From the inbox:

Hailing from Springfield, MA, MAKER are a group of five friends who wrote an incredible record. There are not a lot of bands like Maker. With only their demo, a 7″, and a split 7″ the band has done three self booked full US tours, and countless east coast tours. Maker is the true definition of a hard work ethic, and they’re a band others should look up to. Mirrors is 11 songs of pure emotion. You can call it pop punk if you want, but that doesn’t describe this record at all. Mirrors is much more than that, it’s a true record that takes you on a journey. Stream the entire record at PropertyOfZack.com right now, and pre-order the record at HELLFISH. Expect orders to ship next week!

- Really liking this, especially the vocals.

- The clip features footage from three separate shows. The Singapore band recently spent six weeks in the US. I highly recommend their new full-length, Dirge, which is out now on Earache Records.

…. there’s no way on earth I would have thought that one day, frontman Greg Attonito merit a biography intro like this: “What a life – from sweat-soaked basements to sun-drenched outdoor festivals; making music with his band The Bouncing Souls, his wife Shanti, his contemporaries; making art, making food and making the most of every second. It’s the life of Greg Attonito – world famous rock frontman, children’s author, athlete and life enthusiast;. a creative wellspring who has learned over time to become timeless, invoking the same spirits as history’s great minstrels, jesters and Renaissance men.”

Attonito’s six song debut solo release, Natural Disaster, will be released on Chunksaah on July 12th. You can listen to the new song “Teardrops” on the label’s Facebook page.

GREYS – Ultra Sorta EP (Concession Records): Toronto’s GREYS offer a noisy 15 minute snippet of mathy punk and hardcore on Ultra Sorta, bringing to mind bands like THE BRONX, DRIVE LIKE JEHU, or a louder take on early FUGAZI. Yeah, I can get into that. There’s a lot to digest from the band’s busy style, but the dual guitar interplay is their best strength, especially on the second track “Rennie”. None of the many moving parts to Ultra Sorta slow the band, nor do the songs feel bogged down under the weight of its aspirations. Well-timed gang vocals and a rolling breakdown make an appearance too. GREYS are spry, and each of the five songs brings its own unique twist. Very impressive debut.

PROTAGONIST – States EP (Paper + Plastick): If there’s been a consistent comment against PROTAGONIST since their inception, it’s been the band’s strong similarities to STRIKE ANYWHERE. States doesn’t entirely mitigate the familiarity, but the band’s melodic quotient has grown and their brand of speedy pop-punk is much closer to early OVER IT, RUFIO or NO TRIGGER. Forbidden-beat drumming pulses throughout the 14 minute EP and the linear palm-muted guitars bring back thoughts of mid 90s Epi/Fat success (“Sirens” is pretty awesome in both of those characteristics). States is just kind of pleasant, and a positive direction change for the band, but I don’t feel any kind bigger emotional response than that.

NINJA GUN – Roman Nose EP (Sabot): Georgia’s NINJA GUN have followed-up their excellent punk-influenced alt-country full-length Restless Rubes with a left turn down the mellow, meandering indie rock turnpike. The shift is as dramatic as changing your homepage from Punknews to Pitchfork. And it’s not a bad shift, and probably one that will serve as a boost to their potential longevity given the additional flexibility that comes from putting distance between punk rock structures (oh the irony). I’ve never done well describing music of this style, so I’ll rely on shorthand band comparisons like I usually do. High-toned opener “That’s Not What I Heard” reminded me of THE DECEMBERISTS, the following track, “Hot Rain” has the feel of a less screechy WEEZER ballad. “Lepers In Love” has slow-burning WILCO twang to it – not my favorite of the tracks, but the beat is inescapably memorable, while the self-titled closer is a haunting five minutes of folk rock that could work with the gentler sounds of Anti’s DR. DOG. As Roman Nose is a transition release before their next full-length, the fact that it sounds like a four song compilation from closely related bands, instead of a cohesive offering isn’t very surprising. So to summarize, more burning rain, less lonely lepers.

Formidable distribution entity RevHQ has put out a 30 song downloadable sampler for 2011 featuring artists on labels like Panic, Twelve Gauge, Dead Truth, Revelation, State of Mind, Livewire, Equal Vision, Indianola, Get Outta Town, Mankind and more. You can grab your free copy here.

• CARS 2 Soundtrack (can’t wait to take my 3 year old to see this…)
• BULLDOZER – Unexpected Fate
• GREAT CYNICS – Don’t Need Much
• LIFE ON REPEAT – Struggle + Sleep
• SAFETY WORD ORANGE – Acceptance EP
• THE DEAR HUNTER – The Color Spectrum
• EMILY’S ARMY – Don’t Be A Dick

• AWKWARD SUNROOM
• CURB APPEAL
• HUSKER DUVET (ok, that’s a stretch…)
• SKYLIGHT
• GUTTER PUNX
• THE MONEY PIT MOSHERS
• G. FURNACE AND THE CARBON MONOXIDES
• DEAD LAWN BEFORE DISHONOR
• CHAIN LINK FENCE OF STRENGTH
• Bonus Show-Booking Entry: FINISHED BASEMENT PRODUCTIONS

From the inbox:

Originally formed in 1994, metalcore pioneers HARVEST are back in action, set to re-introduce the core elements of the genre to the massive sea of fans led astray by today’s pale imitations. With a new vinyl 7″ being released physically and digitally with Good Fight Music on August 2nd, 2011 entitled, Years of Defiance. Years of Disgust., the band strives to prove what Alternative Press Magazine states: “HARVEST were one of the last legitimate metalcore bands to form before the scene got watered down and predictable.”

Years of Defiance. Years of Disgust. will feature two new songs, as well as the last unreleased track written in 1999 (“Torture Inhibition”) and a new version of a song that was originally released on a 7″ compilation and Transitions (“Soul Burn”). A special digital version of the 7″ will include a new version of the song “Conditioned” as a bonus track only available through iTunes. Years of Defiance. Years of Disgust. will be offered in two different limited color pressings, white and clear.

Determined to create intense music regardless of geographic distance, Years of Defiance. Years of Disgust. was written and recorded in three different cities; Minneapolis, Toronto, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Mixed by Jay Maas (Getaway Recording/Defeater) and Dan Zimmerman and mastered by Alan Douches of West West Side Mastering, Years of Defiance. Years of Disgust. promises to be the record that HARVEST fans have been craving for over ten years.

“We are more than inspired to write the next chapter of HARVEST. We will continue to write, record and play as many shows as we can, despite being in three countries, four cities and all very much involved in our families and careers,” states vocalist David Walker. “We believe in what we’re doing and couldn’t be more excited to be playing live again!”