Portland, Oregon’s Matthew Heller is here with his self-titled release. Heller’s music is aptly described as post-grunge folk.

Others have compared him to Billy Corgan and the Smashing Pumpkins. I don’t really see it but I did ask him about it in our recent interview.

Here’s my opinion.

Matthew’s music is what happens when your soul releases all of its stress in pure, face melting rock n’ roll fashion.

One minute the guitars are screaming burn it down and the next Matthew breaks into some of the most soulful piano movements I have heard in rock music in a while. Those chords are matched with equally souful vocals only a man with Matthew’s experiences could pull off.

If you remember our review of Kids from Nowhere, Matthew Heller is stylistically similar.

This album is meant to be listened to with the volume on 12. If you watch the TV series Sons of Anarchy, Heller’s music makes a great soundtrack to that storyline.

Matthew has a lot of stories to tell. Here’s an excerpt from his bio to give you some context for his songs.

“Howdy From Hades,” along with the hard rocking “Father’s Son,” alludes to my childhood. I grew up on a farm with a heroin-addicted mother who eventually succumbed to her demons…People feel like it’s a sad story, but I’m not about letting that define me. I learned how to do everything myself, and it’s informed the approach I’ve taken with these records.”

This is now on my favorite albums list and I will be watching Matthew into the future.

You can connect with him on Facebook or Twitter.

But more importantly, go download this album.