What's so good about peace, love and understanding? There's definitely at least some of that in the air this week as some of metal's biggest names have been opening their studio doors for collaborations, while others seek unity through the simple joys of great new music.
That in mind, here are the results of last week's vote! We'd got some major players returning to the table, so it's no surprise that there was fierce competition, but a special shout should go to the emergent acts who looked to dominate the vote over the weekend (Swamp Coffin, we're looking at you). Still, as the week went on some bands pulled ahead by a considerable way; Finns that wanna have fun One Morning Left took a very admirable third place, while returning nu metal behemoths Linkin Park took second. There was no beating prog metal heroes Opeth though, the Swedes once again topping the charts with with an absolutely astounding turnout.
As mentioned up top, we've got a hefty dose of collaborative brilliance for you this week thanks to the likes of Mastodon x Lamb Of God and Within Temptation x Blind8, but that's not all. From the thundering deathcore of Whitechapel to Divide And Dissolve's haunting doom, we've dug deep to offer you a diverse selection of excellent new metal songs to check out. As ever, don't forget to vote for your favourite below - and have a magnificent weekend!
Mastodon x Lamb Of God - Floods Of Triton
Let's be honest when you team up two of metal's most consistently brilliant bands on a single track, you can expect nothing short of brilliance. Thankfully that's exactly what we've got on new Mastodon track Floods Of Triton, the prog metal champs drafting in LoG growler Randy Blythe to add an extra fiery spin on a song that has a decidedly old-school 'don sound, feeling like a return to the cascading viciousness of Blood And Thunder.
Within Temptation x Blind8 - Labyrinth
It's been a long wait, but Within Temptation's Bleed Out tour is just around the corner. Almost a year since the Dutch group released the titular album, they've unveiled a brand new single in Labyrinth, a track that sees them team up with Ukrainian metalcore group Blind8. The track is further proof that WT have long since departed the realms of pure symphonic metal, adding a metallic heft that's more in line with the likes of Architects or While She Sleeps. It's by no means the first time they've experimented with a guest artist - if you like this, check out A Fool's Parade and Shed My Skin - but it is a perfect example of how WT have reached a new, unpredictable artistic peak.
Black Label Society - The Gallows
Horns up and hats off to Zakk Wylde, Black Label Society's riff-slinger roaring back with surprise new single The Gallows. Wylde has had a busy 2024 playing guitars as part of the Pantera 'reunion', but clearly it hasn't interefered with his ability to hit the studio and kick out top notch chugging heavy metal with BLS, new single The Gallows, sounding just how you'd expect after 25 years of sonic brewing.
Nightwish - An Ocean Of Strange Islands
With just a week to go until new album Yesterwynde arrives, Nightwish have released new single An Ocean Of Strange Islands. Bombastic and cinematic in scope, the track captures a sense of wonder and adventure that has always been key to the Finns' symphonic offering, soaring from dramatic peak to dramatic peak with thunderous riffs and gorgeously fragile acoustic notes to match its swelling, wild strings.
Jinjer - Rogue
Jinjer's full-length is edging ever closer, even if we don't know an exact release date yet. New single Rogue hints at a more direct, incendiary approach after the more progressive stylings of 2021's Wallflowers, still bounding with angular technicality but without any of the more melodious reprieves we usually get from Tatiana Shmayluk.
A.A. Williams - Splinter
After touring the US with Sleep Token in 2023, A.A. Williams has now embarked on her own headline tour of the country. To celebrate the fact, she's released brand new single Splinter, the first taste of new music since 2022's As The Moon Rests. Her unique brand of doomy post-rock remains potent and emotionally resonant, the track a sumptuous display of her distinct musical style. Hopefully a new album won't be too far away.
Grand Magus - The Wheel Of Pain
If you prefer your heavy music more in the realms of traditional heavy metal, then you can't go wrong with Grand Magus. The Swedes have been playing the game for well over 20 years and know just what's needed to bring some triumphant riffs and belt-along choruses to the fore and new single The Wheel Of Pain is no exception. Make sure you keep an eye out for Sunraven on October 18.
Whitechapel - A Visceral Retch
And if you want your metal heavy-heavy? Well, look no further than A Visceral Retch, the new single from Whitechapel doing a fine job of describing the sonic headspace it evokes. The deathcore brutes are absolutely tearing the walls down on this stand-alone single, gut-wrenching growls and agonisingly sludgy breakdowns dragging the genre back into the primordial ooze from which it spawned. We couldn't be happier.
House Of Protection - Fuse
Featuring former Fever 333 members Aric Improta and Stephen Harrison, House Of Protection is the pair's new group that is proving to be just as provocative and boundary-pushing as their past groups. New EP Galore is out today, new single Fuse tapping into a liminal headspace somewhere between 90s alt metal, trip hop, rave and nu metal. It's a potent and interesting mix, stopping just short of explosiveness but feeling all the more powerful for the fact.
Blind Channel - Everybody (Bloodbros Back)
Apparently not content with cheekily dubbing themselves the Backstreet Boys of metal, Blind Channel have gone one further; covering the boyband. It's something that's guaranteed to piss purists off to no end, but their rendition of Everybody plays up to the song's creepy themes with some whining high-end guitar notes that sound like peak 90s Korn, perfectly playing into the Finns' own nu metal style.
Divide And Dissolve - Monolithic
Divide And Dissolve might be a post-metal band, but there's more than a hint of the fatalistic riffing of Tony Iommi to new single Monolithic. Colossal, undeniable and utterly annihilating, the Australian doom group play with symphonic tones early on in the track before giving way to world-ending bluster that is utterly devastating. Currently on tour in the US, their new album is expected in 2025.
Echosoul - Die Demon Die
It's a fool's errand trying to pin Echosoul to any one metal niche. Snarling melodeath vocals suddenly give way to King Diamond like trad metal histrionics, thundering double-bass providing a low-end for twirling neoclassical guitars on the group's latest single Die Demon Die, taken from upcoming album Time Of The Dragon. If you're itching for a new band with a classical feel, you need look no further.
