Tapping the Vein

During the early to mid-90s, a confluence of musical factors produced a crop of alternative bands headed by female vocalists. Garbage might be considered the first and most notable, but the likes of Evanescence (and a slew of lesser known bands) predate Garbage's initial success. One of those "other" bands is Tapping the Vein.

Formed in 1995, the band's basis is drummer and programmer Eric Fisher and vocalist Heather Thompson. Though the name (and to some degree the lyrics) suggest "goth," Tapping the Veins sound is separate from the punk influences of early gothic rock and shuns the genre's later darkwave influences by keeping the musical elements to a minimum. Thompson's vocals are not unlike Trent Reznor's of Nine Inch Nails: she knows when the song needs to be delicate and when it needs a banshee.



Tapping the Vein's first album The Damage was released in 2002 on Nuclear Blast Records. It is currently available in CD form via Amazon.com and other merchants. According to the band's MySpace page, their second album Another Day Down is scheduled for release on March 10, 2009 through Dancing Ferret Discs and IsoTank Music and will be available through other online retailers.

Of particular personal note, the VOTS 2009 Spring League team Plastic Falls was named for the song "Sugar Falls":

Drain STH

The female band Drain STH (known as simply Drain in their native Sweden) is described by WikiPedia as melodic metal. While apt, it doesn't quite encompass the grunge quality of of Drain STH's musical style. The best comparison is to Alice in Chains, the female vocals of Maria Sjöholm are only slightly smoother and less aggressive than Layne Staley's.

While I try to keep all my clips and videos sanctioned and official, it is difficult to find much embeddable Drain STH on the web. The following is a fan submitted audio-only of "Black," off of their second album Freaks of Nature album:


Currently, Drain STH's albums are out of print and available used through vendors like Amazon.com. The band does maintain a MySpace with several tracks available for streaming. Other tracks, especially those from their first album Horror Wrestling can be found via a YouTube search.

Kerbdog

Hailing from Kilkenny in Ireland, Kerbdog has a mature post-grunge sound that fits perfectly in to any 2000s alternative metal playlist. Their only sin is being a good five years too early. Their first eponymous album was released in 1994. It neither fits the fading grunge sound of the time nor the budding genre of post-grunge which didn't come into prominence until the early 2000s. While Kerbdog did receive a wide release (their first album was available through BMG or Columbia House) and recorded a second album, On the Turn (1996), they never quite found their niche in the 90s.



Though officially "disbanded," Kerbdog maintains a strong fan base and has found some success in performing in the UK. In fact, if you happen to be in Dublin this December, you might want to check them out at Andrews Lane. If you are sadly states-bound, there is hope. Kerbdog offers both of their albums as well as a comprehensive array of "extras" for free in their media gallery.