Darkness which envelopes Finland is what fuels Blind Channel. The veritable coal to their roaring furnace of ambition, embracing it is the DNA that runs throughout their music. Balancing their tenacity with sincerity, “It’s this feeling of never being enough is what drives us forward right now,” vocalist Niko Vilhelm says. When forming back in 2013 in the city of Oulu, way up in the North of Finland, vocalists Niko and Joel Hokka, drummer Tommi Lalli, guitarist Joonas Porko and bass player Olli Matela, plus the later addition of DJ/Percussionist Aleksi Kaunisvesi – knew that it was all about going big or going home. When they were told to sing in their native tongue, they refused. It was simply never an option. The doors that closed only made them want to grab an axe to break through, The Shining style, to properly make themselves known. This is exactly what they did when they found their way onto the largest stage in Europe: Eurovision, after competing in the Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), Finland’s annual contest to discover their entry. Winning the spot, by the largest landslide the competition has seen, Blind Channel captured and enamored the continent with the fiery nu-metal charge of ‘Dark Side’. Be warned however, Eurovision isn’t the crux of Blind Channel’s story. This stepping stone that saw them take to that hallowed stage, was just that, a gambit towards the bigger picture.

Channeling the melody and fury of bands like Deftones and Linkin Park into a crunching, breakdown-heavy sound, New Jersey-bred post-hardcore outfit Palisades balance heavy aggression with accessibility similar to contemporaries Bring Me the Horizon and Hands Like Houses. After debuting in 2012 with Outcasts, they hit a chart peak in 2019 with their fourth set, Erase the Pain. Formed in 2011 in the town of Iselin, Palisades originally comprised singer Louis Miceli, guitarists Xavier Adams, Matthew Marshall, and Earl Halasan, bassist Brandon Sidney, and drummer Aaron Rosa. The group signed on with Rise Records before releasing their debut EP, I’m Not Dying Today, in 2012. They returned the following year to release their first full-length outing Outcasts, which debuted at number 181 on the Billboard 200 and soared to number seven on the Hot New Artists chart. Infusing heavy electronic effects, sophomore set Mind Games followed in 2015 and continued their climb up the charts. The album featured appearances by blackbear (“Player Haters’ Ball”), Champs (“Mind Games”), and Garret Rapp (“People Like Us”). After a pair of shifts in personnel — Sidney was replaced by Brandon Elgar and Halasan’s place was filled by Christian Mochizuki — the band issued their third studio long-player, Palisades, in January 2017. Setting aside the EDM-influence of Mind Games, this eponymous reintroduction found the band returning to a more traditional sound. They continued on that path, hitting a balance on 2018’s Erase the Pain, which debuted at number 175 on the Billboard 200, their highest placement to date.

Reach NYC a pummeling post-hardcore combo based in New York City. Formed on Long Island in 1996 by ex-Sick of It All bassist Richie Cipriano, who switched to guitar for the new project, ReachNYC also included vocalist Rene Mata, bassist Dan Martinez, Drummer Dante Renzi, Guitarist Nick Cavagnaro . The band was active on the New York scene, gigging heavy rock notables like Papa Roach and System of a Down and playing festivals like the Warped Tour. Reach finally caught a break when Lava/ Atlantic president Jason Flom signed them after a strong performance at a label showcase. The band disbanded in 2004. But the story goes on… Throughout the years, one of Rene’s closest friends Chester Bennington expressed to Rene how important it was for him to keep playing music and was always encouraging him. Chester passed away that July. Rene fell into a dark depression. Just last year in 2019, his two goods friends Dante Renzi (drummer from REACH) and Marcos Curiel (guitarist from POD) encouraged him to put the band back together and open for POD in NYC. It was the bands first show since 2004. Their love fo each other and music was reignited. In 2020, Reach signed a deal with the Orchard for their EP titled “Back From the Dead” their first release under the same title is set to premiere October 9th, 2020 and features long-time friend Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach. The EP was mixed by Jay Baumgardner and mastered by Howie Weinberg in Los Angeles.