Cultdreams – Want It More
After some years in the shadows, Cultdreams are back bearing the light. Taken from their freshly announced double record Love Won’t Let Me Go & Death Consumes Me – released November 15th via Big Scary Monsters – ‘Want It More’ is a synth-blessed dream-pop antidote to the fuzzy darkness that has longed defined this brilliant act. However, in true Cultdreams fashion, the track still retains the shoegazing delivery that was inherent to their previous record Things That Hurt and harkens towards the darker side of the aforementioned double record coming in late autumn. “The song is about being held back by people and things in your life that don’t serve you anymore”, states Lucinda Livingstone. “You’ve become detached from someone or something and it doesn’t feel the same. You feel like you’re in a different place, and you have to let go of those people or environments in order to move on. It’s triumphant but also just a big serving of getting real with yourself and setting better boundaries.” – Dan Hillier
The Armed – NEW! Christianity
When the mysterious hardcore collective known only as The Armed release new music only two things can be known for certain; it’ll be loud and it’ll be weird as hell. Coming clean about their identities before their last full length record Perfect Saviors, released last August, has done little to dispel the mystique around The Armed with their ferocious blend of post-hardcore noise and crooning melodies remaining as intense as ever on their latest single ‘NEW! Christianity’. Released in anticipation of the band’s upcoming Everlasting Gaze EP, a companion piece to Perfect Saviors, ‘NEW! Christianity’ is an explosion of fuzzed-out blast beats and overlapping vocals for a confusing yet addictive experience. – Tom Bruce
Mogwai – God Gets You Back
Arriving just after Mogwai‘s headline set at ArcTanGent and heralding their forthcoming world tour and possible new age, ‘God Gets You Back’ sees the post rock legends once again doing what they do best – whatever they want. While the track stands somewhere between the colossal sound of 2021’s As The Love Continues and the contemplative electronica that bounded 2014’s Rave Tapes, ‘God Gets You Back’, in true Mogwai fashion it would be utterly redundant to even compare this track to other works. It’s the sound of an act that not only knows how to effortlessly bend the parameters of post rock to their will, but the sound of an entity that essentially forms the sound of an entire genre for an age to come. – Dan Hillier
Imperial Triumphant – Eye of Mars
If you claim to “get” Imperial Triumphant, stop lying. The bewildering extreme metal trio are a sonic onslaught of free jazz, death metal, black metal and more. New standalone single ‘Eye of Mars’ might actually be one of the most straightforward things they’ve done to date, but don’t let that fool you. It’s still a mind-bending assault on the senses, weird time signatures, samples and all, unfurling over 5 mystifying minutes. From its ambient opening, it descends into madness with stabbing guitars, gutturals and even a brass section just to disorientate further. Weird? Yes. One of the most fascinating avant-garde bands going? Also yes. – Will Marshall
Bleeding Through – Dead But So Alive
Could it be? Could this be the last teaser before we get confirmation of that long awaited Bleeding Through album? All signs seem to be pointing that way, and if so, ‘Dead But So Alive” would be a great track to officially launch their new era. At this point you like the Orange County metalcore legends or you don’t and this track calls upon their most effective hallmarks. Scorchingly fast drums, razorblade guitars and Brandan Schieppatti’s timeless vocals all while some haunting, almost gothic synths set the scene in the background. Perhaps the best and most surprising moment of the track is the end, where keyboardist Marta joins Brandon for a fantastic harmony in a rarely heard moment of singing for her. She absolutely nails it and hopefully there’s more of that in future. – Chris Earl
Negative Frame – Bad Blood
One of London’s most exciting and violent bands of recent times, Negative Frame are, as we speak, getting ready to destroy venues across the country and just in time for that, they’ve dropped a new track. ‘Bad Blood’ is the name, and no it isn’t a Taylor Swift cover. A rollicking, punky slab of in your face hardcore, you can tell the band has a blast both recording this and making the brand new video for it, in which they get drenched in claret. The dumb as hell highpoint of the track is the broken glass sample that plays over the main breakdown, which then descends into some almost caveman style grunting and hollering. A fun, addictive track that makes Negative Frame stand out as one of the best hardcore bands in the country today, and this track is just one of many reasons you should get yourself to one of their upcoming dates.
Benefits – Land of the Tyrants (Feat. Zera Tønin)
Effortlessly blending politically aware spoken word and vicious industrial noise, Teeside’s most interesting export Benefits have been making significant waves since their debut album Nails dropped last April with live dates supporting extreme metal supergroup Empire State Bastard and an appearance at ArcTanGent festival. Now the band break new territory with ‘Land of the Tyrants’, their most accessible single yet. Without compromising their furious, politically driven spirit Benefits bring in a dancier, 90s inspired beat with seductive backing vocals from Zera Tønin of queer electro punk duo Arch Femmesis, spitting out the same impassioned criticisms of thieving billionaires leeching off the working class but with a less aggressive soundtrack. Don’t be fooled by the less noisy sound of ‘Land of the Tyrants’, Benefits are filled with just as much righteous anger as ever – but now they’re bringing it to the dancefloor. – Tom Bruce
Poppy – they’re all around us
Not content with having possibly the most iconic guest spot of 2024 in her spot on Knocked Loose‘s ‘Suffocate’, Poppy is continuing her journey in making catchy, heavy metalcore with ‘they’re all around us’. Joining forces with the now seemingly ever-present producer Jordan Fish and House of Protection‘s Stephen Harrison, it’s a track that aims to show off the extremes of Poppy‘s voice, from her banshee-esque screams to her well known, soaring cleans. The second track to be released from the as yet unnamed follow-up to last year’s Zig, it’s a fun direction for her to be going in and with the likes of Fish and Harrison behind her, look out for her being one of the scene’s biggest acts come 2025. – Chris Earl
Lambrini Girls – Company Culture
Taking aim at the discrimination of women and queer people in the workplace with a heavy dose of their ever endearing venom; the fiery punk duo Lambrini Girls, announce a 3 month string of UK/EU tour dates early next year, alongside a thunderous sonic rebuke of Human Resources and the corporate boys’ club with their latest single ‘Company Culture’. Being known to never mince words when putting hypocrisy, prejudice and stupidity on blast, Lambrini Girls‘ latest barrage against the fragile male ego is an instant classic anthem for those who seek to fight back against the hierarchal loyalists with the mental capacity of rabid dinosaurs. Although their music is deliciously addictive while blasting it through your headphones, most fans would say the best experience of their caustic musical repugnance is when they’re destroying stages up and down the country, so make sure not to miss them. – Bennie Osborne
A Burial At Sea x Peter Broderick – Boss Man Tony With His Big Heart
The natural product of a long-standing relationship stemming from a chance encounter, ‘Boss Man Tony With His Big Heart’ sees esteemed musician, composer and producer Peter Broderick teaming up with post-rockers A Burial At Sea to create a joyous ode to friendship. Originating as sample posted on social media by drummer Patrick Blaney before getting the attention of Broderick, the track is swelling of delicate keys, violin and percussion that erupts into the a wonderful cacophony that mares the intricate biter-sweetness that one has come to expect from A Burial At Sea. “In 2020 I caved and got my first smartphone to try out the wacky world of modern social media”, states Peter Broderick. “Although I’ve since come to loathe everything about it, early on I encountered the profile of a Liverpool-based Irish drummer called Patrick and I became rather obsessed with this little clip of an unfinished song idea alternating between broken beats, sombre chord sequences and full-on, cymbal smashing abrasion. I begged and pleaded with Paddy to turn it into a proper song and eventually he sent me the raw materials and told me to have at it! I chopped and spliced his fragments into a loose structure whilst adding elements of my own and then for a good few years ‘Tony’ sat on the backburner. It’s great to finally be putting it out there. I hope it’ll make a few heads bang as it does mine.” – Dan Hillier
RedHook – Dr. Frankenstein (Feat. Lucas Woodland)
The Australian shapeshifters RedHook have dropped another new single in the form of ‘Dr. Frankenstein’. True to its name, it’s a fusion of metalcore, pop and EDM, while lyrically it explores taking accountability for mistakes, exploring a toxic relationship from opposing perspectives. It also features Holding Absence‘s Lucas Woodland in typically fine form, the moments where both he and Emmy Mack sing together being particular highlights. As the sixth single from upcoming second album Mutation, it stays true to that title showing yet another sonic side to the Aussies as they continue to push their own boundaries while still delivering relatable lyrics that let Mack showcase both vulnerability and a strong eye for tying in horror or sci-fi elements to explore these topics. – Will Marshall
Tetrarch – Live Not Fantasize
It’s been well over three years since Tetrarch, the nu metal worshippers last released music. Known for delivering some of the chunkiest slabs of downtuned riffy goodness this decade, ‘Live Not Fantasize’ continues this trend alongside their penchant for massive choruses. Described as a song about not letting your negative emotions control you and take over your life, it manages to blend throwback nu metal bounce and swagger with some modern emotion and a definite heft behind the production. The band’s sophomore record Unstable was a fun record that showed promise and whatever follows after this track, you hope it can regain some of the momentum that accompanied them at one point because out of all the nu metal revivalists going these days, they’re definitely in the top tier. – Chris Earl
Signs of the Swarm – IWONTLETYOUDIE
Last year, Signs Of The Swarm released one of the best deathcore records of the year, launching the band to a new level of popularity. It became clear that the band’s faster than lightning blastbeats and gutturals were a match made in heaven and even now, no band has matched that furious drum speed. ‘IWONTLETYOUDIE’ is their newest track, released to celebrate not only ten years of being a band but also ahead of their first headline US tour. It’s a continuation of the sound from Amongst The Low And Empty, blending modern deathcore insanity with a classic sense of menace and violence. There’s parts that will make your teeth want to start killing each other and parts that will make you look over your shoulder on a dark night but most importantly, it’s a hell of a lot of fun and a great addition to the band’s growing arsenal. – Chris Earl