The Sound of Standing Tall: Greater Than Human - Downfall (Track Review) Released: 6/27/25

Hailing from Ladysmith, Wisconsin, Greater Than Human has been making noise in the Northwoods rock scene since August 2023, and their single Downfall makes a strong case for why this band of lifelong friends deserves attention well beyond their local stomping grounds. Downfall is a hard-hitting rock/metal track that tackles a universally relatable theme, standing firm against someone who thrives on tearing others down. The song builds around a protagonist who refuses to be diminished, pushing back against arrogance and ego with a defiant, grounded confidence. It's the kind of anthem that hits differently when you've dealt with someone who mistakes cruelty for strength.

Musically, the track carries the DNA of the band's influences, which span the golden eras of rock and metal from the '80s through the 2000s. The guitar work from cousins Christian and Brady Polak anchors the track with a satisfying crunch, while Austin Evans' drumwork drives the energy forward with purpose. Zander Noble's bass rounds out the low end and gives the song its backbone. Christian's lead vocals carry real conviction; you believe every word, and the layered background vocals add a fuller, more anthemic dimension to the chorus. Speaking of the chorus, it's the clear high point of the song. It's punchy, memorable, and built to be sung loud. The central hook lands with the kind of simplicity that great rock choruses are made of, the sort of line that sticks in your head long after the song ends. For a band still in its early years, Downfall shows impressive songwriting maturity. Greater Than Human isn't just a cover band with a few originals thrown in; this track suggests they have a genuine voice of their own. If this is the direction they're heading, the Northwoods rock scene has a lot to look forward to.

Downfall is worth your time. Give it a listen and see for yourself what this Ladysmith crew is capable of:

Go give them a follow on Instagram: Greater Than Human

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Kentucky's Heavy Secret: Stormtoker - These Edibles Ain't Shit (EP Review) Released: 12/5/25

Lexington, Kentucky, isn't exactly the first city that comes to mind when you think of the sludge and stoner metal underground, but Stormtoker seems intent on changing that. Their EP These Edibles Ain't Shit arrives like a slow, crushing wave of amplifier worship and chemically-assisted existential dread, and it makes a compelling case that the Bluegrass State has something mean and heavy brewing beneath its surface. Stormtoker is a fierce, impassioned force of nature, a band that feels like devout disciples of Ozzy Osbourne who came of age at the turn of the millennium but refused to let the roots of heavy metal die. With sonic DNA tracing back to Cream, Hendrix, King Crimson, and even Arthur Brown, they summon an alluring sound that entrances as much as it pummels. This is a band equally at home in the sludge pit and the alt-rock headspace, a melodic restlessness running beneath the downtuned grime that keeps things unpredictable and owing as much to the 90s alternative u...

Brutal Descent into Darkness: Heliophilia - Fire, Borne Of The Sky (Track Review) Released 3/8/26

There's something genuinely impressive about a two-piece act that can conjure a wall of sound dense enough to feel like a full band assault, and that's exactly what Marinette, Wisconsin's Heliophilia accomplishes on "Fire, Borne of the Sky." Comprised of Michael Vandermuse and Kyle Bush, this underground metal duo has crafted a track that blends deathcore brutality, black metal atmosphere, and dark fantasy storytelling into something that feels far bigger than its two-person lineup would suggest. From the outset, "Fire, Borne of the Sky" makes clear that this isn't going to be a conventional metal track. It opens with an eerie, synth-driven low-frequency atmosphere that immediately sets a tone of dread before the track explodes into cavernous, down-tuned guitar riffs and crushing drum work. That contrast between quiet menace and overwhelming heaviness becomes the song's defining structural choice, and it's one that Heliophilia leans into ...

The Peace Found on the Other Side of Fear: January - Good Day To Die (Track Review) Released: 7/10/26

There's a particular kind of confidence that comes from a band that isn't trying to be anything other than what it is, and January's "Good Day to Die" has it in spades. Hailing from Quincy, Illinois, a river town that isn't exactly known as a hotbed for rock music, this trio plays Midwest rock in its purest, most unpretentious form. No gimmicks, no genre-hopping, no chasing whatever's trending this month. Just three musicians who know exactly what they're going for, and hit it dead center. That's not a small thing in 2026, when so much of guitar-driven rock feels like it's either nostalgia-baiting or trying too hard to sound "modern" by bolting on production tricks that don't belong. January doesn't seem interested in either impulse. "Good Day to Die" sounds like a band that grew up on classic rock radio and bar-band Saturday nights, filtered through whatever specific chemistry exists between these three people,...

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