Dan Hillier
After few and mysterious sightings over the years past few years, the sci-fi extreme metal entity Wallowing have made contact; and they do not come in peace. One of the most fascinating and unique voices in the underground metal circuit, the masked and laser-lit group’s new single ‘Flesh And Steel’ not only the first glimpse of their upcoming LP Earth Reaper, but it’s release coincides with their signing to tastemakers Church Road Records. For those who have seen and experienced Wallowing in the past, such grand news of a signing will come as no surprise. Committed animating their sci-fi narrative not just through their abrasive art but also via comics, trading cards, action figures and intricately designed props, Wallowing live and breathe the sci-fi world they have crafted, something made further palpable with the bleak, harsh and unrelenting ‘Flesh And Steel’. With Earth Reaper scheduled for landing on April 28th and it’s release also featuring a companion comic illustrated by Luke Oram, this is a crucial media experience for those who wish to experience full body disintegration though audible means. – Dan Hillier
It’s fair to say The Ongoing Concept blew the doors off the saloon with their debut album Saloon, and its followup Handmade (which naturally involved them using entirely handmade instruments from scratch); after that, a line-up change and their third album, the band went their separate ways. Seemingly, the concept was finished; until this year. The original lineup have repaired relationships (as it featured three brothers, and everyone knows family dynamics are a tricksy thing) and got back together to not only continue, but do so by calling back to the past with Again, and first single ‘Prisoner Again’. Though it’s named after ‘Prisoner’ on Handmade, this isn’t a redo; instead it takes inspiration from the former’s chaotic metalcore mashup to bring a new twist on a familiar sound. The band say of the new single and album, “We wanted to bring a classic The Ongoing Concept sound but were struggling in finding a way to showcase a new era of the band. The missing piece of the puzzle was adding TJ and Andy’s vocals to the mix. Along with Kyle and my [Dawson] vocals, you get a taste of the range this album will have.” – Will Marshall
The band that never slows down, after releasing a ripper of a record last year with f.e.a.r., Stand Atlantic are already back at it with their standalone new single ‘kill[h]er’. Sitting somewhere between the bands slower, more solemn songs, whilst introducing the kind of build up and distortion on the guitars that typically falls in line with the bands more upbeat pop punk hits. It’s a song that deals with self depreciation, and the intrusive thoughts that come with feeling low in self certainty, something vocalist Bon has been vocal about since the early days of the band’s career, between bouts of funny hijinks onstage and shitpost quality tweets. The song hits like a sweltering ballad invoking tones, strangely enough, from classic rock, with a big Aerosmith-esque guitar solo for good measure. Stand Atlantic continues to prove that they can conquer any and all genres they put their minds to, and there’s no telling what could possibly come next, other than chances are it’ll likely be just as good as this track here. – Elliot Grimmie
Written alongside the Reuben classic ‘Let’s Stop Hanging Out’ and presented in the charismatic and charming style of his current material, ‘Words Of Love’ bridges Jamie Lenman’s past and current state of being. Arriving hot on the heels of his late 2022 offering The Atheist and taken from his upcoming EP Iknowyouknowiknow – due for release May 5th via Big Scary Monsters – the track bares the hallmarks of the classic Reuben sound, and whilst some of the post-hardcore angle have been sanded down, it’s original musical DNA is clear. “Words Of Love’ is a very old song that I’ve been trying to get on a record since some time between the second and third Reuben albums, but it never fit anywhere until now”, states Lenman on the track. “Even so, I still had to shave off a few of the post-hardcore edges to make it fit with this project, so if you think you can hear a little mid-noughties vibe in there, that’s why. For a long time this was on rough track listings for the album, but in the end we decided it would be nice to give it a starring role on the EP instead—otherwise it would have been fighting for attention.” – Dan Hillier
The kings of no nonsense, aggressive death metal are back, and they’re bringing the pain. ‘Unbridled Fury’ is the first release in six years from Dying Fetus, since their late career high of Wrong One To Fuck With. This is exactly three and a half minutes of unrelentingly brutal drums, vocals and guitars. The breakdown inparticular will make you want to put your fist through your kitchen table. It’s exactly what you expect from the extreme metal veterans, and comes with a music video which will definitely make you feel a little uneasy…much like this track at times. There’s no news of an album at the moment, but they’ve reportedly been in the studio for a while recently so an announcement can’t be far off. – Chris Earl
No spaces between words? A name your spellcheck will hate? Looks like we’re in for some chaotic mathcore. Close to four years after their last release, .Giffromgod are back to scramble your brains. The first single from their upcoming third full length, Digital Red, titled ‘A Kiss From Every Hornet’, is more of the scattered sassy math-grind from their previous works. Electronic elements slither through the track alongside vicious guitars and almost uncomfortable production. It sounds like a dance off between Seeyouspacecowboy, Thotcrime and Iwrestledabearonce at a sketchy rave…and that’s a good thing. – Chris Earl
Margarita Witch Cult have emerged from Birmingham, the home of heavy metal, breathing some fresh vigour and energy into the world of devil horns and cheap whisky. Taking influence from a variety of heavy realms from thrash to doom to grunge, ‘Death Lurks At Every Turn’ is a brilliant two minute track. With rumbling riffs and sneering vocals. You can imagine band members Jim Thing, George Casual and Screamin’ Scott Vincent taking a ride down the highway on their Harleys, leather jackets on, hair flowing in the breeze as this soundtracks the journey. We are early on said journey and only part way on the road towards their self titled debut album out in April but it will certainly be a roguish one. – Adam Vallely
Channeling the adolescent rip-roaring energy of Gallows and The Ghost Of A Thousand, the latest flaying from Midlands hardcore-punk quartet is quarrelsome music for troubling times. Documenting how many are benefiting from the misfortune of others amidst this current culture war, the track is an outpouring raw and unfiltered bile void of gimmicks and contrivances. Those looking for the youthful rage of the bands aforementioned combined with the metallic tinged hardcore tendencies of acts such as Creature and Sharptooth will find plenty to love here. – Dan Hillier
Hailing from the obsidian and frostbitten shores of Iceland, Altari document the constant threat of volcanic destruction their native homeland lives under with their latest single ‘Kröflueldar’. The title track of their upcoming LP – due for release April 14th via Svart Records – the track’s namesake is taken from serious of eruptions that the Icelandic region of Krafla experienced in 1975, and as one can imagine, the track is suitably a bellowing of frostbitten fire and brimstone. A fiery chemical unison of black metal and avant garde qualities, with this track and their upcoming release Altari shun the classic and withered black metal template in order to create something truly unique and grandiose. Those longing for black metal that carries a true sense of unique identity will have plenty to fawn over here, and for everyone else, ‘Kröflueldar’ is a baptism of brimstone courtesy of a band committed to forging their own sound and identity. – Dan Hillier
Self-styled Norweigian ‘Punk ‘n’ Roll’ gang are back with new single ‘Pardon My Douche’. A tongue in cheek title from a tongue in cheek band. This is fun filled preview of their sophomore album Be Damned due in April. Catchy riffs and guitar licks that will get even the sternest of punk’s butts moving. The chorus is guaranteed to have singalongs for future shows even though the content itself is a downer (‘I’m drowning in the deep end!’). There is a classic rock n roll bridge that builds up and explode and even a key change. All in all this is a good time. DANGERFACE’s debut Get Loud! was a fantastic punk record and their sophomore full length Be Damned is a footloose shuffle away from being even better if this single is anything to go by. – Adam Vallely
Texan prog-metallers Invent Animate strike gold once again with techy, chuggy rager ‘Immolation Of Night’, with the kind of crisp yet devastating riffage that even genre titans TesseracT would be jealous of. The track is the third release to drop from their upcoming album Heavener, and features themes of resilience and contentment of the self; “I am enough, I am whole, I am enough”. Drummer and lyricist Trey Celaya remarks: “This song was born of a realization that all of my suffering has actually made me incredibly resilient and grounded, and I am not the weak person that I sometimes feel that I am. In reality, I have a certain confidence in life that I wouldn’t have if not for my losses and failures. They’ve given me a lot of good characteristics and shaped me into who I am today, and it’s a person I’m proud of.” There’s a poetic nature to the words of this track that is sure to reverberate, or perhaps even spark revelation within anyone who’s faced the great turbulence of life and kept on going, despite all. Powerful, moving, and inspiring, Invent Animate continue to be a shining light of awe inducing prowess amongst their peers. – Elliot Grimmie
Hailing from the city of screaming spires, Oxford’s Desert Storm are back with their latest offering in the form of ‘Cheyne Stoking’. The first single to be taken from their forthcoming body of work Death Rattle – due for released March 31st via APF Records – the track is a musical and thematic continuation of the group’s strutting, pummelling yet elegant progressive metal sound, as well as the introduction of more delicate and hallucinogenic themes. “Cheyne Stoking is about the death trip that occurs in all of us, moments before we die”, stae the band on the album. “As the pineal gland just straight dumps what DMT remains into the body to invoke the deepest dreamlike experience, otherwise referred to as the near-death experience. Lyrics drawing partially from ingestion of synthesized DMT and some imagination as it differs to what is reported of the actual death experience. Thoughts and memories come to the forefront of the mind, and it is reportedly like living everything all at once before the final curtain call. The lyrics are not cryptic, they quite explicitly describe what we imagine to be the experience. Cheyne stokes breathing is also known as the death rattle. This is where the breath becomes irregular and raspy in the final moments before death. This seemed a fitting title for the track and subsequentially the album.” – Dan Hillier