Dan Hillier
The experimental, avant-garde and just simply indescribable masked trio return. Taken from their forthcoming record Spirit Of Ecstasy – released July 22nd via Century Media Records – ‘Maximalist Scream’ see’s Imperial Triumphant once again rise from the slums and splendours of New York City to offer a musical experience that can only be described as labyrinthine. A continuation of the metropolitan mash-up of black metal and freeform jazz fusion found in their previous material, ‘Maximalist Scream’ once again mirrors the lunatics folly that is modern living through a intertwinement of textures, sounds and genres that’s been composed both precisely and frantically. Those interested will undoubtedly spend hours unravelling this web of components, and as the band elaborate on the track, the meanings behind this single are open to analysation; “Atmospheres awash with mysterious origins. Sacred rites of passage and formidable knowledge lead to marvels of engineering. Funneling the mass into a finite horizon all roads travel in duality. Blurred is the line between real and illusion as the last scream of truth is destroyed by evil so grotesque. It transforms into a lone rider traveling into the forbidden darkness…” – Dan Hillier
Riding high on the release of their previous single ‘Oldest Daughter’, Philadelphia’s finest The Wonder Years are back with another single with ‘Summer Clothes’. The second single to be taken from their yet-to-be-announced new full length, the track is a dusk-lit ballad dedicated to those lost and reckless days of youth where anything seemed possible in the face of looming adulthood that’s complete with a goosebump inducing crescendo that can only be of their own design. Musically, it’s brilliant, but ‘Summer Clothes’ vividly highlights the both the song-writing and story-telling themes of frontman and lyrist Dan Campbell, with Cambell delivering and detailing his reflections on nostalgia in a way that’s earnest, poetic and wholly emotional. ‘Oldest Daughter’ may have eluded to this several weeks back, but ‘Summer Clothes’ is inarguable evidence that The Wonder Years may currently be sitting on their finest body of work to date. – Dan Hillier
Portsmouth punk outfit Young Pretorians have released their new single ‘Square Eyes’ this week, a song exploring the negative effects of tv and media. Whilst recognising that the world of streaming is rich and can provide positive escapism the song shines a light on the addictiveness and unhealthy obsession that can occur as a result of getting lost in a skewed reality. It’s a powerful message and a reminder of the trappings of the industry and world we live in. ‘Square Eyes’ is the second to be released this year following the positively received ‘Why Worry?’ and, as expected, it is a rip roaring balls-to-the-wall punk track that marries anthemic skater punk and brilliant melody. The nostalgic feel of the track helps to add poignancy and meaning to the powerful message but in it’s delivery and on the surface it’s a straight up banger. The singalong quality to the chorus with the gang vocal of “has it really come to this?” is a particular highlight showcasing a songwriting proficiency and level of finesse whilst oozing emotion and feeling. – Jac Holloway
British rock outfit RXPTRS have released their new single ‘The Frail’ from their upcoming album ‘Living Without Death’s Permission’. The Bristol based band infuse elements of rock, metal, hardcore and punk as well as a faultless energy that creates a powerful and rich overall sound. The band recently signed with Blacklight Media/ Metal Blade Records for the release of the album and have taken leaps in reaching a wider fanbase and sharing their infectious and raucous sound across the nation. ‘The Frail’ is a particularly special and truly tragic tribute to the band’s brother and biggest supporter Ryan Chisholm, a well known, incredibly renowned and loved individual in the scene who sadly died a few weeks ago. This news was received at the time of the band filming the music video and the raw emotion and heartache witnessed is both something to behold as well as being a marvellously courageous and strong message of unity and family. The song features a brilliant and impressive blend of hard rock, intricate lead guitar and powerfully melodic vocals that hold a strong and wide range. From the soaring bellow throughout the song to the grittier moments of raspy vocals there is a dominating and commanding aspect to ‘The Frail’ that is all-encompassing. The bridge section slows pace to build the song into an almighty crescendo that takes an all new meaning since being written. With five singles already released RXPTRS are backing themselves with their brave, bold and vulnerable sound and are ready to take it to the masses. Our love and thoughts are with the band as well as family and friends. Ryan Chisholm Forever. – Jac Holloway
Instilling a collective need to endure the cataclysmic eruptions of a band hellbent on carving their own path to modern reckless revelry; the London based DIY-nu metal bolides WARGASM, strive to inspire euphoria in the hearts of the persecuted, with their latest impressionistic blaster ‘D.R.I.L.D.O’, taken off of their upcoming debut LP – Explicit: The Mixxxtape. With stylistic qualities resembling the audible equivalent of a Red Hot Poker jabbing us repeatedly to the edge of mania induced rapture; it’s accompanying music video seems to effortlessly capture the sinister beauty of alternative club culture, all while fighting off an invasion of pup masked mini-militias headed by a wifebeater clad skinhead. Considering the track only consists of three and a half minutes of unadulterated bloody pandemonium, it’s genre-breaking mastery stands as the ultimate injection of prominence, mighty enough to arouse a great deal of intrigue for what is next to come from these freak championing heretics. – Bennie Osborne
After the widely successful release of last year’s Horizons/East, the ceremonial California alt-rock troupe Thrice are back with their latest single ‘Dead Wake’. Cooked up during the recording process of Horizons/East but requiring a bit more time in the oven so to speak, the single is a continuation of the thematic themes of introspection and the warm yet melancholiac instrumentalism that bounded their latest full length. “This is a tune we were working on during the Horizons/East sessions but hadn’t completed”, shares vocalist Dustin Kensrue on the new track. “I’ve always been fascinated by songs that only have one chord progression but feel expansive and varied through the use of shifting melodies and layers and we wanted to play with that format here.” – Dan Hillier
The Swedish tech-death outfit Soreption have released the second track taken from their upcoming album Jord, ‘The Artificial North’. Churning, almost nu-metal grooves in the vocal delivery are subsumed into the band’s rhythmic assault that ties together technicality and atmosphere. A blistering solo midway through provides little solace from the multifaceted bludgeoning, complexity coming from all sides, including a mind-melting turn from bassist Rickard Persson. Of the themes of the song itself, vocalist Fredrik Söderberg explains: “The concept of the song, in short, is about the extremes we go to for survival. How we slowly but surely become more digital than organic. At the end of it all, we become what we feared from the start. In the video we follow a man trapped in this rapidly evolving artificial north.” – Will Marshall
The latest single taken from Coheed and Cambria’s hotly-anticipated album Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind, ‘Comatose’ showcases their penchant for arena-ready hooks and choruses, tied together by progressive sensibilities and topped by Claudio Sanchez’s soaring pipes. The joyous, bouncing nature invites comparisons to pop-punk, as it delves into the desire to “dip out” of stressful situations (“I don’t want to feel, fuck it, keep me comatose”) while welcoming listeners back to the band’s own ongoing storyline, ‘The Amory Wars’ as the second addition to the new Vaxis arc. The preceding three singles have been stadium-sized singalongs and ‘Comatose’ is no different. – Will Marshall
Self-styled ‘deathgaze’ pioneers Kardashev are continuing to tease their forthcoming album Liminal Rite with their latest single ‘Glass Phantoms’. The emotionally fraught song opens with more typical death metal fare, cascading drums and ominous guitar, while vocalist Mark Garrett employs his ferocious screams and howls but such simplicity is short-lived. Pained, melodic cries supplemented by the ever-present keys and symphonic elements stirring beneath the surface, as well as heartwrenching cleans and blastbeats make appearances as the song progresses through its arc. Always writing from a deeply emotional place, with ‘Glass Phantoms’ Kardashev examine how the past can continue to haunt us no matter how hard we try to control things rather than dealing with them, its subject left a broken shell of a man. In their own words, “Liminal Rite explores how the past can both wound and seduce, leading us down a path of self-destruction”. One thing is for certain – Kardashev truly are pioneering a new sound, along with their own conceptual and emotional tales. – Will Marshall
Navigating the egregious nature of contemporaneous existence, through the lens of emotional apathy; the Orlandoinian Alternative quintet Magnolia Park band together with their fellow Floridian and the emo pop rocking frontman of Mayday Parade – Derek Sanders, for an intense feels fest that brilliantly throws us back in time to the golden age of Pop Punk with their latest banger ‘Feel Something’. Taken from MP’s upcoming extended play – Heart Eater which is scheduled for release early next month, ‘Feel Something’ echoes the distinct desire to truly live in every precious moment we have, especially when life’s trials and tribulations drag you further into internal disintegration. With the acknowledgment of life becoming rather dire plus more and more complex as the days go by, the fleeting moments of glee are our much needed treasures that keep up from ending it all; these kinds of reminders are vital so you can understand as to why such a listening experience is a must for us and now for all of you. – Bennie Osborne
Bolstering their reputation as one of the most wholesome and joyous bands in math rock, the latest single from Standards is set to have you beaming from ear to ear. Channeling thoughts of acts such as Vasudeva, Totorro, Clever Girl and all the other acts that challenge the stoic stereotypes falsely associated with the genre, ‘Smile’ is a giddily upbeat blast of technical positivity that invokes a sense of childish wonder and charm in due to it’s fruity riffs, exotic atmosphere and delicate newfound electronics. The inclusion of such synthetic textures may be first for the band, but as shown here, Standards have only amplify their characteristics with the development of their musical palette. – Dan Hillier
Harder than nails and violent to a quit frankly silly degree, Quebec’s Get The Shot returns with Lionheart’s Rob Watson in tow for ‘Deathbound’. Dedicated to the lowest dreggs of humanity the band have crossed paths with, the single is a unconsolable statement of intent delivered with the power of 90’s hardcore, the flaying of 80’s thrash and the bloodlust of modern deathcore. Yes, it’s highly obnoxious with it’s breakdowns and shoutouts in abundance, but that still doesn’t distract from the fact that this is a must listen for anyone with a penchant for hardcore at it’s most aggressive. Get The Shot have long enjoyed a reputation for alchemising the most violent parts of hardcore, death metal and thrash for several years now but ‘Deathbound’ only shows they are still refining that winning formula long after originally cracking it. – Dan Hillier
Grey Daze are a fascinating band with some prominence and status in the 90’s and more recently producing an incredibly beautiful and touching album called ‘Amends’, an ode to and in honour of the legend that is Chester Bennington. For those of you that live in a cave, before the heights of Linkin Park, Bennington fronted Grey Daze between 1993 and 1998. The fascination of ‘Amends’ comes from the production and story, with the band having discovered Chester’s vocals on tapes and using these raw vocals to craft an album. Fast forward and Grey Daze are set to release another album called ‘The Phoenix’ and this week released it’s second single ‘Starting To Fly’. At the time of Chester’s untimely death the band were looking to re-record and reimagine their discography and that is what ‘The Phoenix’ delivers on, a promise and pledge from the band to Chester. What makes ‘Starting To Fly’ beautiful is that drummer Sean Dowdell recalls he was able to sing with Chester on this and that was really special to be able to do. The song itself is about entering adulthood and gaining independence, featuring the unmatched soar of Chester’s vocals as well as hearing his early grunge-like croon. Poignantly powerful as it is raw and full of angst, fans should strap in for another emotional rollercoaster. – Jac Holloway
Hot Milk are back with their new single ‘Teenage Runaways’, a song that thematically weaves into the bands newly announced EP ‘The King and Queen of Gasoline’ out August 5th. The six track EP is the follow on from the band’s 2019 EP ‘Are You Feeling Alive?’ And 2021’s ‘I JUST WANNA KNOW THAT HAPPENS WHEN I’M DEAD’ both of which were critically acclaimed and landed them some staggering tours including Foo Fighters and Pale Waves. The EP creates a storyline of resistance and overcoming this through the lens of parental relationships and friendships that have created a sense of control or judgement. As for ‘Teenage Runaways’, the rage-fuelled pop punk anthem is a stirring and soaring call-to-arms that brilliantly balances old school pop punk tropes and layers them underneath a crisp and freshly produced mix so as not to give the feeling of stagnancy or ground previously covered. Visually the song’s imagery is thoughtful and provoking and adds to the richness of the theme and the message that Hot Milk want delivered. – Jac Holloway
Serving us an unforgettable tag team assault on the senses with some ever magnetic Pop Punk beats, while dissecting the ongoing mental strains of contemporary life; the thunder from down under Yours Truly alongside the frontman of the Weybridge alt rock swarm chasers – Josh Franceschi from You Me At Six, usher in a new exposing era for all parties involved as they venture into the debilitating nature of dissociation on ‘Hallucinate’. Visually transporting us into noughties-esque virtual simulation imagery, intersected with vividly illuminated club night scenes; it’s fairly easy to assume a great deal of this tracks inspiration was sourced from experiences of social anxiety and unwanted stints of blurred realities. As an introspective ode to internal mental and emotional torture, it’s personality seems to fall on a more upbeat streak thanks to its infectious instrumental, creating a deeply connective & cathartic track that’s catchy enough to kick off a slam dance or two. – Bennie Osborne
Busying themselves with the release of their collaboration with Magnolia Park, as well as revealing a tender pounding previously intended for their 7th studio album – What It Means To Fall Apart; the Tallahassee emo rockers Mayday Parade ease the tenterhooks of their awaiting fan base, with a grief stricken ode to the thoughts and feelings surrounding the post-breakup microcosm on ‘Losing My Mind’. Being the kind of track that would be a perfect fit in a coming-of-age rom-com, especially during the crisis climax; it’s understated allure and comforting appeal, even with its most tragic of pleadings, really instills its primary focus of leading the broken hearted through their desperation. With the band hitting the road for their 8 day U.K. self-titled anniversary tour, commencing Monday the 31st of May, it’s the ideal time to give this emotional jerker a test try while soaking up the impressive blastings of a band still going strong after 17 years in the game. – Bennie Osborne