Dan Hillier
A brooding embodiment of their mercurial approach to organic and electronic stylings, the two new singles from Crosses are testaments to their eclectic skill. As clearly proven, the two new tracks from the duo – which is composed of Deftones’ Chino Moreno and multi-instrumentalist Shaun Lopez – showcase the darkly seductive stylings that make the band so haplessly appealing, albeit in two completely unique ways. Whilst ‘Initiation’ is a creeping and shadow-like with it’s fatalism, ‘Protection’ see’s the duo bathing in swatches of electronic textures, digging deeper into their influences with masterful production. Much like their craft, Crosses are mysterious and enigmatic, but with new music on the shadowed horizon, it appears the duo are back once again. – Dan Hillier
The third single taken from their upcoming debut release, ‘Siege Fire’ is Burner at their, aggressive, hardcore-infused death metal best. At barely a minute in length, they don’t waste a single second of it. Opening at a frenetic pace, it spends the first 45 seconds careening through chaotic violence before the final fifteen unleash a mid-paced groove of gargantuan proportions. Since signing to Church Road Records, the band have kept up a steady stream of ferocious singles, with ‘Ingsoc’ and ‘Rat King Crown’ preceding ‘Siege Fire’. It’s once again proof that some of the most exciting – and heaviest – new music is to be found in the UK underground and is more often than not signed to Church Road. – Will Marshall
Having already demolished several doors on their rapid ascent, bruising hardcore/sludge metallers Heriot have released the latest single, the title track of their upcoming debut EP Profound Morality. Marking a departure from the previous, high-aggression and high-speed singles, it takes a far sludgier approach, dialling down the speed but dialling up the industrial and sludge elements. Haunting clean vocals courtesy of guitarist/vocalist Debbie Gough permeate its opening minutes, atop a serpentine bassline. It still features a titanic breakdown of course, but the band show the mastery of their sound by moving from crushing straight back into the unsettling ambience, with bassist/vocalist Jake Packer taking over vocal duties for the second half. Both an encapsulation of all we’ve heard from them so far, as well as boldly breaking new sonic ground, it’s a sure bet that ‘Profound Morality’ is still just the tip of the iceberg and Heriot will continue to push their sound into new, exciting territories with their debut and beyond. – Will Marshall
Documenting the feelings of shame that followed a sexual assault suffered by vocalist Milena Eva, the latest single from dark innovators GGGOLDDD is a painful yet wholly crucial listen. The title track of their new record – which is released April 1st via Artoffact Records – the single is a pulsating and darkly hypnotic affair, one that takes the shape of a commentary on how society as a whole victimises people who have experienced harrowing sexual trauma. Yes, it’s unflinchingly intimate to a degree that borders upon being uncomfortable – but that’s point to be had. This single is the acceptance of the presence of trauma, a mantra to banish such an unwanted spectre and a much required denunciation on how we refuse to acknowledge how sexual abuse has taken a form of a pandemic. Simply, it’s a vital listen in every way possible. – Dan Hillier
The third single to be taken from Undeath’s upcoming record It’s Time…To Rise from the Grave, ‘Necrobionics’ is a viscera-caked slab of death metal engineered to make the crowds rip and tear until the job is done. Inspired by pioneering first person shooters in the vein of Doom and Quake, the single is a bludgeoning and hammering onslaught of filth that shows Undeath’s steadfast dedication to making classic death metal engaging, and above all us, fun. “Necrobionics is the defacto mosh track off It’s Time….,” states guitarist Kyle Beam. “When we drop this one live, it’s going to leave the pit looking much like the chorus says, with “Piles of death, corpses en masse”. The track’s lyrics draws a lot of aesthetic influence from the early doom/quake games, with the video paying homage to some of my favorite pastimes.” – Dan Hillier
Following last single ‘Walk Over My Grave’, Australia’s premiere pop punk export Yours Truly have released its followup, the indie and alt rock-flecked ‘Lights On’. Vocalist Mikaila Delgado describes it as being “about challenging the way you view yourself and how much that is influenced by other people. Doing impulsive things to come off as adventurous and fun while you feel like you’re falling apart behind the scenes”.At just shy of three minutes, it’s short and to the point with a backing motif that’s sure to be shouted back at them from the crowds at shows. With the soaring chorus and introspective lyrics we’ve come to expect of them, along with a healthy dose of progression and experimenting in their sound, it’s obvious the only way is up for Yours Truly. – Will Marshall
The atmospheric sludge/doom project bigLOVE is the latest musical adventure for Justine Jones and Sammy Urwin (Employed To Serve, Glorious Church Road Records) and this week they released their debut single, the crushing ‘Forever Intimate’. Spiritualising doom and sludge, bigLOVE takes themes of unconditional devotion and love and marries them to hulking guitars and searing vocals. While such heavy, abrasive music is usually far less positive, bigLOVE succeed in crafting a song that feels warm and welcoming, with all the intensity of its powerful themes. In a bid to capture the notion that to love is to be human, and to avoid overly analysing or critiquing, every moment of their upcoming debut album Crusaders of Joy was recorded minutes after being written, and it shows in the immediacy and warmth-soaked tones of ‘Forever Intimate’. – Will Marshall
Heavy Alt-Rock duo Nova Twins continue their reigning hit streak with newest single “Cleopatra”, a declaration from a duo on the top of their game that are taking over the world and taking it in their stride. Taken from their upcoming album Supernova, it breathes confidence and is an anthem intended on declaring just that. Written off the back of attending the Black Lives Matter protests the duo say “Attending them made us feel powerful as two mixed-race women in an era where people were suddenly waking up to antiracist conversations… It’s about celebrating who we are and being proud of where we come from. We hope this song encourages people from all walks of life to act and feel the same way too.” In usual Nova Twins fashion ‘Cleopatra’ is genre-bending in its rich textures, combination heavier rock elements and inclusion of rap, rnb and any other energetic elements felt worthy of inclusion. It’s tremendously catchy, shamelessly fearless and yet another reason to get hyped for the album. – Jac Holloway
Scottish duo Vukovi have released their crushing new single ‘Lasso’, a clear statement that combines roaring riffs and vivaciously catchy hooks. The duo, previously a band, released albums in 2017 (self-titled) and 2020 (Fall Better) and now ‘Lasso’ is the newest addition to a string of single’s they have been releasing sporadically from 2020 to date. As strong as ‘Lasso” is sonically it also comes as a lyrical statement of intent that packs just as much of a punch. “Lasso is about being blinded by perception. People not seeing or understanding the real person underneath their “Popstar” status. Being pulled in all directions to please others only looking to gain from your success”. says Janine Shilstone (vocals). A fearless and bold message that can also be seen in its accompanying music video. Released via Lab Records, the duo have announced this is the beginning of a new era and one that we can likely to expect to hear more about soon. – Jac Holloway
With bands like Turnstile and Knocked Loose making the hardcore genre more popular than ever, Rotting Out have unleashed another classic sounding rager in the form of new track ‘Who Am I?’. The band favour a more oldschool sound, closer to the more punk stylings of Suicidal Tendencies, with crunchy, groove laden riffs, quick and punchy and ready to let loose to. From raspy growls to gang vocals, Rotting Out are as adept as ever, and we can only hope that this is the beginning of a new album era for the band, as their last studio record Ronin came out back in 2020, and if there’s ever a time for Rotting Out to fill the airwaves with top tier punk noise, it’s now, while the genre is celebrating a glorious new surge of popularity. – Elliot Grimmie
Carpenter Brut are one of those fantastic bands who, akin to other synth heavy artists like The Prodigy and Pendulum, blur the lines between electronic noise made by computers and guitars. That note you just heard, was that organic and distorted or purely synthetic? There’s a beauty in the ‘Brut’s retro-action soundtrack sound, and latest track ‘The Widow Maker’ shows us another glimpse of how fruitful this unique approach to making music can sound in collaberation with other artists, this time we are treated to vocals from Alex Westaway, of equally cinematically inspired band Gunship. Atmospherically dark, pulsing synths carry the flush tones of Alex’s singing to a cyberpunk-ish landscape, imagery of grimy, inner city living can be invoked here, and the bands penchant for crafting songs laden with hidden stories and settings shines ever brighter. – Elliot Grimmie
Whilst 2021 was closing out, Kubrick hit the world with his incredibly diverse and multi-layered sound in the shape of debut single ‘Painfall’. Since, we have been treated to second single ‘Devastate’ which was another example of the artist’s range and influence. This week Kubrick dropped ‘Mannequin’, the third single and yet another wildly different song brooding with experimental layering and juxtaposing qualities yet rooted in the same experimental playground. ‘Mannequin’ boasts an impressive vocal range with beautiful falsettos, great flow in the verses and a chorus that steps it up a gear and soars. For the most part the song leans on heavy electronic elements but feeds in distortion in the chorus to add to to an overall explosion of sound. The most unexpected and welcomed addition is the crescendo that the bridge builds towards and closes out the song with. The clean vocals are thrown out for shattering growls that tease the possibility of some tremendously heavy music in the future for Kubrick. It’s no easy feat to strike the balance and slide effortlessly between heavy alt-rock and metal whilst including other elements of experimentation but that is what Kubrick continues to showcase with every new release. We already cannot wait to hear what’s next for this talented up-and-comer. – Jac Holloway
Hardcore/thrash outfit Cage Fight may be newcomers as a band but they’re all experienced hands when it comes to both life and the music industry. The second single taken from their upcoming self-titled debut. ‘Respect Ends’ is a seething takedown of “men (and anyone in general) who thinks it’s okay to harass, abuse, make inappropriate comments or not take no for an answer, both in the real world but also online,” as vocalist Rachel Aspe describes it. Channelling the rage and frustration of a future stolen by over a decade of austerity and Brexit, Cage Fight is the antidote we sorely need for the times we live in. – Will Marshall
Often lauded and referred to as UK tech-metal royalty, the single from Monuments shows that the now transatlantic band are set to retain their lofty position with their new record In Stasis. A collaboration between the band and Doom soundtrack composer Mick Gordon, ‘False Providence’ straddles the line between tender emotiveness and bone cracking density as it’s sidewinding central riff propels it forward, presenting a chasm of a dichotomy that serves as the crux of the album. “We approached this album without the intention of a specific concept. However – three songs in, what was being written ended up sharing a common theme”, state the band. “This feeling of being stuck in the middle, a feeling we experience throughout our lives – within friendships and relationships, love to hate, life to death, belief or non-belief, being in power to total defeat, isolation to freedom. Over the past 2 years, we have been faced with many of these trials, and these struggles can be heard throughout the record. This record is a culmination of our greatest triumphs and our deepest struggles.” – Dan Hillier