Chicago's Knuckle Puck specialize in a muscular and melodic blend of old-school punk rock and emo. Following a series of buzzed-about EP's in the 2010s, Knuckle Puck gained wider attention with their 2014 full-length Copacetic and its 2017 follow-up Shapeshifter. Hailing from the southernmost suburbs of the Windy City, Chicago-based pop-punk unit Knuckle Puck formed in 2011 around the talents of John Siorek (drums), Joe Taylor (vocals), Nick Casasanto (guitar/vocals), Ryan Rumchaks (bass), and Kevin Maida (guitar). Drawing well-earned comparisons to bands like the Wonder Years, the Story So Far, and Rise Against, the band put out a trio of self-released EPs (Knuckle Puck Demo [2011], Don't Come Home [2012], and The Weight That You Buried [2013]) before inking a deal with Bad Timing Records, with which they issued a pair of EPs (While I Stay Secluded and Weight That You Buried) in 2014. Another deal was struck, this time with Rise Records, and in the summer of 2015 Knuckle Puck finally released their debut album, Copacetic, which made a solid showing on the alternative and hard rock charts as well as Billboard's Top 200. Tours of the U.S. and Europe followed, and in March 2017 the band delivered a 7" single featuring a pair of tunes, "Calendar Days" and "Indecisive." Later that summer Knuckle Puck released "Gone," the first of three singles from their sophomore LP, Shapeshifter, which arrived in October of 2017. The group's third LP, 20/20, arrived in August of its titular year, heralded by singles "RSVP" and "Breathe."

Kingdom of Giants is a melodic metalcore sextet from Northern California. Born from the remains of another band in 2010, its membership consists of Julian Perez (keyboards), Max Bremer (guitars), Levi Norris (bass), Dana Willax (vocals), Red Martin (guitars), and Truman Berlin (drums). They issued their debut EP, Abominable, in January of 2011. They followed with their first proper full-length, Every Wave of Sound, which received unanimous acclaim from the underground metal press. It attracted so much attention, it provided the band with management and the opportunity to play in Europe. They signed with InVogue Records in early 2014. Their label debut, Ground Culture, was produced by Andreas Magnusson (Haste the Day, the Black Dahlia Murder, Fit for a King) and issued in the fall, followed by intensive touring as they headlined their own dates in the United States and Canada, as well as playing the festival stages of Europe. After relentless touring for a year-and-a-half, the band re-entered the studio. In August 2016, Willax announced a "new album" in a YouTube interview. In February of 2017, InVogue issued the video for pre-release single "Damaged Goods" and followed it with "Runaway" in March, and "Tunnel Vision and "Cash Out" in April. The full-length album, All the Hell You've Got to Spare, was issued in early May. Produced, engineered, and mixed by Nick Loiacono, the set featured 11 new tracks and included guest appearances by T Cavey from Erra, Daniel Gailey from Phinehas, and vocalist Caitlyn Mae from progressive rock band Fighting the Villain.