Knife Bride
March 10, 2025| Dan Hillier |FEATURES
Knife Bride, Ghost, Perennial and More: New Noizze – The 15 Must-Listen Tracks of the Week
You know the deal, here's the best singles of last week.
Knife Bride – Worthy
“Last year I fell in love under circumstances that felt massively shameful. I couldn’t help but despise myself for all of the damage I had caused. This song is a reminder that you are always worthy of love. Even when you feel yourself morphing into something you don’t recognise. You are inherently worthy.” That’s how Knife Bride vocalist Mollie Clack describes their new single ‘Worthy’, and that call for self love is born out through the track’s raucous, bouncing energy. There’s shades of Periphery in its opening riff but Clack’s voice swiftly pulls it to emotionally fraught territory before soaring atop searing lead guitar. If you remember 2010s Basick Records and loved that era, ‘Worthy’ updates it for 2025 with a powerful message. – Will Marshall
Ghost – Satanized
‘Satanized’ is the lead single from Swedish spooky metallers Ghost’s highly anticipated new album Skeleta, which will be released in April this year. If you’re a Ghost fan, ‘Satanized’ is everything that you would expect, taking elements from their 2018 release Prequelle and blending in their now-trademark style of spooky synths, epic twin guitar solos and ominous riffs with anthemic choruses, satanic chanting, and mysterious lyrics. The religious imagery in both ‘Satanized’ and its accompanying music video are very much to be expected, however they have found a formula that resonates with many listeners and are masters at their craft of creepy, yet a musically accessible brand of metal. – Ez Luscombe
Perennial – Perennial ’65
On the heels of 2024’s art history, Perennial is taking us back to ’65 with latest single ‘Perennial ’65’. This is quintessential Perennial; aggressively earwormy riffs, hooks that won’t let you go, and a little bit of studio-as-instrument guitar manipulation. This is one of their more mod-leaning teacks, and is the first to feature new drummer Cee Dioguardi. Still, nothing will match their live energy but there is (hopefully) a second UK tour on the horizon. this single is a preview for the EP of the same name coming April 4, which features remixes from Death Cab For Cutie‘s Chris Walla, The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die‘s Chris Teti, and Cody Votolato of Blood Brothers. – Mia Thunderska
Scowl – Tonight (I’m Afraid)
The fourth single from their hotly anticipated second album Are We All Angels, ‘Tonight (I’m Afraid)’ is Scowl at their most vulnerable yet. Aching melodies run through Kat Moss’ voice until its closing moments where the band let the punk riffs and screams shine in a thrilling conclusion. Suffice to say, this is shaping up to be a fascinating album with so many new facets to the band. – Will Marshall
Cwfen – Wolfsbane
There’s a chance you might have heard Cwfen faintly calling from the crypt with their first few musical offerings; but there’s no chance you can ignore the wailing of ‘Wolfsbane’ though. The first cut to be sacrificially taken from their upcoming record Sorrows – released May 30th via New Heavy Sounds – ‘Wolfsbane’ is a haunting air of sound that just shows the fantastic promise of this emerging Glaswegian band. Moving with the glacial punishment of Amenra, the composed gothic allure of Chelsea Wolfe and the seduction of Type O Negative, ‘Wolfsbane’ mirrors the spires that characterise Glasgow gothic and stands as a track that both crushes and haunts. For those fans of the bands aforementioned, this is crucial listening. – Dan Hillier
Calyces – Wasteland
Arguably one of the most promising names in European prog at the current time, Calyces, Athens’ answer to Baroness, continue to showcase their prowess with ‘Wastelands’. Taken from their forthcoming new record Fleshy Waves Of Probability – self-released 21 March – ‘Wastelands’ is a wonderfully animated track built around sidewinding riffs and a sense of spirited purpose. Simply, it’s a far cry from the stoic nature many associate with prog, and a fantastic example of the promise if this act. “’Wastelands’ speaks about those people with a ‘spark’ in their eyes, who have emerged from incredibly difficult situations even stronger”, state the band on the track. “Their actions and journey shape the way you see life, becoming a source of inspiration, not just for writing music and telling their stories, but also for shaping the important decisions you make in your life.” – Dan Hillier
Vildhjarta – + sargasso +
A little over a year following their string of singles released between summer and winter of 2023, the ever-elusive Vildhjarta have re-appeared out of thin air, announcing the release of their new album + där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar + inbound for 30 May. It’s accompanied by 6:45 of brand new mind-boggling riffage to chew on in the meantime. Each new release from the Swedish inventors of “thall” has seen them push the limits of their songwriting and technical capabilities, adding to the unexpected possibilities of their unmistakable sonic palette along the way and new single ‘+ sargasso +’ is no exception. While it’s unclear if founding member and songwriter Daniel Bergström is still involved in these new tracks or whether this new album is conceptually tied to 2021’s expansive måsstaden under vatten, the band sounds more experimental, diverse and challenging than ever despite reduced personnel and their forthcoming album promises to be one of the more exciting and creative heavy music releases of this year. – Avrian O’Brien
Vana – Pleaser
New Zealand alt metaller Vana has unveiled latest single ‘Pleaser’ as her first release of 2025 and it sees her continuing to fold in pop alongside crunchy modern metalcore. There’s shades of Ashnikko to the verses and particularly her vocal delivery outside of the acerbic screams. There’s a clear desire to keep experimenting and finding a unique voice, one that’s emerging the more Vana pushes at the boundaries of pop and metalcore to blur them further. – Will Marshall
The Jesus Lizard – I’m Tired of Being Your Mother
The Jesus Lizard are back, back, back again baby, with a brand-new single ‘I’m Tired Of Being Your Mother’, which is also their first release since their brilliant comeback album Rack, released on Ipecac Recordings last year. This abrasive yet enthralling tune is part of a three-song EP Flux, which is due to be released on Record Store Day (12 April). David Yow, the éminence grise behind the legendary band said about this track: “When a friend of mine was about eight years old, living outside of New Orleans, his mother once said to him, in a slow, dull drawl, ‘Im tired uh bein’ yo mutha’ […] That really struck me. The lyrics are actual quotes of awful things mothers have said to their children. Heartbreaking!!” This track in itself is pure concentrated GMO-free classic Jesus Lizard, with the tongue-in-cheek type of humour and their punkish ways. If you like what you hear and happen to be travelling around the US and Europe in May/June, then you should definitely consider seeing them perform live or just wait until they play near you over the summer. – Nessie Spencer
Blanket – Levitate
Somewhat of a return to the more low-gravity post rock environment that the band emerged from, the new single from Blackpool’s Blanket is an otherworldly experience that crystallises its title. Dropping prior to the band returning to the studio to work on their fourth record, ‘Levitate’ is a blissful and hazy mirage of sound that resonates Blanket’s more ambient material whilst carrying the weight and immediacy of their last record. For those new to the enveloping sounds of Blanket, fans of Nothing, My Bloody Valentine and Oversize will find plenty to cuddle into here. – Dan Hillier
Iron Form – Vengeance Prayer
Do you yearn for the days where metalcore really loved Gothenburg melodeath and hardcore? Well, part of that sound’s ongoing resurgence are newcomers Iron Form, whose debut EP lands later this month on Church Road. Second single ‘Vengeance Prayer’ is a gloriously 2000s slab of Misery Signals et al worship. There’s more to it than that, with guitars that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Trivium album and a dash of post hardcore for good measure. Metalcore is well and truly back. – Will Marshall
Halflives – No Way Out
The new era of Halflives is coming and its name is How Much a Heart Can Take Before It Breaks, their new EP due on April 11th. With prior singles, ‘perfectly broken’ and ‘Immortals’, the Italian rock band just launched their last track ‘No Way Out’ before the release date of the EP next month. It’s as catchy as can be expected from Halflives; a pure shot of pop rock adrenaline mixed with efficient choruses. The track may sound short at first, however, it doesn’t give time to get bored and grabs attention in seconds. Linda Battilani, the sole member shouts, talking about mental health: ‘there’s no way out’ but, a tune like this encapsulates a type of energy like no other where hope is definitely on its way.” Catch Halflives on the UK and European roads next month. – Emma Forni
Gridiron – Mascot
Gridiron’s brand of hardcore has always had a sure-of-itself swagger to it, and on latest single ‘Mascot’ they’re channelling that to the max. The essence of ‘Break Stuff’ runs heavily through what is essentially a call out track, bigging themselves up whilst simultaneously sitting down anyone who’s up against them. The track has the tone of a pure blooded American hardcore track, but seems to draw plenty from the groove of hip-hop, so is nigh impossible to stop yourself moving to whilst shouting down all comers. It’s full of instant one liners – “you employee of the month at the bitch store” – and is infectious to the point of addiction. The two-steppers and crowdkillers will be avid fans of ‘Mascot’, so beware of the pit if you catch this in person. – Jake Longhurst
Blood Dealer – Jealousy
Fusing R&B with metal, Blood Dealer are the Midlands’ answer to the question of ‘what will metal look like post Sleep Token?’. With silky verses, chuggy choruses, and even some djent guitar tones, Blood Dealer are bringing a plethora of sounds together into what is a surprisingly successful blend of some fairly disparate styles. They’ve got riffs aplenty and aren’t afraid to get a little down and dirty with a pretty hefty finale to the track, which is particularly impressive when the intro to the song feels like you should be dirty dancing in a low-lit club somewhere in Miami, until the guitars kick in to get things really started. – Jake Longhurst
Glowing Faces – Unwanted
Kent metalcore quartet Glowing Faces have dropped their latest single ‘Unwanted’, the follow up to the band’s debut single ‘Swallow’. The band have self-produced the song from recording to artwork and it’s as much a rampaging and blistering anthem as it brimming with guitar melody. There is a juxtaposition between chugging riffs and snarling deep vocal growls and it feels like Glowing Faces have nailed the blend to make their sound as heavy as it is but with coherence and quality. Old school metalcore never sounded so fresh. – Jac Holloway
