Although others may have gained ground on the band's sound, these three are still miles ahead of the curve. - Baltimore City Paper

Over the course of 16 years, four proper albums, two compilations, a mega DVD retrospective and more than a little word-of-mouth legend-making among music fans, Harvey Milk has both tickled the rock funny-bone of fans seeking a quick, riff-ready fix and blown the noggins off others with heavy-as-the-Earth, glacially-paced compositions. - Athens Flagpole

Inexplicably, one of the '90s finest heavy rock bands returns right where they left off, constructing an album of power ballads about love, war, aging, and loss. - Dusted

After making their auspicious but notoriously underexposed debut with 1994’s My Love Is Higher Than Your Assessment Of What My Love Could Be, Athens (GA) dirge lords Harvey Milk recorded two more full-lengths (1995’s Courtesy And Good Will Towards Men and 1997’s The Pleaser) before going tits up in 1998 in a fit of nuptials and child-rearing.

Reintroduced to the underground at large through reissues, live DVDs and whatnot, The Milk reformed to unleash Special Wishes upon the feverishly lactating public, which has been lactating feverishly ever since. Which is to say that the Milk — as they themselves like to say—have “not” been “canceled due to lack of interest yet.”

Fast forward to the here and, like, now, and Harvey Milk are celebrating their own renaissance by lauding the virtues of The Best Game In Town. Spearheaded by the alternately burly and angelic vocal stylings of Milk mastermind Creston Spiers, The Best Game In Town. is both tumultuous and grueling, resonating with the glorious slow-motion radiance of Total Dirge Power. In layman’s terms: Yet another classic. Oh, and did we mention that they’ve since been joined by Thrones legend Joe Preston? Well, they totally have.

Coalesce is a Kansas City based hardcore/metal band. Their music is characterized by strange shifting tempos, noise, groove, and boundless creativity paralleled only by the band’s peers in groups like The Dillinger Escape Plan and Botch.

The band began in January of 1994 and originally consisted of Jes Steineger (guitar), Stacy Hilt (bass) and Jim Redd (drums). During this time they played under the name Breach, however, when Sean Ingram joined as a vocalist later in the year, the members opted to change their name to Coalesce.

With their name and lineup solidified, Coalesce entered West End Studios to record a demo which was pressed to a 7” EP that rapidly sold out.

The UK division of Earache Records was so impressed by the unique and innovative sound featured on Coalesce’s demo that they invited the band to record an EP for Earache’s 7” series imprint, ‘New Chapter’. The EP, simply titled ‘002’, was recorded in one day and released in 1995. 002 marked the beginning of Coalesce’s relationship with Red House Studios and producer Ed Rose, who would go on to produce almost all of Coalesce’s later material.

In 1995, Coalesce embarked on their first US tour in support of Bloodlet and 108. When the band returned home from the road, a blowup between Redd and Ingram resulted in Coalesce disbanding in early 1996.

In the summer of 1996, guitarist Jes Steineger contacted Ingram and the two decided to reform the band.

The band completed work on their new full-length album OX, the their first in 10 years and follow-up to 1999’s herald 0:12 Revolution In Just Listening. OX was recorded with engineer Ed Rose at Blacklodge Studios and mastered by Mike Fossenkemper at Turtle Tone.

In April 2007, a mutual desire to play, a deep love for the almighty riff, and more than just a little blind luck drew together five young men from Chicago, and nine months later, they had a five-song EP, Pray For Tides, completed and a label, Witch Trial Records, to release it. Fast-forward less than three years and The Atlas Moth have made massive strides, touring relentlessly across the nation and playing countless shows with their friends and brothers in Nachtmystium, Zoroaster, Pentagram, Yakuza, Saviours, Intronaut, Wolves in the Throne Room, Coalesce, Battlefieds, Minsk, Plague Bringer, Samothrace, andWhy Intercept? With influences ranging from the Deftones to Neurosis, Cave In to Quicksand, and pulling in pieces from all that’s heavy in between, The Atlas Moth have carefully perfected their signature blend of bone-shaking heaviness and overwhelming urgency, adding in startling moments of clarity that allow the melodies to shine through the mire. Their swamp-worthy sludge epics are heavier than sin, a call for cleansing and nothing short of brutally honest.

The Atlas Moth itself lives for only a few weeks, but the band to which it lent its name is in it for the long haul. The Atlas Moth have taken their sweet time in writing and recording their Candlelight debut, road-testing each new jam as guitarist/ keyboardist and engineer Andrew Ragin slaved over the boards in search of that perfect sound. This meticulous approach to songwriting means that every song they recorded has a story of its own, and bears the mark of days spent driving through endless fields and nights spent laying their hearts and instruments bare to an army of strangers. With the completion of their jaw-dropping debut album for Candlelight, A Glorified Piece of Blue- Sky, and endless tour dates on the horizon, The Atlas Moth have only begun to rock.

The Blackened Music Series was created by Adam Shore, who helped produce large-scale events such as The Boredoms 77BOADRUM, featuring the Japanese band performing with 77 drummers, and the 2009 Scion Rock Fest in Atlanta, featuring 33 metal bands on four stages, and the 2010 Scion Rock Fest in Columbus, OH. As the founder and GM of VICE Records, he produced two shows with Neurosis and Mastodon at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple in 2008. Adam is also an artist manager, music consultant, and founder of The Daily Swarm.