Some kids do homework after school. Some watch TV or play video games. Others go to soccer practice, dancing school, or ride their bikes. But there are some kids who actually prefer to hang out with their parents, turn up the amps to 10, and practice their A harmonic minor gallop. Where do these mystical metal children exist? In sunny California, of course! I would like to introduce you to the CheeseBergens… the Bergen family with just the right dose of “cheese.”

Check out their video of their second single, “Mommy and Daddy Worship Satan” below.

Sloths are mammals known for moving at a very slow pace. Therefore, it is only fitting that the new one-man stoner/doom/sludge metal project of English musician Blake Caverly should share the same moniker. Even more appropriate is the title of Sloth‘s debut record, Slow As Shit.

This crushingly heavy project could be compared to the likes of genre giants Pallbearer, Bongripper, and Boris; it shares the same sort of down tuned, down tempo aesthetics that mark those iconic band’s sounds. But, lest you think that Sloth is just knocking off that which has come before, you should know that there is also a heaping helping of prog rock leanings afoot here as well. The album is largely instrumental but does feature guest vocals from Mikey ‘Churchburner’ Gascoyne of Valravn on the excellent track “Nothing But Leaves.”

Beheading of a King is a young technical death metal band from Montreal, Quebec that have already overcome the sort of tragedy that would splinter many bands. Just before the band was to release its second EP Quasar: Preserving Legacy in early 2011, singer Mathieu Paquette committed suicide at the age of 20.

The band never had any doubt that their fallen comrade would want them to continue, stating as much on their Facebook page shortly after his funeral. After a period of mourning the band recruited one singer, who didn’t quite work out, before settling on new frontman Fred Beaulieu. They released a comeback single entitled “Handcrafted” in 2013.

The official video for “Handcrafted,” which was also the first in the band’s history can be seen here below.

Obscure Burial is a black metal band from Finland with old-school songwriting and production aesthetics, but they somehow still seem to sound modern and fresh. They have been gaining rapid momentum in the metal underground ever since their first demo release God’s Abomination.

Continue reading for more and to listen to one of their tracks.

Southern California hardcore/death metal outfit Skinfather formed in 2011 and take their name from a song by Swedish death metal legends Dismember. Their sound harkens back to the early days of the death metal genre.

Listen to Skinfather’s track “Ordeal By Fire” here below.

The band’s second and most recent album, None Will Mourn, was released this past April via Todd Davis’ Streetcleaner Records and was produced by Davis’ Nails bandmate Taylor Young. The album dispenses nine tracks that are sure to please fans of old-school death metal. Crank it up, bang your head, and tell all of your friends. These guys deserve to reach a much wider audience.