Two of modern British metal’s biggest bands join forces on this brand new single from While She Sleeps. The link between the groups may not be as clear musically these days, but the Sheffield connection these two hold will be stronger than any genre debate. It’s lead vocalist from Malevolence, Alex, who pops up on ‘Down’ and when he comes in, it’s like an incitement of pit violence. Unlike the divisive ‘Self Hell’, this is a much more straightforward track, and it’s the WSS we know and love. An arena ready chorus, great riffs and Loz Taylor sounding incredibly brassed off. With a new record due out in March, anticipation is building and it looks like, with a strong showing, Alexandra Palace won’t be the biggest venue the band end up playing regularly. – Chris Earl
One of the most iconic voices in modern punk, Laura Jane Grace, is back with a new single ‘Cuffing Season’, the third single from her upcoming solo album Hole In My Head. Like her other solo work ‘Cuffing Season’ takes a more bare-bones approach than her work in Against Me! or with The Devouring Mothers, instead primarily focusing on Grace’s vocals and a lone acoustic guitar while still keeping her raw, powerful voice intact. Relying on potent songwriting and artful lyricism rather than punk hostility, ‘Cuffing Season’ is Grace at her most open and intimate. – Tom Bruce
South Wales quartet Dream State have been making some big waves in 2023, solidifying their brand new lineup and going on to play some huge live dates alongside As December Falls and Funeral For A Friend. Now, in anticipation of their upcoming mini-album Still Dreaming, Dream State have dropped their newest single ‘Anxious State Of Mind’, blending a catchy pop-inspired chorus, EDM style synth hits and powerful post-hardcore guitar riffs, this track shows off Dream State at their most confident. Vocalist Jessie Powell’s voice flows naturally between lilting, pop-diva highs and venomous stabs backed by a band who are just as comfortable with soft melodies as they are with hard-hitting breakdowns. – Tom Bruce
Alternating between overwhelming, fuzzy noise and slick grooves, the latest track from Bristol based four-piece Sun Spot sees the outfit pushing their experimental boundaries further than ever before. Vocalist Will Palmer sounds barely human, layers upon layers of distortion warping their voice into what feels like simply another instrumental element in the waves of glitching noise. When all of the additional electronics are stripped away, subtle, melodic bass lines and simple but luscious guitar work pop into life, adding some particularly gorgeous musical levity to the otherwise densely compacted track. – Ryan Ward
‘Grace’ finds post punk superheroes IDLES in uncharacteristically melancholy waters. The delightful meandering melody carries the song for a wistful four minutes that showcases Joe Talbot’s unique gravel in a softer light. Of course there’s the ever present driving bass lines and the constant threat of manic energy bubbling just below the surface, no more so than the last few seconds of the track as it threatens to break out from below the carefully constructed façade of sadness. However it never appears, the anticlimactic false crescendo leaving feelings unresolved. Perhaps something that might have more meaning in the context of the upcoming album as a whole. – Rob Bown
Berlin/Istanbul based quartet, Bipolar Architecture are well known for pushing metal boundaries with their coalescence of post-metal, blackgaze and djent. ‘Alienated’, the second release from their forthcoming second album, Metaphysicize, truly emphasises just how exceptionally and seamlessly this band blends genres. Ferociously launching into a wall of heavy noise and abrasive chunky guitars, after only a short time you are whiplashed into a delicately raw and ambient post-metal section. As the pace and heaviness enhances, the remaining 3 minutes of the track marries aggressive drums, trashing ambient riffs locked in with a beautiful building melody. Going by the singles they have put out so far, Metaphysicize is sure to be an exciting release from this boundary defying band. – Amy Bowles
Freaking out?! Everyone should be as a collaboration of some of the UK’s best rock n roll musicians have come together to form Every Hell. Ex-Black Peaks vocalist Will Gardner & OG bassist Andrew Gosden are joined by multi-talented and instrumentalist Evelyn May (who has played with the likes of DVNE, Bossk & Alison Goldfrapp) and producer extraordinaire Mark Roberts on drums. The musical aptitude between the quartet is immediate with this their first single. Barrelling through the first part of the song with QOTSA-esque rhythms and Will adding hip swinging sounds finally bringing his saxophone skills into a project. This is a fun and funky, yet hard hitting and that’s even before the gritty breakdown, with Will leaning into his trademark screams backed by some chaotic, mosh-inducing goodness. – Adam Vallely
After years of anticipation, Gaffa Tape Sandy are finally back, albeit in a more aggressive and dark form. The first track to be taken from the trio’s still to-be-announced new record due next year and their first material since their 2019 effort Family Animal, ‘Split’ sees the Brighton band spitting pure venom against a thorny, rugged and aggressive musical backdrop. Yet, despite its confrontational nature, ‘Split’ is still undeniably a product of Gaffa Tape Sandy and fits comfortably within their discography thus far in thanks to its giddy energy, snappy energy and acidic wit. Those who have seen the band this year alongside the likes Mom Jeans and The Subways or during the festival circuit will surely know how volatile this track this, but for newcomers, ‘Split’ is a fantastic introduction to a band most special. – Dan Hillier
“The Portal has opened, The Darkness is calling. Absolution can only come through loss. A sacrifice must be made. Zetra asks the question. Do you believe enough?” So reads the cryptic-as-ever message on mysterious duo Zetra‘s social media, heralding the release of latest single ‘Sacrifice’ alongside the huge news they’ve signed to metal titans Nuclear Blast. Sonically it pushes their blend of 80s gothica and synth-drenched metal into new realms of esoterica, soaring melodies and anthemic chorus underpinned by pulsing, mechanised drums. The croons of “do you feel my hunger?” in the chorus are a surefire earworm, as is the stunningly-wrought synth work. What a way to end 2023. – Will Marshall
The onset of winter and rise in SAD basically means it’s the perfect time of year for a new Casey song, and ‘Bite Through My Tongue’ doesn’t disappoint. Taken from their upcoming third album How To Disappear releasing in January, it paints a bleak picture of the impact depression can have, written in the wake of the breakdown of vocalist Tom Weaver’s most recent relationship. Dealing broadly with “the extreme apathy and self-destructiveness that arises during a depressive episode; and how that impacts those closest to you,” ‘Bite Through My Tongue is a classic slice of the emotional post-hardcore Casey made their name with, embracing softer alt rock and crooning melody that tugs at the heartstrings and tear ducts. – Will Marshall
It’s been a hot minute since we heard from Video Nasties, but in their first new music since 2021’s ‘Draw the Shades’, we have a taste of what’s to come for the band next year. Written about ” the duality of the haves/have nots, the living and the dead,” it’s a slab of blackened melodeath that locks into a mid-paced groove with thrashing riffs aplenty. Perhaps sonically comparable to early Skeletonwitch, with flourishes of At the Gates, it’s a furious assault on the ears that marks a welcome return from the Liverpudlian metallers. – Will Marshall
Taken from the band’s forthcoming EP Big Man Little Man – released February 9th via Everything Sucks Music – ‘Better Weather Than You’ see’s Regal Cheer doing what they do best; releasing short, snappy, straight to the point bangers. A continuation of the immediate indie punk stylings found within the Brighton duo’s brilliant and criminally undersung debut LP Cans, the track bares further credence to Regal Cheer’s wonderful ability to maximise a modest and minimalist set up to its full effect. They may only be a two-piece, but as ‘Better Weather Than You’ once again witnesses Regal Cheer displaying more energy, heart and noise than bands with double their personal. – Dan Hillier
THE INDIGO FAULT, a debut EP preluded by sci-fi themed teaser videos and a set of unfathomably great singles, piques intrigue and foreshadows a much larger tale to be told. Joining us, Audrey and Ashley of FOXCULT give insight into the lyrics and the lore of their phenomenal breakthrough release. Though still at the beginning of their story, the magnitude of what this band seems capable of despite being so young in their career feels nothing short of astronomical; the scope of the tale they are weaving coupled with the parallels it bears to the very real and lived experience of trans folk around the world, delivered via a meticulously crafted, post-hardcore chronicle with an epic, space operatic flair.
As we delve into the creation of, and the meanings behind the five tracks of THE INDIGO FAULT and beyond, the band are excitable, smiling and chattering away, giving out every bit of detail in a genuine, warm and wholesome manner. It’s glaringly evident that being a part of FOXCULT is a labour of passion, love and joy.
Ashley: “Okay, so empty space was one of the last songs that we wrote for the EP. When I was writing it, I was listening to a lot of Thrice (as if that’s not something I do every day already), but I wanted something heavier that wasn’t just chunky breakdowns, but still aggressive at the same time. I’m a really big fan of Thrice‘s The Alchemy Index, and on that their Fire EP is really, really, really, really good. They have a lot of really great tonal use in the first few songs, which I used kind of like a mindset for EMPTY SPACE. Going into the studio, the only thing that we had written for empty space was the chorus, that was it, and I knew what I wanted to do with it, I just wasn’t quite sure how to accomplish it. So first I made sure that the chorus was perfected, and we knew exactly how that was going to sound for how the structure of the song was going to be, and then in the studio we were fucking around with it and I realised I needed a note lower than what I was capable of playing on my guitar. So we actually rented a really cheap seven string and ended up like using it to create the breakdowns in the song. It’s supposed to be that angsty, drive-y, puts you on edge kind of track.”
Audrey: “So the EP as a whole is this concept style thing, as I’m sure you’ve kind of gathered from the consistency of the aesthetics and the teasers that we did leading up to it, a narrative set in a sci fi, space opera-esque kind of theming. And ‘EMPTY SPACE’ is where the story starts. Sort of. The story actually begins with the announcement teaser that we did for the EP, so all of the voiceovers that we did for the teasers and the track reveal, actually take place prior to when the EP starts. And so the protagonist is in the middle of having just started basically travelling across space, because of this like weird, faded, faint echo transmission coming from somewhere in the galaxy. And so this song is basically about making that decision of whether or not to like chase after it. The lyrics serve make that all very apparent; “from all the way across the empty space called the whisper of a distant light”, so it’s very much that first debate of whether or not to take a sort of plunge into something because the whole story is ultimately an allegory for transitioning.”
Ashley: “It’s a good moment to point out that with the artwork for the EP and then the singles themselves, each one has its own artwork and colour that informs the prism that’s on the front of the main artwork for the EP. It’s all it’s all very purposeful.”
Audrey: “So each of the five colours in the gradient correspond to each of the songs. And that kind of came from a sort of synaesthesia perspective, the colours of the feelings that each song conveys. So yeah, EMPTY SPACE is very much just that like; something’s going on here. And deciding whether or not to chase after it, having whatever conflicting feelings come with making that decision. When we were starting to write the lyrics, we had this idea of like, let’s base each song on a particular planet, so in this case when I say it’s only sort of the beginning, the character has already left Earth at this point, and this song is Jupiter as far as the overall aesthetic of it, and I tried to set the tone of that with the first line “I looked up to the burning sky” because Jupiter’s y’know, it’s just all gases and chemicals and very orange so yeah, that’s that’s what EMPTY SPACE is all about in that regard.”
British breakout stars Heriot have just signed a huge new deal with Century Media, and to celebrate it they’ve dropped standalone single ‘Soul Chasm’. Leaning into their death metal influences more than ever, but still retaining the industrialised metallic hardcore bite we know and love, there’s chainsaw riffing aplenty, dual vocals, squealing guitars and Debbie Gough unleashes some hellacious, grimy screams. At a mid-paced groove, ‘Soul Chasm’ spends its time grinding you down through sheer sonic attrition, its opening riff and closing electronics bookending a song that shows a huge step in songwriting for the band. Heriot have already had a stellar 18 months since debut EP Profound Morality demolished an unsuspecting scene, but 2024 is sure to be an even bigger year. – Will Marshall
Few names conjure as much reverance in the extreme metal world as Ihsahn. Part of the seminal black metal group Emperor, over the last decade and a half the man has became a solo artist whose work has taken him to places fans never thought possible during his kvlt days. The first track from his upcoming self-titled record, ‘Pilgrimage to Oblivion’ is available in both a prog metal and orchestral variant. Both are fantastically grandiose, the metal version in particular featuring classic black metal blast beats, shrieked vocals and machine gun riffs. At times apocalyptic, at times hideously beautiful, there’s an almost welcoming quality to it, as if this is just the beginning of a journey. When the record releases in February, this is one trip that you must take, for there is no doubt it will be like anything else you’re likely to hear in 2024. – Chris Earl
Industrial noise crew HEALTH continue their relentless previews of new album Rat Wars, dropping ‘DEMIGODS’ & ‘’UNLOVED’. The former a brooding, haunting epic invading the airwaves like an otherworldly master of space and time. The latter taking their beats to the dance floors of the underground. Pulsating beats that would get the vampires in Blade bumping and/or grinding before Wesley Snipes bathes in their blood. – Adam Vallely
Birmingham noisey post-punk outfit Mutes have been flying under the radar for a few years now but with their fourth album, en route for release in 2024, has ears a tingling with the new single ‘Mere Slaughter’. A discordant piece with abrasive guitars and vocals. It builds into an anguished and angry delivery fitting for the message of society’s decline. With an added pumping bassline towards the end this is certainly a track to unleash that pent up rage inside. – Adam Vallely
One of the biggest, most welcome surprises of the last year was the emergence of Better Lovers, a veritable metalcore supergroup. Comprising former members of Every Time I Die with the vocal talents of Greg Puctacio, their debut EP was a revelation of scathing lyrics and phenomenal riffs. Promising that a full length isn’t too far away, they’ve gave us an early Christmas present with a new standalone single, ‘Two Alive Amongst The Dead’. A continuation of the chaos from the EP, it nevertheless shows an increase in confidence of the members as a unit and feels more cohesive as a result. Greg is in full snotty, aggro mode and there’s very little crooning on this mathy blast of riffs and jarring time signatures. These guys know that the appetite for their work is at a fever pitch so it doesn’t seem like it’ll be too long before we get more from them. – Chris Earl
Ahead of their upcoming tour in support of Babymetal, accompanied by two Glasgow headline shows, VUKOVI have dropped a massive new single in the form of ‘Mercy Kill’. Huge drums pound out a waltzing rhythm beneath waves of glittering synths wrapped around arena-sized riffs. Vocalist Janine Shilstone performs with a visceral desperation as she confesses to the depths of her obsession with a lover. It’s a perfect combination of her signature bombastic lyrical delivery, and some of her most compelling vocal work to date. A welcome addition to the band’s increasingly accomplished discography. – Ryan Ward
For established listeners and devotees of the Brighton queer alternative scene, the absurd number of guest features on this track shouldn’t be the first thing to grab one’s attention; it would be how ‘Baby Uh Huh’ was actually released earlier this year, sans guests. However, released in aid of We Exist and the curial work they conduct in providing mutual aid to trans, non-binary and intersex people, the South Coast Power Pop duo Arxx have reengineered the track with some of the best queer talent and friends from all across the UK. The end result is reimagining of the track that bolsters it’s inherent queer joy and is infused with genuine chemistry. “We were looking at the world around us, at all the attacks on Queer lives and in particular Trans lives and we wanted to do something to show our support with our Queer community”, state the band on the track. “‘Baby Uh Huh’ is about finding the right people to surround yourself with to make you a better version of yourself, which is a very Queer experience. We chose a bunch of our friends who are Queer artists to sing on this record and celebrate Queerness whilst raising money for a really important Trans healthcare charity. A donation and half of the proceeds from this record will go to We Exist and further donations can be made on our Bandcamp.” – Dan Hillier
The slasherwave prodigy returnth. Inhabiting a sacred intersection where the laylines of black metal and synthwave meet, Gost has long been the subject of both intrigue and allure in the way they chemically amalgamate the two genres without comprising their unique and contrastive elements. ‘Prophecy’, their latest single, is a testament to that. The title track of their forthcoming record – released via Metal Blade March 4th – ‘Prophecy’ see’s the darkwave multi-instrumentalist returning to the withered, buried and dark roots of the project to not only dreg up the obsidian bleakness that first shocked listeners upon the project’s inception, but to offer a record that documents the revival of the Satanic Panic. “It’s about an imaginative fall of the Western civilization, the biblical end of the world – the rise of Satan and Armageddon,” says Gost on Prophecy. “In America, there’s been a big rise of scared, reactive Christianity again, and almost like a re-emergence of the Satanic Panic. So it felt like an appropriate time to bring Satan back into things.” – Dan Hillier
New Hampshire grinders Escuela Grind have been absolutely crushing it this year, playing a plethora of shows to rabid fans all across North America and further afield. Now they continue this trend with a brand new single titled ‘Ball and Chain’. The first single off the group’s upcoming EP DDEEAATTHHMMEETTAALL, it’s full of throw back deathcore influence like I Declare War and The Acacia Strain with hints of modern hardcore. Truly a combination pulled off with ease by the four piece unit. Vocals boom through every second while down tuned guitars and slamming drums follow close behind, a sound any core fan will be able to get behind. – Nathaniel Maure
Closing out the biggest year of their career so far, British nu-core youngsters Graphic Nature have dropped a brand new track. Ahead of a massive headline show at Camden’s Underworld, ‘Fractured’ offers a chunky, heavy slab of the band’s baggy pants influenced metal. As always, it’s lyrically a dive into the mind of frontman Harvey Freeman, mixing fury with a vulnerability rarely seen in the genre. Scatterings of electronics and a hefty swing carry the track, and it can be chalked up as another banger for the group. 2023 was a year that catapulted the band from promising upstarts to one of the most exciting bands in the British heavy scene, and 2024 will hopefully keep them on an upward trajectory. – Chris Earl
Released as part of a split-single with Ukrainian riot grrl thrashers Death Pill, Shooting Daggers continue their uphold their status as one of the UK’s most exciting punk bands with ‘Not My Rival’. Urging women everywhere to stop bringing each other down in order to focus their rage on dismantling the malegaze and a track that enlivens the cultural sorority that is the queerpunk scene as a living organism, ‘Not My Rival’ is a gritty and flamboyant flurry of unfiltered hardcore. Those loyal to the UK scene will no doubt be familiar with the prowess of this band, but with this track and the band’s forthcoming new LP due next year, Shooting Daggers will soon engulf all in their incendiary queer hardcore. – Dan Hillier
The second full length from the Nottingham post-black metal collective, Managed Decline documents the tale of your average post-industrial town in the Midlands. An audible slice of life if you will. However, this is not a cosy snapshot of endearment. Capturing the economic downfall of the town in the 1970’s from Thatcherism and the bleak fallout over the next several generations, Managed Decline is a bleak, vivid and painfully visual retelling of the people trapped in the festering conditions intentionally engineered by Conservative rule. As Managed Decline intricately spiels tales of addiction, forced sex work and collective hopelessness on a cultural level, the record becomes gripping and vivid in it’s presentation; especially given it’s foretelling of our future with our political leaders currently stripping the country for all it’s worth and leaving us destitute.
Though a riveting concept this may be, what truly makes Managed Decline painfully gripping is it’s presentation. Bounded by paramount emotion, driven by genuine urgency and articulated with atmospheric contemporary black metal in the vein of the Underdark’s contemporariness of Svalbard, Dawn Ray’d and Downfall Of Gaia, Managed Decline further pays credence to how black metal can be an unparalleled vessel for storytelling when approached and utilised with creative finesse. On top of that, it also serves as a testament to how Underdark are well and truly one of the best black metal acts in the national scene. Improving upon everything laid out in their brilliant 2021 LP debut Our Bodies Burned Bright On Re-Entry, this record is both a fantastic exploration in musical documentation and proof of Underdark’s creative brilliance.
With the record out today via Church Road Records, we got in touch with frontwoman Abi Vasquez to break down Managed Decline track by track.
Discussing the project’s origins Thomas admitted “I recorded all the demos on my own in my bedroom. I’ve known how to record for years but over lockdown I really went into trying to learn how to use Logic, teaching myself through Youtube”. Inspired by lo-fi artists such as Phil Elverum, of Mount Eerie and The Microphones, bedroom indie-pop band Florist and indie rockers Sun Kil Moon, Muriel decided against a typical studio space, instead recording in his tattoo studio, Thomas explains “for one it was really expensive to get a nine track album recorded in a studio, I already had the space in the tattoo studio and a couple of mics. I thought, let’s just re-record it in here. We took all the beds out, put out some lamps and candles and made it like a week-long residency, it was really fun.” This unique recording space had its own impact on the record he continues “It’s not a treated room so it’s not miles from the space I used to record the demos in my flat, it’s more the personality of the space. We recorded for about five days straight, ordered takeaways here and had a few drinks in the evening and yeah, it did sound so much better. It’s a bigger room so it has a unique character, some of that natural reverb is on the record.”
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The only part of the record not recorded in Thomas’ tattoo studio were the drums, he explains “The rest of the recording it’s kind of endless how much you can layer but drums have to be recorded in a certain way”, the band instead chose to record the drums with Simon Cripps at The Music Works in Gloucester, Thomas explained that after the tracks were recorded “I left all the tracks with Si to let him mix it a little. That was stressful because I had to let go of how I imagined it sounding, a lot of the time he was mixing as if it was a record that wasn’t recorded in a tattoo studio, kind of cutting too much out. We had to learn each other’s communication styles, he talks in very technical terms and I talk in terms of emotions, it took a while but we found the sweet spot in the end. I think we both learned a lot from it”.
