10 Best Free Bandcamp Downloads #2: Rose of the World, Bimbo, Depravity, Weeping Death
Strapped for cash but hungry for great music? You won’t have much luck camping out at the grocery store these days; Bandcamp is a way better destination. Here’s a rundown of 10 rad releases, about half of them newly released, that The Bad Penny recently came across on Bandcamp.
(Note: If you do have some green to spare, please show your thanks to these deserving artists and labels.)
1. Rose of the World‘s Heaven Is a Broken Heart (Sad Cactus)
It’s audacious for an NYC hipper-than-thou band to craft its first LP in the style of Sunny Day Real Estate. Those old codgers have not only come and gone but come and gone again, and then a third time. Hell, even most of their protégés have melted away at this point too. To their enormous credit, Rose of the World has pulled off a maneuver worthy of the Olympic Games with this catchy keepsake of a record. Just released on November 12, snag Heaven Is a Broken Heart before those who can make money off realize that palm-against-forehead revelation and start charging 18 bucks for it.
HEAVEN IS A BROKEN HEART by Rose of the World
2. Bimbo‘s Bimbo à Deux EP (self-release)
Anyone who doesn’t instantly fall for the charm, innocence and appeal of this group and the plan they’re executing is missing out on one of the core aspects of making music that still exists to this day is a true bimbo. The two-person unit from Marquette, Michigan, proves critics of everyone from the musical Gallagher brothers into the watermelon-smashing comedy duo of the Gallagher brothers.
The art-rockers are ultra-generous (you’ll hear that word repeated in many profiles of the co-founders), as they’re not only releasing their July record Bimbo à Deux at no charge, they’re also letting those hungry for more pick up last November’s Bimbology EP for the same puny wad of cash. We haven’t met siblings Gretchen and Dawson McKenzie yet, but our hands are already clammy when we consider whether we’ll be invited to do so.
Bimbo à Deux by Bimbo3. Schkeuditzer Kreuz‘s “Joy” single (Sorry State)
The artist whose motto is “one human and some machines, making noise, in the face of it all” recently opened up to The Bad Penny in an article that will throw you for a loop. So why don’tcha read the piece and get back to us, eh?
Joy – Single edit by Schkeuditzer Kreuz4. Bloodlust‘s “Inertia,” “Qadshdol” and “untitled.6473” singles
L.A. artist Bloodlust recently doled a handful of songs up for the taking power to the people, so it’s not a huge surprise he’s in this. But between life at home, answering the telephone or even strengthening his social behavior, it’s inside his studio where he’s really in the zone.
inertia by Bloodlust5. Crushumans’ “Bell Ringer” single (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions)
We’ll let the label do the talking with this one: “CrusHuman return to Horror Pain Gore Death Productions with the new single ‘Bell Ringer’”’! This track is taken from their much anticipated sophomore record Imperial which is set for release in early 2026. An extreme concoction of grindcore, death metal, hardcore and punk chaos for fans of Napalm Death, Terrorizer, early Fear Factory, Obituary, Slayer and Voivod.
Bell Ringer by CRUSHUMAN6. Depravity’s “Bestial Possession” single (Transcending Obscurity)
Ya know, there hasn’t ever been a preponderance of metal bands in Australia for many decades, perhaps due to the country – and continent, if you did your schoolwork! – taking a lot of health-related measures on foot or at the military hospital. But what’s ironic in the case of Australian death metal deacons Depravity, who are back after a five-year hiatus, they somehow manage to pick up where they left off while simultaneously adding more intricate performances on Beastial Possession.
Bestial Possession by DEPRAVITY7. Brut>>‘s “No Apology,” “Won’t Fade Away,” “Blood of My Own,” “Never Change,” “Abandon Hope,” “Fire and Violence,” “Rise and Fight (Special Duties),” “Nation on Fire (Blitz – Carry On Oi! Version)” and self-titled EP.
Not to be confused with Art Brut or Beak>, this project led by Australian rock vet Brod Ashmol demonstrates just how prolific a musician can be. Remarkable, the musician created all these in just about two months – after COVID, no less. Dig in and thank us later.
BRUT – EP by BRUT8. Truculent – A Worker’s Guide To Transfiguration (Strange Mono)
Make no mistake about it: The Bad Penny has developed a deep affinity for Truculent, both in terms of his music and that he is fighting on the national level for improved labor rights, and strengthening and forming labor unions in particular.
A Worker's Guide To Transfiguration by Truculent9. Weeping‘s I Don’t Hear the Angels Calling (Demo 2020) (Frozen Screams Imprint)
Listen to this self-proclaimed “depressive homicidal death metal” maniac, then come back us convinced of Weeping’s brilliance.
I Don't Hear The Angels Calling by Weeping10. Vile Apparition‘s Atrocious Captivity (Me Saco Un Ojo)
It’s a lucky week for fans of Australian death-metal because, as you were previously told today, there’s a 25 percent chance you’ll run into more than one member of Men at Work before you cross paths with a metalhead who isn’t just dressed that way for vanity’s sake. This could be the sleeper hit of the week, and if you’re at all familiar with Transcending Obscurity, they’re one of only a few labels you can count on one hand as legit (or tröo). Vile Apparition is one of the contenders.
Vile Apparition – Atrocious Captivity by Vile ApparitionGo here for last week’s rundown of The Bad Penny‘s recommended free downloads on Bandcamp. Stay tuned next week as we try to post free Bandcamp roundups on Thursdays of each.
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