How else could a track titled ‘Go Ask Alice’ start other than with a sample of Jefferson Airplane‘s ‘White Rabbit’ ? Don’t expect any 60’s prog rock psychedelia here however, as chaotic hardcore/mathgrind outfit Soulkeeper are quick to drag the listener in what is equal parts whiplash-inducing bad acid trip and nightmarish glitches within dying software. The Minnesota four-piece navigate between punishing beatdowns and ear-scraping digital guitar effects manipulation, obfuscating the lines between electronics and actual guitar parts with the same gentle touch a freshly sharpened blender could offer. Their upcoming EP, Join Us In Creating Excellence out on September 19th promises to be some of this year’s more boundary-pushing material in the hardcore scene. – Avrian O’Brien
New-Zealand’s avant-garde technical death metallers Blindfolded And Led To The Woods return after 2023’s Rejecting Obliteration, an album which garnered them much praise for being as novel and technical as it was emotional. New track ‘Compulsion’ is a more straightforward offering of fast-paced dissonant death metal, remaining under the three minute mark and meaning only business. No pensive clean guitar parts or experimental electronics here but if Rejecting Obliteration was anything to go from, Blindfolded… are keeping their cards up their sleeves for the time being, or at least until their next album The Hardest Thing About Being God Is That No One Believes Me comes out on October 10th. – Avrian O’Brien
Visionary Irish producer Iglooghost trades the ocean’s brine for copper ore and industrial landscapes on his newest track ‘Xcavator.03’, part of an upcoming EP, Bronze Claw Iso, to be released on the 5th of September. Mirroring the change of scenery is a change of atmosphere within the music itself. ‘Xcavator.03’ feels slightly more grounded and less malleable and scattershot as Iglooghost‘s previous works, with the beats remaining generally quite steady and the production choices more tame by Iglooghost standards. The new track also puts more of an emphasis on vocals and show more lyrical depth which greatly adds to the very vivid and creative world-building that previous works had established. Regardless of where Iglooghost takes listeners and how that affects the tone of the music, it certainly never is boring. – Avrian O’Brien
Texan metalcore quartet Gore. have had a whirlwind year since releasing their debut EP, and just a year on they’ve unveiled their second, If You Do Not Fear Me… for an October 3 release via Spinefarm Records. The second single to be taken from it, ‘Wrath’, showcases both extremes of their sound. A soft open puts vocalist Haley Roughton to the fore, gentle synths supporting a vocal line that incorporates R&B runs and a yearning melody. Of course, the song soon makes its title clear with crunching, thunderous guitars and huge drums from recent addition Wills Weller. The band explain of the song, “‘Wrath’ is the culmination of resentment, cynicism and fear that was made from the experiences in A Bud That Never Blooms. Between the societal turmoil of ‘Doomsday,’ the death of romance in ‘Babylon,’ and the familial heartbreak in ‘Heaven Is Above Me,’ the human condition can wreak havoc on what was supposed to be stability and peace.” – Will Marshall
UK hardcore is in rude health this year, with London’s False Reality being one of its leading lights as they announce their hotly-anticipated debut album Faded Intentions out November 14 on Hassle Records. It takes their ripping crossover thrash, and instead of upping the aggression (though there’s still plenty of that), injects a sense of serpentine melody through a slight shoegaze influence. While the two might seem odd bedfellows, False Reality deftly fit the two together to create a natural flow from two-stepping to brief respites from the fury. – Will Marshall
LA-based Militarie Gun have done a lot of growing in their few years as a band, from their humble beginnings as a side project for Regional Justice Centre frontman Ian Shelton to breaking through to the mainstream in less than five years, with their sophomore album God Save The Gun on the horizon Militarie Gun show no signs of settling down. Shifting over the years from straightforward hardcore to hardcore tinged alt rock and pop-punk, the five-piece’s latest single ‘B A D I D E A’ keeps their punk attitude intact but with a more accessible, sing along sound. While Militarie Gun have always had a softer edge ‘B A D I D E A’ presents them at their most radio friendly without losing any of their uncompromising hardcore energy. – Tom Bruce
Hailing from the rural Irish pastures of Mayo and Wicklow, Nerves are a product of their surroundings. It’s easy to romanticise this; on the surface such places seem to be charming picturesque landscapes perfect for postcards. But under such tourist friendly façades lies something more. Or more fittingly, very little.
Much like to the more rural towns in the UK, these places offer nothing to the young generation. The development of infrastructure is neglected in favour of larger cities. Housing is either extortionate, inadequate or simply non-existent. There is no opportunity. And ultimately, the only options are to either join the exodus leaving or remain and watch these towns hollow out before crumbing into the emerald sea. Nerves, with firsthand experience, document this with their new EP Iarmhaireacht in a way that’s visceral and intimate to an almost uncomfortable degree.
Released August 15th, produced by Dan Fox of Gilla Band and with its Gaelic name translating to ‘that uncanny loneliness you feel at first light’, Iarmhaireacht feels like the destruction of both the future and the inner psyche. Across its five tracks, Nerves authentically channel the feeling of the inherent loneliness of languishing alone, watching loved ones leave for greener pastures and the substance-induced self-destruction it invites.
It’s a chilling record, one animated with howling noise rock disorientation, unhinged sprechgesang and desolate post rock ambience reminiscent of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. It’s also a release that threads this modern crisis to history, it’s archival samples from times past showing how this isn’t just a novel crisis, but a repeating one now embedded within the rotting sociopolitical foundation of modern day Ireland. Across it’s run time one can easily feel the detached bliss of slipping into lonely oblivion from substance abuse or mourning a lost future once promised in youth, resulting in a record that’s relatable as it is darkly immersive.
With Iarmhaireacht released this Friday, we got in touch with vocalist and guitarist Kyle Thornton to get acquainted with the band.
We are a noise rock band from Mayo and Wicklow in Ireland.
I suppose musically we are influenced a lot by bands like Godspeed!, My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth but we take a lot of cues from other genres like techno, ambient music, goth stuff like Bauhaus, industrial music and sometimes more straight ahead indie. It all gets put through the Nerves blender and comes out on the other side in different ways. Topically we get a lot of inspiration from the bands I just mentioned but also Irish culture and literature as well.
The second single from their freshly announced record Reptilian Brain, ‘A Terrible Day To Have Eyes’ see’s the once purely instrumental math rock trio Alpha Male Tea Party further expanding their sound. Much akin to their last single ‘Battle Crab’, this is a vocal driven track that see’s the band adding vocal harmonies into their mercurial mix in a way that reminiscent of the likes of Unpeople and Press To Meco. “A Terrible Day to Have Eyes is a song about the permanent and inescapable trauma that is inflicted in moments of sudden grief. It comes from a very specific story (that I’ll be keeping to myself) I was once told that had a profound effect on me when I was younger”, states vocalist and guitarist Tom Peters. “The song title came first, as is often the case with us, and it brought that story right back into my mind when I was writing the lyrics. Despite being about something so specific, I like to think it’s applicable to lots of different human experiences, especially in this incredibly fragile and violent landscape we currently find ourselves in. It’s my personal favourite on the record and all comes together with a nice song-a-long at the end, everyone loves one of those.” – Dan Hillier
Considering their rapid fire output of their last three full length records, it’s been a quiet few years on the musical front for modern metal legends Trivium. Having been touring none stop, most recently filling out arenas with their Ascendancy album tour (With a little help from Bullet for My Valentine and The Poison), we’ve finally been treat to new music from Matt Heafy and co. The first track from an EP releasing on Halloween (Spooky), ‘Bury Me With My Screams’ is a perfect encapsulation of the bands sound in 2025. Octopus-esque drums, seismic riffs and Matt’s instantly recognisable screams and hooks all combine for an exciting yet comforting next chapter in the bands storied career. Their hot streak, which some felt was due to cool down based on past experiences now looks set to continue. – Chris Earl
Even for a band that’s mathcore adjacent, a God Alone live set is a particularly intense experience. Embodying this is their new single. The title track of their upcoming record that’s released October 10th via Prosthetic Records, ‘The Beep Test’ is a bizarre and aptly breathless sprint of accelerating noise that’s truly a product of God Alone’s collective mission statement of creating work that forgoes genre and truly challenges and provokes. Yes, one could slap a mathcore tag on for ease of convenience, but this is so much more. Like it’s namesake, it’s more of test, one that see’s God Alone unwinding their knot of inspirations to create something bizarre, yet undoubtedly engaging. If this, their last record and recent shows are anything to go by, then their upcoming record could be their most challenging yet unhinged work to date. – Dan Hillier
Latest single ‘Stainless Steel’ from punk, new-wave and dance inspired Sussex outfit Kid Kapichi is an interesting combination of danceable bass lines and slower paced post-punk riffs set to Jack Wilson’s trademark half spoken, half sung vocals that contrast against Eddie Lewis’s syncopated bass riff perfectly. The sparse harmonies during the chorus also add a further level of depth to track and despite Kid Kapichi only being a two-piece, their confident swagger both in the studio and during live performances hasn’t gone unnoticed. With Madness frontman and national treasure Suggs collaborating on their last single, tours with stars Nothing But Thieves and Liam Gallagher and an uncompromising sound that blends classic punk with a more radio-friendly sound; it’s always exciting to see what direction Kid Kapichi will go in next. – Ez Luscombe
The third and seemingly final single to be taken from Nerves’ upcoming EP Iarmhaireacht, ‘Don’t Let Go’ is certainly contrastive to the singles that precede it. A more airy and exposed endeavour that juxtaposes wonderfully with the unhinged claustrophobic mania that characterised those aforementioned singles, here, Irish noiseniks Nerves channel post rock swells comparable to Mogwai with a sense of morose misery synonymous with slowcore acts such as Deathcrush and Outlander. It’s certainly still a Nerves track though, especially with it’s shrieking feedback crescendo and sense of misanthropic isolationism. Still, with this track in comparison to the singles that came before it, Iarmhaireacht is looking to be one of the most engaging noise rock / post punk EPs of the year come it’s release on August 15th. – Dan Hillier
One of the best kept secrets in British metalcore, Merseysides rozemary are gearing up for their first EP release, after whetting appetites with two tracks, fun live shows and twitter shenanigans over the last few years. ‘the lies they made me believe’ drops on the 1st of September and judging from the first single to emerge, ‘starlit ballroom’, it’s a continuation of the bands modern metalcore with revival elements sound. Think massive hooks, banshee wails and enticing guitar work wrapped up in a veneer of “we don’t give a fuck what we sound like” attitude. A welcome blend of the past and present, the sky is the limit for the Birkenhead youngsters. – Chris Earl
‘IHYG’ is angry. So angry in fact, Cage Fight have decided to forgo any subtleness and spell out the title’s acronym to show you just how pissed off they are even before the song starts. Not that they needed to; this song is downright viscous. A product of trauma from the hands of others, ‘IHYG’ see’s the crossover thrashers going for the jugular in an attempt to seek catharsis. Much like the track’s title, this isn’t subtle, but it is downright brilliant and righteously violent. “IHYG is a response to a deeply traumatic experience that had a life changing impact on me”, states vocalist Rachel Aspe. “It crushed my confidence and self-worth which spiralled me to rock bottom, but I’ve become stronger and more resilient than ever. This experience inspired me to write lyrics for the first time, resulting in this song. The video tells this story.” – Dan Hillier
It’s hard to envision ArcTanGent without Adebisi Shank’s input; quite the feat, given how the Irish trio have never played the festival before. But such is the importance of this band. Playing the festival off the back of a 10-year hiatus, whilst next week will the first time Adebisi Shank will visit Fernhill Farm, their spirit has long haunted ArcTanGent. Countless bands have channelled their energetic, upbeat, free-spirited and irrefutably fun take on math rock over the years. With this in mind, their time on stage is set to be host of a homecoming for a band who help found the genre of a festival without ever previously setting foot on it previously. DH.
Where? When? – Yokhai: Saturday, 16:50
Despite sounding like a vicious black metal act, Heave Blood And Die’s only crossover to bands like Mayhem and Emperor is their shared Norwegian heritage. With boundary pushing, fuzzed out post-punk riffs, stomping percussion and barked vocals delivered with a uniquely urgent yet laid back energy, the five piece has become one of the European underground’s most exciting names to watch. While their name may conjure images of burning churches and screeching corpse paint clad men taking themselves too seriously, Heave Blood And Die are the perfect addition to ArcTanGent’s line up for those who enjoyed festival alumni such as Maruja and The Guru Guru. TB
Where? When? – Bixler: Friday, 14:00
Arguably one of the most exciting prospects of the festival is watching the chaos of Swiss post-hardcore outfit Coilguns. After a collaboration with well regarded Birds In Row and then the release of last year’s Odd Love, this energetic lot have raised many an eyebrow and turned many a head. If their performance of the last record in full at Roadburn this is anything to go by, this is an unmissable set. Expect movement, emotion, riffs and much more movement. They demand the attention of anyone that enters earshot. AV
Where? When? – Bixler: Friday, 15:20
Like Coilguns it almost seems criminal that Danish hardcore gang EYES have not been booked for ArcTanGent before. And yes, before the obvious is pointed out there are members of LLNN in this band, but that’s not why they should be recommended, this is a different beast all together. Raw, in your face, thought-provoking hardcore, but not like most bands that enjoy a spin kick or a beatdown. EYES are weirder, noisier and excitingly this is only their second ever UK show after 2000 Trees last month. Their back catalogue is stellar, particularly the last two records, Congratulations and this year’s Spinner. Get listening and come prepared for what will be one of the sets of the weekend. AV
Where? When? – PX3: Friday, 14:35
It takes a lot to open a festival. Even more so when the festival in question is one of the biggest events in the world of experimental music. Still, it shouldn’t a problem at all for Sans Froid. Returning after absolutely packing out the Elephant stage last year, whilst the Bristolian’s piano led take on cerebral art-prog is inherently weird, it’s definitely most wonderful and even perhaps more immersive. Sounding akin to Kate Bush covering CLT DRP after a week of binging Radiohead’s more inaccessible works, Sans Froid probe the outer reaches of prog. However, with their palatable chemistry, phenomenal approach to melodicism and the arresting vocals of Aisling Whiting, this band manage to be possessive as they are innovative. Do make sure to arrive early to catch them. DH.
Where? When? – Yokhai: Wednesday, 13:00
It is no secret that Bloodstock has curated a ridiculous line-up for this year. Having the headliner trio of Trivium, Machine Head and Gojira alongside the likes of Emperor, Mastodon, Fear Factory, second stage headliners Static X, Obituary and Katakylsm; reformation sets from Nailbomb and 3 Inches of Blood… You get the idea. However, there are still plenty of diamonds buried in the depths of the undercard, so here are some of our picks for bands we think are worth your time to fill gaps in the no doubt full on schedules for every Bloodstocker heading to Catton Hall in 2025.
It’s always an unenviable task being the band to open the main stage, especially on the Saturday morning; however, if there is one band that can clobber reality back into your bones and breathe new life into a husk it’s Cage Fight. Sitting somewhere closer towards the hardcore side of crossover, the four piece is known for their caustic aggression and propensity for pit dominating anthems. They last played Bloodstock in 2022, impressing with a chaotic set in the Sophie stage and have been moving from strength to strength since, despite playing sporadically between guitarist James Monteith’s bread and butter Tesseract. As anyone who has seen them live before can tell you, this main stage slot is well-earned and is sure to kick off Saturday with a violent roar of renewed energy.
Where? When? – Ronnie James Dio Stage: Saturday, 10:45
Thursday night entertainment is always a little off the wall at Bloodstock, and this year we get the distinct pleasure of stoner odyssey Gnome bringing the riffs and the grooves in spades for the opening night. The Antwerp based three-piece don’t take themselves too seriously, with the vast majority of the Bloodstock audience just wanting to party on the Thursday night, Gnome are more than willing to supply everything you need to have a good time. Packed to the gills with stoner, prog, heavy metal worship and more than your fair share of boogie riffs, think of it somewhere like a metal version of Psychedelic Porn Crumpets or the more stoner leaning King Gizzard cuts. This is something for the riff fiends who want a bit of fun without devolving into parody nonsense of full comedy band territory.
Where? When? – Sophie Lancaster Stage: Thursday, 19:45
Despite naively thinking they might be the first band to bring a saxophone to Bloodstock (sorry folks, Norwegian black jazz Shining have definitely beaten you to the punch there); Swansea based no bullshit jazz prog fusion folks Z Machine are certainly something a bit different at Bloodstock. The band sits within full on old-school prog worship, with crazy interwoven melodies and harmonies, sometimes leaning into atonal territory, exuding elements of jazz and citing influences such as King Crimson, Gong and Dream Theatre. There are still touches of chunky distorted guitars in there, however going in expecting anything but honest to god prog would be disingenuous. No doubt the soulful honks of Z Machine’s saxophone leads booming from the little EMP stage tent will draw many a curious metal folk to get whisked away into progressive jams.
Where? When? – EMP Stage: Sunday, 14:35
Brighton M2TM winners Devilhusk might take the cake for one of the heaviest bands of the weekend. Modern metalcore, deathcore and slam, expect violent bursts of frantic EDM drum breaks and discordant violence guitar riffs cutting through your skull. It’s frantic, janky and overwhelming in their in your face aggression. The band is clear with their influences, having the ultra-processed modern sheen metalcore, choppy what the fuck breakdowns inspired by Code Orange and Vein.fm, but further delving into the use of electronics. Devilhusk present with an aura of destruction and if that’s anything to go by, then you’ll be in for one hell of a battering.
Where? When? – New Blood Stage: Friday, 19:30
Part of the blossoming new wave of US death metal, New York’s Undeath have curated a manic reputation for their particular brand of frenzied death metal. The band had a decent head of steam behind them since releasing their debut album in 2020, however they’ve taken themselves to new levels of degeneracy on their aptly named 2024 release More Insane. They tick all the boxes you want from a death metal band at Bloodstock, intricate riffs, pummelling percussion, gnarled bass, unhinged vocals and delightfully gory imagery in the lyrics and song names. Joining their fellow death metal countrymen in Gatecreeper and Frozen Soul in performing at Bloodstock for the first time, if their other shows are anything to go by, then this certainly won’t be Undeath’s last appearance at Catton Park.
Where? When? – Sophie Lancaster Stage: Saturday, 18:25
Formed in Edinburgh in 2014, Scottish progressive five-piece Tiberius are a strange prospect. The band incorporates an absurd amount of earworm melodies between the guitar licks and anthemic vocal lines, crafting catchy progressive music. Tiberius are DIY through and through, from their tours to their music videos, however they don’t take themselves too seriously, always maintaining an approachable tongue-in-cheek aspect to their ludicrous technical chops. Based off a combined desire to push their guitar talents, weaving melodic and progressive metal with wider modern progressive rock sensibilities, it’s safe to say there is a lot going on, from bouncy pop-rock tinged silliness to more driving technical hard rock passages. If there is one thing to expect from Tiberius, it’s a good time.
Where? When? – EMP Stage: Saturday, 18:40
All female Danish death doom quartet Konvent are not particularly well known across the UK metal scene, which is a damn shame but not surprising. Having only played two shows on these shores, both at Desertfest in 2022 and 2025, they finally have the opportunity to tap into the underground metal zeitgeist and snatch the attention they fully deserve. With a critically lauded debut album Puritan Masochism filled with ferocious and gut-wrenching death doom, alongside 2022 follow-up Call Down the Sun, the Copenhagen four piece have already got a wealth of material in their back pockets to please extreme metal fiends. Caustic vocals, eerie atmospheres and crushing riffs are sure to help you shake off the cobwebs of the opening night hangover when Konvent pummel the ribcages of early afternoon punters looking for a bit of early extremity on Friday.
Where? When? – Ronnie James Dio Stage: Friday, 12:45
The second record from the Edinburgh bruisers, Trapped as as blunt as the tool Hammer take their namesake from. However, that’s not to say that it’s as dull or dim in the slightest. Such adjectives are pretty much antonymous with this record in fact.
Here, Hammer take the cartwheeling riffs of The Black Dahlia Murder, the feral mania of Celestial Sanctuary, the visceral nature of Vomit Forth and the inherent sense of daft fun synonymous with all three bands and slap it all together in a manner that’s playful yet forceful. Stabbing, ceaseless and sharp, if Hammer where to take their another name from things found in the garden shed following this release, perhaps a more fitting name for them would be ‘sabre saw’. It’s certainly powerful enough to take your arm off, or at least cause some right gory damage.
With Trapped released today independently, we got in touch with guitarist and record engineer Adam Poustie to break down the record, track by track.
This one’s been our live opener for a good while now, so it just made sense to have it open the album! It’s eclectic riff wise for sure – I started with the chorus riff and worked my way back. I really wanted that breakdown to have a proper groove as well before going back to the intense, black metal inspired end.
Lyrically this song’s kind of about organised religion and my own personal problems with it. Kind of framed through the betterment of self in service to a higher power and the kind of struggling with wanting to want to be better as opposed to actually wanting it. It kind of follows that crisis of faith to an end point – at least how I rationalise it.
I promise we wrote this one way before the Gojira song of the same name was revealed! As psyched as I was by their Olympics performance in the back of my mind I was like ‘ah shit’ haha.
In the end we just stuck with the name, we already thought of it with that title and couldn’t detach them in our heads.
This one’s been a live staple for a good while, and seems to be an audience favourite, so we’re really excited to get it out there for people.
We tuned our bottom string way down to drop F# for that horrible chunk on the low end, and to kind of keep things with that up and down ebb and flow, there’s some pretty manic guitar lines on the higher register in the chorus. I feel like having that up and down really makes the ‘down’ hit harder.
The big bass drop on the second chorus is great. Originally our bassist Piotr had a big slide there and we all liked it so much Kris Kournavos – who mixed the album – added a full bass drop underneath.
Lyrically this one’s super schlocky – we’re all big horror movie fans so I wrote basically a little short horror story, as the song name suggests. Recording vocals was really fun for this – lots of layered screaming and general gutteral noise from our vocalist, Jim. We kind of went back and forth on the cough at the end but both liked it as a full stop to the song, so we decided to keep it in.
This one’s brand new – we’ve never played it live before the album releases. A short one that never lets up, after trapped kind of unravels at the end we wanted to kick right back into intense riffs.
Lyrics wise I’ve always been a fan of the imagery of tarot cards, so this one’s lifted straight from the meaning behind the card ‘the hanged man’.
Keith, our drummer, has a great sort of revolving beat on the first riff of this song. I love the way it cycles round and resolves itself – which also fits with the theme of the song.
That initial riff also has a great switch up from Piotr. When recording we found a really punky baseline that drove the tune a little harder, it really opens up the riff when it kicks in on the second repetition.
