Mares of Thrace, Old Ceremonies, Holofernes' Head

Canadian “mixed-race, mixed-gender, all-nerd” two-piece Mares of Thrace deal in a brand of heaviness that draws as much from noise rock and hardcore as it does from the doom metal they’re commonly grouped with. Founded in 2009 by Trez (vocals, guitar) and Stef (drums), Mares released their debut The Moulting in 2010, where it topped national campus radio charts. 2012’s The Pilgrimage was produced by Sanford Parker (Voivod, Yob, Pelican) and praised by Pitchfork, Decibel, and Terrorizer, as well as receiving a nod from Canada’s prestigious Polaris Prize. After a hiatus, Trez and new member Casey returned with 2022’s The Exile, deemed by many reviewers as their finest work to date; Decibel praised its “nuance, vulnerability, and maturity”, and AngryMetalGuy called it “the sound of a band in its prime, not one just slinking back in from the cold”.

with Old Ceremonies, Holofernes' Head