Following their debut, will the artist expand their sound? Venture into new territory? Experiment further? Depending on the outcome and fan reception, it can make or break the artist. In 2024, one band's sophomore album does all of that, while also staying grounded in their core sound. But does it make or break album #2? T...

Imagine finding a band with the high energy style of Beartooth, but then finding out that their music is even heavier. Pretty cool right? But what if we also told you that the heavier, high energy style and sound was also mixed and experimented with to convey deeper and grander emotions normally reserved for more melodic sounds. You would want to check it out right? Well, we found it for you. Simo...

How does a band who hit it big because of the Eurovision contest, and became a major player in the European live scene with their Violent Pop sound, evolve into a worldwide phenomenon? The answer: With an album that was built with the live show in mind, and to create a live experience that will have fans catching a severe case of FOMO of they miss out. The guys Joel and Miko from Blind Channel ret...

Lyricism in music is essentially poetry in action. Audiences are able to feel the creative construct of the lyrics, and feel the emotion of that poetry through the instrumentation. When artists take the literary concepts of poetry and employ them in their music, we get songs that can be deep, catchy, and take us on the strongest emotional journeys possible. Chaney from the Dallas based alt rock ba...

Seeing live music is an experience, and that experience is amplified if the artists on stage are enjoying it as much as you are. They are the hosts of the party, and we in the crowd feed off of that energy. When artists understand all of this, they generate positivity that makes fans want to come back for more, and get more and more into it. It is a fantastic, never ending cycle. The guys from Tra...

Brand new music, and the opportunity to finally play live in front of an entire continent that will experience you for the first time. That is a big task to take on but the question is this, how can you be successful in winning over fans? Many bands face this, and the ones that succeed are the ones that have long lasting careers. This band today, has that opportunity, and is ready to show you how...

We all have an intense emotional connection to the music we love, and we know that the artists who make it have that connection intensified when writing from personal experience. But how do they hit on the emotion so heavily and perfectly. They do it by reliving, recreating, and regenerating those repressed emotions, bringing them to the forefront, and writing from such an intense place. It isn't...

If you watched WWE Wrestling between 2002 and 2006, you have fond memories of The Union Underground opening every single show with their song Across The Nation. It brings back fond memories for many, but what ever happened to that band? Well now we have that answer, and that answer is... they are now back in 2024 ready to pick up and run with new shows, and a whole lot more. Bryan from The Union U...

If you want your local scene to grow, thrive, and succeed for many years to come, you are going to need a few things. You're going to need good music, a fan base to rally around, an environment where the scene is one big happy family, and the ability to inspire the next generation of musicians. We have found that in the Canadian Hardcore Scene, and we have also found great bands that are pushing t...

Spiritbox broke out in 2021. Bad Omens broke out in 2022. Sleep Token broke out in 2023. So who is going to be the breakout band of 2024? It is going to have to be a band that embodies a genre blending sound, creating original moods and evoking powerful emotions, and make you wonder if their music is even real. Guess what? WE ALREADY FOUND THEM! Kolby and Dalton from LEVELS join the podcast in ant...

We all know one of the many goals of a growing band is to sign a record deal, a goal that has been around for over 70 years. But knowing what type of label is going to be the best for your band is paramount. If you are a growing band with other responsibilities or are in need of help when it comes to the business side, a developmental label may just be right from you. We have Mr. Cody Frain (A Sce...

Put yourselves in the shoes of a band releasing their sophomore album, trying to maintain the positive traction and reception of their sound from the debut album. Would you be excited, nervous, anxious, all of the above? Now would your emotions change as people reacted to the singles saying "This band is SO good!" and "This band does not miss!" in online comments and forums? It would, and would so...

The internet's favorite metalcore band has come back to the Chord Progression Podcast once again! But why are they the internet's most favorite band? Is it because people love their music? Is it because they post the best memes and videos? Is it because they created a large community generating positivity to fans on a daily basis? The answer is... YES! Tom Kiley from the band Patient Sixty-Seven r...

How important is album artwork, single artwork, or any artwork associated with music to you? Does the quality of the artwork impact your perception on the music? Or do you not put much weight on it? As humans, visual art evokes many emotions that can sway our opinions, that that is why bands and artists put time and effort to picking the right artwork to represent their musical creation. Al and Co...

There is a band we have been following since mid-2020 that we have been waiting to break into the national touring scene. Waiting, wondering would it ever happen? As we begin 2024, this band set themselves up to make this year that year, so now would be the perfect time to get behind the band before they come to a city near you. Houston rock band Rozy returns to the Chord Progression Podcast for t...

Time is fickle to us humans. Over time, we lose our disillusionment and become content. We lose that wonder to discover new things, try new experiences, and chase our dreams because of responsibilities, paying bills, and feeling too old to change it. Artists are the same way. Those that succeed creatively for a long time maintain that disillusionment, the want to discover new things, and maintain...

When you're in a growing band, playing your largest shows to date, and overseas nonetheless, there are bound to be challenges you face. How to play to these crowds, how to construct a setlist, and how to solve the problem of your gear being 5,000 miles away. Seems like a lot right? Well in December of 2023, that happened to a great band, and they shined through it. Brian and Daniel from the heavy...

Most young bands call it quits when life and differing responsibilities enter the picture. And we get it, that happens. Now if you still have the drive to make your dreams happen, you would find a way to make them happen. But a young band over 2,000 miles away from each other, with full time jobs and earring doctorates, would definitely give up right? WRONG! After 3.5 years, 3 Exits to Hattiesburg...

Throughout the last few months of 2023, we have put a huge spotlight on the Canadian Hardcore Music Scene, showing you how great it truly is, how accepting it is, and how it is likely to be the next big scene to blow up worldwide. But where is it going in 2024? What can we expect of it? And will a lot of these bands finally break through and make it to the United States? Christian & Josh (alon...

Every metalhead knows how insane the Australian metal scene is. It seems like every band that comes out of the country and breaks through, becomes regarded as one of the best bands in the scene. But what is it about the Australian scene that makes this happen? Why is tougher to break through than we realize? And what are bands doing in order to stand out in such a highly regarded scene? Rory and S...

When you were 17, what did you dream of? Did you dream of being a football star? Did you dream of having all the fame and fortune you could ask for? Did you dream of having a record contract at that age already? We found a new artist that has achieved that third thing. Signed to Spinefarm at 17, and is a young artist that you will want to discover and get to know. So who is it? Hunter Oliver joins...

No one likes when a person speaks passionately about a topic, advocates for change, and then takes no action to make that change happen. In 2023, we live in a world of keyboard warriors. All show and no go. However, there is a band in the Canadian music scene that is in the business of doing, standing up for their growing community and supporting the indigenous community as well. Canadian sludge/d...

There has been a major theme and characteristic that every successful band we have ever brought onto the podcast has, and that is strong chemistry to prevail against anything thrown their way. We found a Canadian band that lost an integral member in the most unfortunate way, but band chemistry and friendship has allowed them to continue growing, while honoring a member's legacy. We have London, On...

Put yourself in this scenario. Your passion for music has you in a band, you're working on your first album, and starting to play live shows. Then a global pandemic hits, some members leave to pursue other interests, and all of your equipment is lost in a studio fire. Would you call it quits? Or would you keep going? Well, this actually happened to a band in Germany. And with their debut album com...

For many people that live their life in the arts and the creative space, living life on "autopilot" feels like a prison sentence that constricts the happiness in life. But for creatives that make their way in life with their art, and have the support of family and friends in that endeavor, it allows for that art to positively impact everyone who comes into contact with it. Alternative Metalcore ba...