Coheed and Cambria – Blind Side Sonny
Children of the fence rejoice, weirdo prog-emo legends Coheed and Cambria are back with their heaviest single in years ‘Blind Side Sonny’. Having more in common sonically with their early 2000s singles like ‘Devil In Jersey City’ or ‘A Favor House Atlantic’ than their last album, 2022’s Vaxis II: A Window Of The Waking Mind, ‘Blind Side Sonny’ feels like a fiercely energetic throwback to the band’s early days. With some of frontman Claudio Sanchez’s most ferocious screams to date and sing-along gang vocals in its memorable chorus, ‘Blind Side Sonny’ throws off much of the band’s more progressive tendencies in favour of non-stop post-hardcore energy. After a pair of standalone singles released this summer it looks like Coheed are finally gearing up for their next album, if this first single is anything to go by then it’ll be one to look forward to. – Tom Bruce
Vukovi – Gungho
Serving nothing but the essence of unadulterated theatrics, the Scottish alt rock powerhouse VUKOVI, deliver the first taste of their post-NULA ascension to greatness; the first single ‘Gungho’ from their upcoming 4th studio album MY GOD HAS GOT A GUN that serves up ultra sensual vibes and dominating sonic insurgence. Never a band to leave fans unsatisfied, the duo are also hitting the road on their biggest headline tour to date, as they spread their intoxicating soundwaves across Europe and the UK in February and March next year. We expect great things from their newly invigorated era, and with ‘Gungho’ off the starting blocks, it’s an intriguing start. – Bennie Osborne
Copse – Wish Ender
One of the shining lights of the British post black metal scene, Copse, are experts in channelling beauty, however abstract, from the dark unknown. ‘Wish Ender’ , the band’s brand new single is a perfect example of that. Despite the title being a Destiny 2 reference, the track is not something light and referential, instead being a scorching blend of pained shrieks and howls, frantic drums and an atmosphere akin to fleeing through a never-ending burning forest. The guest vocals from Hundred Year Old Man‘s David Duxberry are phenomenal, adding a layer of almost crooked melody to the scathing affair. They allow things to breathe, to settle before the cacophonous final blast takes the air out of your lungs. A stunning track that sets out the band’s stall for their future work perfectly. Chris Earl
Alt Blk Era – Come On Outside
Guiding listeners through their experience of chronic illness while providing a space of safety, acceptance and love to those who feel the most alone and depressed; the Nottingham sister act Alt Blk Era, deliver the feels and throwback vibes with the 3rd single off of their upcoming debut album Rave Immortal due late January via Earache Records. ‘Come On Outside’ is an especially impactful anthemic track, poised to capture the comfort appeal of the lonely and lost souls who yearn for better days on the horizon while gifting some much needed grace and time to properly heal from trauma. – Bennie Osborne
THANK – Woke Frasier
The latest track to be taken from the band’s upcoming LP I Have A Physical Body That Can Be Harmed – released November 8th via Big Scary Monsters – ‘Woke Frasier’ is a brilliantly sardonic commentary on the cultural pneumonia that is ‘woke’. Or rather, it’s a track that darkly nails how ‘woke’ is a fictional concept, an utterly meaningless tag that can be applied to absolutely anything that will justify the failures of irked xenophobic types and now a fictional concept that can be sold and capitalised on by snake oil peddlers. Delivered via motifs of new-wave, goth and the band’s own idiosyncratic take of post-punk, ‘Woke Frasier’ is just another grimly hilarious and thrilling ode that mirrors just how bizarre mundane modern living has become. – Dan Hillier
Baosbheinn – Feurmaidh to Leigheas
From the hills, something lurid harkens. Taken from the band’s upcoming EP The Mountain Calls – released December 6th – ‘Feurmaidh tu Leigheas’ is the first spell cast from the Sheffield sludge slingers Baosbheinn. Inspired by healing through dark folk and drawing parallels between the personal struggles that cast shadows over our lives and the towering peaks that call on us to conquer them, ‘Feurmaidh tu Leigheas’ is elemental as both the Scottish mountain the band take their name from and the unwavering sludge icons that have come to inspire them. Crucial listening should one be into either witchcraft inspired groove or size XXXL Crowbar riffs. – Dan Hillier
Student Slasher Film – Setting Something Important On Fire
Mathy emo fans rejoice, for Student Slasher Film have unveiled their second single in ‘Setting Something Important On Fire’. Much like debut single ‘The Collective Resentment of 10,000 Fax Machines’, they nail the current zeitgeist of the UK math/emo scene while putting their own spin on it. Twinkly guitars, a horn section later in the song and an impassioned vocal performance are all present, and it feels like the work of a band far more experienced than just their two singles to date. With an EP on the way, there’s a bright future in the UK scene for Student Slasher Film. – Will Marshall
Soilwork – Spirit of No Return
Legendary Swedish melodeath maestros Soilwork are bringing their soaring, fist pumping brand of aggression back and they sound as energized as ever. This can be, in part, put down to the band’s resident live guitarist Simon Johansson joining the band full time. His definitively European riffing gives their new track, ‘Spirit of No Return’, a driving, fierce edge that has been missing from their last few releases. Vocalist Bjorn Strid’s instantly recognisable voice helps make the track a hands in the air anthem, as he belts out lyrics about how badly things can turn out to be if you abandon who you truly are. For an introduction into what’s being called a new era for the band, it’s a promising one and one that all fans of the classic Swedish melodeath sound should be excited about. – Chris Earl
Man/Woman/Chainsaw – The Boss
Intentionally chaotic and presenting itself as a rambling and righteous rant in the key of the unbalanced power dynamics that dictate everyday life, ‘The Boss’ sees art-punks Man/Women/Chainsaw pushing their violin and synth-driven sound to it’s limit. Sounding simultaneously off-the-cuff and perfectly articulated with acidic charisma, ‘The Boss’ is a furious bellowing of ideas that clash yet compliment each other in equal measure, with the track brilliantly showcasing Man/Woman/Chainsaw’s ability to push the boundaries of a scene that was originally built upon an essence of unboundedness. – Dan Hillier
Lacuna Coil – Oxygen
Announcing the release of their 10th studio album Sleepless Empire, with the latest monstrous single after 3 decades of dominating the goth metal scene, Italian veterans Lacuna Coil, return to the airwaves with the long awaited arrival of ‘Oxygen’. You can be confident that their enchanting beast-like essence is aging like fine wine. Detailing the struggles in obtaining personal salvation from physical and emotional toxicity, this latest track is the perfect expression of rage and despair when faced with the desire to be free from a mental hellscape, especially when produced by the experts in the art of dark art beautification. – Bennie Osborne
Røry – Sorry I’m Late
Announcing the release of their upcoming debut album Restoration alongside the release of their latest single ‘Sorry I’m Late’ after several years of hard graft, passion and cultivating a safe space for the neurodivergent community, fast rising alt pop star Røry delivers the ultimate middle finger to ageism with ‘Sorry I’m Late’. Acting as a powerful message to fans that success can come any age if you work hard enough to achieve it, this latest passion project has a particular charming catharsis about it, with its revealing lyrical content acting as a compact retelling of their life story, ‘Sorry I’m Late’ is an unapologetic pick me up for the survivors and late bloomers. – Bennie Osborne
Overhead, The Albatross – This Is Like Love
The latest single lifted from the Overhead, The Albatross’s new record, ‘This Is Like Love’ is a showcase of what post-rock brilliance sounds like in 2024. Decrying the notion that post-rock is a creativity stagnant genre, this is a cinematic, immersive and deeply imaginative slice of wonder that paints the elemental majesty of the band’s native Ireland, one delivered via a rugged soundscape that’s inhabited with evocative synthetic layers that loop and compound like the gusts that have shaped their land. This year has have been incredible for post rock, especially with their countrymen like And So I Watch You From Afar and A Burial At Sea releasing fantastic albums, but Overhead, The Albatross may well and truly disrupt the genre’s album of the year ranking come the release of I Leave You This on November 15th, – Dan Hillier