Cwn Annwn (pronounced “coon uh noon”) supply some solid, thrashy metal on their latest EP, Blood of the Djinn, but we like how they never let the tropes of metal interfere with their dedication to melody. They are fronted by lead singer Julie Schultz, who unfortunately spends too much time on the lower end of her range. Schultz’ voice gets lost in the mix until she soars into her upper register with electrifying power. When she hits the highs it’s unlike any other sound in town.

This Twin Cities-based band could find success by doing things differently.

Cwn Annwn celebrate the release of their new CD this Friday, April 11th, at Station-4, St. Paul’s metal sanctuary. They’re not partying alone.

They will be joined by Destrophy and Far Forbidden, along with Rockford’s punk-hop godfathers The Good Year Pimps… except now they’re called The God Damn Pimps after apparently running into legal trouble or just getting tired of the old fucking name. Of course, most people just call’em The Pimps, which seems appropriate since they don’t care about a consistent, easily marketable name. But they do care about making sure everyone has an awesome time at their shows. –Tim O’Regan