Forming in 2019 and starting as the solo endeavour of Notingham, England’s Maxwell Jeffries (previously of Rage Cave), Underking enlisted the vocal talents of Dustin Burmeister from Arizona, U.S. Underking just released their debut project, an ambitious duel album featuring two distinct styles.We asked Underking’s Maxwell Jeffries to name his top ten upcoming artists from around the world. Here is the list!Over the past couple of months, I’ve been curating a Spotify playlist called ‘The Underking Recommends’, intending to highlight some of the bands that I think really have a shot at making it big in the music industry over the next couple of years.  The list isn’t confined to any particular genre and encompasses bands from across the globe; so hopefully, wherever you are, or whatever music you’re into – there’ll be something for you!

 Moron Police
Hailing from Norway, the progressive rock outfit has already had a fairly odd career progression in their short 8-year history. Beginning as a party rock band with goofy lyrics and stereotypical hard rock riffs, Moron Police have matured into an upbeat, playful progressive rock band on their latest album ‘A Boat on the Sea’ – an absolute masterpiece of an album that I can see taking the band a long, long way. With influences ranging from Plini to 80’s pop the band’s sound is incredibly varied and has a seriously unique quirky energy to it. These guys deserve all the praise they’re currently getting in the underground scene and I can’t wait to see what they do next!
Must Kill
Thrash/Death metal from England, Must Kill recently released their killer debut EP ‘Ghost Malevolent’ that, while short, contains some of the
finest thrash put to tape by any band in the underground scene. ‘Septicity’ should be heard by every modern discerning thrash fan with some killer riffs and awesome vocals. Where a lot of modern thrash goes wrong with unintelligible vocals, these guys walk the line perfectly and get in all the great heavy stuff that we as metal fans love but is also accessible to people who only listen to clean vocals. I can see these guys getting big if they keep up anywhere near this quality of content!
Engulf A one-man death-metal band from New Jersey, USA – Engulf manage to make some of the most disgustingly heavy music I’ve heard recently. Seemingly drawing influences from all over the heavy music spectrum,
Engulfs amalgamation of blast-beat driven death metal with groove-laden riffage is something that definitely makes them stand out from some of the other, more generic sounding death-metal acts. Hal Microutsicos really is one of the most talented multi-instrumentalists out their currently and the drum programming is top tier – I didn’t even notice that they were programmed until looking into it some more. If you’re a fan of Suffocation or Morbid Angel – you’ll love Engulf.
Titan Breed
Scotland based act Titan Breed burst onto the metal scene in 2016 and haven’t let up since, releasing two stellar EPs and playing numerous live shows at many of the most iconic venues in the UK – including a spot at Bloodstock Festival in 2017. With their own unique blend of harsh and clean vocals, Titan Breed are a groove-metal band with a lot of promise, with songs
like ‘Legacy’ having the chance to turn into festival anthems with a bit more traction behind them. Their latest EP is a solid slice of Glaswegian metal and definitely deserves to be heard by a wider audience. Give the group a chance if you’re a fan of some heavy riffs and some excellent clean vocals.
Bury Me In Lights
One of the world’s finest upcoming Pop-Punk bands, Bury Me In Lights should be on everyone’s radar if you’re into catchy chorus and upbeat music with a feelgood energy. The USA based act know how to create the perfect chorus that’ll be stuck in your head for days on end and I can imagine the songs go down a treat live! A particular highlight is their song ‘One More Pallbearer’ off their latest EP release. I can see these guys being the next big thing in the pop-rock scene and I’m looking forward to a full-length release soon!
The Vintage Caravan
Although these guys easily dwarf the other acts on the list in terms of listeners on streaming and in record sales, I still think of the Icelandic trio as upcoming and ready for world domination. The classic rock trio definitely have a knack for tapping into that ‘vintage’ sound and taking the listener back to an age where the riff was king and rock dominated the charts. With heavy influence from Black Sabbath, the band have songs
that can stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the best from modern rock giants like Rival Sons. The band have already had the chance to play major festivals like Graspop and Wacken but I can see these guys moving swiftly up the bill with each album release.
Rainless
The solo instrumental-metal project of England’s Harvey Magher, Rainless produce some of the finest underground instrumental music you can find today. Not your average, run-of-the-mill bedroom solo project, Magher brings riffs for days and some incredibly memorable songs on his debut EP: ‘Inpatient’ that reminds me of larger acts like Toska and some of Periphery’s instrumental cuts. The production value rivals that of some of the best instrumental projects and its clear that a lot of time and effort went into producing the EP. With more music on the horizon, I can see Rainless picking up traction in the underground prog scene and hopefully playing bigger and bigger shows and getting some opportunities to play with some of the major acts in the business!
Pripjat
Who doesn’t enjoy a good bit of German thrash metal? Following in the footsteps of metal giants such as Kreator and Sodom, Pripjat bring some much-needed European flair to the American/UK dominated modern thrash scene. The riffs are really where the band shines – with some moments feeling like they could’ve been produced by thrash legends, not an upcoming band from Germany. The Slayer-esque vocal delivery of frontman Kirill Gromada is also solid and surprisingly catchy at times! Whilst some may find the thrash-revival going on in recent times too reliant on nostalgia, I for one am happy to see so many thrash bands emerging and continuing the amazing tradition of thrash metal!
Ryders Creed
Part of a whole other revival of an old genre of music, Ryders Creed are currently part of the spearhead of the NWOCR (New Wave of Classic Rock) movement emerging recently. Their latest album, ‘Lost Souls’ that dropped on May 8th, is a superb follow up to their extraordinary self-titled debut. Headbanging, groovy riffs and massive hooks are scattered throughout their music with Ryan Hulmes’ Eddie Vedder-like vocals soaring to hit some crazy notes. The guys know how to craft a song that sounds vintage, classic and new all at the same time – with the songs never sounding like an out of date pastiche like so many other bands fall into the trap of doing these days. The guys really have the scope to go far and I feel, with this latest album, that might just happen! Either way, the British rockers deserve your attention!
Hellripper
Another solo project but this time firmly rooted in the current blackened speed metal trend that seems to have emerged lately. Scotland based Hellripper know how to have a good time, combining all the harsh elements of black metal with the alcohol fuelled party atmosphere of speed metal. Songs like ‘All Hail the Goat’ just have an infectious energy about them that leaves you wanting more – you honestly can’t just listen to one song and switch off, trust me – I’ve tried it! The band also manage to walk the line well between the classic raw black metal production and a more modern, punchy recording quality making for a fun listen without having to sit through something that sounds like it was recorded with a toy phone in an empty garage. If you’re into bands like Midnight or  Kvelertak, Hellripper will definitely scratch that itch for more new music.