You know the deal, here's the best singles of last week.
Another Aussie hardcore band making waves right now, Speed are practically the perfect hardcore band. Uplifting scenes and shining lights on them wherever they tour by way of short documentaries and delivering mosh anthems with every single track, the gang called Speed simply can’t miss. The second single off their debut LP Only One Mode, ‘The First Test’ is another slab of riffs, two-step parts and ferocious barked vocals from Jem Siow. The grooving breakdown halfway through gets even more satisfying and anthemic though by an unlikely inclusion – Jem on the flute. It serves to underscore just how hard the band go and ‘The First Test’ is another prime example of why they’re one of the most exciting bands around. – Will Marshall
One of the most legendary, unique death metal bands to ever exist, Nile are back and ready to take you on a journey deep into the realm of ancient Egyptian history. Their first new track since 2019 is titled – deep breath -‘Chapter for Not Being Hung Upside Down on a Stake in the Underworld and Made to Eat Feces By the Four Apes’. It’s a scathing, brutal slab of death metal, given the band’s signature edge by lyrics that regularly pull from the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Ahead of their tenth studio album, The Underworld Awaits Us All, it’s great to see that the veterans of over 30 years haven’t slowed down a single bit. The track itself is a medley of machine gun drumming, sinister vocals and technical yet fierce riffs. It may not be the easiest of song titles to remember, but the track itself is a fantastic reminder that Nile, when on form, are untouchable. – Chris Earl
The most charismatic set of pipes in prog-metal return with the lead single from Leprous‘ upcoming album Melodies of Atonement. This time, Einar Solberg finds himself crooning over a groove-laden track that lurches from industrial and hip-hop styled beats to thundering choruses laden with sludgy guitars and staccato leads. ‘Atonement’ plays with dynamics and pacing in a way that few bands can pull off, building to peaks and troughs of such wildly varying texture and mood that it feels much longer than its concise 5 minute runtime. As always, the vocals are the guiding light throughout the song, and Solberg continues to impress with just how much power and emotion he can inject in to anything he touches. – Tim Dorning
At the beginning of the year, Kaonashi set the standard by releasing a hellacious, deeply personal EP The 3 Faces of Beauty: A Violent Misinterpretation Of Morgan Montgomery. A mix of intense, bug-eyed hardcore and almost La Dispute level emotional toil, it spawned one of their most popular tracks and exposed them to a wider audience. It may come as a surprise then, that the first release off their second EP of the year is more akin to traditional, introspective emo than aural chaos. ‘Passing Through the Hourglass’ is a mix of Balance and Composure style melancholic beauty and Touche Amore‘s direct lyrical battering. It will be very interesting when A Second Chance At Forever: The Brilliant Lies From Casey Diamond comes out on July 26 if the rest of the tracks take this approach or if it’s simply a demonstration of the band expanding their sound. – Chris Earl
It’s pretty apt that this single begins with what sounds like a rooster; if you’re still sleeping on Kurokuma you’re about to be rudely woken up. Taken from the bands upcoming record Of Amber And Sand, ‘I Am Forever’ is a pressurised torrent of hallucinogenic sludge that’s continues upon the progressive nature of their 2022 LP Born Of Obsidian in thanks to its incorporation of instruments and techniques typically far removed from the mire of the genre at hand. The track’s embracement of Balkan and Middle Eastern rhythms – including a baglama solo courtesy of Babak Sharifmaj – only animates the thematic theme of time, entirety, temporality and humanity’s place in it all that this track and the wider record plays host to. But regardless of such a theme and the track’s introduction to it, ‘I Am Forever’ sounds like primordial riffs dipped in amber, left to fossilise for countless millennia and then formed into an arrowhead that’s shot right into one’s diaphragm. – Dan Hillier
Sweden’s premier post-rock pioneers return with the third single from their upcoming album All Things Shining. ‘Deluge’ is centred around delicately unsettling guitar lines, anchored by the band’s signature bass growl. Oh Hiroshima continue to cement themselves as one of the best vocal driven post-rock bands around, with the lyrics here inspired by the writings of Pär Lagerkvist and matching the sombre and creepy vibe of the instrumental perfectly. In stripping down to a two-man lineup, Oh Hiroshima have somehow created a much more expansive and ambitious sound, but it’s still wrapped up into a perfectly crafted 4 minute runtime that builds to a frantic climax and leaves us wanting more. – Tim Dorning
Beginning with distorted whispers and an infectious drum groove, Bury Tomorrow lead you in before delivering the first blow of their brand new song ‘Villain Arc’. Vocalist Dani comes in with a menacing, gravelly tone in his voice, perfectly setting the listener up for the darker aura that surrounds the song. Building on the ambience of latest album The Seventh Sun whilst carrying forward the stellar guitar the band is well known for, Bury Tomorrow charge forward with explosive riffs, battering drums and a dynamic vocal performance. With some catchy verses, a great song structure and a fantastic clean vocal bridge, the band are proving to all the naysayers that they are still more than capable of pushing the envelope and developing their sound even after 15 plus years together. – Jude Bennett
Australian gruff, hardcore post-punk outfit Totally Unicorn has released their first single since 2022’s excellent LP High Spirits//Low Life, and much like that raucous nine-track outing, ‘Parrot’ packs a combination of heavy punches. Capturing hooks and grooves from the off with some disgusting distortion and gravelly vocal lines you won’t know whether to pogo or swing every appendage in the pit, and they even chuck in a cheeky little guitar solo for good measure. This is the first taste of many recording sessions with different engineers to be released this year so lock in now for more riffs. – Adam Vallely
Australia’s day-glo nu-metallers Ocean Grove are back, almost on cue with a track that just begs to be played when the sun is at its peak and the drinks are flowing. Having just joined the roster of SharpTone Records, they’ve harked back to their roots for ‘Fly Away’, a chunky, bouncy slab of danceable metal that begs for asses to be shaken and hands to be put in the air. Vocalist Dale Tanner is the star of the show, his flow and hooks absolutely undeniable and guaranteeing you’ll be humming his refrains for the whole of the summer. Crack out the basketball shorts and jersey, grab some Dragon Soop and crank this up, the Grove are back and they’ve never sounded better. – Chris Earl
New South Wales hardcore/death metal merchants Volatile Ways have unveiled the first taste of their debut LP arriving later this year via Bereave In God Records. ‘The Invocation of Doom’ is the quartet at their most ferocious, death metal best. Guttural howls sit atop churning riffs and roars of “kill!” sure to incite pits wherever they go. Special mention goes to their snare sound, a glorious ‘clonk’ that reverberates round your skull just like your teeth after getting in a Volatile Ways pit. Furious, slamming breakdowns close out the track in glorious fashion that whet the appetite for more. Hopefully that debut isn’t too long off. – Will Marshall
The latest record to be taken from the Outlander’s upcoming record Acts Of Harm – released 28th of June via Church Road – ‘Orbit’ is a warm embracement of instrumental shoegaze that fits like a trusted hoodie. Meaning, it’s familiar and well worn, but frayed, faded and ultimately a reflection of one’s stagnation. A reflection on habit, ‘Orbit’ is a dreary but delicate weave of ambience that perfectly encapsulates the nature of withering in one’s comfort zone whilst adhering to personal habits and rituals that are comfortably routine, but spiritually imprisoning. Those currently trapped within the horrible cycle of routine or feeling like they have succumbed to the entrapment of modern mundane living will doubt feel this track on a personal level. – Dan Hillier
Post-hardcore trailblazers Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows (also known as D.R.U.G.S.) are back with their first single in two years ‘Hunger Pangs’. Breathy clean vocals and vicious screams from frontman Craig Owens clash with choppy, thunderous guitar riffs in a crushingly heavy yet catchy and melodic cacophony. With crystal clear production from rising star Jonathan Dolese, who garnered significant praise for his recent work with Cane Hill, ‘Hunger Pangs’ represents a huge step towards a more accessible sound that retains the soul of D.R.U.G.S.’ earlier work. Thankfully fans won’t be left waiting over a decade between albums this time, D.R.U.G.S are expected to release their highly anticipated third album soon. – Tom Bruce