Bands offer fresh material for the new year

It's a new year, time for some new bands.

Kind of.

With 2013 upon us, here are some fresh - and some more familiar - faces who are primed for bigger things in the upcoming months:

Lotus. Lotus' riffs pack a full-body buzz, a sensation akin to standing too close to an idling 18-wheeler. Frontman Eric "Lando" Hagen's guitar tone is so fuzzy, it's as if it was made of cotton balls and rabbit hides. And did we mention he sings of Trans Ams and gigantic flamethrowers? It all equates to some seriously seismic stoner rock. Hagen used to be in Bay Area badasses White Witch Canyon, and he builds upon that band's tectonic rumble here with a sound as vast as the desert where he has relocated.

God's America. Power violence is less a form of music than a means to your end: think hardcore shot through a particle accelerator - and then stop thinking and duck. Hewing to this ugly tradition, God's America is one of Vegas' most awesomely overwhelming bands, their tunes whizzing by in vertigo-inducing fashion with speed-of-sound guitars, blast beats and bloody vocal chords. Recently, the band hooked up with Baltimore's A389 Recordings, who've put out records by EyeHateGod, Integrity, Weekend Nachos and many others, for a fierce new 7-inch, "Our Bones Will Bleach in the Sun," whose aim is to reduce said bones to dust.

Caravels. These dudes have been fraying nerves with their eruptive post-hardcore for a few years now, but they're ready for a breakout in 2013 with a new album due out on Boston-based indie Topshelf Records. Steady gigging has served as a torque wrench securing the bolts on the band's sound to the point where, like wire drawn too tight, it sometimes feels as if it may snap in two from the tension. But as overheated as this bunch gets, they always take time to inhale and pay attention to detail, their songs as intricately crafted as they are explosive.

The Loud Pipes. Speaking of groups who have made the rounds - as well as drank more than a few - the Loud Pipes first got together more than a decade ago, but have returned after taking the last few years off. So while they're far from a new band, there is new life within the group. This is welcome news for those of us fond of rock 'n' roll as full-contact sport, something that demands a reaction, even if it's to turn and flee for safety in the other direction. The band's brazen, barbarous jams are equally suited for swishing hips or catalyzing bar fights - not that the Loud Pipes demand that you choose between the two.

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.