Official Website: www.orangeisland.net Label: Iodine Recordings Location: Clinton, MA Similar To: Bad Religion, Engine Down Audio: "Stand Up, State Your Name" "(Making Her) Walk The Plank"

Orange Island: Coming together in 1999, Orange Island created a reputable fan base for themselves through steady gigging and as such managed to land a deal with indie label Iodine Recordings which lead to the 2001 release of their debut EP, "The Shape Of Calling". Building upon the buzz generated by the aforementioned EP, the group continued to hone their sound and once again hit the studio to record what would become their recently unleashed first ever full-length album in the form of "Everything You Thought You Knew", which landed in stores this past March. Now with a split alongside Garrison in the works and plans being made to hit the road and tour throughout the summer, it looks as though this group might be able to make considerable headway for themselves during their coming journeys throughout the mainland.

Official Website: Click Here Label: XS Records Location: Franklin, TN Similar To: Failure, Sunny Day Real Estate, finger eleven Mp3's: "Cold"

Echocast: Having recorded their forthcoming debut full-length offering "Where The Future Ends" at the WI based studio of none other than super producer Butch Vig, Echocast's attention to detail will undoubtedly shine through when the album lands in stores on July 09th through XS Records. An ambitious pairing of dynamics and emotion, the bands sound will soon be exposed to many as they plan to tour extensively this summer, complete with a stop at this years Cornerstone Festival.

Official Website: www.deadpoetic.com Label: Solid State Location: New Lebanon, OH Similar To: Embodyment, Blindside, Zao Audio: "A Green Desire"

Dead Poetic: Dead Poetic will likely be a new name to most but the group have been around since 1997, albeit under a variety of different monikers. Eventually landing a recording contract with Solid State in November of last year, this groups full-length debut for the label "Four Wall Blackmail" will see a release on June 04th. With the production of it helmed by none other than Barry Poynter (Zao, Living Sacrifice), listeners can be assured a top notch mixture of passionate emotion and cutthroat aggression on either the album or at any of the bands upcoming live shows throughout the summer.

Official Website: www.smugface.com Label: Independent Location: Atlanta, GA Similar To: Tool, Deftones Mp3's: "Diffused... On The Gate" "Essence Of Love" "Shuttle"

Smugface: Fairly well known amongst the underground scene, Smugface have managed to gain the admiration of many, including none other than Cold frontman Scooter Ward, since forming back in early 2000. Building upon the strength of their well-received previous demos, the group recently hit the studio with producer Rick Beato (Flickerstick) to record what would become their latest demo offering. With an invigorated sound in place on the effort and continued interest from major labels, the future bodes well for this talented quartet.

Official Website: www.uphillbattle.org Label: Relapse Records Location: Santa Barbara, CA Similar To: Burnt By The Sun, Converge, Curl Up And Die Audio: "Ripped Off Face" "Forked Tongue" "The Stench Is Spreading"

Uphill Battle: Originally getting together back in 1999, Uphill Battle's struggles to find a solid lineup have been true to their namesake. Facing numerous member changes and adversity that even saw a member of the band incarcerated for a period of time, the group have taken on many forms over the past few years and yet through it all still managed to deliver a string of small scale releases. However, now having aligned themselves with Relapse Records and subsequently delivering their fierce self-titled debut late last month, things look to be getting a lot easier from here on in. Look for them on tour this summer.

Comment On The Learning Curve (Last Updated 6:52 PM PST 06/03/2002)