THE HYST LIST // Bands To Watch In 2019

Did you survive 2018’s onslaught of tunes and live to tell about it? Well prepare for battle once more, mosh fans—cos this year, we’re gearing up for another huge one.

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Our list of 2019’s bands to watch will be racking up the Spotify plays like lines at an stockbroker’s convention. If you’re new to the scene or just want a refresher on what’s hot and hip, look no further than our hype list of heavy humans. If they’re mere embers now, stand back and gaze upon them as they burst into a roaring inferno over the next 12 months. Crank up your volume and claim your bragging rights now, before they make it super big.

POLARIS:

Sydney’s own metalcore mob Polaris have been going from strength to strength for the last couple of years now, selling out headline tours and catching the attention of the ARIA crew. So why place them on a list of bands to watch in 2019 you say? Because it’s their year of international domination. Currently jet setting around Europe with Architects, the band are slated to continue their overseas run with appearances on Jera on Air in Netherlands in June and UK Tech Fest in July—just to name a few! On the home front, they’ll also be joining some of the biggest names in heavy music when they play Download Festival this March. If you’ve been sleeping on Polaris, it’s well and truly time for you to sort your shit out. // Chanel Issa

FOR FANS OF: Architects, Parkway Drive, Silent Planet

RADOLESCENT:

Exploding out of the Gold Coast, punk four-piece Radolescent had a helluva year in 2018. The release of two singles, Drug Fiend and The Ballad Of Lynn Howl, music videos for both, performing an outstanding set at the inaugural Halloween Hysteria and the addition of new member Kerrod as second guitar rounded out an imperative year for the beer-loving punks. But 2019 looks set to be the year of the Rads who, 20ish days into the new year, are already half way through the Live Fast, Die Last Tour with New South Welshmen C.O.F.F.I.N. Giving out a lot of love to their home-state, Queenslanders if there’s a Radolescent show near you this year then you best be checking them out. // Louise Inkster

FOR FANS OF: Dune Rats, Fidlar, Iggy and the Stooges

Melbourne/New Zealand Punk-Rockers Bakers Eddy are set to take over Australia’s music scene with their powerful energy and positive vibes. Their fast and entertaining live shows always keep audiences engaged. Bakers Eddy already played notable sets at Halloween Hysteria 2018, Bigsound Festival and won the Triple J Unearthed competition to play Lorne’s Falls festival in 2018. With an EP I’m not Making Good Decisions, and a few singles out in the wild, these punk rockers are all set for a huge year ahead.  // Ellie Bozzi

FOR FANS OF: The Bennies, Dune Rats, The Hives

STAND ATLANTIC:

We’re calling it from now, 2019 is the year of Stand Atlantic. Coming off an appearance at Unify, the Sydneysiders will soon kick off their first headlining tour-seriously, don’t sleep on it as it’s almost entirely sold out. Not impressed yet? They’ll also spend the next few months touring on an international scale, first tearing through North America in support of One Ok Rock before hitting up the UK/Europe for their first international headliner (no big deal right?) Stand Atlantic aren’t skinny dipping anymore, they’re jumping straight into the deep-but we guess that’s to be expected when you drop one of the best pop punk records of 2018! // Chanel Issa

FOR FANS OF: State Champs, Eat Your Heart Out, All Time Low

REDHOOK:

Last year RedHook headlined the heavy segment of Australian Music Week, supported Skillet on tour, they’ve just been flying about the country on tour with The Faim and Yours Truly, they’re touring with Hands Like Houses next month and they recently announced they’ll be playing Download UK in June! These guys are working super hard to bring us something amazing, and if RedHook aren’t on your radar for ones to watch in 2019, this is why they should be. Their electric hardcore vibes mix up rap and pop in a wonderful mash of melody and riffs–that’s a lot of description, sure, but there’s a colourful spectrum of raw grittiness that touches on much more than the initial metalcore you’re met with. Listening to RedHook is like going to Ibiza for the raves and finding out you’re gonna be rocking instead. Of course, RedHook’s dance vibes could destroy anything the party island could offer and to be honest, no one would decline the delightful destruction. RedHook are as fiery as their frontwoman and more explosive than dynamite! Must watch! // Anna Rose

FOR FANS OF: Paramore, Limp Bizkit, Hands Like Houses

DREAM STATE:

This five-piece outfit residing in South Wales, Dream State will inevitably expand out of the UK, especially with their recent successful set at Victoria’s very own UNIFY Gathering. Signed to Australia’s premier music label UNFD, the band will tour the UK throughout early 2019. Their diverse showcase of music including November 2018 single Crawling and two EP’s Recovery and Consequences represents vocalist CJ Gilpin’s challenging journey from internal chaos to calm. The band have played many notable sets over the past year including Slam Dunk Festival, and tours alongside Babymetal and The Amity Affliction. To top it all off, they are heading on tour in Germany with UK boys Neck Deep early this year. // Ellie Bozzi

FOR FANS OF: PVRIS, A Day To Remember, Paramore

FALCIFER:

After a huge 2018 performing with the likes of Parkway Drive, Outright HC and appearing at the inaugural Halloween Hysteria, Adelaide’s own FALCIFER have kicked off 2019 with a bang, playing at the sold out UNIFY Gathering 2019 alongside international headliners Underoath and Taking Back Sunday. If brutality is the name of the game, then FALCIFER are definitely taking home the gold this year. Dipping into the good old days of heavy riffs and guttural screams, this band really shines at their live shows. Front woman Steph commands the stage, covering every inch and energising the crowd from the front of the room, while the tight-as-2009-skinnies guitar and drums kick you in the ass to keep you going. Whatever else these guys have up their sleeves for 2019, we’ll almost certainly be impressed. // Louise Inkster

FOR FANS OF: Cursed Earth, Justice For The Damned, Arch Enemy

DARKCELL:

Brisbane-borne industrial heavy rock powerhouse Darkcell has captivated audiences in Australia and beyond with their intense, energetic, highly entertaining live set. Clocking up serious road miles in the U.S. and at Australia’s own Soundwave, Darkcell have proven their ability to freakishly bedazzle alongside notable outfits such as Wednesday 13 and Otep. With three knockout albums under their belts, Darkcell are cooking up a storm for early 2019, as they prepare to enlighten us to the fun of hatred again, with their fourth studio album. Plenty of exciting touring plans are also in the works for Darkcell, including Brisbane’s Night Of The Living Shred in February, alongside killer Aussie acts including Whoretopsy, A Night In Texas, I Shall Devour, Zeolite, and Wraith. // Audrey Gerrard

FOR FANS OF: Rob Zombie, Wednesday 13, Sevendust

OUTRIGHT:

If for some reason you still haven’t heard about Outright, you my friend are missing out big time! Drawing in one of the largest crowds of the day at Halloween Hysteria and scoring a spot on the bill for Download 2019, Outright are grabbing hold of every opportunity presented to them and using their platform to promote the good in the world and in particular the music industry. They’ve already kicked off the year in spectacular fashion, supporting Alt-scene legends Taking Back Sunday at their 20 Year Anniversary show in Melbourne. Bringing us heavy hitting hardcore bangers with lyrics that really make you stop and think about the world around you, there’s only room for good times and equal opportunities at an Outright show. // Louise Inkster

FOR FANS OF: Knocked Loose, Walls Of Jericho, Terror

HADAL MAW:

Melbourne-based death metal band Hadal Maw have been screaming onto the radar of tech death metal fans since their debut album in Senium 2014. Always keeping their take on tech-death unique, Hadal Maw have been hyper productive, levelling an impressive album in 2017 with the heavily laden atmospheres of Olm. With their most recent release in August 2018, the EP Charlatan, Hadal Maw deepened the plot yet again with some interesting, even darker new dimensions to their sound. 2019 forecasts much broader horizons for Hadal Maw, as they are bound for Europe in February with renowned Australian acts Psycroptic and Aversions Crown. // Audrey Gerrard

FOR FANS OF: Psycroptic, King, Immolation

LOOSE END:

After dropping their debut EP, Melbourne band Loose End have big plans for 2019. With a huge EP launch show coming up in feb, they are gearing up for many more shows to come. The collection Overthinking Everything I Know has attracted ample attention from several outlets including Triple J’s popular show Short. Fast. Loud., slowly creating hype with their catchy, but gritty pop-punk tunes. Previously, the band released a self-titled EP and two singles Jordan Street and Hiding In Someone Else, which helped to create the base for who the band is today, ready to expand their fanbase throughout Australia and beyond. The band have many more experiences in store for 2019 after their EP launch show, so keep your eyes peeled. // Ellie Bozzi

FOR FANS OF: Neck Deep, Trophy Eyes, WSTR

DREGG:

They must be prophets or something because DREGG’s 2018 single Return of the Dregg could not be any truer. The filthy fast guitar, heavy bass beats and vocals that embody punk and hardcore creates an addictive, intoxicating experience for any heavy music lover. With plenty of opportunities to scream “fuck off” and bang your head, the chance to see them live in 2019 should not be missed. With a February tour already set in place, we’re hoping there’s plenty more to come from our Melbourne Dregg-Lords. // Louise Inkster

FOR FANS OF: Hellions, Ocean Grove, Korn

AFFINITY MINUS PERFECTION:

Raised in a small town west of Rockhampton, Affinity Minus Perfection have been making a name for themselves since their debut EP Interpret As You Will was released in 2016. Their heavy hitting music paired with infectious and meaningful lyrics saw the band being catapulted onto stages soon after, supporting big Aussie names like The Amity Affliction, Darkcell and Chronolyth across QLD. In 2018, the wait was over and AMP released their second highly anticipated EP Passion Through Unity, which received high praise from various publications. To celebrate this latest ensemble of tracks, Affinity Minus Perfection has announced the biggest tour of their careers so far; down the east coast as far as Melbourne before heading back up north towards Cairns. The tour kicks off on 8th February in their home base Rockhampton until early March and is sure to draw in more new fans before the end of the tour. // Louise Inkster

FOR FANS OF: Parkway Drive, The Amity Affliction, Upon A Burning Body

HOLLOW WORLD:

When Hollow World released their debut album Exanimate in 2017, they had already made a serious mark on the Melbourne–and indeed national–melodic death metal scene. Hollow World had built immense groundswell through their epic live set, earning them support sets for huge international shows such as At The Gates, Fallujah, and Fleshgod Apocalypse. Growing exponentially, Hollow World are set to take their captivating brand of melodic death metal to Europe in February 2019 alongside Psycroptic, Aversions Crown, and fellow Melbournian death metallers Hadal Maw, which is a promising sign for a follow-up album to Exanimate. // Audrey Gerrard

FOR FANS OF: At The Gates, The Spirit, Beyond Creation

DEADSPACE:

Hailing from Perth, WA, Deadspace are one of the standout atmospheric post-black metal bands emerging from the Australian extreme metal scene. Recently landing from touring Japan with blackened militants Marduk, shortly off the back of supporting black metal icons Satyricon, Deadspace have unleashed a number of releases since their third album in November 2017, The Liquid Sky. April saw a follow-up EP Mouth Of Scorpions, quickly followed by a live album Live and Feral, capturing the desolate and unnerving experience of Deadspace sonic darkness. Capping off a hugely productive year, October 2018 saw their single and music video Rapture released, heralding the signs of their forthcoming new album. Watch out for their fourth album Dirge in 2019; Deadspace just keep getting stronger, and darker. // Audrey Gerrard

FOR FANS OF: Satyricon, Departe, Amenra

HONEST CROOKS:

Sydney death metal/hardcore hybrid outfit Honest Crooks have been working tirelessly to earn themselves a place within Australia’s heaviest of metal scenes and honestly, it didn’t take long for them to catch our eye. Fusing together hardcore-esque breakdowns with impossibly quick and catchy instrumental and punk style call outs, you can’t keep your head from banging when an Honest Crooks song comes on. After releasing their debut EP Suffer in 2017, the band toured and supported a number of national and international bands ranging from Chelsea Grin to Stick To Your Guns to Whoretopsy. 2019 has already seen the group kick off a tour with Harms Way on the back of Unify Gathering, just what else will the year hold for them? Whether it’s a debut album or a string of national tours, Honest Crooks have the potential to follow in the footsteps of fellow Aussie death metal legends Thy Art Is Murder in taking the world by storm. // Louise Inkster

FOR FANS OF: Thy Art Is Murder, Zeolite, Defiants

SOMETHING SOMETHING EXPLOSION:

South-East QLD punk-rock trio Something Something Explosion definitely took 2018 by the horns; releasing their debut EP Propaganda Machine, announcing a mentorship with UNFD label and regular mentions on Triple J’s Short.Fast.Loud. program. Transporting you to an underground pub somewhere in East London during the early 90s, the contagious melodies and catchy riot-style lyrics can capture any punk lovers heart before the end of the song. Having already shared a stage with The Bennies within weeks of the new year, if this momentum continues this could be the year that they, explode (heh). // Louise Inkster

FOR FANS OF: WAAX, The Hard Aches, Pagan