Here are bands and artists you may not have heard of yet…but they have major potential and you get to read about them here, right before they make it big!  And “Graduates” are musicians we highlighted in past issues whose careers, as we predicted, have really taken off!

Eric “Swede” Jernstrom’s Songs from the Den

By Jillian Locke

“As I got older, I took the advice of a wise man that said, ‘Take your own experiences and write about what you know,’ and that’s what I did. I feel it’s the most honest and compelling thing you can do with music.” Formerly of Rawhead Rex and Beware the Ides, vocalist Eric Jernstrom, aka “Swede,” has returned to his acoustic roots to deliver an intensely personal musical journey and a step out in a fresh, solo direction.

“I’ve been playing out professionally for about twenty years but this will be my first solo effort. The music is entirely different than what people are used to hearing from me. I’m truly doing this as something I’ve just always wanted to do,” Swede shares. Songs from the Den includes 10 tracks documenting the strife, depravity, heartache and eventual rise from the darkest depths of the soul, all mindfully crafted into an offering of raw honesty and vulnerability.

Recorded on a Roland VS 1880, the demo is a gateway to the future of a seasoned veteran who has logged 20 years of professional performance. This time, however, Swede’s taking his vision to a whole new level. “I will be going into the studio with a full band, complete with strings, percussion and keys. It’s going to be a pretty large undertaking but I’m at the point in my life where I want to make this a reality.”

On Sunday, Jan 16th, Swede will take the first step towards making that dream a reality by performing an acoustic gig at Fusion Five in Foxboro alongside premier guitar instructor Randy Valley. “Randy will play the other parts I’ve recorded that I can’t pull off simultaneously live. Personally, I don’t think there is a better guitarist out there,” says Swede.

Check out www.negb1.com/ under “Swede” for a sampling of Songs from the Den and reach out to Swede at eric.jernstrom@gmail.com for show and demo info.

CD: Justin Ballard

By Bruce Elliot

An unlikely contender, hailing from a forgotten Massachusetts suburb… the story of a talented underdog who refused to quit until he had taken his best shot. Sure, this could be the story of Irish Mickey Ward, the Lowell fighter, who shocked the world during his unlikely rise as boxing legend. But instead, this is the story of Westborough native Justin Ballard, a multi-instrumentalist songwriter who is taking his best shot at musical success with his impressive new CD POST.

“This album is the culmination of everything I’ve learned in the two decades I’ve been playing and writing music, and in the three decades I’ve loved it.” Ballard, the former Debris singer and Berklee graduate, mastered several instruments as a child before landing on guitar. From The Beatles and The Police, to the heavier sounds of Guns N’ Roses, Megadeath, and Metallica, Ballard absorbed the best of these bands, and much of this inspiration can be heard on POST. “I spent a full year dumping 20 years worth of musical and life inspiration into a stand mixer, and pouring it into the making of this record.”

Ballard, who plays virtually every instrument and every note on the album, and produces awe inspiring, multilayered harmonies, has created a musically diverse statement of power and precision, delicacy and detail. Ballard tells Pulse, “I wanted it to have that hard rock edge to it, but also be extremely hooky and interesting all the way through.” Standout tracks include the dark, emotionally satisfying “Infantile,” the piano based pop song “”She’ll Be the Death of Me,” and the epic “House of Lies,” which Ballard explains, “…has one of my favorite choruses I’ve ever written.”

While most of us only fanaticize about taking our shot, Justin Ballard has climbed into the ring with a puncher’s chance and a dream. Check out POST at www.facebook.com/JustinBallardMusic.

Our Name Is Legion

By Alex Kantarelis

Fans of Death Metal have a new band to look up to:  Our Name Is Legion is playing their heavy brand of death metal to the max, and they show no signs of slowing down any time soon.

The band got their start in 2009, writing songs and crafting their multi-layered aggressive sound.  Things started to take shape when founding members Corey Vizard (vocals), Shawn Surprenant (guitar), and Mat Woodard (guitar) met up with drummer Brad Berk and bassist Sebastian Dill, who up until then had been playing with Evince Ethos.  The newly assembled lineup began playing as many local shows as they could, and practicing relentlessly.  In the fall of 2010, the guys hit the studio to record their debut four song EP which is available for free at their Myspace page.

Woodard describes their sound as “…progressive, technical, melodic, death metal.”  Think of the brutality of Between the Buried and Me and Killswitch Engage mixed with the melodies of Dream Theater.  “Our sound is constantly evolving so the answer to this question may be something entirely different next year (I’m thinking cajun, jazz, folkcore),” Woodard said.

While the band is still in its infancy, when they hit the studio they sound like seasoned veterans, something that can be attributed to their past experiences: each member had played in a death metal or metal core band before joining Our Name is Legion.  It’s this maturity in their sound that helped them place 2nd in the 2010 Massachusetts Battle of the Bands.

Now that the EP is out, the guys have no plans of slowing down in the immediate future, filling their time by booking shows and shopping their music to record labels all over the country.  They’re also planning a summer tour in support of the EP.  Says Woodard, “Keep an eye out for our shows and new releases.  You can find all the information ~ and stalk us! ~ via Myspace and at myspace.com/OurNameisLegionMA.”

Something tells me these guys are going to be HUGE in 2011.