When you think of Upstate New York the first thing that comes to mind are the antioxidant, gluten free, vegan, garbage plates from Rochester’s finest dining establishment, Nick Tahou Hots. However, Albany’s punk, post-hardcore, “emo,” and emo label Equal Vision Records should be on a close second. EVR was launched in the early-90s by some guy named Ray Cappo, who wanted to release his then-new band Shelter’s music after the fall of Youth of Today. The label truly hit its stride in the late-90s and beyond with releases from Coheed and Cambria, Saves the Day, Circa Survive, and Young MC, and is still pumping out quality LPs today. We ranked the top ten most underrated EVR albums from this century in alphabetical order, but we must state that the above acts are too successful to be undervalued.
Armor for Sleep “What to Do When You Are Dead” (2005)
New Jersey’s Armor For Sleep formed at the beginning of this century, signed with Equal Vision Records shortly after, and released their debut “Dream to Make Believe” in 2003. While their first record is still a favorite amongst AFS fans, your opinion is objectively/subjectively wrong if you think it’s better in any way than its follow-up “What to Do When You Are Dead.” Produced by a man literally named after a machine named Machine, AFS’ sophomore full-length is a perfect example of how post-hardcore Snooki is. Machine killed it here and on the also underrated non-EVR release, Louisville, Kentucky’s alt-rocker act Emanuel’s “Soundtrack to a Headrush”.
Bear vs. Shark “Terrorhawk” (2005)
Despite what one may think, chaos is catchy, and Michigan’s Bear vs. Shark easily have one of the top ten band names of all time. They released a record known as “Terrorhawk” that deserves your attention, money, reverence, and inclusion in The Bronx Zoo. Sadly, it’s a tossup as to whether this one or OWEL’s is the most underrated LP here, but happily, we predict at least one more stream to both acts because of our inclusions in this piece; you’re welcome, EVR, and we will take our commission from .0004 cents via Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, or an Arby’s gift card. Anyway, the band split right after “Terrorhawk” came out and we blame you. Happily, they reunited eleven years later and you had nothing to do with such.
The Color Fred “Bend to Break” (2007)
West Chester, Pennsylvania’s The Color Fred was launched by, you guessed it, Fred “King of All Features” Mascherino in 2003. He took a backseat to his then-new gig in Taking Back Sunday shortly thereafter and released their first full-length studio album “Bend to Break” shortly after Mr. Mascherino quit TBS. Produced by fellow Italian Lou “Is, Ie, Er, and/or T” Giordano, who also worked on Fred’s first of two TBS albums known as “Where You Want To Be” and Spice Girls’ underground masterpiece “Spiceworld,” “Bend to Break” is a must listen for tragically empty 2007 complainers in a 2023 Minnesota “aww shucks” accent world. If you disagree, get out! If not, we love to see you stay, and you should check out its sequel “A Year and Change”.
Chiodos “Illuminaudio” (2010)
After vocalist Craig Owens was kicked out of the group, his presence was missed by fans of microphone wires, broken dreams, cute neck tattoos, and Detroit-style pizza crispy side crusters; basically, many Chiodos legionnaires feared the worst. Happily, to assuage said reservations, Brandon Bolmer, of Yesterdays Rising, replaced Owens, and helped make Chiodos’ third full-length “Illuminaudio” not only their most underrated LP in their catalog, but, hot take alert, their second best full-length album altogether. Sadly, Bolmer only lasted a few years in the frontman position, and they only created one album together, so he barely had a chance to showcase his strength to the masses. Fun opinion that doubles as a fact for Zeus: “Caves” should’ve brought the band to scene supremacy.
The Dear Hunter “Migrant” (2013)
The Receiving End of Sirens are a band that deserves a never-ending uproarious clap, and its lead vocalist Casey Crescenzo justifies some heavy-handed finger snaps as well for his side project that ultimately became his primary one front and center called The Dear Hunter. You may or may not know too much about this band other than the fact that they have 2013 albums and counting, but the band’s fifth LP and first non-concept album “Migrant” deserves credence from the world all over for its romantic kiss of life accessibility that merges weird, symphony, melody, and catchiness better than most acts around this time. Don’t believe us? Whatever. Don’t look back, take a fifty-minute gap out of your day to let go of your sweet naivete, escape, disconnect, and spin this one from front to back. There are a number of anomalies in the present system.
Never Loved “Over It” (2021)
We’re never, ever going to be over it, but sadly, Florida’s Never Loved is no more, but you can still check out their short catalog of one LP, one EP, and several singles while you unload the dishwasher that is on its last leg(s). If you have the choice between said options, we encourage you to listen to the band’s first and only full-length studio album “Over It.” If you want to have empirical cred data for this record, check out what we say after this semicolon; Matt Squire, producer for Panic! at the Disco, and Nick Wheeler, guitarist for The All-American Rejects, both had their hands all over this effort. While Never Loved is lost and gone astray, frontman Cameron Knopp also tours with the aforementioned Armor For Sleep and launched a new project for Equal Vision Records called White Ferrari.
OWEL “Dear Me” (2016)
Jawbreaker’s “Dear You” and OWEL’s “Dear Me” have so much more in common than the specific word “Dear,” and the particular subject of “you” or “me,” as both studio albums didn’t receive much fanfare once released, and now Jawbreaker’s effort, nearly thirty years after the fact, gets more love than ever before, so we are putting it out into the universe that we hope that we can say the same for New Jersey’s OWEL in 2045. The band’s intense in the best way live show takes each viewer and listener to places formerly uncharted in a small to medium room live setting, and more than half of the songs on “Dear Me” are five-plus minutes long, with little to no filler in each composition. Plus, its creepy, haunting, gorgeous, and black and white album cover looks like an upcoming PG-13 YA movie with mad merchandise tie-ins at Hot Topic.
Polyphia “New Levels New Devils” (2018)
Dude! Sweet! Fans of hard drugs, visible tattoos on hands and from the chest up, sweet sweet technically technically proficient instrumentals, and/or Steve “I Lost To Ralph Macchio” Vai would love the eff out of Plano, Texas’ Polyphia, who explode higher towards the solar system with each new song and release. “New Levels New Devils” is the last of three LPs for EVR, and the band definitely went out in style with this perfect effort prior to exiting the label for Rise Records. Basically, they’re nasty, bad, the BOATS, and the GOATS. If you want to hear what Mix Master Mike would sound like if he switched his two turntables and a microphone for several multi-stringed guitars, pinched harmonics, a funky in a non-corny way bass, and a drummer that lost his damn mind, check out this record and their three other LPs. YAS, rich kids are so strange.
The Sound of Animals Fighting “Lover, the Lord has Left Us…” (2006)
Speaking of vurey herd drergs, we’d like to introduce you to a lil rock and roll for your heart and soul group called The Sound of Animals Fighting, just another heretic disputing the existence of a horse, the sky, Antarctica, and a bad little baby girl named Tula. Personnel here on “Lover, the Lord has Left Us…” for this slightly revolving door supergroup with masked individuals but not maggots include members of Rx Bandits, Good Old War, The Autumns, and Iron Butterfly, and TSOAF seemingly effortlessly creates music that unapologetically showcases an ample amount of curiously concerned effort. This particular record with a surprisingly high (to some) legacy is the act’s sophomore release, and they’ve only put out one more full-length on Epitaph Records and EP via Born Losers Records since, proving that small things can come in big packages.
We Came As Romans “Tracing Back Roots” (2013)
Let’s end this underrated EVR album piece with a sad shout-out to Kyle Pavone, the late clean vocalist for Troy, Michigan’s We Came As Romans, who passed away at twenty-eight in 2018, leaving a strong sonic ghost legacy behind over the course of five brutally catchy LPs. WCAR’s third record “Tracing Back Roots” is his and the band’s finest hour on Equal Vision Records, and it’s truly difficult to find a metalcore track that encapsulates the 2010s more than “Hope”. Also, another note worth mentioning is that this effort is highly positive, making a 2023 listen more bitter than sweet. In closing, through the darkest dark and brightest bright, Pavone’s voice will never fade away. If you want a smile to counter this cry, check out WCAR’s T-$wift cover of “I Knew You Were Trouble,” which came out just one year after this LP.