Midsommar metallers Forlorn released their latest single ‘Hold Me’ on Halloween (or Samhain, as the pagan outfit would have it). Addressing co-dependency and written as a letter from a parent to a child, it’s a heavy song in more ways than just its sonics. Voracious howls from vocalist Megan Elliot open the song, before the guitars lend their crushing weight; it’s not all bludgeoning though, with her adopting melodic vocals during the more subdued verses that lend an air of menace. There’s echoes of both Devil Sold His Soul in parts as well as Rolo Tomassi, while still being entirely their own bewitching animal. Elliot says of the song and release timing, “Samhain [is] the most important time for reflecting on life, looking at past behaviourisms and growing. In this song I am letting go of my old self, moving into a new space of clarity, strength and acceptance.” – Will Marshall
Following on from appearances at PWER Fest and Fest Shalom, Treehouse are back with a double shot of skarmz angst with their new two-track single ‘444’ / ‘Library Book Stamps’. Whilst ‘444’ is a brilliant continuation of the violence and sorrow of their 2020 EP Nurture – albeit with additional welcome polish and hardcore facing direction – ‘Library Book Stamps’ is a more melodic and delicate affair. With its classic post-hardcore tendencies that shun the gimmicks typically found in the modern sound and it’s bonafide ear worm of a central refrain, the track see’s Treehouse once again proving their promise as one the south coast’s best authentic emo exports. Those with a penchant for acts such as Buds., I Hate Sex and Japanese pioneers Envy will find plenty to fawn over here, and whilst the concept of emo has become warped and frayed over the past several decades, it’s clear that with these two singles Treehouse are not only just keeping the old ways of the genre alive but bribing them into the new age with flair and passion. – Dan Hillier
Six months after their ferocious sophomore album, Bob Vylan drop another biting track. A threatening metal riff opens this mid-tempo song, which features Laurie Vincent of UK duo Slaves. But, for all the punch of Bob Vylan’s music, the heart of their artistry is in their flow. Social injustice is their target, as always, but ‘The Delicate Nature’ adds a touching reflection on life’s fragility to their discography. Life’s daily decisions can change everything, but nothing seems to budge the evils of systemic injustice. The chorus of ‘The Delicate Nature’ is the phrase “things are changing” repeated twelve times. It’s a terribly effective chorus. Once again, the UK punks throw a gut punch to wake up the ignorant, the apathetic, and the jaded. – Josiah Aden
Alright, fess up. Who owns the bloody massive riff? Spiritworld, that’s who, they’re intent on bringing their brand of outlaw metal to the masses! Bringing forth one of the most headbangingly old school riffs in years ‘Relic of Damnation; is the third single from their brand new album Deathwestern, which is out the 25th of November. This track is just shy of two and a half minutes, and it does not mess about. Stomping drums, a guitar sound straight out of the 80’s and some lovely hardcore influenced vocals make for an addictive little number, with southern tinges throughout. A naughty little tease for one of the most anticipated albums from the end of 2022. – Chris Earl
Cardiff based band Half Happy have released their second single ‘Steal Me Away’, written by band members Zac and Rose before the band came into existence and the couple had started writing and recording in their living room. Written a whole two years ago with an accompanying video filmed a year ago it feels clear that this marks the early stages of the idea and musical direction that was later turned into a full band project. The release comes only a month after their debut single ‘Love Sweep’, which stylistically hits in the same way. ‘Steal Me Away’ is a stunning blend of twinkly guitar intonations, brilliantly placed drumming and beautiful dreamy vocals. ‘Steal Me Away’ is fantastically written with storytelling that works as the narrative the band aim to put across as well as being an easy song to create imagery and personal narrative to. The vocal delivery has an angelic and distant quality to its production and an impressive range that is sprinkled in effortlessly through the song. They’re fresh, they’re exciting and what comes next is sure to be something to look out for. – Jac Holloway
When her bandmates amicably left Norwegian pop-punk band Sløtface earlier this year to pursue other careers, singer Haley Shea wasn’t ready to let her project die, taking on a leading role in a looser collaborative structure. New single ‘Happy’ is an anthem for anyone going through tough times, with relatable verses about wanting to get away from it all and a chorus of gang vocals shouting “I just wanna feel happy!”. Shea breaks down her fears in front of a riffy guitar and synth backdrop, which lovers of British indie punk contemporaries like Fresh, Muncie Girls and Nervus will find familiar, before building up to an immense, shouted chorus. ‘Happy’ feels like a continuation and evolution of Sløtface’s previous work, driving towards a slightly more mature and experimental sound, embracing lo-fi drum beats and synth textures to compliment their upbeat pop-punk style. – Tom Bruce
After setting the global scene alight with their previous two singles, post-hardcore’s hottest supergroup L.S. Dunes are back with their third incendiary single ‘Bombsqaud’. Taken from their upcoming debut LP Past Lines – released November 11th via Fantasy Records – ‘Bombsquad’ see’s the members of My Chemical Romance, Coheed and Cambria, Thursday and Circa Survive forgoing all pretence to deliver a fiery and impassioned slab of classic post-hardcore that’s void of any overwhelming similarities to any member’s main act. Naturally though, motifs from the aforementioned acts are present in this track; the fretwork of Coheed guitarist Travis Stever adds a touch of progression to the mix, Frank Iero sharpens the edge of the track with a sense of classic emo rebellion and the signature bellows of Circa Survive vocalist Anthony Green further bolsters the post-hardcore delivery that binds not only this single, but the band’s output thus far. Make no mistake, this certainly isn’t a project reliant on it’s lofty credentials; ‘Bombsquad’ is proof that L.S. Dunes certainly have their own sound that needs to be heard. – Dan Hillier
Northern doom-noise gang Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs (yes it is still seven Pigs) are back to destroy your ear drums with new track ‘Terror’s Pillow’. Released this week via a live version from their spiritual home of Blank Studios, it most likely comes with a dangerous decibel level when recording. The opening notes reminiscent of an old office printer spitting out that carefully worded memo you’ve poured over. The track builds as smoke and flames slowly fill the room that is your ear canals. This is Pigs at their best. Simplicity and as much heaviness as they can cram into five minutes. – Adam Vallely
From the darkness of the stickiest of DIY venues JOHN have continually impressed and fine-tuned their craft. This new single is a perfect example of Johhny Healey’s fuzz, dirt laden rhythmic riffage alongside his John-in arms, Newton’s, drumming which keeps the duo’s musical journey steam on. John Newton’s distinct gruff vocals are the ever-essential element to the raw nature of their sound and delivery of the important nature of his lyrics. In this case the “speed of consumption: this includes both the constant update/obsolescence of physical products and their resulting effect on the human attention span.” – Adam Vallely
With the release of the band’s forthcoming new record Astral Fortress now less than a meagre week away, black metal’s most consistent entity Darkthrone are heralding it’s approach with their latest single ‘Caravan Of Broken Ghosts’. A full embodiment of the vintage and timeless sound that the duo helped pioneer, the odyssian eight minute track circumvents the negative stereotypes commonly associated with second wave black metal and instead taps into the ice-encased purities that make the work of Darkthrone so alluring even after all these years. In true vein of the band, there’s no gambled musical experiments here, just a frosted mirage of black, doom and heavy metal that serves as the crux of Darkthrone’s eclectic and classic sound. – Dan Hillier
“It was hot, Sweaty…I thought I was gonna faint coming off that stage. The crowd seemed to enjoy it so it was awesome”, says Ryan on their Bloodstock set. And indeed, the crowd certainly did enjoy it – having waited over a year after Party Cannon had to pull out of last year’s lineup the fans filled the tent to mosh to some ludicrously fun death metal. When asked about pulling out last year, Chris told us “I was absolutely crushed man… it felt like all the effort up to that point was gone, but we made it here now. I don’t want to say it was a good thing that our drummer got Covid last year but we kind of lucked out…because we were really fortunate to get a great slot this year.”
You can tell that he’s genuinely buzzing as well; he lets in that he’s “had his pop up tent in the car for over a year” so the Party Cannon bassist has certainly been excited to hit the stage. Ryan let in that the most important part of his wait for their performance at this years fest was “making sure that we have enough inflatables”. Classic Party Cannon right there.
There were a lot of metalheads wearing their Party Cannon tees at the festival this year, and to come out and see the masses of fans supporting them was “Beautiful” according to Ryan. “It’s so nice to come back and see people supporting us, it really means a lot. Its good to see that Covid hasn’t stopped Party Cannon.”
A diptych of ‘the seeking of truth and reality, in a collapsing world’ and the ‘need of deconstruction in order to rebuild’ the French experimental band Birds in Row are back with more energy and vigour as ever. The trio always been clear on their message of looking out for each other whilst being aware of the world around us and trying to make positive change. ‘Noah’ exemplifies this in spades. You are invited to ‘come with me’ and view the horrors of the world around us and how capitalism tries to fix this but fails time and time again. Musically this is a one of their more expansive pieces with a slow burning tension and build. A beautiful push and pull between explosive then restrained vocals alongside a simmering rhythm section holding it all together. A seamless transition takes us into the second act ‘Cathedrals’ more proof of their evolving craftmanship. Unrelenting drums alongside the raw screams. of burning the systems to the ground. Birds in Row are certainly a band for the people and hopefully more will take notice of their incoming album Gris Klein. – Adam Vallely
The latest single from the Russian black metal collective, ‘Fracture’ see’s the ardently antiwar Somn articulating pure musical hellfire in response to the horrors unfolding both in their native home-country and in their neighbouring Ukraine. It’s a blistering and borderline anxiety inducing ordeal, one articulated with incendiary passion and one that showcases their upcoming split EP with their fellow St. Peterburgians Wowod. “We’re two neighboring bands sharing the local scene in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. We played many times together and thought it’d be cool to introduce each other to our fanbases by doing a split release”, state Somn on the forthcoming split, due for release October 7th. “As Russians finding ourselves in this horrible situation, we are against cutting the cultural exchange, setting up new borders because of politics. We value human life regardless of nationality and are hugely opposed to whoever or whatever tries to manipulate us or our feelings.” – Dan Hillier
Baltimore pop-punkers Pinkshift have released the fourth song from their upcoming album in the form of ‘in a breathe’ and may come as a surprise to fans and new listeners alike in terms of sound, given the fact that it is a piano led ballad. If nothing else it will surely catch you off guard as it confidently stands on its own two feet as a brave and raw outpouring. ‘in a breathe’ is an honest and vulnerable stripped down song that see’s vocalist Ashrita Kumar addressing the subject of pushing people away as a result of never feeling like it will lead to happiness, as well as exploring the idea of a limbo where you are stuck between wanting to live and wanting to die with all of these insecurities and barriers that life throws your way providing obstructions to falling either side of said limbo. It’s a sobering and thought-provoking ride and truly showcases Kumar’s incredible range both vocally and lyrically. ‘in a breathe’ will feature on Pinkshift’s upcoming album Love Me Forever which is due for release October 21st via Hopeless Records. – Jac Holloway
As no strangers to providing the culmination of shoegaze celestial beauty with the ponderous distorted rumblings of the iconic grunge era soundscape; the Ontarian Alternative Dreampop sister act Softcult, endeavour to cut through the heavy with a plethora of enchanting vibrations broadcast from their latest single ‘One Of A Million’. Although it’s lyrical content represents a reflective ode to damning elitist privilege, while embracing and accepting the essence of unexceptionalism; the tracks continuous stream of consciousness when observing Softcult’s entire discography plays perfectly on the Riot Grrrl socio-political ideology. The persistent occupation of rolling social commentary is something band members Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn are especially meticulous about, as they understand the use of their vast discography as a vessel for mental and emotional enlightenment on a global stage is imperative to the desire to see the change we all wish to see to secure our worlds survival. – Bennie Osborne
Iggor Cavalera and Wayne Adams, two legends in their own rights, have joined forces once more to obliterate ear drums through the magnitude of analogue come digital sound waves. This time they bring along some equally well thought of friends to add to the chaos on incoming album Liminal. Recently sharing a single with Jacob Bannon (Converge) and this time round with Paula Rebbeledo (Rakta). ‘Distorted Peace’ is an apt title as the cacophony of sounds emanating are oddly soothing but disconcerting like a relaxing acidic bath. Iggor’s drums adding a tribal feel to the space age synths. If you have yet to catch the duo in action they will be touring with Full of Hell and Converge later this year. – Adam Vallely
Like it’s namesake implies, the latest single from dreampop shoegazers New Ghost is the sound of alternated consciousness. Taken from their upcoming EP Rectify – due for release October 29th – ‘Dreamsong’ is a gorgeous shawl of comforting noise that ebbs and flows from lofty dreampop to carbonated shoegaze with free spiritedness. Ethereal and untethered in fashion, the song is complemented with electronic flourishes alongside the serenading vocal talents of Chris Anderson and Ellie Richards, resulting in a brilliantly atmospheric cut that’s destined to be adored by fans of acts such as Holy Fawn, Slow Crush and even Silversun Pickups. – Dan Hillier
Dispute forming just before Covid took hold, Oversize have already managed to fill quite the curriculum vitae. From appearing at this year’s Outbreak and Burn It Down festivals to releasing their debut EP In Balance, the alt-rockers came out of the pandemic swinging. Now they’re preparing for their next career arc, one they’re teasing with their latest single ‘Taste’. Taken from their upcoming extended play Into The Ceiling – released October 21st via Church Road Records – ‘Taste’ see’s the band taking flavours from pioneering acts such as Smashing Pumpkins and Dinosaur Jr prior to distilling them additional notes of britpop, new wave, shoegaze and hardcore. There’s plenty to adore here, and going from this track, it seems inevitable that Oversize are set to seize next year by storm. – Dan Hillier
Off the back of an excellent run of supporting Canadian punk veterans Cancer Bats, Kent’s explosive metal outfit Graphic Nature release ‘White Noise’. An on the nose description of not only the track’s lyrical content but how the sound encloses the listener putting them on edge. Graphic Nature’s intense live performances are captured here with gritty vocals, hard hitting drums and riffs straight from the darkest corners of their collective minds. Whilst this all sounds menacing, Harvey Freeman’s lyrics are key to the message Graphic Nature want to deliver around mental health. A reminder that you are not alone with your struggles. – Adam Vallely
Charlie grins from the first second of the interview, the prospect of the Sophie Stage packed to the rafters with thousands of metalheads is only a few hours away as we speak. “It’s amazing, last year was sick, the sun is shining and we’re ready to smash it!” says the drummer of the Sheffield five-piece. As we speak, the weather hits nearly 40 degrees Celsius, nature trying its hardest to sap the energy from the crowds – “I’m just hoping people haven’t got too much sunstroke and are still able to mosh” says Charlie as the heat beats down on his Stella Artois T-Shirt, seemingly carefree and ready to deliver the groove come 11pm that night.
Charlie tells us ‘It’s some big boots to fill replacing Hatebreed“, after the hardcore giants had to pull out this year, “but I felt like last year was such a pivotal point for us. Playing a big metal crowd at Bloodstock…turns out even all the guys in the battlejackets like our riffs.” This pretty humble reference to their set in 2021 may undersell just how immense Malevolence were – absolutely enormous pits, acclaim from press worldwide and flawless energy means they not only deserved the call up for 2022, but people demanded it.
