School's out for summer! A heatwave might have seized mainland Europe, but here in the UK it's typically grey and rainy as we head into summer proper. But we can't let that dampen our spirits - particularly not when there's still so much exciting new music to get stuck into.
First, the results of last week's vote! We brought a wide spread of genres and styles to the table with death metal, deathcore and even Japanese reggae-metal, but it was prog that seemed to ultimately win the day. Aussies Voyager beat Corey Taylor to a very admirable second place, while Tesseract's return with the epic War Of Being saw them take gold.
As ever, we've hunted far and wide to bring you the very best new metal songs this week, bringing everything from cinematic US goth-industrial metal from In This Moment to UK-based Iranian black metallers Trivax and the colossal riffs of South Africa's Chaos Doctrine, as well as big names including Beartooth, Code Orange, Skindred and more. We need you to tell us which song excites you most, so don't forget to cast your vote below!
In This Moment - The Purge
Goth-industrial metal bunch In This Moment have finally announced their next album, Godmode, for an October 27 release. There’ll be some lofty expectations for the disc, given its predecessor Mother contained the Grammy-nominated song The In-Between, but lead single The Purge shows the anticipation could well be met. The heavy, electrified track sees singer Maria Brink snarl and rant over pulsing synths, relaying lyrics that were inspired by the “social unrest” of COVID. Then, of course, there’s a big, elegant rock chorus to follow. Will the band actually nab the Grammy this time?
Beartooth - Might Love Myself
On their last single Sunshine, Beartooth cast big nasty metalcore breakdowns against some acoustic guitars and gentler pop sensibility. Now, on follow-up Might Love Myself, the band have doubled down on their softer aspects, creating a triumphant pop-rock anthem-in-the-making. It’s a nonstop tide of melodies over a bedrock of chunky guitars, evoking latter-day Bring Me The Horizon. “I’m out of my cage! Breaking that spell! Think I might love myself!” Caleb Shomo declares during that victorious hook. Both this and Sunshine will show up on new album The Surface, out October 13.
Skindred - Unstoppable
Lately, Skindred have been emphasising the “ragga” part of their self-described “ragga metal” stylings. Recent single L.O.V.E. (Smile Please) was a happy-go-lucky reggae jam that could have given Bob Marley & The Wailers’ Three Little Birds a thrashing in the “sweet and whimsical” stakes. That said, new track Unstoppable (taken off August’s Smile album) is very much a rock ’n’ roll number, putting the focus firmly on fun grooves and hard riffs. Plus there’s still that undeniable Benji Webbe bounce and melodic phrasing, destined to get packed festival fields singing en masse.
Code Orange - Take Shape (feat. Billy Corgan)
When you run around calling yourselves “thinners of the herd”, you better be taking some serious musical chances. American hardcore leaders Code Orange have done just that yet again, tapping Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan for their newest single. Take Shape follows this year’s Grooming My Replacement and The Game by indulging the band’s more melodic side. Those screeching guitars and Corgan’s ominous vocals still lend the track an unsettling edge, though. The single, alongside Grooming… and The Game, will be on Code Orange’s new album The Above, released September 29.
Sylosis - A Sign Of Things To Come
Cult British metal heroes Sylosis have continued their march toward A Sign Of Things To Come by releasing its title track. The third single from the album (after Deadwood and Poison For The Lost) is unsurprisingly hefty and packs one hell of a snarl-along hook. However, it also broadens the band’s canon with its atmospheric, melodically-sung verses. Frontman and ex-Architects guitarist Josh Middleton is clearly pushing his range with this strident song. We expect the rest of the album to sound just as mighty and anthemic when it drops on September 8.
Bob Vylan - Dream Big
There’s been no shortage of success for Bob Vylan since they released their debut We Live Here in 2020, sold out shows and massive festival appearances cementing them as one of the UK’s hottest underground acts. The video for new single Dream Big is all about celebrating that rocket ride, past successes and glories set to a bouncy, grime-inflected beat that shows the band are stylistically sticking to their guns even as their audiences continue to swell.
Silent Planet - Antimatter
Progressive metalcore Californians Silent Planet get emotionally raw on new single Antimatter. The track, which jumps from digital rock verses to climactic metal hooks, directly addresses a road accident the band suffered last year, where their tour van hit some black ice and flipped (mercifully, no one was seriously hurt). “We’re waiting in the wreckage for the sun to rise,” frontman Garrett Russell sings. “I’m staring at the fractures no one else can see.” Although this song follows last year’s standalone single Signal, there’s no word on a new album as of yet.
Alt Blk Era - Misfits: Solar
Heaviness comes in all shapes and sizes in 2023, the likes of Poppy and Backxwash showing there’s so much more to metal than the traditional subgenres. Taken from Alt Blk Era’s upcoming debut EP, Misfits: Solar chucks up shades of industrial, nu metal and alternative in a ferocious package, pulsing synths carrying fierce rapped verses, shrieks and lighter notes that wouldn’t feel out of place on the Stranger Things soundtrack. Together, it paints the duo as a fascinating new act to watch when that EP arrives September 1.
Trivax - Azrael
With a distinctly Middle Eastern intro melody, Trivax’s new single Azrael shows the band may have left their homeland of Iran, but are still heavily influenced by it as they gear up for their second album Eloah Burns Out, due September 29. Flame-scorched black metal gives way to powerful, mesmeric instrumentals as the track rages on, perfectly accentuated by the increasingly apocalyptic imagery the band introduce as the song grows ever-more ferocious.
Chaos Doctrine - One Of My Bad Days
Apoplectic and apocalyptic, Chaos Doctrine’s latest single One Of My Bad Days swings between thrash-levels of frenzied speed and colossal, Gojira-like riffs in a rampaging sub-four-minute package, showing the South African band are setting their sights high as they look towards a potential 2023 release for their upcoming third record.
