Oceana Sunday, Oct. 19, at Jaxx

Hardcore bands seeking to make it big in a genre defined by Underoath tend to get measured in one of two ways: Do they sound too much like Underoath, or not quite as good? St. Petersburg’s Oceana pulls itself out of that kind of petty competition with a different tack, melding hardcore vocals with proggy guitar effects, odd time signatures, and­—wait for it—verses that are just as engaging as the choruses. Though the quintet shares some of Underoath’s dark imagery, its debut album, The Tide, avoids standard-issue driving guitars and run-of-the-mill breakdowns. Instead, they elaborately tie together modal lines, syncopated stops, and violent heavy sections—and unlike many of their contemporaries, they can pull all of it off live, too.

OCEANA PERFORMS WITH BEFORE THEIR EYES, LOVE HATE HERO, EYES SET TO KILL, A KISS FOR JERSEY, I SEE STARS, THANKS FOR STOPPING BYE, RESCUE THE HERO, WHEN DAY BREAKS, AND FORCE MAJOR AT 1 P.M. AT JAXX, 6355 ROLLING RD., SPRINGFIELD, VA. $14. (703) 569-5940.